Chapter 11

David wasn't sure where he was going when he left, but it didn't really matter. All he wanted to do was get out of there before he did something that he would truly regret. He drove around town for twenty minutes before he stopped at a corner drug store to get something to drink. There was an elderly gentleman in line in front of him, and David was still angry enough that he thought he could just punch the man as he fished around in his pocket for the loose change he needed to buy his Coke and newspaper.

David did his best to keep from yelling at the man and impatiently looked around. Suddenly, he spied the circular stand of condoms and wondered why they always seemed to put those things near the checkouts.

"Oh come on!" he breathed as the elderly man put his hand back into his pocket to search for a few more pennies. "Just give the cashier a couple of dollars, for Christ sakes!" In order to keep from yelling it out, David thought about what happened at home that evening. He thought about how Bonnie was always babying the boys, and he thought about how cold she'd become. Finally, when it was his turn to step up to the counter, he grabbed a box of "Trojans". It wasn't like he was planning on using them. He took them almost as an afterthought.

"Just in case I end up needing one tonight," he thought, not believing that he actually would.

After leaving the store, he drove around until he came to a friendly looking neighborhood bar and pulled in. David was certainly not a drinker, and he had no intention of getting drunk either. He just needed some time--time to think, and get himself together before going back home.

Once inside, he ordered a beer. But instead of chugging it down, he slowly sipped at it while talking to the bartender. She was a good looking woman in her thirties. Even though David was smart enough to know that she was only paying attention to him for the tips, he did enjoy the deep cleavage she was showing.

As soon as it looked like he was almost finished with his beer, she came over to him and put her elbows on the bar, giving him a pretty good show. David took the opportunity to take a good look, and the brazen way she showed off her breasts made him think of Tracy.

"It seems that everywhere I turn, some woman is paying attention to me for one reason or another--everyone except my wife, that is!" he thought, as he drained the last of his beer from the glass.

"Can I get you another one?" asked the pretty bartender.

"No thanks, I'm driving. I will have a glass of cranberry juice though."

"You got it handsome."

David liked her smile. He also liked the attention she gave him, even if it was only to get a good tip.

There was a woman sitting several stools over from him, and they way she kept looking over at David, he could tell that she wanted him to invite her to sit with him and buy her a drink. She wasn't bad looking, and David guessed that she was in her late thirties to early forties. It was also pretty obvious that she was well on her way to a good drunk. "The local bar fly," he mumbled, before taking a sip of his cranberry juice. He momentarily thought about the condoms in his pocket, but quickly swept the thought from his mind.

"I've never cheated on Bonnie," he thought. "And if it ever comes to that, it certainly won't be with the local drunk!" The image of Tracy's lithe, young body with her pink nipples and shaved crotch suddenly popped into his mind, and he thought it would be with someone more like her. "Someone fresh," he thought, "someone who I can enjoy, but won't bitch at me!"

It was getting late by the time David had finished his cranberry juice. "It's a good thing Tracy isn't around tonight!" he thought. He then reached into his pocket and paid for his drinks, leaving the bartender and her deep cleavage a good tip.

"Now what," he thought, as he walked over to his car. He glanced at his watch and was surprised at how late it had gotten. Figuring that everyone would be asleep by then, he got into his car and headed home.

Bonnie wasn't sure what time it was when David came in. She was groggy in a half asleep state, and only vaguely remembered him climbing into bed. He was trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake her. But even if she was fully awake, she would have pretended to be asleep anyway.

Neither of them felt like talking to the other the next morning either, and even Tommy and Corey were afraid to say anything. Bonnie went through the motions of cooking waffles and eggs, poured David a cup of coffee (which he failed to thank her for) and set the table. Tommy and Corey kept looking at each other without speaking until after breakfast when Corey, in a very soft voice asked, "Can I go watch cartoons?"

"You mean 'may I go and watch cartoons'," corrected David, in an even voice. Although he didn't sound angry, his voice wasn't overly soft either.

"Thank you, sir," replied the six-year old quietly.

