Lights, Camera, Rumblefish!

Chapter 12

LCR 12

"So he said that? He said maybe you two shouldn't get married?" Christine said to me over the phone. I took another swig of beer and nodded, then realizing she couldn't see me.

"Yes, he did. He said it and I handed him his cigarettes and he left. He walked out yesterday afternoon and he hasn't been back," I said.

"It's been a whole day, and he's still not here," I said.

"Have you checked his family's apartment?"

"Yes, I called and I called the hospital and he's not there. I don't know what I'm gonna do if he's not back by tonight."

"What do you think he's doing, Essie?"

"I don't know... I don't know if he's just lost or upset and he finally left or-"

"Essie, he adores you. I doubt he just left because you got in a fight."

"But he said he was fed up."

"He was not fed up! He needs some time to himself, you've got to understand that."

"Maybe I should just leave. And go back to Tulsa."

"Yeah and when he comes back, you're gonna be gone and he's gonna go Insane looking for you."

"If he ever comes back."

"Stop it. He needs his ti-" the front door opened and an exhausted Matt trudged through the front door.

"He's here. I have to go," I said, hanging up and standing up. He dragged himself into the kitchen.

"Hey," I said. He just looked at me and moved papers around on the counter until he raised a pack of Marlboros up. He took one out and dug a lighter out of his jean pocket, lighting it up.

"Hey," he finally said once he was breathing smoke through his lips.

"Where'd you go?"

"A motel down the street," he said, taking a seat across from me at the table. He was eyeing my beer and I pushed it over to him. It was quiet. He took a couple sips. More silence.

"Hey I just want to apologize for what happened yesterday," I blurted. He nodded.

"I'm sorry, too. I started it and you ended it. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't wanna marry me because of this."

"Matt... This can just be a bump in the road, okay? A medium sized bump but a bump."

"This... This has never happened before."

"I know..." I said. He took a swig of beer.

"It's gonna happen again if we don't watch it," he said.

"Bullshit, it's gonna happen again anyway. Whether it's five months from now or five years. This kind of argument is gonna happen again," I said.

"And if we keep having them, our marriage isn't gonna last five years."

"Will you stop acting like our marriage is gonna end?"

"It is if we kept this up."

"Don't fight with me again. We're trying to make up," I said. He sighed and took a long drag on his cigarette.

"I want to marry you...I love you... But I don't want this to happen again..."

"It won't," I said.

"If you're ever frustrated with everything and you feel like you can't handle it, you need to come to me."

"I tried and you turned me down."