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Great Writing - Home > Extended > Let no man put asunder - chapter 17
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Extended Work
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| Let no man put asunder - chapter 17 | |
| By LynB | ||||
| 21 November 2006 | ||||
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Chapter 17 For a few seconds, neither of them spoke, then Steve said: “Don’t you think you should go after him? He shouldn’t drive in that state!” “I really don’t think he would listen to anything I had to say, but I can try! If anything happens, we’re both responsible!” With that, she ran out of the back door, into the passageway, where she found Jon desperately trying to open the lock at the top of the gate. His hands were shaking so much, that he could not get a firm grip on it, no matter how hard he tried. He turned around when he realised she was there – nothing could have prepared her for the look of abysmal pain in his eyes. Tears were streaming down his face, and when he spoke, his voice was little more than a whisper. “Why, Donna? On second thoughts, I don’t want to know. I’m hurting so badly at the moment, Donna – the pain is almost physical. I just can’t believe I’ve lost you – the woman I’ve loved for all these years! I tried so hard to overcome my problems, so I can be the kind of husband you deserve. You’ll never know how hard I tried…” “I’m so sorry, Jon” she whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t think it would come to this! I didn’t plan any of this, it just happened..” “Don’t touch me!” he snapped, pushing her hand away. “Save me the details! I’ll leave now, so you can carry on where you left off! God, I can’t bear to look at you any longer, it hurts too much…” “Will you be all right?” “Like you give a shit! I’ll be fine, don’t you worry about me! Go on, go back indoors – he’ll be wondering where you are!” Before Donna could answer, he finally managed to open the lock, and closed the gate behind him. She went back into the house, tears pouring down her face, and ran straight into Steve’s open arms. He did not say a word, but just held her close, while she cried as if her heart would break. In the meantime, Eliza sat curled up on the sofa, with a cup of coffee. She had just showered, and, as she wrapped herself in her soft pink bathrobe, she felt warm and relaxed. She got up, and put on one of her favourite CDs, then she returned to her favourite spot in the corner of the sofa, and closed her eyes, as the music filled her senses. She flinched at the sudden sharp tap at the door. “Who is it?” she said, her hand poised over the handle. “It’s me, Eliza! Open the door, please!” “Jon! I wondered where on earth you’d got to! Hold on a minute!” She opened the door, and before she could say a word, he stumbled into the flat, closing it behind him. He stood there staring at her, completely incapable of speech. Tears were flooding down his face, and he was shaking from head to foot. For a moment, Eliza was not quite sure what to do, then she took his hands in hers, and held them firmly in an attempt to stop them from shaking. “What’s happened?” she whispered, her heart breaking on his behalf. “I thought you were going to your little boy’s birthday party! What on earth’s gone wrong? Please, Jon – talk to me!” He remained silent, his head bowed. For some reason, Eliza found the silence quite unnerving – the calm before the storm. From her experience working as a nurse on a psychiatric ward, she knew she had to tread carefully – just one word out of place would be enough to tip him over the edge. She lifted up his hand, and gently kissed it. “I know something’s happened” she said, softly. “Come on, angel. What is it?” She could never have anticipated his reaction to her words. He pulled himself free from her grip, causing her to stumble as she was not expecting it. For a moment, she stared in horror as he began to sob hysterically, gasping for breath. He stood with his back against the wall, gently pounding it with his fists, then he slowly sank to the floor, covering his face with his hands, then slowly and deliberately began to bang his head against the wall, as the sobs gradually built up to gut wrenching howls of anguish. “Jon! No!” yelled Eliza, kneeling down next to him, as she attempted to take him in her arms. “Stop it! Please, stop it right now! Please, you’ll hurt yourself! Come on, now – that’s enough! Stop doing that, I can’t bear it! Come on – please!” Time and again, she fought to hold him, only for him to push her away again. He was completely beside himself, and beyond reasoning with. What he had not reckoned with was Eliza’s stubborn determination, and absolute refusal to give up on him. Summoning up all her strength, she put her arms around him once again, and held him fast. “You may as well give in” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “you can fight and swear as much as you want, but I’m not going to let go! I care about you, and I’m going to help you, whether you like it or not!” Suddenly, all the fight seemed to drain out of him, and his body went limp in her arms, as he clung to her, his head resting on her shoulder. He was still sobbing uncontrollably, and completely incapable of speech. She gently rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back, feeling her heart slowly breaking. He gradually quietened, then he lifted his head from her shoulder, and just stared at her for a moment, as he desperately tried to force the words out. His eyes were red and swollen, and his face was still wet with tears. Eliza just stared at him wordlessly – what on earth had she said to trigger such a horrifying reaction? “Why did you call me that?” he whispered, taking a deep shuddering breath as tears threatened again. “Why…” “Call you what?” she said, then, before