CHAPTER NINE
Freefall
Given the hour, the drive home had been fairly quick for Julia. She gathered her things, left the car, and began ambling down the walk to their building. She was curious to discover how good a job Eric had done cleaning her panties. It was another step down for him, something to reinforce his submission to her and to further acclimate him to the job as their homemaker. Besides, there was just something delicious about forcing a man to hand wash her panties. She would have to prepare an extra nasty pair for him to wash sometime. She smiled to herself as she entered the building and began walking up the stairs.
The consultation had run through her mind over and over again on the way home. There was no question that Dr. Joyce and Pamala left her with a queasy feeling. There was something disquieting about them but what they were offering was too rich to pass up. It was the answer to all her problems and Eric had earned what was happening to him now. Besides, feminizing Eric would be improving him, evolving him, she told herself. It was something to celebrate, not feel guilt over. The nagging whispers of doubt in the back of her mind simply needed to be ignored, quieted in favor of more enlightened thinking. Like Samantha had said, it was a new age. It was a time for womyn to lead. Everything she was doing to Eric was right and proper. If anything, he needed more structure, more demands, more discipline and control from her not less.
As she reached the door to their apartment she was looking forward to doing an inspection. If anything was out of place she planned on being harsh with him tonight. He needed to be taken down another notch or two. Pushed further into submission. The only question was, what to do to him next?
Julia keyed the door and pushed on it only to have it immediately stopped.
"What the...."
The door was blocked by something in the entryway, inside the apartment, behind the door. She furrowed her brow in confusion then pushed, putting her back into it, teetering on her heels, forcing it open. Slowly, whatever was there gave way, sliding back as she struggled. Eventually, the door was open enough and she squeeze through into the apartment.
Finally inside, she angrily smoothed out her outfit and hair then dug her nails into her palms at the sight of the problem - Eric's suitcase and travel bag were on the floor behind the door, packed to the point of bulging. It could only mean one thing - Eric was crazy enough to think he could leave her. It was outrageous! Julia's eyes narrowed as she imagined her weak husband deciding to defy her authority over him. She had no intention of allowing that to happen.
Julia's face twisted with anger as she quietly closed the door and moved forward into the apartment, walking gingerly in her heels, inching forward, toe-to-heel, quietly. She hoped to confront Eric without warning, wanted to see the reaction when he suddenly saw her standing there, wanted to hear him fumble around for some delusional explanation.
The apartment was a mess. She grit her teeth at the sight of it. The kitchen table had the remains of a meal and multiple snacks disgracefully scattered about. A dirty plate sat there with smears of tomato paste and disgusting bits of greasy looking cheese covering it, practically ready to fall to the floor. Next to it, a couple of twisted, empty wrappers from frozen deserts were abandoned. A mostly-full bag of microwave popcorn was there too, half burnt, stinking up the area. In the middle of the table was an open bag of potato chips, partially spilled and scattered about. The scene was offensive and filthy! Eric knew better! It wasn't allowed! Clear and obvious evidence of defiance, even contempt. It was a disgusting, vermin inviting mess that he must have intended to leave for her to clean up!
Even worse than all of that though were the two empty beer bottles on the counter, sitting next to the kitchen sink. Alcohol. He'd been drinking again. There was another empty on the dinning room table and, as she looked further, still more that could be seen abandoned on the patio.
Julia's fingers curled into fists. Her nails bit down hard leaving indentations behind in both palms and the beginnings of numerous small bruises. The pain made her all the more furious.
Then, a noise came from the back of the apartment, from the computer room. She took a few more steps towards the sound then noticed, shockingly, right at the doorframe of the bedroom, a pair of her panties laying on the floor. She couldn't fathom what they were doing there and was fairly certain they weren't even among the ones Eric was told to wash. What had he been up to?
One foot in front of the other, quietly, Julia moved further down the hall. As she closed on the computer room and bedroom, both doors opposite each other in the back of the apartment, she peered into the bedroom and discovered, shockingly, that her bras and panties were strewn all over the floor! She could hardly believe what she was seeing! It wasn't a single pair of panties. It was everything she owned! Bras, panties, nighties, everything! It had to be some absurd act of rebellion on Eric's part! Julia seethed at the contemptible attack on her, it was nothing short of that. She intended to make him pay dearly for this outrage, maybe make his boobs so huge he'd never disrespect a bra ever again!
Just a few more steps forward and she stood at the doorway to the computer room. There he was, with his back to the door. Julia grinned widely with grim satisfaction. Her fingers flexed. She felt like a cat that had cornered a plump mouse. He stood next to the computer desk with a plastic crate on it filled with comic books. He was leafing through a comic, quickly flipping the pages. A small stack of them sat off to the side. It looked like he was picking out favorites to take with him, likely the ones with the most buxom heroines, Julia thought. Perhaps soon he'd have something in common with those oversexed, male fantasies. Why bother looking at comic book cleavage when you could play with your own boobs after all?
She took a couple more quiet steps forward. She was in the room now, getting closer to her prey, glaring at him with an intense and enveloping rage, waiting for him to realize she was behind him.
He flipped a few more pages, his back still to the door, oblivious, then something changed. He looked at his watch nervously, checked it, then checked it again. He put his hand to the back of his neck, like maybe he sensed he was being watched, shrugged his shoulders a few times then suddenly twisted all the way around. His eyes went wide with shock as he took in Julia, his jaw went slack, and some vague noise came out of his throat, like a thought was trying to emerge but he said nothing.
"What's the matter, Eric?" she said with a patronizing tone, with her rage writhing just below the surface. "Cat got your tongue?"
Standing there, practically frozen, his blood pressure spiked before his stern wife. A curious, pained expression overtook Eric's face. There was no way she could have missed his luggage, he realized, or the mess he intended to leave her. All at once he felt riddled with shame and embarrassment, like a child that had been caught by his mother in some terrible and stupid lie. He began to stammer unintelligibly but was abruptly cutoff.
"What exactly do you think you're doing, Eric?!" Julia asked acidly, any pretense of calm now gone.
He began to stammer gibberish again, stumbling for words then just stopped. Lies weren't going to help. Julia wasn't stupid. He swallowed hard and stared at her, wishing he was anywhere else at that moment. This wasn't what he had planned at all. It was supposed to be independence day, escape. He was supposed to be gone before she got home. He glanced at his watch again, it finally clicked in. She had come home early from work! He should have left hours ago! Why had he waited so long?
"Well? Answer me, Eric!" Julia pushed. "Your fragile male ego too weak to deal with a strong woman? Planning to walk away from your marriage like a coward? Is that it? Trashing our home to hurt me?" Her eyes burned into him as deeply as her words.
Eric felt diminished next to her. She exuded a fearless confidence in her rage yet she was still crushingly beautiful, maybe even more so for some warped reason. He didn't know what to do, the indecision was paralyzing him.
"I expect an answer, Eric!"
