Dear readers.
I'd like to thank you for your feedback.
Feedback is always welcome, positive or negative as long as it is useful.
I tried to incorporate some of the suggestions.
There will be a last part. Thought it might take some time.
Thank you for reading
* * * * *
Karin heard Rick close the door behind him. She heard Rick starting his car and he drove away out of her life.
She went into the kitchen and sat at the table. Karin looked around. The kitchen was brand new. Rick installed it himself and the only thing she used was the coffeemaker Rick did all the cooking and he was a good cook.
After half an hour sitting at the table with her head in her arms Karin got up. She poured herself a glass of water and thought;
"This was not supposed to happen. Rick should be mad and we supposed to have a big fight. I would threaten him with a divorce and to take him to the cleaners. According to my friends he would back down and be malleable as wax."
She picked up her cellphone and pushed the speed dial. She heard a cheerful voice at the other end.
"Hi honey. How are you doing? Are you making progress with that geezer of yours? He should be at breaking point by now. Or do you need more tips?
* * * * *
"Andrea. Rick snapped. Just like you predicted. But you were completely wrong about his reaction."
Andrea retorted:
"What do you mean? What else would he do? Crying? Moping around for a few days won't hurt. He'll come around. I assure you. All other guys I've handled so far just do as they are told now. Be patient and strong. It's for the best Karin."
* * * * *
"He left. He told me that he was fed up with the way he was treated and he heard part of our last phonecall. He even recorded it. Now he thinks I'm having a lover. That sent him over the edge When I got home he already packed his bags, and now he is gone!"
Karin started to sob.
"Sweety. Calm down. Where can he go? He has nowhere to go and he has a job to do. He has to work for a living. He'll come back to you with his tail between his legs. That's even better don't you think? When he returns you can dictate your demands. And he just has to agree with them."
* * * * *
Next day, after a restless night, Karin went to work. She met Andrea at Andea's office. Together they went to the task of running a hospital ward. Just before lunchtime came a call from the frontdesk. There was someone to see Karin.
Karin was taking notes for Rachel so she asked the front desk to show the man to the office. After a few minutes there was a knock on the door.
"Enter please." Called Andrea.
A woman, in her early thirties, entered the office.
"Which of you Is Karin Clason?" She asked.
"That's me." Karin answered
"I need to see an identification please."
Karin showed her id. The woman handed Karin a sealed envelope and took a picture of Karin with the envelope.
"You have been served."
The woman turned around and disappeared through the exit leaving the stunned women behind.
====
Rick walked out of the house he felt sad, angry, confused but above all relieved. He looked in the trunk of his car. Two suitcases. That's all he had to show for his marriage of 24 years. Most important were 24 scritta paper books. His diaries! He thought
"On the positive side. It makes light travelling. First things first. Let's get out of here, as far as possible ."
With that thought Rick drove off to the garage. There the blocky Mercedes was ready for him. He handed over his old car and the salesman explained the features of the Merc. At last. Rick fired up the 240 cubic inch engine and he rolled out on the road for his 2000 miles journey. The emotions and the selfcontrol he had to exert during the confrontation with Karin left him exhausted so he decided that he would find a place to sleep.
He found a motel on the other side of town and went to bed.
The next day Rick wasn't surprised that he didn't sleep well and woke tired. He got up early. After a quick breakfast he got directions to an ATM machine in the neighbourhood. There he withdrew as much money as allowed and started his journey.
==== Karin looked at the envelope as if it was a poisonous snake. Andrea gasped:
"Oh no. He wouldn't dare!"
Karin opened the envelope. Out came a few copies from Rick's diary, an usb stick, a short note and the divorce papers. She started to read. The note first.
"Karin
Copies of the last year from my diary are now in the hands of my lawyer, together with the recording from a part of, by me overheard, phonecall. I included one excerpt from my diary to give an indication from the pain you caused me. I don't expect that you will give a shit, but I had to get it out of my system. I still can't comprehend that after 23 years of marriage you have become so poisonous, disrespectful and cruel. If you wanted 'out' because you were unhappy I would just stepped aside. It seems that you had another agenda. My reason for divorcing you is 'sustained mental abuse'. I also requested a restraining order because of that. To be be absolutely clear. I don't want to see you! I don't want to hear from you! I don't want to speak to you in any way. Not on the phone, nor e-mail or by any other form of communication whatsoever!
