She stared at the words on her computer, "Herbert!"
She yelled. "Herbert! Come here."
Nervously she looked around.
The kitchen was empty.
The living room?
Empty.
The bedroom?
Empty.
Despondent she sat on the bed, slowly remembering. He'd left for a business trip. Shuttering she ran her hands over the goose pimples on her arms.
Later That Week:
Gladys typed: Katheryn was careful to not disturb her husband as she crept to the kitchen for water. Glass in hand, she stopped. She heard voices. Puzzled she crept to the maid's door. Kneeling she peered in the keyhole to see her husband and the...Three Weeks Later:
Gladys gnawed a chicken leg while Herbert pushed peas to his fork with his knife while holding his newspaper. "We have to talk." She said.
"Peas are gooooood!" He said.
"I know about it." She said.
"What?"
"The maid."
"Keep trying. Get one You like." He said enthusiastically. " With what you make writing, you could hire the mayor." He squeezed her chin affectionately, and raised the paper between them.
Gladys wrote: Futilely she pounded, until strength drained she dropped sobbing to the cold stone floor. Angrily he pushed open the door and stood above her. "If you won't be my wife." He thundered. "You'll stay in this dungeon forever." Grabbing her arms he forced her up and kissed her violently. And, as abruptly, he released her, slamming the door between them.
"Herbert! Herbert!" She pushed his shoulder. "Wake up. I want to go to Mama's tomorrow."
"The painters are coming." He moaned. "You hired the painters."
"You can't keep me here." She said. "You're trying to keep me here!"
"Go to sleep Gladys." He mumbled. "Go to sleep."
She wrote: When last her captor took her out, she snatched a sprig of hemlock from the wood. She stirred the leaves into drops of water and decocted the liquor into an empty glass. That evening when he entered the room she kneeled and said, "I'm yours." "I'll get champagne!" He squeezed her chin and left. On his return she greeted him. "This time you relax." She said and quickly choose the glasses. Smugly he positioned himself in the middle of the bed and watched her pour. She handed him his glass. And smiled demurely...
Herbert watched Gladys. Tonight she wore a shimmering blue night gown and scurried around happily. She'd sold another book. She giggled. Brushing her hand across his lap, she handed him a glass of wine. "To us!" She said.
And smiled.
"To us." He said.
And drank.
The End
Copyright 1995 Regina Garson