Harder to Forget : A Romance on the Brink of Disaster
Novella Excerpt #1 — The Argument
Life is full of ups and downs. No one understands this crazy roller coaster ride better than a couple of newly weds, who are still trying to figure things out.
That’s what this story is about.
ENJOY :-)
The Argument
The untidy bedroom in the small apartment felt like an oven to Richard, and beads of sweat kept dripping down his forehead. The cheap box fan on the floor was noisy, and doing very little to help relieve the situation. But the rising heat building up in the room had nothing to do with being in the middle of a California heatwave. It was because Gina had accidentally sparked a verbal fire, and Richard was about to ignite things even more.
“I don’t see why you don’t just give me the envelope, anyway. I’m the damn man. Just let me handle the bills and quit checking up on me all the time! So what? I took a little cash from your drawer. I told you I’d replace the damn money before the rent is due.”
Gina came back into the bedroom to respond, even though he could hear her from the kitchen. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“Yeah, but how are you going to do that Richard? It’s not like you have a steady job. You don’t even have a steady hustle right now. So where’s the money going to magically come from? I’m the only one bringing in a paycheck. And it barely covers what we need, without you wasting money on mess we don’t need.”
“See, there you go, bringing that shit up again, about me not having a job. You always gotta’ be throwing that up in my face! You know I contribute when I can. It’s not like anybody’s trying to hire me with my record. Besides, the real problem is, you just want to run things and wear the pants in the family. But I keep telling you, I’m the man in this damn house!”
For the umpteenth time, Gina couldn’t believe her ears. She looked at Richard like he was delusional, although she was the one who suddenly heard a voice scream inside her head.
What the hell is the matter with him? Is he an imbecile or something? Of course I’m bringing up the fact that he doesn’t have a job. It’s totally relevant to what we’re talking about. Ain’t that a nothing? He wants to handle the bills like the man is supposed to do. He sure doesn’t want to work for the money like the man is supposed to do. That’s what a real man does. Lord in heaven, what the hell was I thinking, marrying this fool?
She sighed heavily, while Richard continued ranting and raving about her alleged attempts to usurp his manhood. This was an all too familiar argument. Not just to Gina, but to any neighbors without air conditioning. They were definitely getting an earful, since their windows were likely open.
The young couple was in their second year of marriage, and they were at that crucial stage; the period where you’re walking a thin line between splitting up for good, or deciding to stay in it for the long haul.
Their relationship was a constant up and down battle. This particular day, the odds leaned more towards them splitting up, than sticking it out.
“I’m not trying to be the man of the house Richard. I’m just trying to keep a roof over our heads and make sure we don’t end up sitting here in the damn dark! Somebody has to do it.”
“You know what your problem is Gina? You just don’t respect me! You think just because…”
As Richard proceeded to go off on another tangent about her lack of respect, Gina found herself tuning him out. She was too busy pondering the question she had just asked herself and the Lord. Why had she married Richard?
One glance at her husband and the easy answer was obvious. He was gorgeous. His caramel brown skin matched his soft bedroom eyes, and Gina simply loved his luscious deep dimples.
His looks were enough to make a woman agree to a whole lot less than marriage. Though he was relatively short for a man; he still had nice abs and he wore his 160 pounds really well.
In spite of being strikingly handsome, Richard possessed a noticeable personality flaw due to his height. He only stood five feet, five inches tall, the same exact height as Gina. As a result, he had a serious case of short man’s mentality; something Gina recognized from the very beginning of their relationship.
When they were dating, it didn’t take long for her to realize that all his blustering and bravado was how he compensated for his lack of height. She had grown to love him anyway, and learned to overlook most of the antiquated, and chauvinistic things he said and did.
So the two of them eventually ended up married, and for the most part, they’d actually been pretty happy. But Gina couldn’t deny that marriage took a lot of effort. A whole lot of effort. Today was proof of that.
It was early, but the day was already off to a bad start. Even though she didn’t have to work on Saturdays, she’d gotten up anyway. It was way too hot and muggy to stay in bed. She’d been up and dressed for nearly an hour, if you considered the skimpy tank top and pair of Daisy Dukes she was wearing as being dressed.
The outfit showed off her modest breast and shapely bottom. The braids in her hair that she paid the girl down the street $60 to put in, sat piled on top of her head, gathered up in a scrungy.
She was two shades darker than Richard, but equally as attractive as her husband. People often commented on what a handsome couple they were.
Gina gave her head a few quick taps, trying hard to resist the urge to scratch her scalp. It itched like crazy, which only added to her annoyance.
