Of Wilderness and Wolves

Prologue

- 6 years ago -

"How dare you!" She screamed.
"Get out! I never want to see your sorry face ever again, Tyreek!"

I just came home. What did I do this time?

"Baby, can we just talk this through for a moment? I-" Before I could finish, Maria cut me off.

"Leave! Now." She demanded, hurling a balled up shirt at me.

This made my fifth time getting "kicked out" this week. I tolerated it at first, but the screaming, the threats, and then the pleading for me back was getting old.

"Maria. I'm not leaving, especially not with you being pregnant and alone with Akari." I tell her firmly.

"Oh, you don't think I can handle my own daughter?!"

"I never said that." I sigh, taking a small step towards Maria. "I'm telling you that it's not a good idea for you to have to deal with Akari alone and get her to school while pregnant when I can stay around to help."

I definitely need to stay. During our argument, Maria's fit of rage left the living room in horrible condition. I couldn't walk out and just leave her to attempt any cleaning. Especially since the trashed room was my fault at the end of the day.

"I hate you!" Maria yelled, walking off to the kitchen. "Why did we even get married?! You're a shit person and a shit husband."

Ouch.

"Babe, I get that you're angry right now, but at this point, I don't know what I've done! Why are you angry? Can we try to come to an understanding?" I plead, trailing her into the kitchen and leaning on the island counter.

"You of all people need to ask me why I feel this way?" She scoffed, glaring at me with an incredulous look.

"Maybe if you were actually present, you'd know how hard it is to watch you come home at 10 pm, not help me with anything at all, and go to sleep for the night before getting up at 4 am to go back to work!"

Okay, yes, the long hours were sort of ridiculous, but it kept us in our house with the lights on. With a child and another on the way, we couldn't afford to live in another crammed apartment in a bad neighborhood.

It can't be easy to care for a home. She's just expressing her frustration. I have no reason to feel so hurt.

"So you want me to start doing more housework?" I ask calmly, messing with my fingernails.

"Yeah, I want you to start pulling your weight!"

"Okay, I'll start helping out around the house more. But no more of this trying to put me out." I beg, too fatigued from the argument to do much of anything else.

"Fine. I'm almost full term anyway, so I'll need your help enough not to put you out." She hummed, not sparing me a single glance as she walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to our bedroom.

I can't lie to myself. Things have been difficult these past few months. Thankfully, when we were forced out of our last apartment, Maria's folks chipped in to help us buy us this place on the better side of Los Angeles.

Had I really neglected Maria recently? I've been so busy with work that I didn't realize she was this stressed.

"I've got to pull through this." I whisper to myself, anxiously twisting my ring around my finger.

"For Maria, for the kids... For all of us."

A growing sense of dread loomed over me as I sat alone in the kitchen, completely silent in the dead of night.

I had a feeling this wasn't going to end well.