Heartless People |Book 3|

Chapter 19

"Not feeling is no replacement for reality. Your problems today are still your problems tomorrow."

—Larry Michael Dredla

LISA

As I entered our bedroom, I immediately tripped over Jen's shoe. Catching myself, I picked up the red heel, and threw it into the corner.

"Your shoe almost killed me," I called out to the closed bathroom door while tendrils of steam snaked out at its base.

Turning on the television, I pulled off my tie and removed my shoes.

"Good evening, I'm Andrea Salvia, and tonight we bring you more in the ongoing investigation regarding the recent FBI debacle. In only a month, five federal agents have either been murdered or charged with felonies. Meanwhile, the head of the FBI, Avian Doers, was spotted rubbing elbows with D.C.'s one percent at the Opera."

"It looks as if the public has finally caught on," I yelled, as I stood up to take off my shirt.

I listened to the silence and paused when she didn't yell back in reply. She always yelled back, and nine out of ten times it was with an invitation to join her.

"Jen?" I moved to the door.

She still didn't answer.

"Jen." I opened the door and froze the moment I stepped in. She stood in the shower, fully clothed, as the water poured upon her. Rushing towards her, I turned the shower off, thanking God that it wasn't scalding hot, yet she remained standing there, not moving.

"Jen!" I yelled directly in her face, as I shook her.

She blinked a few times and wiped the water from her face before she looked at me confused.

"What are you doing?" she asked me.

"What am I doing?" I tried not to yell. "What the hell are you doing? You're fully dressed and standing in the shower."

She looked herself over with no expression, then moved to take off her black dress and underwear before she stepped around me. Grabbing one of the white towels for her body and a smaller one for her hair, she wordlessly left the bathroom.

"I'm fine Lisa," she said as I followed her.

"Bullshit. What happened to you?"

She said nothing as she continued to dry her hair.

"Jennie."

"Will you stop saying my name as though I'm a child?!"

"I will the moment you stop acting like one."

"I said I was fine!" she screamed at me.

"And I call bullshit!" I yelled as I reached for her but she pulled away. "Someone who is fine does not stand in the shower, spaced out and fully dressed."

"Keep yelling, Lisa, the whole damn city hasn't heard you yet!" she snapped, as she stormed off towards her closet and slammed the door behind her.

With a sigh, I moved to the door and rested beside it. I jiggled the handle, trying to open it, but she must have been leaning against the door.

"Wife, open the door and let me in. This is not the type of fighting I like to do with you," I whispered.

"Lisa, I'm fine."

"Every time you say you're fine, I get more pissed off because I know you're lying to me. I thought we were over with this? I thought we were partners; that you would—"

She opened the door and glared at me. "Don't try to guilt me into anything."

"I'm trying to be honest with you."