Chapter 3

When Linda arrived at the inn, Laura took one look at her face and knew something was wrong. Then she noticed the suitcase and wordlessly led her to one of the empty rooms. No words were exchanged, just a long hug, and that was enough to let Linda know her friends had seen the implosion of her marriage coming a mile away.

Linda didn’t know whether to be grateful or offended.

She went to work to the mall the next day just to fight the sound of Dennis’s voice shouting her name, which continued to echo in her head.

Laura gave her friend space for a couple of days, but finally, she asked her.

“How are you doing?”

Again, she thought of Dennis and how panicked he’d looked when she started to pack.

“I don’t feel great. I probably won’t be for a long time, but ... leaving was the right thing to do. You know that man, he’s a frickin’ closed book. Who the hell knows what’s going on in that head of his?” We don’t speak to each other anymore. There is no affection...”

Laura shook her head slowly.

“We used to talk constantly. Where we would travel ... The house we will buy ... How many children we will have...” She swallowed hard.

“When did it start?”

“Two years ago, right after he quit working at the oil rig. I noticed right away how quiet he’d become. Dennis was never the chatty type, but he was loving and affectionate. Now it’s like living with a zombie who fucks me once a week.”

“I’m so sorry.” Laura slipped off her stool and went to the wine fridge beneath the counter, selected a bottle of white, uncorked it, poured two glasses, and handed one to Linda.

Linda took a long gulp of wine and said, “Thanks again for letting me crash here until I figure out my next move.”

“Stay as long as you want,” Laura’s finger moved around the glass. “Mary, Paul’s wife, called today while you were at work. She asked me about you. Apparently, Dennis has taken some days off. Word is getting around.”

Linda let out a long sigh, “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

There was a knock on the inn’s door. Laura stood up, opened it, and found Dennis looking at her.

“Uh, hey, Dennis. What brings you here?”

Dennis held on to his patience. Wasn’t it obvious why he was there?

“I want to talk to my wife.”

Laura hummed. “Okay ... Come in. She is right here.”

“It’s fine, Laura,” Linda said. “Why did you come here, Dennis?”

“Come back to me.” Dennis took several steps in her direction, “Things haven’t been great for you at home. I get that, all right? I’ll make it better.”

“Have they honestly been great for you?”

Dennis shrugged. The truth was he didn’t notice anything was wrong till Linda moved out. If he’d sensed that she wanted more, he’d worked harder. Fix the things that were making her unhappy, because that was his job.

“Make it better? How?”

“What do I have to do, Linda?”

She started at the vehemence in his voice. “I don’t know if there’s anything. Not now.”

The hollow husk of his stomach filled with acid. “Think about it,” he said firmly. “While you’re figuring out whether to give me a second chance, Linda, I need to know you’re not enjoying the interest of other men.”

“Of course not! What kind of woman do you think I am?”

Dennis nodded. He wet his upper lip and watched her eyelids flutter. “It won’t be long before this whole damn town knows you’re not sleeping in my bed, and trust me, a lot of men would like to take my place.”

“Fine,” she whispered, her attention flicking to his mouth. “Same goes for you. Until we figure out if this marriage is really...”

“Don’t say it. Don’t say ‘over,’” he growled, lifting a hand to cup her face. When she flinched, he curled the fingers into his palm and let the hand drop away. “I’ve never had another woman and I’ll never want another woman.”

Linda’s chest shuddered up and down. “You should go, Dennis.”

Dennis hummed deep in his throat, “Think hard about letting me try again. I’ll do better. I promise.”

“I will.”

Dennis had to physically restrain himself from carrying his wife to the truck. Instead, he memorized her features one final time and left, his restlessness increasing with every step he took away from Linda.

Linda the glass of wine half-drunk, found her way upstairs and tried to get some sleep.