Neighbors

Part 21: Breaking point

It had been one week since a husband told his wife that there might be a baby in their future. It had been one week since that wife decided to get out of their marriage sooner rather than later. There had been one week since the wife fully admitted to herself that she was hopelessly in love with her neighbor. One week had passed from all those realizations when the ambulance arrived.

It was getting late, Mia was asleep across the road and I was still in the kitchen, talking to my soon to be ex husband. He of course did not know about our impending doom, that was all part of the plan. Some might think that you owe your partner the opportunity to change, to fix the relationship. I used to be one of those people, let just say that circumstances had changed my mind. Tonight we had fought, once again about housework and childcare, like he should have any say in the matter. The man wasn't around enough to ever know what to complain about. It felt like he was just picking fights for the hell of it. Tonight, it was different. He let me win. He apologized and hugged me. It felt wrong, like I knew that something was off in the back of my mind, but my stupid optimism just told me to be grateful. I should have gotten out of the house already but my plans didn't pan out and it had only been a week. It is not that bad.

I got ready for bed and then I checked on the girls. They were asleep and the house was so quiet. In moments like this I really do believe that things are going to be ok. I walked into the bedroom and Ben is sleeping. I put my charger in the wall and set my alarm like I always do. I got in bed and closed my eyes. I felt a hand touching me inside of my shorts. I shot up and grabbed the hand. Ben chuckled.

"Nice way to wake up, right?" No, no it was not.

"Why did you do that?"

"Can't I touch my own wife?" He looked angry. I felt fear starting to creep into my body.

"Ben, I was just taken aback. You shouldn't just do things to me when I sleep, It's messed up... It makes me feel like an object" I used a soft voice trying to make him understand how wrong this was. I knew he wouldn't, deep down I knew he wouldn't even try to understand.

"You aren't asleep anymore though, I think we should try for that baby we want" I panicked but I also got annoyed. We did not want a baby. He wanted to get me pregnant and isolated so I would be even more tied to him.

"No, Ben" I was sick of being scared. I was sick of being nice. I was sick of having to treat this grown man as a child to try to make him understand basic fucking empathy.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"Ben. I don't want a baby" He got closer to me and kissed my neck. "Stop" He put his full body weight on me. "Ben, get the fuck off me"

"You will love this child when it's here. Don't think about it too much. It will be fun" He sat on top of me, holding my shoulders down. I started kicking.

"Get the fuck of me Ben" I should scream, I really should, but waking my girls to come and see this scene... I couldn't do that. He took one of his hands off my shoulders and tried to remove my clothes. He tried to keep me still by pressing harder on my shoulder, it would leave marks but I didn't stay still, I hit him. I hit him right in the nose. He sat back and held his face and I threw myself off the bed, clipping my forehead on the nightstand on my way down. I scrambled for my phone and ran out the door.

I ran to Chris' room and picked her up, then I got to Julie's. She was already awake. I tried to call Mia as I made my way out the house, pushing Julie in front of me and Chris still in my arms. I heard footsteps behind me.

"Stop. You are not taking my kids" He yelled. I felt Chris flinch. I turned around. Julie between me and the door, my phone ringing and Ben staring me down.