Before I begin, I would like to dedicate the rest of the chapters to a dear friend of mine, MissEndora from the TVLand message board, for whom without the rest of the chapters would not exist.
The Douglas Farm
A couple of days dragged by with nothing for Lisa to do but tearfully help Eb pack up his things from his room. Since he had to figure out where he was going to live, find a new job, and figure out a way to get his furniture out of the loft, Oliver had "graciously" allowed Eb a week to do all this. Now his week was up and it was the day Eb was due to leave. Lisa was up in his loft helping him box up the last of his belongings.
"Oh Eb, I vish you vould reconsider leaving," she said as she taped up one of the boxes.
"I would mom, but I can't. Mr. Douglas wouldn't allow it. He never did like me," Eb said sadly.
"He did too like you, Eb…once. He's just so different now. That's vhy you can't leave. I'm afraid something terrible will happen as soon as you do. I need you here," she said. Eb stopped what he was doing and looked at her with sad eyes.
"Believe me mom, I would give anything to stay, but I just can't. I would probably just make his temper worse and it would make things worse for you. But I promise I'll write to you everyday and visit whenever I can," he replied.
"Vell…I guess that'll have to do," she relented sadly as she hugged him. "But I'm going to miss you so."
"I'm going to miss you too, mom," Eb said in a tearful voice. Lisa smiled sadly and enveloped him in a hug. The stood there for several seconds just hugging each other until the phone rang.
"Lisa! Answer the phone," they heard Oliver yell from somewhere on the farm. They let go of each other and Lisa rolled her eyes at her husbands command.
"I'll be right back," she said in an exasperated tone.
"Okay and I'll take these boxes down to the truck," Eb replied as he picked up one of the boxes. Lisa descended the ladder, walked around the side of the house, and climbed the pole to answer the phone.
"Hello," she said upon picking it up.
"Lisa, darling," she heard a familiar voice exclaim on the other end.
"Motha, dahling! It's been so long! How are you," Lisa asked once she recognized her husband's mother's voice.
"Oh, I'm fine dear, just fine. How are things in slumville," she asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Things are fine her in Hootersville," Lisa responded pointedly, but she couldn't hold back her smile.
"Good! How's my son," she asked. At this question Lisa paused. Should she tell his mother the truth? She didn't want to lie to her, but she didn't want to worry her either. Well, she's his mother and she deserves to know, Lisa decided.
"Actually motha, he's not vell," she said gently.
"What! What is wrong with him? Is he sick," Oliver's mother asked in a panic-stricken voice.
"Oh no, no, motha! It's nothing like that," Lisa added quickly, immediately regretting her choice of words. "It's just that he's changed so much. He's grouchy all the time and he's so cruel to everyone."
"Oh, is that all," Oliver's mother exclaimed with a laugh. "Darling, that's nothing to worry about. It's hereditary! His father was the exact same way when his work got too much for him."
"But motha, it's just not like him! He's so rude to everyone…especially to me," she added sadly.
"I know dear, but I'm afraid it's just the way the Douglas men are. They become too passionate when it comes to things such as work; they take things too seriously. That's why I never wanted you to marry him."
"Oh motha," Lisa said sadly.
"Don't you worry, darling. If he continues to get worse, you always have a home here with me in New York," she said sweetly.
"Thank you, motha. I must now. Take care and I vill talk to you soon. Goodbye, dahling," Lisa said.
"Goodbye, dear," Oliver's mother responded. Lisa hung up the phone and sighed deeply. She was so hoping that her husband's mother would be able to help her solve her problem not provide an explanation to Oliver's behavior. She sighed once more and began to climb down the pole. She was going to go help Eb pack up the rest of his stuff, but when she reached the ground she suddenly felt very strange. Her breath shortened and the world suddenly began to spin about her. Fear consumed her as she shut her eyes to will the earth to stop spinning but it was to no avail. She could feel herself begin to fall.
Meanwhile, Eb had just finished loading the last of the boxes into a truck his friend had lent him when he remembered he forgot to call the Pixley motel to make reservations for the next few days until he could find a more permanent residence. He rounded the corner of the house to where the pole was but stopped when he saw Lisa standing at the base of it with her eyes shut. He was about to ask her if she was alright when he noticed that she was going to collapse.
Eb ran as fast as his legs could carry him over to her side, where he managed to catch her just before she hit the ground. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the house and gently laid her down on the sofa. A half conscious Lisa managed to clear her head and give Eb and grateful smile.
"Oh Eb, thank goodness you arrived at just the right moment," she said.
"Mrs. Douglas, are you alright," Eb asked with concern and bewilderment.
"Yes, I'm just fine. Vhy," she asked as she slowly began to sit up.
"You almost fainted, that's why," Eb exclaimed. "What's wrong? Have you not been eating or sleeping again!"
Lisa's pale, slightly slimmer appearance and the guilty look on her face told him that she has not. Eb sighed heavily.
"Mrs. Douglas, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You could get really sick. I think you should go see the doctor," he suggested, but Lisa quickly jumped up from the couch in protest.
"No Eb, I'm fine. And I will be fine, so long as you stay here with me," she said.
"You know I can't do that," Eb replied sadly.
"But please Eb! Vot am I going to do without you? I'll be so lonely," she cried.
"You still have Mr. Douglas. He may be a little different right now, to say the least, but he'll come around. You'll see," Eb said in hopes that it would encourage her. Lisa knew what he was trying to do and smiled gratefully. It was at that moment that she realized that there was really nothing she could do about Eb's leaving so long as her husband's attitude was the way it was. She then decided to make the best of it.
