Chapter 4

Darren got to his office early. He wanted to scream. But that wasn't his way. For over 10 years he'd been putting up with Melissa's bullshit. He'd allowed himself to be humiliated, and abused because he loved Melissa like there was no tomorrow. But he had reached his limit. He was sure she had finally made good on her threat and went out and fucked some guy. And worse than that, she'd come home and rubbed it in his face.

He decided to pack it in. Surely it couldn't be any worse being alone than it was being with Melissa. He called a friend of his who was a divorce attorney. Ryan didn't seem surprised.

"Dude, I'm just surprised that it took you this long," said Ryan. "If we work this right, we can get you out of this with more than your pride intact."

"Ryan I don't have any kind of proof that she cheated on me," said Darren.

"Dude, don't worry about it. Give me your address, I'm going to have some people bug your house and plant some cameras," said Ryan.

"I don't think she brings them here," said Darren.

"Darren, get the whole adultery thing out of your mind. That dog won't hunt. It's been done too many times. Most of the judges are bored with it. All adultery will get you is half of your shit at best. Plus since your wife, even with a college degree has never had a fucking job, she'd probably end up with more of your shit than you would," said Ryan. "In the end she'd move her lovers into your house and have you paying for them to fuck her in your bed, while they're drinking your fucking beer and laughing at you."

Darren saw the picture in his mind and it made his temperature rise a little but he still didn't blow up.

"We're going at this a completely different way," he smirked. "Trust me. You will be happy."

Darren still had time before he was supposed to actually arrive at work. He sat in front of his computer and started trying to think of what he wanted to say to Melissa. He'd write her a letter to tell her what his life was like, and the hell she'd turned it into. Maybe he'd even tell her that he'd known about what she went through in college before she met him.

He'd actually known how Ryan had fucked her and thrown her to the side. He'd never mentioned it because he'd have had to tell her that though he hadn't dated her during the competition, he'd been a part of it. Though he'd never been dishonest with any of the girls he'd dated, and he'd only used girls who were also only interested in no strings relationships he'd felt guilty.

He'd thought he could get rid of some of his guilt about the innocent women that some of his friends had hurt by trying to help Melissa get her confidence back. He'd never expected to fall in love with her.

For years he'd suffered her abuse hoping that someday she would realize how much she loved him and maybe return some of that love. But last night was the final straw. The last indignity he'd bear for love.

He also thought it was poetic justice to hire Ryan as his divorce attorney.

Back in college he and Ryan had been competitive but friendly. Ryan had been a jock. Darren had been into music.

As Darren tried to write his letter, for some reason it came out more like a song or a poem.

"Are you listening, hear me talk, hear me sing.

Open up the door, is it less is it more.

When you tell me to beware, are you here are you there?

Is it something I should know, easy come easy go.

Not in your head, don't hear a word I said.

I can't communicate when you wait, don't relate.

I try to talk to you, but you never even knew.

So what's it gonna be, tell me, can you hear me?

Patience runnin' thin, runnin' thin come again.

Tell me what I get opposite, opposite.

Show me what is real, if it breaks, does it heal?

Open up your ear, why you think that I'm here.

Keep me in the dark, are you even thinking of me?

Is someone else above me? Gotta know gotta know.

What am I gonna do, 'cause I can't get through to you

So what's it gonna be, tell me can you hear me?"

It wasn't bad and it summed up some of Darren's frustration and things he wished he could tell Melissa. It especially talked about his wish that she'd talk to him or at least listen to him.

Still it was missing something. Darren didn't think about it anymore. He decided to go ahead and get some work done. Maybe he could get out of here early and go to Tim and Elaine's house. His car was nearly done all he really needed was a paint job.

When Darren got home that evening, Melissa was already there. She was lying on the couch in their large living room in a very short skirt. Her legs were splayed open and Darren couldn't get how sexy she looked out of his mind.

He was sure that she'd probably spent the afternoon with whoever she was fucking. He almost hoped that she'd done it here so Ryan's people would have a recording of it. He went into the office to check the Internet for top quality auto painting.

Melissa was pissed. As soon as Darren had come into the house, he'd taken one look at her laid out on the couch like a whore and retreated to his home office.

She hadn't been asleep at all. She'd been peering at him the whole time. Her eyes had been barely slits.

The plan had been for him to come in, take one look at her and practically beg her to have sex with him. Or at least come over and start making obvious glances her way and hinting. After 10 years together he should know the way they did things. What was wrong with him?

He had looked at her. He had stared at her, but it wasn't the look she'd expected. It was more a look of sadness or hurt. Then he'd gone into the office.

"Darren," she screamed at the top of her lungs. "When did you get home? Why haven't you started dinner?"

Surprisingly he didn't answer. She stood there for a while and then went to the door of the office. The door didn't open when she twisted the handle. It was locked.

