The Widow

Scene 25 - Don't make mommy cry

Scene 25 – Don’t make mommy cry

When Aiden first got married, his father, Richard Spence told him the cardinal rule of marriage, and it wasn’t loving your spouse unconditionally. No, it wasn’t that, he said it was a given to love your spouse so that wasn’t a rule, it could never be a rule. The cardinal rule was never ever walk out in the middle of a fight.

Never leave a fight, an argument for another day. Never walk away from the fight. Fight it, scream at each other but don’t ever walk away with one of you angry or hurt. Don’t sleep on it.

It’d only make it worse. When you ignore a wound, it’d probably be infected the next day.

And Aiden knew that was one of the reasons why his first marriage didn’t work out. Both of them had walked out on each other when both of them furious with each other.

So Aiden wasn’t going to make the same mistakes before.

He followed her to the guest room, he slammed the door shut, she shot him daggers and he glared back, “Don’t walk away from me!”

“Then don’t make promises you can’t keep!” Clara yelled, “Don’t let the kids or me wait for you, only for you to never arrive.” She walked behind the Queen Anne chair, “Aiden, the kids, they were bouncing happily, waiting for their daddy to come home, we were all excited to have this family day with you.”

Aiden knew that move, she was placing something between them, it wasn’t the Queen Anne chair, she was placing a wall, hiding behind it. And he’d be damned if he let it happen, “I’m sorry, Clara. I was on my way home then I got called back, I was needed at court. My phone died and I…”

“You were too busy to borrow a phone or ask your assistant to call me.” she finished, “You’re always busy. Do you even remember the last time you tuck the kids to bed?”

He didn’t and how he promised every night then that he’d leave work early to have dinner with his family and tuck his kids but every night he’d break this promise because he always got home late.

“I miss you, every night I try to stay awake just to see you but I couldn’t. I’m always exhausted and in the morning, all you do is drink your coffee while reading some documents. The kids, they were always so giggly during breakfast but you never gave them your time. You just sit there while the kids stare at you waiting for you then you leave and when you leave, you leave them disappointed.”

He didn't know that. God, just the thought of it hurt him.

“These few months, it seems that your work is more important than us. And maybe it is. You’re saving the world from bad people after all.”

He started toward her, braced his hands on her shoulder, “You are more important. Our family is more important.”

Her shoulders sagged, “I want to believe that, Aiden. But your actions speak louder. You don’t even know what’s happening here in this household anymore.” She told him, “We don’t tell each other anything anymore. You don’t try anymore. And maybe it’s fine but it’s not fine for the kids. They’re your kids, they don’t deserve to grow up with a workaholic father.”