"You're right, Eb," she said. "I'm sure thing vill be fine. But like I said, I vill miss you Eb…so very much." A fresh wave of tears spilled over her cheeks as she embraced him for what would probably be the last time. Eb returned the friendly embrace.
"I'll miss you more," Eb replied. "You were the best mom I ever had."
"And you vere the best son I ever had," she replied with a smile. "I love you."
"I love you too," Eb said. He leaned in to give her a friendly kiss on the cheek goodbye, when Oliver walked in at exactly the wrong moment.
"What are you doing holding my wife," Oliver demanded to know.
"I was just going to wish her goodbye," Eb replied.
"Oh is that all you were doing," Oliver replied sarcastically, obviously accusing Eb of something greater.
"Olivah! How could you even think such a thing," Lisa exclaimed.
"You stay out of this Lisa! And you, get out of my house and off my property immediately," he told Eb as he turned around and opened the front door. Eb sighed.
"I'm going," he said unenthusiastically. He then bent down and gave Lisa the kiss on the cheek he was going to give her, much to Oliver's dismay.
"Bye mom," Eb said dejectedly.
"Don't call her mom," Oliver exclaimed as he grabbed Eb by the elbow and hurried him out the door. He then turned his attention to Lisa.
"Lisa, I'm hungry. Make me some dinner," he demanded.
Oliver was about to close the door behind him when he heard Eb yell, "Wait, I didn't get to hug your wife one last time!"
"And you won't get to," Oliver yelled as he joined Eb outside and shut the door before Lisa had a chance to protest. Lisa sighed dejectedly and decided that there was nothing to do now but to make her husband's lunch. She turned around and trudged into the kitchen to prepare the only thing she knew how to cook, hotcakes.
Meanwhile Oliver was still outside yelling at Eb. "I want you off my property in the next five minutes or I'll call the sheriff on you," he said menacingly.
"I'm going, I'm going," Eb said in an irritated manner that seemed to set Oliver off even more.
"I don't know how I put up with you for this long! All you ever did was complain and skip out on work! Now I want you to leave and never come back," Oliver yelled. This last comment sent Eb over the edge. He couldn't hold his tongue any longer. He stormed up to Oliver and looked him straight in the eye.
"Oh I'll come back alright, not for your sake, but for your wife's," he yelled. Oliver was a little taken aback at Eb's sudden boldness, but he quickly regained his composure and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"What do you mean," he demanded to know.
Eb scoffed. "Are you so blinded by your anger that you can't see it? Haven't you noticed how much thinner or paler she has gotten! You're anger is not only ruining your marriage but her health!"
"You're crazy," Oliver said dismissively.
"It's true! Just look at her! You're going to push her too far," Eb yelled.
"Get off my property, now," Oliver exclaimed, having heard enough.
"Fine," Eb said as she climbed into the truck and started the engine. "But mark my words, ff you don't change back to your old ways soon, Mr. Douglas, you're going to lose her, one way or another." And with that last warning, Eb drove away.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Oliver said under his breath while trying to push Eb's words out of his mind.
Have I been that bad, Oliver wondered for a brief second. He shook his head quickly and dismissed the thoughts from his head. He then turned around and headed into the kitchen for his dinner.
Lisa looked up when she heard her husband enter the kitchen and take a seat at the table.
"Did Eb leave," she asked even though she knew the answer.
"Yes, thankfully," Oliver mumbled.
"Oh Olivah, I vish you hadn't sent him avay! He vas like a member of the family! And you could use the help around the farm," Lisa pleaded with him once more, but Oliver silenced her.
"I can manage the farm just fine without that lazy knothead, and as far as being a member of the family, your wrong. He was nothing but a free-loader. How you ever saw him as a son, I'll never know. We'll fair much better without him," Oliver said.
Lisa sighed in defeat and placed a stack of hotcakes in front of her husband. As soon as he saw what she put in front of him, Oliver groaned.
"Ugh Lisa, when are you going to learn to make something worth eating, huh," he asked.
"Eb always liked my hotcakes," Lisa said defensively.
"I don't care what Eb liked, I care what I like. And I refuse to eat this slop any longer," he said as she pushed the plate away.
"Olivah," Lisa exclaimed incredulously.
"Don't Oliver me, I'm sick of your food. Learn to cook or don't cook at all!"
"Fine! Then I won't cook at all," Lisa cried, she threw down her apron and crossed her arms in front of her in determination. "From now on, cook your own meals or starve!"
At this outburst, Oliver's face turned red in anger. He took the plate of hotcakes and threw it to the floor at Lisa's feet, sending pieces of china flying everywhere, which nearly cut her ankles. Lisa jumped back quickly to avoid injury and stared at her husband with a mixture of anger and disbelief. But before she could say anything, Oliver turned around and stalked into the bedroom.
Lisa stood in shock for a few seconds before she grabbed a broom and began to sweep up the mess her husband made. She swept for a few minutes before throwing the broom down and bursting into tears.
But this time, her tears were different. Her tears were not from sorrow or self-pity or hopelessness like they were before. Instead, they were tears of anger and outrage. She was fed up with it all, fed up with the pain and the lies and the yelling and the sickness. She couldn't take it anymore.
Lisa decided right then and there that that was it. She was not going to take Oliver's attitude anymore. She was going to have a talk with him tomorrow. She was going to tell him all he was putting her through. She was going to tell him that he either changed his ways or she was going back to New York, once and for all.