Avalon and Maddock

Chapter 4: Maddock

I kept quiet on the way back to my apartment and stewed as the boys chattered in the back seat. When we arrived at my apartment, I took them up, fed them some lunch and they quickly conked out for their naps.

I began texting my wife, needing to get some thoughts off my chest.

I love you.

Please talk to me so I can explain everything.

Please don't keep shutting me out.

That last one sent her into orbit as I'd hoped it would.

So she called me.

Before I even finished saying hello, she launched into me.

"I'm shutting you out? I can't believe you could even say that to me. I begged you for months to talk to me, to tell me what was going on, and you wouldn't tell me anything. Now I know why, but you still cut me out of your life, and you cut our boys out of your life. It's only when you decide we need to talk that it's time to talk. But that's not how it works – you suddenly come clean with me and expect me to be grateful and talk because you're ready to? Try dealing with this feeling for seven months, try feeling as if you're watching your marriage disintegrate right in front of your eyes and you can't do anything about it because the man you love is ignoring you. Try seeing your spouse only a handful of times in seven months, and when you do, he's so checked out that he won't even look at you, much less talk to you or touch you. Then try finding out that he's been cheating on you and that's the reason for his silence and see how inclined you are to talk. Maybe in six months and two weeks, I'll think about talking to you, but hopefully we'll be divorced by then so it won't even be an issue. Then you don't have to worry about cheating on, lying to or ignoring anyone."

With that, she hung up the phone. I called back ten times before giving up. Then I sent a text.

The boys will facetime you tonight at 8.

Of course, I was also with them when they called, my eyes intense and focused. It was time to start playing dirty and win my wife back.