Forgive Me, Katherine

Chapter 7: Home

Katherine didn't make a sound during the drive home, seven hours of riding in silence. It was completely out of character for her, she was always the more sociable one. Benji found himself peering into the rearview mirror, I knew he was searching to see if Katherine had fallen asleep due to the silence that was engulfing the vehicle. She wasn't, however, her eyes didn't leave the window as she watched the scenery change as we crossed multiple state lines. 

I rested one of my hands on her leg for comfort, causing for her to jump, "Are you alright? What's on your mind, sweetheart?"

She shook her head refusing to make eye contact with me. The happiness that was once on her face during our honeymoon had since fallen into a depressive look, a look of pure sadness. "It's nothing," she replied, "I was enjoying our bubble, our time together away from work and our families. I wish it were possible for the two of us to just disappear, go missing voluntarily without a trace."

I let out a small sigh, there were no words I could say that would mend the type of hurt she was feeling. "I feel the same way," I placed my hand under her chin and motioned for her to face me, "But we have to also think about our families and the lives we would be leaving behind. I could live without being under the wings of my father, branch out and even commute from hotel rooms. You, on the other hand, grew up in a family that was so tight and close knit. I couldn't expect for you to turn your back on all of that, and seven hours is a long way to be away from your family. Sure, we'd be able to visit on the holidays and take personal days to see them, but would it be enough?"

She shook her head, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip, "You're right, I couldn't leave my family behind like that. I couldn't ask for you to switch up on your work life either, and I don't know how I would even begin to find work myself. My business isn't as well known as yours, it'd be impossible to branch out with close to nothing."

"So we make the best out of our life here in Seattle. I promise you, we're going to make it. We'll have the American dream one day, everything you dreamt of having. The house with a fenced in yard, a yard filled with kids frolicking with laughter, your wrap-around porch, a big ass American flag hanging from the house flowing in the wind, no neighbors for miles, our only company being the wind," I verbally painted her ideal life out in front of her her, trying to bring the happiness back. I was longing to see her smile, and to do so before we reached our home in Seattle.

Benji broke the moment with his reply, "I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Monroe, but where am I taking you this evening? Will you be staying at Ms. Katherine's or will she be joining you at your humble abode?" 

I exchanged glances with Katherine. It had become an agreement that following the wedding I would put my over-sized condo up for rent, and start the process of moving into Katherine's single family home. With the honeymoon, however, we hadn't had the time to set those plans into motion. With our now recent hiccup, I wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. I didn't understand where Katherine's head was at in this very moment, if she still wanted to live with me as much as I wanted to live with her.

"Could you stop at my place first Benji? I believe it would be most appropriate for me to stay at Stefan's tonight, so we can start sorting through his belongings to move into my place," a big smile of reassurance was on her face as she rested her eyes into mine, a feeling of warmth washing over me.

With a tip of his head, Benji continued the drive to Katherine's home. Her home rested in an upper-middleclass neighborhood, the neighboring houses were close enough to hear every single one of your wrong moves. This part of Katherine's neighborhood irked me, I had always been a very private person. I wasn't sure how to feel about my neighbors possibly knowing all of my business. This, however, never seemed to bother Katherine.