I drove home for dinner, trying to think of ways to get Mike to act somewhat normal again. I figure at some point he has to find some kind of normalcy, though I’m not sure how that can happen. Oh well, it’s not worth worrying about tonight. I’ll just go home and put my feet up.
When I got home I opened the door looking forward to a cold beer, but Ella was waiting for an update. There goes the relaxation.
“Hey hon,” I said.
“How’d it go?” she asked.
“Oh I’m great, kind of a busy day at work though. How’d your day go?”
“Oh come on Will, you promised you’d talk to him.”
“I did, he said he’d think about it.” I tried to pretend I believed it, hoping it would sound truer.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“No I’m not, I’m actually a pretty good liar.”
“Are you saying that you lie to me?” she accused.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?” Then I got it, she was just fucking with me. It’s always hard to take a good joke when you actually are lying to your wife all the time. Well, not all the time.
“He’s just not interested in going out with us babe, he likes to keep to himself.”
“Will,” Ella whined. “You promised you’d get him to go out more, it isn’t healthy to be so antisocial. With you spending so much time with him, how’s he going to learn to be on his own again if you visit all the time?”
“Oh come on, we’ve been friends for 20 years, we don’t hang out any more than we used to.”
“Bullshit, you’re there all the time. It’s like I’m losing my husband. You stay over there late at night, it just isn’t right Will.”
“I don’t stay that late, when have I come home later than you?”
“You stay out late when I’m working the night shift.” Ella worked on a rotating schedule as a nurse in the hospital, so she had to do 6-week long shifts doing graveyard.
“Well, that’s when you’re not home. I never miss a chance to spend time with you babe.” Maybe some buttering up is in order.
She came over and gave me a hug, hanging her arms around my neck. “I know you don’t,” she buried her head into my shoulder. “I just don’t think you should spend so much time with him, he’s getting all weird. I was talking to Debbie; remember I told you about her? She’s my friend in the psyche ward, and she said that Mike probably needs to find a healthy way to grieve. It’s been 3 years, he needs to start moving on. If he doesn’t let it out, it’s just going to eat him up inside and suck the life out of him.”
“I know babe, but I don’t think he wants to move on. He had to go through a lot and he’s not going to be the same.” I could feel her sigh, “but I’ll keep trying.”
“We need to find him a hobby. And not hanging out with you!”
“C’mon El, we’re just good friends. He keeps himself busy.”
“Doing what?” she asked. “What is it you do over there?”
“Nothing much,” I said. “We just hang out, listen to music, maybe tool around in the garage a bit.”
“Ooh, sounds so manly.”
“Oh yes, we’re very manly.”
“I know you are.” She let go of my neck and slapped my behind. “That’s why I married you. Dinner’s on the table, I picked up some Chinese.”
“Did you get the pork fried rice?”
“Don’t I always?”
“You know I love you babe.”
“You better.” And she winked at me as she walked away. I could tell she was smiling.
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