No Way To Escape | Novel

CHAPTER 41: EDWARD-II

There was some heavy knocking on the door, then again, and then it was turning into pounding. Momma Warwick was asleep in her room at the back end of the house, on the first floor. and Laura was singing lullabies to her daughter, Ruth, upstairs. The pounding made Laura gasp and rush to the door. Ruth looked at her mother in a bewildered tone but decided to lay down on the bed instead. Some big people things – she thought. As Laura reached the door and opened it, she saw Edward standing before her, holding the post of the porch for support. He was drunk.

'Oh my God, Ed! Where had you been? It's way past your usual home-coming time!'. While Laura seemed concerned, Edward didn't seem to bother.

'Get the fuck away from me!', he exclaimed to Laura as he pushed her aside and got into the house. Laura still looked perplexed as she closed the door and followed Edward into the living room. Watching his steps, and at the same time, making animated expressions, he somehow got himself onto the couch chair which was facing the furnace. The fire was dim down there but it was enough to light up the room without any lamp or lantern. Laura came after him and crouched herself against the chair, holding his husband's arms in agitation.

'Hey, hey... What happened?', she asked. Edward didn't seem to listen. His eyes were fixed onto the fire, though they were flickering occasionally, and he was glaring at them. Laura was completely baffled. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were filled with anxiety. There was an air of confusion over the room. The baffled state of Laura was probably because she hadn't seen her husband drink ever or he hadn't drunk so much ever or she hadn't seen him drink for a while. The dampness of Edward's eyes was clearly visible now.

'I lost it', he said.

'Lost what, Ed?'

'I lost the fucking job!', he shouted. His mother must have heard him. Laura backed away a little bit and then gave out a heave. 'How'd it happen?', she asked him politely, with utter calmness.

'That Dave... He took the chance. Boss wanted some people to be fired for new people to join in. And that motherfucker chose me. Me!... Laura, I had been working there for years. I had always been loyal to it, the company and all my  colleagues. And that son of a bitch didn't sigh a bit to throw me away... Fuck!'. He kicked the floor and got up, only to lose his balance. Laura got him by his arm and tried to help him walk up to their bedroom upstairs. All the time they had been trudging up, Laura could hear Edward swearing faintly and continuously in his semi-conscious state.

As they reached up to the bedroom, Laura made him lie on the bed with his legs dangling at the end of it. She took out his shoes and then sat down beside him. She sighed and looked at the clock above the bed. Five minutes past ten, it displayed. Edward was still muttering cuss words. Groaning, he tried to get up. Laura got him in her hands and made him sit by her and rest his head against her shoulders. She started patting her husband's cheeks in tender. He took her hands in his and said, 'You know... I tried my best for it. The company I mean. I helped them from becoming toddlers to adults. Dave had always been with me. We were a part of the company's stepping stone under Boss Will. But that son of a bitch... He had always been selfish. He knew I was the only possible threat to take down his authority. He had always been paranoid to me. Fucking baldy! Am not gonna—'

'Don't do anything silly further, Ed. We're already in the ruins now. But at the present moment, I want you to sleep. We can have a talk over it tomorrow'. She removed his hands from hers and then helping him off his clothes, lay him down on the bed to sleep.

'I am sorry I ruined our anniversary', he said. 'But... I have something for you'

'Na... am not gonna see anything now. Get some sleep. I said right? Whatever it is... tomorrow morning. Hmm?'. Edward reflected a faint nod and then closed his eyes.

Soon, Laura also got into her bed clothes and lied down on the bed. Her sleep was gone. She was just staring at Edward when with a blink, the surrounding before my eyes changed.

...

I could see the dining room, with the table at the centre, lined with 4 chaurs around it. Two of them were occupied. It was a bright morning -- probably the other day. Ruth was eating her breakfast on the table, peacefully. Edward was reading a newspaper, sitting next to Ruth. Laura was washing dishes over the sink in the kitchen, attached next to the dine. She was occasionally looking back at Edward. Momma Warwick was sitting at her favorite place by the furnace, as usual, and reading a book.

'Daddy, see this', Ruth said. Edward side-lined the newspaper off the vision of his little girl and looked at her. Ruth took a piece of bread in her tiny fingers, dipped them in a glass of milk nearby and then threw them up, trying to target them to her open mouth. But the bread piece rose up and fell back on the floor, past her head. That made Edward smile, but he didn't laugh. His eyes went back again to his newspaper. Laura seemed visibly agitated at that.

'Ruth, I want you to get up to Linda... she was asking for you the other night. Probably she wants you to share some of your toys with her. Walk steady and don't fall down on the pavement... I want you to get to her now'

Ruth affirmed saying, 'Okay, momma', and then putting her shoes on, went out to the neighborhood. Turning the faucet close, she kept the dish down on the sink she was washing, cleaned her hands with a cloth nearby and walked up to the dining table. Drawing a chair out, she closed in to Edward and asked him, 'What now?'

Edward sighed and dropped the newspaper down on the table. He looked into the eyes of his wife. There was a sense of defeat in his eyes. His eyes were visibly moist. 'I don't know', he muttered.

'Everything will be fine, hon', she said and held his hands.

'I am gonna search for a new job, certainly. But –'

'But what, Ed?'

'I am forty-four now. Which company or firm do you think would hire a middle-aged man like me?' His words were wise though. Starting afresh from a new job is kind of difficult for people in their forties.

'Don't worry. Something will work out'. Laura tried to console him. Her grip firmed over Edward's hands.

'I wish it does. I have been searching over some job in the newspaper. I am trying to get to some friends of mine who may enroll me into something... I hope something good turns out'.

'Have you got to Will? He may find you something'

'Perhaps... I haven't talked to him yet. I think I should go up to Montreal and try to get something. What do you say?'. Laura lowered her head for a while and then looking up, she said, 'If you like... You may get some opportunity there'.

Both of them sighed and locked their arms around each other's shoulders.

'Can I ask you something?', she asked.

'Yeah sure'

'You had said you would present me something yesterday... so... um—'

'Oh yes, I had forgotten about it. Sorry. Come with me'

He led her to his closet up in their bedroom and pulled out his coat which he had worn the previous day. 'You remember... Last month we had gone to your mom's and while having a conversation, I had come across your collection?'

'Yes...'

'So, I think this is gonna be the next token for your coin collection'. Edward put his hands in the pocket of his coat and pulled out a silver coin. Shit! It's the silver coin!

'Oh Ed!'. Laura took the coin in her hands and started examining it. 'This is the best token in my collection! I had always collected coins but never a silver coin! Where did you get it?'

'I bought it', he said.

'You bought it? God! That must have cost dearly'

'Well, um, I had hoped a big profit from my next report... Really, a big one. So I thought I should get something big for you... But—'

Before he could say anything further, Laura gasped and hugged him tightly. Edward hugged her back in the same passion.

My eyes went up to the wall where a calendar was hanging. There were red pen markings on each day till the twelfth of January, 1924.