This Love

Skies Grew Darker

Elizabeth sat at the kitchen table reading through the latest edition of the New York Post entitled: Reynolds Pamphlet, her eyes filled with tears and one hand clenched tightly. Alexander stood in the doorway, waiting until she noticed him. She turned the page, but then closed the booklet and sat with her head in her hands; the floor creaked and she turned around to see Alexander.
"I'm sorry, Betsey..." he ran his hands through his hair, "I'm so sorry."
"You're sorry?" She wiped the tears from her eyes, "that's it?"
"I don't know what else to say," he took a step towards her.
"I don't either, Alexander," she paused, "I begged you to come with me, to spend the summer with me, and the kids. I could handle it when you were pushing me, and our children, and our family aside for work and this 'legacy' that's so important to you-" her voice broke, "but another woman?" She shook her head, and wiped a tear from her eye.
"Eliza, please" he stepped closer to her and she stepped back, "it's not like that. I never cared about her more than you."
"Really, Alexander?" She clenched her hand tighter as she stood up, "because you found this need to protect her, and care for her, but you were fine leaving me alone all summer, not to mention all of the countless other times."
He ran his hands through his hair, "Eliza, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"And you thought publishing a pamphlet about your affair was the right way to do that?"
"It was going to ruin my career, I had no other choice."
She closed her eyes and bit her lip, she felt more anger and sadness in this one moment than she had experienced her whole life. "So you did what was necessary to save your career, before what was right for your family?" She laughed because of the irony, "it's always about you, Alexander. You, and you, and nothing but you. You and this stupid desire to be remembered. Admit it to me, Alexander, I have always loved you more than you love me."
"That isn't true Elizabeth-" he stopped, "I just have other things that are important to me."
Eliza's eyes welled up with tears and she finally released the tension from her hand, "then I'll give you one less thing to worry about." She took her rings off and set them on the table, and began to walk back to their bedroom. Alexander felt light headed, he was losing the only truly important thing in his life. He watched as Eliza walked away from him. I need to sit down, he thought, but just then everything went black.