Pieces

6

Michael

Getting into my car, I slammed the door shut and banged my fists against the steering wheel. What am I supposed to do about this? Do I just sit on this information and wait for the right time to mention it? Do I confront her now? I'm at a loss for words.

Lani couldn't have lied about it because she has no reason to lie. I wish Maddie and I could go back to how our marriage first started out. It was full of love and I enjoyed being with her every minute of the day. Leading up to the crash, Maddie started to become distant and we fought a lot especially about where she'd go after work or if she went to work at all.

Her family tried to keep her occupied and away from me most of the time and when I'd bring this issue to her attention she'd say I'm overreacting and that they're very close with one another. It's a problem for me because they never acted this way when Maddie and I were just friends apart of a small friend group. They didn't hang out as much when we were in college but I guess the amount of school work we had could be the reason.

Another thing is that her sister acts like they didn't see each other much at all after we got married, which is untrue. They did everything together. They went to lunch just about everyday, they went shopping on weekends and even planned family trips multiple times a year; and yes I did have to be present for those. I'm not sure if they're trying to steer her away from me especially now that she has this condition.

When I got home, Maddie was there surprisingly. She was standing by the bookshelf going through photo albums. When she heard me come in, she quickly closed the book and put it back on the shelf.

"Where you've been?" She asked.

"Just out with a friend." I shrugged then walked passed her into our room. She followed close behind.

"Could we do something together tonight?" She asked and I gave her a shocked expression. I never thought she'd want to spend any time with me.

"What you have in mind?" I asked.

"We could have dinner at Roscos" she says and I smile because that was our favorite place to go to.

"Sure." I said as I sat down on the bed.

"It's a family dinner." Maddie said while playing with her fingers and looking down.

"Are you serious?" I asked, clearly annoyed.

"My sister suggested we go out to dinner as a family because it's been so long since—"

"Your sister is a liar." I said, cutting her off.

"She said—"

"I don't care what she said! You always put your family before me. We've never spent quality time together because you were always with your family!" I shouted. I didn't mean to yell at her like that but I was becoming frustrated with this conversation.

"I just got out of the hospital and want to spent time with my family, is that too much to ask for?" She yelled back.

"Yes, it is! You haven't spent any time with me, your husband!" I said. I thought Maddie and I would be able to start over with our marriage and it seemed like we were falling back into old habits. This felt all too familiar with me and I started to become more angry as I thought about old arguments.

"Jasmine told me—"

"I don't care what your sister said, she's lying to you. We never done anything together as husband and wife because your family is always coming between us." I sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a bit, trying to calm myself down.