'Till Death Do Us Part

Personal Attacks

Linda gave a menacing glare to Jamie's fiancée, Sydney. Recently, her new-found passion was attacking the blonde's husband. Another Sunday dinner went by with Sydney subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) verbally attacking Danny.
This has got to stop. Linda thought, reaching for the salt.
*************
"What's with the personal attacks on my husband?" Linda asked Sydney after dinner.
"What?"
"The attacks. On Danny. What's with those?"
"I don't know-"
"Look, I know Danny's not everybody's favorite person. I get that, I do. Hell, when I first met him, he was my least favorite person. But once I got to know him, he was alright. More than alright..." Linda smiled briefly, remembering when she realized she loved him. "Unlike you, me, Jamie, and Erin, Danny didn't have a normal college experience. We all graduated high school and went to college to get educations. Danny didn't. He went into the Marines, and fought for four years. Then, after the towers went down, he went and fought again. Nobody but me saw what he was really like when he came back. That man has an incredible poker face, so everyone thought he was better than he actually was.... So before you go attacking him again, think of why he's that way. He endured four years of hell, and, just as he was adjusting back to civilian life, his grandmother died. He went back to that hell hole, and endured another four years of hell. Less than a year later, his mother dies. He's heartbroken, and now?" Linda crossed her arms, and looked to the ceiling. "Now his brother's dead. And nobody in the world knows him as well as I do. He has that protective shell for a reason. Because nearly everyone he's really close to has died or betrayed him."
"That could be Frank or Henry in a nutshell," Sydney responded.
"What? I don't believe you!"
"Don't believe what? That I've got an opinion, too?"
"Oh, no. No, an opinion is 'I like the way this is working'. Not 'I like the way this is working, but I guess some are just too ignorant to see it'. Do you really think he's ignorant?"
Sydney opened her mouth to say something, but Linda butted in once again.
"Tell me how you'd fare if you went through hell for four years, had problems getting pregnant, have your grandma die, go through hell again, watch all your buddies die, have your Mom die, then your brother die? And through those... eighteen years, and only two- well, three. Only three good things come from them. Four, maybe."
Right then, Danny walked into the kitchen, neither lady noticing him as they continued to quarrel.
"Wow," Sydney shook her head. "Just.... wow. How low is your self esteem, exactly? How low must it be that you're constantly trying to cram down our throats how much of a hero he is? Cause what you just told me sounds like a bad soap opera. His life was so terrible for eighteen years, and only four good things have come from those eighteen years?"
"My self esteem is fine! And I'm just trying to stop a life-long was before it begins!"
"War," Sydney rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. I think you're lying."
"About what?" Linda crossed her arms again, ready to defend herself or her husband.
"Four years and no copulation? You want me to believe that you waited for.... months, and only had relief when he came back?"
"Of course!"
"Are those kids really his? Or did you do some sleeping arou-"
"Hey!" Danny stood between Linda and Sydney. Sydney could attack him all she wanted, but when it came to Linda, he was going to protect her. "You're gonna back off! I don't know what the hell you two are talking about, but Linda most definitely did not sleep around. I don't know what your problem is with me, but I don't care. Lotsa people don't like me, and frankly, that doesn't bother me. You can attack me all you want, but when it comes to Linda, well.... you might wake up with a horse's head on your pillow. Come on, Linda. Let's go." He grabbed her hand, leading her away from Sydney.
"It must be great to have a knight in shining armor swoop in whenever you're in too deep."
"You know what?" Linda turned around, walking towards Sydney, "it is great. Completely great. It's great to have someone protecting me and looking after me at all times. Maybe my self esteem is low, but so what? With my husband by my side, I could fly." She walked back to Danny and took his hand, "oh, and next time something like this happens? There will be blood shed."
*********
"What's with you and Syd?" Danny wondered as he and Linda climbed in bed that evening.
"I hate how she treats you. You deserve the world and more, and she treats you like garbage."
"I don't care about Sydney. I've never liked her anyways-"
"I just..." Linda grunted, "it makes me so mad when people treat you badly. Don't they know some people need more time to open up to others?"
"Linda, it's okay. The only person's opinion I really care about is right here."
Linda looked around, "mine?"
"Yes, yours. You're the only one that really matters."
Linda smiled, "really?"
"Mhmm." He nuzzled her neck, feeling her pulse quicken. She was the only one who really made his life worthwhile.