The Life of the Wife

Chapter three

CHAPTER THREE

JOHANNA

'Here's Maisy's bowl, food and bed. She has a veterinarians appointment in four days, and she's afraid of the dark, so leave the kitchen light on.' I squeezed my beautiful ginger cat one more time.
'You're acting as if you're never coming back, dear!' My father chuckled, heaving his cigarette back with a mighty breath. I giggled and left Maisy to wander around and kissed my fathers forehead.
'Love you daddy'

The moment I had shut the car door Aiden had swerved the car around and started driving into the narrow road. I hummed as the vibration of the motor jiggled my seat. Aiden smiled lovingly towards me before concentrating on the road ahead; it was going to be a long trip before we made it to our safe place.
'Tell me more about the safe place?' I was so eager to meet Aidens other friends.
'Oh it's beautiful Jo, the flowers grow so freely in the meadow, and the houses were built a long time ago, so they have that rustic charm you love so much! And there are only good people to surround you there, unlike around this filthy place.' He almost spat his words as he directed his anger towards a couple basically undressing each other at a bus stop.
'Well I absolutely cannot wait!'

Aiden always new I was special, and he always reminded me so. I sat back and remembered when we were young. Aiden had moved to our town when I was eight, just before his father was caught. I hadn't known at the time but the only reason they moved was because they had a lot of work to do around here, cleaning up the dirt. I had a huge school girl crush on him, thinking I'd never have the chance to be with him; after all he was fifteen, and I was just a naive child. But after the newspapers didn't care about Aidens family anymore and I had turned thirteen things changed. He started to notice me, pay attention to me, and take me away on beautiful trips to lakes and waterfalls, where everything was pure. We married they day I turned eighteen just last year. It was the most magical day of my life.

Finally we were a few towns away and Aiden had seemed calmer. He explained why things went south this time.
'She was passed out, or I thought she was, and I was getting her ready for a bathing to cleanse her body and soul when she hit me over the head with a pipe she must have disconnected from the cellar wall. I was so tired from our cleansing session the night before that I forgot to lock the door behind me and she escaped. Once I came to and caught track of her she was already in town and I heard on the police radio she had arrived, that's when I came home to you.'
'It's okay sweetie, you were tired and she obviously had the devil on her side, don't beat yourself up.' I consoled my husband as best I could but I knew in his head he was punishing himself. Every now and then he would tense up and his knuckles would turn white on account of clenching the steering wheel too hard, and I knew that that was when he was remembering Amelia.

Amelia was supposed to be a special one. After the failed cleansing of her friend, it was all up to her. I didn't take part in Aidens second job; I wasn't a chosen one. Not that I wanted to, it would sometimes make me sick when I had to help Aiden dispose of failures, and whenever he had one in the cellar I would worry so much for their soul that sometimes my hair would thin, I even had a miscarriage once. Aiden blamed it on the ungodly sinner in the cellar for bringing bad spirits in the house. He was a lot more violent with the filthy people after that, I think he blamed them all.

It was getting dark and we were getting tired. I suggested a motel but Aiden reminded me that we can't use our credit cards from now on, so we drove until he found a suitable house.
The house was boarded up and had a for sale sign on it, nobody would look for us in there. We drove the car into the backyard and Aiden broke the lock from the back door to get in. When he hustled in away from the cold breeze we realised we weren't alone.
'Who are you?' The mans speech slurred and he looked and smelled as if he hadn't showered in weeks.
'I claimed this land and you are not to be here!' He was clearly not sober. I looked over to Aiden, he had already prepared himself for the man. I quickly shuffled outside and put my back against the cold brick wall as I tried to block out the yelps of the drunk man in pain. I said a prayer for him and went back inside when the noise had stopped.
Aiden was washing the blood off his hands in a dirty basin and I shut the door to stop the wind from coming in. It made the house silent. I wandered around the candle lit house, looking at all the rooms. Aiden had put the drunk mans body in one of the rooms and shut the door, so I stayed away.
'Jo, keep a look out for needles, I just found one in the kitchen! That filthy scum was an addict!'
He was so protective of me. Tonight I will massage his back the way he likes so he gets a good nights rest.