Chapter 1
After thirty minutes, she threw the covers off. It was six in the morning on a cool, April Saturday and the snoring coming from her husband's side of the bed was too much. The sound was obnoxious on a normal morning, but after a night of drinking it was downright disgusting. She retreated to the bathroom.
The dismay set in as she realized that one of her few opportunities of the week to sleep late was now gone. She was up earlier than she would have been on a work day. And she could STILL hear his snoring. She finished washing up and went back to the bedroom.
It was then that the anger started to take hold. Next to the bed on Allen's side was a collection of glasses and mugs. Stuffed neatly and tightly between them were clumps of tissue and toilet paper. Beth knew what they were, even if she pretended she didn't. Now and then she would be woken by the soft shake of the bed followed by stillness. The worst part was that Allen knew that she knew what they were and he still didn't care. Disgusting. To think he would complain about the lack of sex.
Beth threw open the curtains, hoping to ruin Allen's slumber, but it was even too early for the sun. She made her way to the kitchen where she found the remnants of Allen's evening. Beer bottles on the counter (she counted five of them) and a half-eaten meal on the bar. The sink was full of dishes and side counter was full of the pans. And there were his golf clubs, still in the dining room.
On a typical Saturday, Beth would have swallowed her pride, suppressed the anger and got to cleaning. She really wanted to go to the public sale and had mentioned it to Allen several times during the week. She started to realize that was probably not going to happen and it was too much. There would be no cleaning today. She grabbed her keys, scribbled a note and stormed out, slamming the front door behind her.
No more. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she wouldn't do the status quo any longer.
*******
Allen woke to the glare of sun in his face. He squinted at the alarm clock and was shocked to see Beth had let him sleep until 10:30. He rolled off the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. His hangover was viscous. After urinating, he made his way to the kitchen, wearing only his boxers. It wasn't until he had chugged three glasses of water that he came up for air and noticed the note left by his wife.
Beth>
Allen read it again, hoping he'd missed something that would soften the tone. There was nothing there. Beth was pissed again and he really didn't know why. He had a couple beers and didn't clean up.
He then realized he wouldn't have to go to the sale with her today. And he could watch baseball on the couch without her nagging, the perfect cure for a nasty hangover. He would have to make up with her, but why not take advantage of the vacation?
Allen decided he would clean up later. She wasn't coming back, she said as much, so he had time. He grabbed the gallon of ice tea and went straight for the couch.
A sense of freedom washed over him and a grin came to his mouth as he adjusted the pillow behind his head. It had been a long time since had the house to himself. Beth always made him feel guilty when she was around, even if she didn't say anything. That burden had been lifted.
*******
Beth drove to her office as she thought over what to do next. She considered her parents' house but didn't want to add to her father's ammunition when it came to Allen. There was enough of that already. In the end she chose to visit her best friend, Carrol, whom she had lived with during college. Carrol was slightly older and had always had a classiness about her that always appealed to Beth. She was also a good companion when man problems were involved.
Beth made the call and twenty minutes later was on the entrance ramp for the interstate. Carrol's place was perfect. She was single and living well off her ex-husband's money. She had extra bedrooms and always had good advice. She would know what to do.
Chapter 2
It was mid-morning by the time Beth pulled into Carrol's driveway. She was greeted in the driveway with a mimosa and the two ladies made their way through the house to the patio and pool in the rear. Beth spent the first half hour giving Carrol the lay of the land, carefully listing all her grievances with Allen and the reasoning behind them.
For her part, Carrol remained quiet, nodding her head occasionally and showing disgust when it was proper. she allowed the rant to burn itself out. When Beth had brought the narrative up through the present, Carrol set her drink down and prepared to speak.
"Beth, we have talked about this before. You have always been too soft with your men." Carrol took Beth's hand in her own as she continued. "Men are simple creatures with simple drivers and the attention span of a gnat. You aren't going to nicely talk Allen into acting right."
Carrol continued, "Men need clear, precise direction, they need clear, precise rewards and they need clear and precise deterrents. It's all about leverage and pursuit with men. Once you understand that, they are easy to live with... maybe not easy but easier."
Carrol stood, still grasping Beth's hand, thus enticing her to stand as well. "Come inside. I want to give you something."
Carrol led Beth back into the house and down a hallway to her master bedroom suite. It was spacious, with a huge, posted bed on one end and a sitting area with a soft, fluffy couch and loveseat as well as a chunky wooden bench at the other.
"Have a seat. I'll be right back."
Beth sat on the bench and waited as Carrol disappeared into her walk-in closet. Her eyes scanned the room, which was adorned with a tasteful menagerie of art in all forms. Carrol returned with a darkly stained-wooden box that was slightly smaller than a shoe box.
"You remember Roger?" Carrol was referring to her ex. "What do you remember about his demeanor while we were together?"
Beth thought back to a time when Roger was around, it had been three years, after all. "I recall him being soft-spoken and very polite. A gentleman."
"Do you think Roger behaved that way before he met me?" Carrol watched with surprising intensity, making Beth a bit uncomfortable.
"I really don't know, I guess so."
"The answer is hell, no. He was a self-centered slob. Sure, he hid it better than others, which is how he fooled me but he was a male just like all the rest. I had to shape and mold him into the partner I wanted." Carrol had sat down on the bench and set the box between them as she spoke. "I had tools to make my work easier, but in the end it was my desire to have the kind of man I wanted that got the job done."
Beth thought about her own marriage and how little input she seemed to have into her own life. The many small, annoying habits had accumulated over the years to the point she was overwhelmed with Allen.