It was barely 9 am, and the last thing she wanted to do this early was fuss and fight. But the moment she noticed the money missing from the envelope in her drawer, she woke Richard up.
Before she knew it, they were having a heated dispute. Now she wished she had waited until later to bring it up, especially since he didn’t seem to be showing any remorse for what he did.
It didn’t matter that he was wrong and on the defensive. This was an argument Richard was fully committed to having.
He was sitting on the side of the bed, completely naked, and had no intentions of either getting up or shutting up. He kept on stating his case.
While he made his point, she busied herself by straightening off the dresser and finally tackling the huge pile of clothes stacked in a chair.
She glanced at him occasionally; ignoring the slightly erect penis dangling between his legs. She could tell he wasn’t really aroused, he just hadn’t gone to the bathroom and relieved himself yet.
The partially damp washcloth he kept mopping his sweat with was starting to sour. The odor was irritating, and made him equally as annoyed as Gina.
“Goddammit Gina! I get sick and tired of arguing with you all the time! Why you gotta’ make such a fucking big deal out of everything?!”
She pretended to laugh.
“Excuse me? You get tired of arguing? Clearly you enjoy it, because you keep pulling the same crap all the time. And for the record, I’m not making a big deal out of it, it is a big deal! You’re not the one who has to be here when the manager comes to pick up the rent! All you do is disappear and leave that mess for me to deal with. I’m the one who has to make up lies about why we don’t have all the money we owe! Plus, I have to lie to the light and gas companies just so we can keep the utilities on! So yeah, Richard. It’s a big deal all right! It’s a real fucking big deal! And for what? All for those damn pigeons. I’m getting tired of it! If you’re not out somewhere buying more birds, you’re at the pet shop or hardware store, buying something for the birdcage. It’s always about the same thing with you. Those goddamn birds!”
“Well hell! You act like I’m the only one spending money around here. What about the money you spend buying all that hair, then paying somebody to braid it for you? You just spent $70 or $80 the other day!”
Gina wondered when he’d get around to that. She figured he would say something about it, even though It wasn’t anywhere near the same thing. That was just his way of trying to justify his own irresponsible behavior.
“See what I mean Richard? You say you don’t want to fight, but you bring up stuff that has nothing to do with what we’re actually talking about. Me spending $80 every 2 or 3 months to get my hair done is not the same as you paying 2 or 3 hundred dollars a month, just to buy more birds, and all the other crap you buy to take care of them.”
She thought about adding the fact that she was the only one actually earning any money. She should able to go get her hair done whenever she damn well pleased. Instinctively, she thought better of it, and decided to leave that part out. Instead, she cut the conversation short because things were already getting out of hand.
“You know what Richard? I’m done talking about this, because all you’re doing is trying to find a way to justify your own actions, and you know it.”
The look he shot at her only confirmed what she was saying. He had planned all along, to try and guilt her into believing she spent money just as much as he did.
Otherwise he would have dressed and left early, and avoided the confrontation until later. That was his usual M.O., but that morning, Gina beat him to the punch.
He was so busy trying to manipulate the conversation to his advantage, he didn’t notice her palm his keys, or slip on her flip flops.
When she suddenly grabbed her own keys from the dresser, Richard sprang up off the bed, realizing she was about to leave.
“Oh, you just gonna’ walk out and leave while I’m talking to you?”
She rushed out the bedroom, as he looked around frantically for the pants he took off the night before.
“Gina! Wait a minute! Gina!”
Gina just ignored him, and a few seconds later, she was hurrying down the steps and out the building. She took off down the street, quickening her pace with every step.
Richard snatched a clean pair of jeans off a hanger and stumbled over his own feet, trying to pull them up too fast. He nearly nicked his family jewels when he finally zipped himself up.
“Fuck! I can’t believe this shit! Damn that woman!” He wiggled into his house shoes, and pulled a tee shirt over his head at the same time.
“Keys, keys! Where are my damn keys?”
They weren’t on the dresser where he normally kept them, though he was sure that’s where he had laid them when he came in last night.
He finally located the keys in a bowl on the dining room table, where Gina tossed them before she left. By the time he got outside and looked up and down the sidewalk, Gina was nowhere in sight.
The thought of her walking out on him like that, made Richard furious. He hated losing an argument, and he definitely couldn’t stand not having the last word. He went back into the house, mad enough to spit nails.
Without even thinking about where she was going, Gina’s feet instinctively carried her the neighborhood park, several blocks away.
It was a spot that she went to often. The park sat in the middle of a residential block, and was situated on two sides of the street.
