Through Thick and Thin

Here we go

It was Thursday night - the one night Jai had a somewhat early class. Since it was only nine and the kids just went down, Ariana decided to stay up and wait for Jai to come home. She snuggled up on the couch in the family room with a blanket around her and a plate of homemade gluten free cookies on her lap.

Already she watched two lifetime movies on TV and was well into the third, trying to keep herself awake but she kept dozing off, when she finally heard the door open then close. She woke herself up instantly and checked the time on the TV.

1:47.

Ariana frowned and put the plate on the coffee table in front of her, shutting the tv off then getting up. She watched silently as Jai locked up and put his bag away.

"Hey - where were you?"

Jai turned around and shrugged, moving towards the stairs somewhat sluggishly. "Class." He slurred, grabbing onto the banister of the stairs when he almost fell face first into them. He laughed childishly at the thought, as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

Ariana was taken aback at his actions. She frowned at his posture as he leaned over the banister laughing himself into tears. Taking a step closer, she slowly began to reply to him. "Your class ended at nine.. It's one in the morning," glancing at him as he plopped down on the stairs, she hesitated then asked. "Are you drunk?"

With a loud chuckle, Jai waved his hand in front of his face, attempting to stand up but slightly failing. He grunted as he finally stood up and leaned against the wall. "I'm a lot of things. Drunk might be one of them." He laughed once again and stumbled up the stairs to their bedroom.

His wife watched him in shock and turned to look at his book bag, silently debating if she had the right to look through it.

xxxxxxx

It was not something she could really understand. It was certainly out of the blue - how he was acting, how he stayed out later then usual. Then again, she was usually asleep by the time Jai got home on most days so maybe it wasn't out of the blue. Maybe she was only just noticing these little changes in her husband

How easily he got irritated these days. How he'd sometimes have random outbursts of anger before bed - now that she made it a habit to stay up waiting for him - she saw how he was when he came home. He would always come back sluggish, sometimes angry, and with blood shot eyes. Every night.

It's been almost more then a month since that first night she noticed Jai acting differently. But his actions have increased. He had been acting somewhat violent. Nothing too bad - she knew he wouldn't dare lay a hand on her or their children. But he'd been more forceful. Stronger in a way.

He squeezes her a tad too hard lately, she noted as she gently rubbed her darkening wrist as she sat next to Brandon in the pediatricians office. The night before as they laid in bed together, she was more tired then usual - as she had just gotten back from Dianna's baby shower that she and Miley had been planning for so long. It was the weekend so Jai had been home earlier then he was during the week.

Yet he still had the telltale signs, bloodshot eyes, sluggish movements. And one thing in particular. He was more forceful in bed.

"Jai, please. I'm not in the mood tonight. I'm exhausted." Ariana moaned tiredly, moving away from her husband as she tried to desperately to block out the light coming from his bedside lamp.

Jai growled in irritation, "You're never in the mood, Ariana. C'mon! I have needs y'know."

"I know, baby, but I-"

"No, we're doing it. Its been almost two weeks!" He snapped, reaching over and tightly grasping her wrist, pulling her around to look at him.