Agree-With-Me Ray was still pumping vibrations through the
floor. It was a yes or no question. All she needed to do was not
fight him.
Tabitha hesitated, then shook her head. “I’m
leaving.”
“Tabitha, no! Don’t go. We can work this
out.”
She grabbed her purse and frowned at him. “I
don’t even know you.”
Evan stared at the closed door, lost.
“Daddy?” Maria walked over and slipped her hand
into his. “Why is Mommy slamming doors?”
The truth was impossible. Evan couldn’t even
articulate the idea. “Um, she was in a rush, sweetie. A big
project.”
He ran a hand through his hair and choked back
tears. Tabitha... He couldn’t... This was a nightmare. Some
horrible dream brought on by too much pizza and stress. He would
wake up, roll over, and his wife would be smiling at him
suggestively. If he closed his eyes, he’d be stretched next to her
beneath the sheets. He’d go exploring, reconquering familiar
terrain just like the first time...
“Daddy?”
He blinked. “I need to get dressed. Get your
sisters up, it’s playgroup day.”
“What about breakfast?”
If he saw the pot of burnt spaghetti, he’d throw
up. If he saw the bottle of wine from their honeymoon, he’d break
it open and drown himself. “We’ll buy donuts.”
“Okay.” Maria ran off, shouting for her sisters
to wake up.
He locked the door and found himself sitting on
the bed hugging Tabitha’s pillow. It smelled like her, a mix of
floral notes and spice and something exotic that was all Tabitha. A
scent he’d know anywhere. He sniffed again. And something else.
Different. A sharp sweetness that turned his stomach.
He held the pillow to his face, trying to name
the elusive scent. The perfume she’d worn last night. A new scent,
but that was no surprise. People liked giving super heroes
presents. She’d probably stopped by a college town for lunch, and
someone had recognized her and given her the perfume along with a
stack of T-shirts. With a sigh, he dropped the pillow.
The sound of the girls chattering in the living
room told him they’d finished getting ready for the Mommy’s Day Out
playgroup. A hundred dollars a head and some nice ladies from the
local churches would watch your kids in a moldy basement for three
hours so you could keep your sanity. Evan really wanted to spend
the three hours forgetting yesterday ever happened. And this
morning. And maybe tomorrow.
He hit his face, trying to slap himself back to
intelligence.
Tabitha was angry. Good. Fine. He knew that
might happen. The Morality Machine was a calculated risk. There had
always been a chance the calibration would fail, or that her basic
chemistry would change. Even he couldn’t build a flawless machine,
although he’d never had a complaint before. Still—Evan took a deep
breath—he could see why she objected. Leaving her aroused for seven
years was a little unfair. He’d always meant to slowly turn the
machine down and lull her into happily married life.
But that carried the risk of losing her. What if
she didn’t like him anymore when the machine turned off? What if he
wasn’t her type? Or she met someone else? Losing her was the one
nightmare he couldn’t face.
And now she was gone.
One of the girls banged on the door. “Daddy!”
Blessing hollered. “I’m hungry! I want a pink one!”
“Hold on,” Evan said. “Let me get my socks.”
Even in the bathroom chilled by his cold shower, her perfume still
lingered. Tabitha’s ring twinkled beside the sink. Evan picked it
up, reverentially running his thumb over the smooth white gold.
Tears blurred the shape of the diamond. He’d bought it for her
before they’d eloped to Australia. She’d been wearing an ocean blue
skirt over a tiny white bikini, the diamond sparkling in the
sunlight. Three carats of flawless marquise cut shining over Byron
Bay as they said their vows. It fit perfectly.
She loved that ring. She’d loved him. For seven
perfect years, she’d loved
floor. It was a yes or no question. All she needed to do was not
fight him.
Tabitha hesitated, then shook her head. “I’m
leaving.”
“Tabitha, no! Don’t go. We can work this
out.”
She grabbed her purse and frowned at him. “I
don’t even know you.”
Evan stared at the closed door, lost.
“Daddy?” Maria walked over and slipped her hand
into his. “Why is Mommy slamming doors?”
The truth was impossible. Evan couldn’t even
articulate the idea. “Um, she was in a rush, sweetie. A big
project.”
He ran a hand through his hair and choked back
tears. Tabitha... He couldn’t... This was a nightmare. Some
horrible dream brought on by too much pizza and stress. He would
wake up, roll over, and his wife would be smiling at him
suggestively. If he closed his eyes, he’d be stretched next to her
beneath the sheets. He’d go exploring, reconquering familiar
terrain just like the first time...
“Daddy?”
He blinked. “I need to get dressed. Get your
sisters up, it’s playgroup day.”
“What about breakfast?”
If he saw the pot of burnt spaghetti, he’d throw
up. If he saw the bottle of wine from their honeymoon, he’d break
it open and drown himself. “We’ll buy donuts.”
“Okay.” Maria ran off, shouting for her sisters
to wake up.
He locked the door and found himself sitting on
the bed hugging Tabitha’s pillow. It smelled like her, a mix of
floral notes and spice and something exotic that was all Tabitha. A
scent he’d know anywhere. He sniffed again. And something else.
Different. A sharp sweetness that turned his stomach.
He held the pillow to his face, trying to name
the elusive scent. The perfume she’d worn last night. A new scent,
but that was no surprise. People liked giving super heroes
presents. She’d probably stopped by a college town for lunch, and
someone had recognized her and given her the perfume along with a
stack of T-shirts. With a sigh, he dropped the pillow.
The sound of the girls chattering in the living
room told him they’d finished getting ready for the Mommy’s Day Out
playgroup. A hundred dollars a head and some nice ladies from the
local churches would watch your kids in a moldy basement for three
hours so you could keep your sanity. Evan really wanted to spend
the three hours forgetting yesterday ever happened. And this
morning. And maybe tomorrow.
He hit his face, trying to slap himself back to
intelligence.
Tabitha was angry. Good. Fine. He knew that
might happen. The Morality Machine was a calculated risk. There had
always been a chance the calibration would fail, or that her basic
chemistry would change. Even he couldn’t build a flawless machine,
although he’d never had a complaint before. Still—Evan took a deep
breath—he could see why she objected. Leaving her aroused for seven
years was a little unfair. He’d always meant to slowly turn the
machine down and lull her into happily married life.
But that carried the risk of losing her. What if
she didn’t like him anymore when the machine turned off? What if he
wasn’t her type? Or she met someone else? Losing her was the one
nightmare he couldn’t face.
And now she was gone.
One of the girls banged on the door. “Daddy!”
Blessing hollered. “I’m hungry! I want a pink one!”
“Hold on,” Evan said. “Let me get my socks.”
Even in the bathroom chilled by his cold shower, her perfume still
lingered. Tabitha’s ring twinkled beside the sink. Evan picked it
up, reverentially running his thumb over the smooth white gold.
Tears blurred the shape of the diamond. He’d bought it for her
before they’d eloped to Australia. She’d been wearing an ocean blue
skirt over a tiny white bikini, the diamond sparkling in the
sunlight. Three carats of flawless marquise cut shining over Byron
Bay as they said their vows. It fit perfectly.
She loved that ring. She’d loved him. For seven
perfect years, she’d loved
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