It Is Always Calm Before the Storm

I came into this marriage with an apartment full of furniture, brand new furniture.  I had a full kitchen as I had been buying and putting things away since I was fifteen years old.  But none of the things that I had when I married Killer, were worthy enough of taking residence in his home.  His stuff was "better." It wasn't, but he thought so and so I sold every thing.  I really didn't want any thing that he had.  So I  took an inventory of what I would take and what I would need.  I had some shopping to do and I had to figure out where to store it while I was waiting for my day of freedom to arrive.

We had ordered custom made bedroom furniture. I figured I would take the bedroom furniture which consisted of a dresser, bureau and a head board. Killer and Mollie had picked it out and it was nice, but again, not my style, yet there was no room for it once the custom furniture was delivered.  I was able to keep my night stand from my single days and this bedroom suite had a night stand. But I needed a mattress.  I went to Estes Furniture store to buy my mattress.  I didn't realize they were so expensive!  I had a full size bed growing up and Killer and I had a full size mattress, but I wanted a queen size.  The price wasn't much but it was more than I wanted to pay, so I  opted for the full size.  It was just me, I didn't need a queen size bed and I did not see more than myself sleeping on this luxury mattress.  Killer needed a new mattress, but he refused to buy one, so I was looking forward to sleeping on a nice comfy pillow top mattress that was all mine.

I bought new dishes, new silverware, new towels and new sheets.  I bought a pull out sofa bed in case I had company.  I bought a matching chair and an entertainment center for my new television.  I was taking my stereo as Killer had one that no one was allowed to touch or use.  I bought a few lamps and a little dinette table for my cute little kitchen. I even bought this new invention that Killer refused to consider, a microwave!  I would take my sewing machine and cabinet and my clothes.  After I moved in, I contacted the man who built the custom bedroom furniture and commissioned him to build side tables for me.  I wanted one that was round and one that was oblong but it had to be a certain size as I was cramped for space.

I stored as much as I could in my trunk.  I had delivery dates set up for the new larger furniture. I talked to Mr. and Mrs. Farmer to see if they would let me put things in my apartment before moving in and they understood the situation I was faced with, so they allowed it. 

It was early July and I was still on the road and attending conferences. But I needed a  week to do all this coordinating of buying, storing and getting everything ready to go.  Utilities had to be secured and I had to coordinate service calls for the week I was to move. I told Killer I was going to be out of town so that I could do all of this after work without any eyebrows being raised.

Michael had offered his place for me to stay.  There was nothing physical or emotional going on between us and he lived about three miles from Killer, but I could easily take a different route to work where he'd never see me.  I didn't have any friends that I could stay with.  I didn't have any relatives that lived in the area and my parents had retired to Houghton Lake and they had no idea what I was planning.

The week that I stayed at Michael's I had other errands to run.  One was to take my watch in to the jewelers for a new battery. I took it to Fox's Jewelry in the Lansing Mall. Killer bought all of my jewelry there and they did all the repairs to my Longines watch that Killer had bought me for our first wedding anniversary.

I didn't think a thing about this.  What were the chances of Killer who lived in East Lansing and worked in Okemos  visiting Fox's Jewelers that same week?

I got everything done.  I had such a great week. Michael would  have dinner cooked when I got back from running my errands.  He cooked, he cleaned, he did his own laundry,  he had his shirts ironed at the cleaners, he had great taste in furnishings and decor.  We played board games, watched movies, put puzzles together, we talked and he just supported me through that week with no pressure, just his friendship. He even waited on me! We both drank Pepsi and he'd always have one iced up and ready for me when I came in and in the morning when I was getting ready for work.  He was considerate.

The week ended and I had to go home.  I dreaded returning to the Homestead.  It had been so nice to be in town and not living out of a suitcase just to be free from Killer's watchful eye. I got home on Friday and unpacked my car. Killer was in the kitchen.  He was not acting like  himself and I wasn't sure what was wrong and I was not about to ask. Guilt was still looming in my heart and especially now that I had not been where I had told him I was all week.

He waited for me to unpack and he waited patiently.  When I came into the kitchen he asked me how  my week had been.  Fine. Where had I been? I spewed my imaginary itinerary off like I had actually been on this week of hospital adventures. And then he dropped the bomb. 

He had been into Fox's and saw Tom, our jeweler.  He handed me my watch.  Where was I on Tuesday?  I stuck with my story and reiterated my itinerary for Tuesday.  How could I be in Traverse City and Lansing on the same day?  I wasn't.  Tom had told Killer that I had dropped my watch off as Killer was there preparing to buy  me another little bauble. The watch was done, it just needed a battery. My goose was cooked. How was I going to get out of this? I had been so careful to cross every t and dot every i and I missed this little detail.  I did not take into consideration that he might just go to the jewelry store that week.  My birthday had come and gone. Our anniversary was five months away, why would he be jewelry shopping?

My balls got so big it is a wonder I was able to stand upright.  "I don't think it is any of your business where I was on Tuesday" and I walked out of the kitchen. I calculated the arrival of the coroner to be within the next hour.  I knew I had just crossed the imaginary boundary on so many levels, I was dead. There is no way he'd let me survive this one.

I was in the library acting like it was just any other Friday night.  One the outside, not a care in the world, on the inside, praying to God that I lived through the night. He didn't follow me.  He went into the bedroom and he stayed there the rest of the night.  But Saturday, all hell was about to break loose.