Matter

CHAPTER 4

I stand to leave Nick's room and hear voices at the front door. Dylan is talking to someone. I listen closely, perhaps it is one of our neighbors. He's probably getting more information from Phyllis. As I slowly make my way down the hall, those hopes fail me. He's arguing as quietly as he can. I peer over his shoulder and now I know why. Karla has come to my house.

Her voice screeches as she pleads, "Dylan I'm scared to be by myself! I want you to come home so that we can be together, please!"

The blood boils in my veins to hear her voice. She had always been so nice to me when I would visit Dylan at work. She would talk to me and ask about Nick. She would say that she wished she could find a good man like Dylan. She can have him now. The day's events had made me almost forget about the anger I possess toward both of them. She has stirred the pot and it's over the fire again.

He firmly responds, "I am not leaving tonight. Don't blame me for what happened today. You chose the job and I chose my son." He looks back and sees me shadowing the hallway. His face flushes and he looks down at the ground as I focus my glare upon her.

She looks at me and her voice seethes with resentment, "You realize when you spend time with Nick you also spend time with her, don't you? You're awful! How can you do this to me?"

I can't hold my tongue any longer. Walking toward the door I unleash my rage upon her, "He should want to stay. He did marry me! How can you call him out on what he is doing to you? Did you ever give a small thought about what the two of you did to me or what it will do to our son? You weaseled your way between us and you can't stand that maybe, just maybe, he found out that the grass may be greener on the other side, but that is because it is covered in shit!"

Dylan steps in front of me to block me from going any closer, "Lena! Come on, please don't do this." He then speaks to her as he looks into my eyes, "Karla, you shouldn't have come here. You need to go home. I'll come by tomorrow. I have to be here to find out how to best protect my son, and that includes working together with his mother." She gives me an evil glare as Dylan reaches back to close the door.

He turns back to me and submissively apologizes, "I'm sorry, Lena. I didn't know that she would come by."

I stand tall in his face as I growl out of the pit of my heart. "Bite me, Dylan. Just seeing her pisses me off! Both of you are responsible for tearing apart our marriage. You know what, why don't you go with her? Go to your new 'home' and leave me be. I don't want you to stay. I will not be your obligation! You are going to see her tomorrow anyway. Don't let me stand in your way. You never let me stop you before." I walk back to the living room and listen to the static of the radio, taking another drink from my glass.

He approaches me, trying to hold my hand and I jerk it from his grasp. Bellowing my disgust I turn, the wrath burning in my eyes, "Don't touch me! What would you have told her had I not been standing there? You just saw me and I reminded you of your standing obligation, didn't I?"

He accepts the anger, not lashing back at me, "Lena, I don't want to fight with you. We need to work together to keep Nick safe. I understand that. Call it what you want, but I am not leaving tonight, I'm staying. We have to find a way to make this work." He leaves the room and returns bringing a blanket for each of us. "We can sleep in here, that way we can hear if anything comes on the updates."

My heartbeat ispounding in my ears as I rip the blanket from his hands and lay down with myback to him. We stay in silence as the white noise crackles on the radio. Iclose my eyes and attempt to feel normal as we wait for our news just as ourgrandparents did decades ago. We sit and wait to hear what's occurring in therest of the country until we fall asleep.