Chapter 6

He came thru the door as usual but today he was holding a small posy of her favorite flowers. It would smooth things over with her he thought. It usually worked.

"Sweetheart, I'm home", he called out as he shut the door behind him. "Hmm... thats queer... she should be here. Where the devil is she?" He walked from room to room thru out the small cottage. But she was nowhere to be seen.

He went out to the back garden, maybe she was there enjoying the nice weather on this late afternoon. He called out for her but there was no answer. "That's odd." he said. Then it popped into his head. "That blasted bike!"

He walked quickly to the shed now. And rage filled his face when he saw the broken lock on the handle doors. He swung open wide the doors and saw the bike was missing.

"That fucking bike!" he exclaimed. "It'll be the death of me yet!"

He slammed the shed doors shut and walked back into the house. He started pacing the floors.

"Don't panic," he thought, "it's still early. She decided to take a spin, defying me, but she'll be home soon. Not to worry old man. Not to worry. She'll be fine. She'll be fine," he repeated. And he lit a fire and sat in his easy chair with his evening paper and his cigar.

But he couldn't concentrate. He got up, looked out the cottage window and saw it was getting dark. He was worried now. Very worried. He grabbed his jacket and headed out to the door. He unhitched his horse from the small wagon and hopped on. And headed down the road. It would be very dark soon, pitch black. Maybe he'd see her on her way home and could pick her up. He road up and down the country lanes but there was no sign of her. He turned his horse around and headed back.

"I've been a fool," he thought. "Damn it, it's just a bicycle. She's been a good wife to me all these years and never gave me any cause to worry... I'm so insecure when it comes to her... but I can't change. She wants me to be different but I can't! I am who I am! I've sheltered her for too long. I know this. Never gave her any freedom. And now look what's happened." These thoughts just kept circling in his head and wouldn't leave him.

He reached his home with a heavy heart this night and put the horse away. He plodded thru the door, took a big shot of whiskey, started undressing. Then picked up the bottle and took it into the bedroom with him. He drank 3/4 of it before the night was thru. He lay on the bed holding her white nightgown up to his face, he could smell her sweet lavender fragrance on it and he started to sob. Like a baby he did. Until he fell asleep with the almost empty bottle lying on the floor near the bed beside him.

The next day it was almost noon and he awoke with a pounding head. At first he had forgotten the events of the night before but then reality set in as he glanced at the empty space on her side of the still made bed and his heart sank. "Where the HELL is she?" he cried. He put on a pot of coffee and took 2 pain pills for his head. He never missed a day of work in all his life, this fact he was very proud of. But he did today.

He decided to go see the local constable and tell him about things. Yes, that's what he would do. Together they would find this Diana's Pool she had talked about, as he was sure that's where she must've gone and he would find her. Yes, everything would be fine. His head was getting better now and his thinking was clearer. He was confident things would turn out fine now.

He finished his coffee, lit his cigar and walked around the yard and into the back near the stone wall. He puffed on the fat cigar then put it out. Went to his horse and buggy and started out to the constables. He scoured the countryside eyeing the sides of the roads as he went. "Where in blazes is she?" he pondered.