In her rage she kicked the door several times and left the house.

Melissa drove to Danielle's house. She explained what had happened when Darren got home. Danielle laughed about it. Melissa didn't think it was funny at all. She began to wonder why she had told Danielle about her problem anyway. Maybe it was because she really needed someone to talk to and anybody was better than nobody.

Before they got done, Helen came over. Melissa explained the whole thing again for Helen's benefit.

Danielle and Helen seemed to have differing viewpoints on the situation. Danielle thought that Melissa had a great degree of control over her husband and that it was a good thing. Darren was so pussy-whipped that he wouldn't ask for sex even if he wanted it.

She told Melissa that the next step would be to make him accept the fact that she could even have sex with other men if she wanted to and there was nothing he could do about it.

Helen looked at Danielle as if she was crazy. "Danielle, what happened to your marriage?" asked Helen.

"Well, Uhm..." began Danielle. "I was tired of having to fuck the same guy all of the time. So I..."

"Bull shit," snapped Helen. "I was there. You were flirting with a bunch of guys and your husband found out about it and dumped your ass. You begged him for months to give you another chance. Then he married a younger, prettier girl and they have two kids now. You got bitter and lost a lot of weight and now you go out and fuck random guys. In your mind you think you're getting back at him somehow, but he's moved on. And I'm glad for him because you're a bitch. You're just trying to fuck up Melissa's marriage because yours got fucked up."

"Get your fat ass out of my house," snapped Danielle.

An hour later, Melissa was back at home and still confused. Her doorbell rang and she went to answer it. It was Helen. Helen came in and they sat and talked.

"Melissa, I've known you a long time. And I want for you to be happy. Don't listen to Danielle's bullshit. She's always telling you about being in control. It was her sort of control that ended her marriage. A marriage is not a battle. It's supposed to be a partnership. When it works well, both partners are in control together as equals."

As Helen spoke Melissa thought about Tim and Elaine. They were definitely equals. They loved each other so much that she couldn't imagine either of them without the other. The problem was she didn't know how to do that. Or even how to get to that point from where she was now.

"You need to back off on Darren, and stop trying to control him so much. If you don't he's going to freak the freak out and you'll lose him forever. Just like Danielle's husband did. Then you'll be a sad, bitter old bitch just like she is," said Helen.

They were interrupted by the phone ringing. Darren came out of his office just as Melissa was going to pick up the phone.

"Hi Darren," said Helen. "How's it hanging?"

"Not so good," he said. "I can't find anyone to paint my car."

Helen realized that Darren was so repressed that he wouldn't talk about what was really bothering him. She could tell that he was upset though and it wasn't about a car.

She did figure that maybe if she helped him with the car thing, maybe she'd get him to trust her. Then she could get him and Melissa to talk to each other, before it was too late.

Helen looked at the table and got a pad and a pen off of it. She quickly wrote down a number. "Her name is Jessica. She's my sister. Tell her I sent you and she'll give you a good price."

"Thanks," said Darren.

"Darren, I know that we don't know each other, but you're a good guy. It is okay for you to tell Melissa "no," sometimes and stand up for yourself."

"Sometimes you have to go a little bit crazy to save yourself," she threw in.

Melissa came back into the room and saw them speaking to each other.

"We have to go, now," she said to Helen. "There's an emergency, at Danielle's."

Melissa looked around to see what Darren was doing because she wanted to tell him to stay awake this time. But he was gone.

"I'm going home," said Helen. "Fuck Danielle and her problems. She told me to get my fat ass out of her house so I see no reason to go back there."

Melissa got to Danielle's house and saw her friend lying on the couch with a compress on her head. She looked awful. Sandra was with her, but got up to leave just as Melissa came in.

"Good, you can stay with her, I have a date," said Sandra.

"Where's Helen?" moaned Danielle.

"Remember, you told her to get out of your house?" said Melissa.

"I didn't mean it," cried Danielle.

"Her ex husband's new wife is pregnant again," said Sandra. "Danielle's mother is still on good terms with him. Since his parents are dead, he treats her like she's his mother. He and his new wife are naming the baby after Danni's mom and they want her to be the godmother. She called and told Danni how stupid she was for letting him go."

Melissa stayed with Danielle for most of the evening listening to her friend talk about how her ex was ways doing shit like this to make her miserable. She really wished that she'd had half of the control over her ex that Melissa had over Darren.

For the past day or so Melissa had been torn. On one hand she really did in her own way love Darren deeply. On the other hand she knew first-hand how it felt to be used and tossed to the side.

She was also really pissed at Darren because he hadn't just melted at her feet and had sex with her when she wanted. She decided that he needed to pay for that. Maybe Danielle had the right idea. Darren was beginning to try to manipulate her. If he wasn't at home and ready for her when she got there he'd better beware because she might just do what she'd been trying to make him think she was doing.