Chapter 2

Spring morphed into summer and the next party was hosted by a couple with a pool. There was a lot of children there because of it. I enjoyed the screams and laughter, the splashes and the squeals, the odd cry of “mom!” now and again. Mark was uneasy around children so he and the guy that gave me the creepy feeling partnered up, grabbing a six pack and fading into a dark corner of the yard. A while later his partner came back, grabbed another six pack and a bottle of wine, and went back to the shadows. We were getting the kids out of the pool and everything went quiet for a while, and we all heard the giggle.

It seems one of the wives had fallen in with the dynamic duo, sucking down wine at an alarming rate. Ten minutes later an irate husband and a downcast wife left the party. The mood was spoiled so we made sure the kids got fed and then started drifting away. I started to get my husband and then decided not to. He could find his own way home, it was only a block.

I heard him stagger through the door around three. He was asleep on the couch when I got up at eight and I made sure I banged as many pots and pans as I could. I also slammed a few cabinet doors. He woke up, groaning and complaining.

“Jesus Christ! Do you really need to make so much noise?”

“Oh, you’re awake! Just in time for breakfast. Here you go.”

I’d made an omelette whith chirozo sausage, onions, and hot peppers, covering the whole thing with pepper jack cheese and hot sauce. He took one smell and rushed to the bathroom. Guess he wasn’t hungry. I enjoyed mine, though.

He almost crawled to bed and didn’t stir until almost three. I was gone by then, doing the weekly shopping. He always insisted on going with me and I really enjoyed going alone for a change. I even bought some of the things I liked.

He got up, moving slowly. I fixed him a simple meal, hoping he could keep it down. There wasn’t a lot of conversation until the next day, I deliberately waited until I knew he had a clear head.

I tried to talk to him but he got that stubborn look on his face. In this case I didn’t back down and laid it out for him. “This was supposed to be a new beginning, Mark. We’re far from home and we need to make friends. This is the South, and they can tend to be clannish even in the cities. Get on their wrong side and it could be a very lonely existence for us. I’ve already committed to host the next party, pleased to do it because it means they’re accepting us. It will be in three weeks and I expect you to be on your best behavior. Try not to drink too much. Undertand?”

“Bullshit! I’m not hosting any party for those assholes!”

“You’re right. You’re not hosting it. I am. You can make a choice and go somewhere else. Or you can suck it up and behave like a normal human being for a change. It’s all on you.”

He grumbled under his breath but stopped objecting. I got the feeling he didn’t like it here. A lot of that might be because my friends gave me confidence and I didn’t just roll over to every pronouncement he made any longer. Oh, I was careful and chose the battles I thought I could win, but the fact that I did it at all irked him.