"Don't get too involved with watching television, though," warned David. He tried to sound a little more light hearted but failed. "It looks like it's going to be another nice day today, and I'm taking you and Tommy to the zoo."

Bonnie could tell by the look on their faces that neither one of them was very thrilled with going out with their father. Unfortunately, there was nothing that she could do about it other than hope that he wouldn't say or do anything to them that would leave any permanent scars on their hearts.

An hour later, David was ushering the two boys out of the house. He hadn't said a word to her during the whole morning. Both Tommy and Corey were looking back at her with miserably sad faces, and Bonnie wasn't sure if they were looking at her apologetically for leaving her or were hoping that she would stop their father from taking them away. Either way, it just about broke her heart, and she had to turn quickly away so they wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

Bonnie started doing housework almost as soon as the door closed. She wasn't cleaning the house for David though. She was cleaning it to get her mind off of David and her two boys. It also helped to clear her mind so she could think.

"We just can't keep going on like this," she thought. Even if I could keep living like this, Tommy and Corey can't. They shouldn't have to either!"

She scrubbed the bathrooms, did the laundry, vacuumed and cleaned the kitchen while they were gone, and by the time she heard David's car pull back into the driveway, she was halfway through the dusting as well.

Bonnie closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the worst. She fully expected to have to dive head first into another argument over the boys almost as soon as they came in. Of course, if they came back crying, she would have to comfort them and to hell with what David would say about her babying them! That's what she expected.

What she didn't expect, was for her two sons to suddenly come bounding into the house, full of energy and talking a mile a minute about all of the things they saw at the zoo!

"You should have seen it, Mom!" shouted Tommy, doing his best to talk over his brother. "It was awesome!"

"The elephants were dancing, Mommy!" added Corey, exuberantly. "They really were!"

"There were clowns and free popcorn and even free cotton candy," added Tommy loudly. "It was so awesome!"

"Well evidently David wasn't too hard on them!" she thought smiling. Not only was she happy because she didn't have to argue, but she was pleased to see that her two buys obviously had a genuinely good time.

"Can we go again next week?" asked Corey, as soon as David came through the door.

"We'll see," he answered, returning Corey's smile. Then, looking up at Bonnie, he said, "It was a good day to go to the zoo. They were celebrating the anniversary of the elephant exhibit today."

Bonnie was floored and didn't know what to think. It was as if David had gone through some kind of cosmic transformation while he was gone. Of course, she knew that he could be quite charming when he wanted to be, and she liked this side of David. She just didn't know how long it would last. "I hope the 'good' David will at least stay with us through dinner," she thought.

She didn't have to worry, though, because the "good" David remained throughout the afternoon. He was pleasant, at least when the boys were around, and when they weren't, he simply remained silent. Bonnie was grateful for the reprieve and thought that either her children had done something while they were out, or he'd finally had an attack of conscience. She didn't know which, but she sure wasn't about to question it.

The dinner was silent as always and they still slept on opposite sides of the bed, too. But at least there were no harsh words for her to listen to that night.

"Bonnie, are you sure you want to wear that dress?"

It was Sunday morning, and David was pursing his lips in disapproval of the dress she'd put on.

Bonnie was looking at herself in the mirror as she prepared to put the finishing touches to her make up. Looking at her reflection, she couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. The yellow dress came down to below her knees, and though the shoulder straps were narrow and the top was cut low enough to show some cleavage, it certainly wasn't sleazy. She'd worn it before to several parties and family gatherings with David, and since she was in a good mood, she thought to put the sunny looking dress on for church that morning.

David saw the wondering look on his wife's face and said, "Don't you think it shows a bit too much skin for church? I mean, not only are your shoulders almost completely bare, but your breasts are half hanging out, too!"

"Why? Are you afraid that the priest will get a hard on?" she thought. "Maybe I should go and put on the black dress that Shelly had picked out for me the night I went out!" That dress was hanging up in the back of the closet and David hadn't seen it yet!

Oh, how she wished she could have said that to him instead of just thinking it! But she couldn't. Things had been going smoothly in the house all weekend, and she didn't want to say anything which would change that. Instead she just said, "Oh? I didn't think it was that bad."