You are going to tell the children why I left you. The pain and anguish you caused me are unforgivable. Even with the love I still hold for you.
May you live in interesting times.
Rick"
Karin could hardly read the piece out of Rick's diary. It was a description of the romantic dinner Rick had prepared.
A romantically set table with candles and red roses. A very nice wine and her favorite food. The food alone took the better half of the day for Rick to prepare. After the first bite she scoffed at Rick, told him it was the worst she ever had, he was an average cook at best and left to dine in a restaurant.
This was a scenario Andrea invented to break Rick's willpower.
It almost worked. But Rick completely ignored Karin for weeks. He didn't talk to her. He stopped making dinner and all other little things that take care of a smooth household. After three weeks Karin gave in and apologized for her behaviour. Rick accepted the apology but his gentle and loving attitude towards Karin never completely returned.
After both women read the letter, the diary and the divorcepapers Andrea exclaimed that she would call and sort him out.
"We'll just give him a sense of security. Then I'll take him down."
Karin had her doubts about that. Actually she started to doubt the whole experiment. She wanted a husband she could control. Andrea promised her just that. Now her husband was so angry that she probably lost him.
* * * * *
It was obvious to Rick that he needed another night in a motel. He stopped at a diner for lunch and to check for a motel using the wifi at the diner. He vaguely remembered something about mating the phone to the car. That way you could upload your destination to the Merc's navigationsystem and call handsfree. After a sandwich pulled pork he set to work.
When browsing through the settings of his phone he noticed that the 'find my phone' app was still active. He disabled the app immediately and resolved to change from provider and phone number. The rest was fairly easy. Within half an hour he was on the road again. At the end of the day he checked in another motel, found someplace to eat, had a drink and crashed for the night.
Next morning he woke up at 5. Took a quick shower and was on the road at half past five. Three hours later he was on his second coffee after a copious breakfast. He reckoned that he needed another 6 hours on the road before reaching his destination.
An hour later his phone beeped. He looked at the car display. An undisclosed number. Rick accepted the call.
"Rick Clason. With whom do I have the honor?"
* * * * *
"Mister. What is this nonsense, leaving your wife with no good reason? Do you really think you get away with that? You come back immediately and apologize to your wife as a good boy should. She is worried beyond belief. You hear me!"
* * * * *
"Well. That's the first time in over a year. Goodbye. Have a nice day and don't call again."
Rick disconnected while he thought:
"When you don't even have the decency to mention who you are you can go to hell. I'm fed up with all the disrespect. I seriously need a new phone number"
At 4pm he finally arrived at his destination. He felt exhausted. All the emotions like sadness, anger and tension together with the long drive in an unfamiliar car did him in. He collected the keys from the estate agency and went to his new home.
The house was exactly as advertised. A sitting room, a kitchen without utilities, on the second floor, between the two decent sized bedrooms a nice bathroom . A porch overlooking a small front garden and at the back a somewhat bigger garden hugging the woodland. Sparsely furnitured, no linen and so on. Rick resolved himself to do some serious shopping tomorrow. He threw his luggage in the bedroom and went searching for some supper.
A short drive later Rick arrived in the parking lot from a small restaurant. He was early so there was plenty of space. While parking he saw a woman sitting, on the ground, at the entrance of the lot. Her face was pale and twisted from pain. Quickly he parked the car and went over.
"My name is Rick Clason. Do you need help?"
"Please. Yes. I stepped in a pothole. Now I can't stand up. It hurts too much." The woman said through gritted teeth.
"I know some first aid. But first I need some light. I'll be back in a minute."
When Rick was back, the car's headlights were illuminating the scene. Rick immediately noticed that her right foot was at an awkward angle.