She strolled past the busy side of the park that was always full of people. This was where the swings and other stuff for the kids to play on was located. The restrooms that were rarely open were also on this side, along with a dirty drinking faucet that rarely worked.
Even now, as early as it was, Gina noticed several kids engaging in their usual park activities. She walked across the street to the side that was a total contrast. Just as she had hoped, not a soul was there.
The only foot traffic that came on that side was usually headed to the small public library attached to the park. Since today was Saturday, the library wasn’t open this early. Adjacent to the library, was nothing but a grassy area with several trees. There weren’t even any benches, to sit on, just four randomly placed boulders.
Only couples, or individuals who wanted to be alone, bothered to be on that side of the park, so it was usually empty, regardless of the time. That was why Gina loved it so much. She always sat on the flattest and most comfortable boulder whenever she came to think, and figure her problems out.
Her and Richard both loved hanging out at what they referred to as their park. They spent a lot of happy times there together, besides the time they each spent there by themselves.
Richard mostly went there to cool off after an argument, whenever his best friend Steve wasn’t available for him to vent to.
During the course of their short marriage, the park played a big role in their make-ups and break-ups. That’s why they eventually designated it as neutral territory.
They both agreed that while it was okay for them to make-up in the park, they would never argue there. That agreement became one of the two unbreakable rules of their marriage. Never argue in their neutral space, and never argue before going to bed.
The sacred ground turned into a regular sanctuary for the them, especially Gina. She loved it almost as much as the cozy little home she’d made for her and Richard.
Gina situated herself as comfortable as she could on the boulder. She glanced around at the familiar surroundings that she loved so much. Drowning out the faint noises of the children playing across the street; she allowed herself to take comfort in the stillness of the morning.
Then she found herself thinking about the day she first discovered the park. It was right after they were married and moved into their apartment. She had been thrilled to find such a nice little park, so close to their new home.
When she told Richard about it, they came and had a picnic there that weekend. Instead of staying on the side with the kids, families and dogs; they chose the area she was currently sitting in, and laid out their picnic things.
Gina smiled as she remembered how much fun they had that day. Other happy memories in their marriage began pouring into her mind, and before she knew it, she wasn’t even mad anymore. Or at least she wasn’t as angry as she had been a little earlier.
Without realizing it, she’d been sitting in the park, strolling down memory lane for more than an hour. She decided to stop brooding, make her peace with the situation, and go on back home.
“Well, if he we don’t get the rest of the rent money, I guess I’ll just have to make up another lie to tell Mr. Thompson. It won’t be the first time.”
She sighed heavily, when she realized it probably wouldn’t be the last time either. Then she got up and strolled back to face the music with Richard.
When Gina walked into the apartment, she could sense that it was empty, but she called out for him anyway.
“Richard! Babe, are you here?”
As she proceeded straight to the bedroom, she was glad she had taken the time to straighten up the rest of the house, because this room was a mess.
Not only was the bed still unmade, just like she expected, but the dresser was cluttered again, and a damp bath towel, along with all the bed pillows, were on the floor.
Gina cursed under her breath, then, she went and yelled out the bedroom window.
“Richard! Richard!”
She thought maybe he was out back, fooling around with the birdcage he spent so much time working on. He was crazy about the show birds he raised, but the pigeons were a constant source of their arguing.
During the short course of their marriage, a lot of Gina’s hard earned money had gone on buying what he referred to as “good Rollers”. He also bought everything from birdseed to chicken wire on a regular basis. The birds required a lot of maintenance to breed and raise them.
Gina tried not to think about it, because she felt herself getting mad again. But she had specifically come home to try and make up with Richard, not to continue fighting.
Feeling overcome from the unbearable heat; she fanned herself with a real estate ad that was stuck in the door when she came home. The thin piece of cardboard provided zero relief. She prayed the heatwave would be over soon. It had been four days, but it felt like forty.
After one more attempt at fanning herself, Gina tossed the paper on the dresser, and wondered where Richard was.
“Well, at least he had sense enough to leave the fan on and the windows open.”
Before she started tackling the bedroom, she grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom and ran the cold water. The pipes were so hot, nothing but lukewarm water poured from the faucet.
In spite of the temperature, the wet towel was a welcome relief. She took it with her when she went to see if Richard drank all the Kool-Aid. On her way to the kitchen, Gina saw something her eyes couldn’t believe.
The washcloth fell to the floor, and her hand instinctively shot up and covered her mouth. She stood frozen, with her breath caught in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.
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