he could answer, it all fell into place. “I’m so sorry! I tried to help, but I’ve only made things worse, haven’t I? Donna calls you that, doesn’t she? That’s obvious to me, now. I’m sorry, you must hate me….” “No, of course not, I..” “Come on!” she said, standing up and holding out her hand. “We can’t sit on the floor all night. I’ll make you a coffee, and we can sit on the sofa and talk about it!” Too exhausted to argue with her, he gratefully took the hand she offered, and hauled himself to his feet. He sat down on the sofa, groaning as he rested his head in his hands. “Do you feel better now?” said Eliza, placing a steaming cup of coffee on the small table in front of him. “I’ve got a bloody headache!” he said, not moving. “I’m not surprised!” she replied, making herself comfortable next to him. “It’s a wonder you didn’t knock yourself unconscious!” “I don’t know what came over me” he said, suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed. “It’s just that when you called me ‘angel’, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back……” She put her arm around his shoulders, as, once again, tears took over. Her heart ached for him, as he fought in vain for his self-control. “What’s happened?” she said, gently. “You seemed a lot more positive when you left this morning. You were looking forward to going to your little boy’s birthday party, and seeing your little girls, so what went wrong?” “Everything was just fine, until I saw my wife in the arms of another man! They were so wrapped up in each other, they didn’t even notice I was there! I forgot my wallet, and went back to get it, and there they were! They didn’t waste much time! God, I feel sick to my stomach, just thinking about it! I mean, I know I gave her a hard time, and I know I was difficult to live with, but sometimes I was terrified of the way I felt – I just couldn’t control my feelings. I knew I was pushing her to her limits, yet I couldn’t help myself, no matter how I tried. She said she loved me, but she didn’t like me any more! Even so, I didn’t think it would ever come to this! I thought what we had was unbreakable – I thought we were so strong! Sometimes, it seemed like it was us against the world, but we always came through! Seeing her, holding him, kissing him – just like she did me – I can’t bear it, Eliza, I can’t bear it! It hurts so much, I feel like someone’s ripped my heart out! If it weren’t for my children, I’d end it all…” “Don’t talk like that, Jon!” she said, her voice shaking. “You’re hurting, and you’re saying things you don’t really mean! Your children need you, they love you so much, and I know you love them! Don’t ever think you haven’t got a reason to live, because you have! You have a lot to be proud of – four beautiful children, and you’ve been a good husband to Donna, despite what’s happened. You’ve got that to hold on to, whatever the future brings….” “Future? I’m finding it difficult to look ahead to the next day – let alone the future. God help me, Eliza! I’m so scared – I can’t face this alone! I tried so hard to hang on, but it was no use! I’ve lost her, Eliza! What am I going to do? I’ve grown so used to having her by my side, no matter what. How am I going to manage alone?” “You don’t have to manage alone” she said, softly, pulling him close until his head was resting on her shoulder. “I’ll be here for you, whenever you need me. If you need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, you can always turn to me. If you ever need my help, don’t be too proud to ask. I want to be your friend – if you’ll let me!” He lifted his head up and looked at her, his blue eyes full of an emotion she could not quite fathom. He gently pushed her hair back from her face, and kissed her cheek. “You’re a dear, sweet girl, Eliza” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “I’ll never forget how you took me in, and looked after me. You’ve listened to me, you’ve talked to me, and you’ve even cried with me. You’re very special, Eliza. You deserve to be happy, with a man who’ll treat you right, and love you like you should be loved.” She desperately wanted to scream out him, that she wanted him to love her, but, as she had so many times before, she just smiled and said nothing. As he lay down on the sofa, she knelt down on the floor in front of him, and gently stroked his hair as he drifted off to sleep. As she continued to watch him intently, she wondered why fate had brought this man into her life – a man who treated her gently, and with kindness and tenderness. When he touched her, his gentle hands healed her pain, instead of causing it, and when he looked at her, it was with tenderness and compassion, and when he spoke to her, his voice was soft and kind, not harsh and cruel. She did not want to love him, yet she could not stop herself. She knew it was too soon, he was still raw and hurting – but she held on to the thought that maybe, one day, given time, he could learn to love her back. Her train of thought was broken, when he suddenly stirred, and began to moan softly in his sleep. He was obviously dreaming, and was gradually becoming more agitated. She gently stroked his cheek with the back of her hand, whispering softly, in an effort to calm him. As his eyes flickered open, she said: “It’s all right, Jon. It was just a dream, go back to sleep now” “Just a dream..” he repeated, as his face crumpled, and he began to sob. “I was holding her in my arms again, but it was only a dream! Oh, Eliza….” She held him close as he began to shake from head to foot. As he cried himself to sleep in her arms, she felt tears burning her eyes at the realisation that, for now, her dream seemed even further away.
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Very good stuff Lyn, you handle this intense emotional stuff well I reckon.
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