Taakei watched Sasuna tend to her wound with intent. After cleaning off the scratch, she wrapped her hand. "All done." She held her hand up. Taakei looked at the puffy cotton and gause. "You're missing something." She looked puzzled. "What?" He smiled and kissed her hand. "There we go!"
The smell of the soup started to flow through the house. Sasuna made her way back into the kitchen. The soup was ready. "Is it done yet, Mom?" She turned with a smile. "Yep. Go sit on the couch. I'll bring it to you." Taakei fled to the couch. She brought his soup to him in a small bowl. "Be careful." He agreed he would. She went into the kitchen to serve the rest of dinner. The leftovers were stored for later. Suddenly, Taakei called her in. Soup stains were distinctly marked on the carpet. "I told you to be careful," she sighed. He hung his head. "I'm sorry." She rubbed his head. "It's fine. You can just eat in the kitchen." She picked up Taakei, then the bowl and took them into the kitchen.
Just as she was about to lean down to get cleaning supplies, she heard Maebara come down. As soon as she grabbed a rag, he forcefully turned her around. "What is that on the carpet", he bellowed. She tried to calm him down. "Taakei just spilled some soup." He got closer to her face. "Well you're not cleaning fast enough!" Quickly, she grabbed the cleaning supplies. Her injured hand was her dominant hand. The result was that cleaning was much more difficult. She could feel him standing over her. Judging her. "Hurry up!" She scrubbed as fast as she could. "I'm trying!"
Once she finished, she hurried back into the kitchen. On her way back, Maebara stood in the doorway. He walked towards her, causing her to back away. He grabbed her wrapped hand. "What is this?" He pulled her closer. "A nail in a cabinet cut me." He dropped her hand. "Tch! No wonder you were so slow."
"Stop acting like I was being lazy. I was cleaning the best I could!"
"Excuse me, but I think you mistook me for someone else." Suddenly, he pushed her back. She stumbled backwards into a counter. He came up to her and hit her in her face. "Now, who do you think you're talking to like that?" She stood there trying to gather herself from the painful blow. "Sorry, can't hear you. What did you say?" He lifted her head. She stayed silent. Maebara pushed her away. "I don't have time to deal with you." He stormed out of the house and to his car without saying another word.
Sasuna looked at Taakei. He looked worried and confused. "I'm ok", she said. He stared down at his empty bowl. "Why is he so mean to you..." She traced her fingertips over the area of impact. "Daddy gets upset sometimes. He doesn't know how to tell people how he feels."
"Does he hate you?"
Words couldn't describe their relationship. He didn't hate her, he didn't know how to love properly. "No honey. Let's stop talking about this. Are you done with your dinner?" He nodded and handed her the bowl. "You eat now, Mommy." At this point, protesting would be useless. Once she sat down, he fed her. She smiled watching his little hands handle the large spoon. He put the bowl into the sink after she was done.
Sasuna carried Taakei to the living room to watch TV. He curled up in her lap and remained quiet. Time passed, and he soon fell asleep. The clock read 21:48 (9:48pm). It was time for bed. She layed Taakei in his bed, kissed his cheek, and closed the door. She looked in the bathroom's mirror. Her left cheek was swelling a little. It was red and absolutely painful.
Just as she began to relax in bed, she heard Maebara pull up. She rolled over and hoped faking sleep would ward him off. He stumbled into the room. "Sasuna, wake up." She clenched her eyes shut. "Go away", she thought to herself. Suddenly, he shook her firmly, so she had to wake up. Before she spoke, she could smell the alcohol in his breath. "Yes, Maebara?" He hugged her. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean it."
His speech was slurred and complete garbage. "It's ok." He grabbed her wrapped hand and started kissing it over and over. His kisses migrated up her arm. She pulled her hand away. "There's no need to do that, I accept your apology." He kissed her swollen cheek. "I'm not done yet." He pushed her down and kissed her repeatedly. With every kiss he said, "I'm sorry." The smell of his breath was bitter. His hands started wandering all over her body. It started as light touching, then proceeded to rubbing. As he slowly started to pull her nightgown up, she pushed him away. "Please. Not tonight." He looked disappointed. "Fine." He turned off the lamp, then held onto her tightly the entire night.
