Status: Finished :)
I Didn't Know I Could Break Your Heart
An Unnecessary Reaction
"Rodger? Rodger!" Marrietta shouted as she dashed through the door of their apartment. She dropped her bags like they were hot coals once she was through the door and ran into the living room as fast as she could. She slowed considerably when she saw Rodger sitting on the couch, his head in his hands and his face streaked with tears.
Does he know? She thought, panicked, How could he know? Did someone see us kissing outside the cafe? Did someone see us enter the hotel? She searched through her memory the best she could, but nothing out of the ordinary came to mind. There could be no way that Rodger knew what had happened, so why was he so sad?
Marrietta made her way to his side cautiously and sat down on his left. She laid one hand on his arm but he shook it off almost violently. Inhaling sharply, she whispered, "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got home... I got your message and then I thought I'd have some time and... you don't really care, do you?" She asked solemnly.
He shook his head slowly and his whole body trembled. Marrietta had an instinctive urge to shuffle away from him, but she resisted. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, forming unfinished thoughts and half-thought out word choices. Finally, he stopped and shook his head as if to clear it. Taking a deep breath, he said, "My mother's dead."
A gasp escaped her mouth before she could stop it. She wanted more than anything to wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be fine, but she knew that she couldn't. Rodger was a very private man and did not like to share his emotions. Just telling her this was a major breakthrough for him. He usually wouldn't have said a word.
"I'm sorry," Marrietta murmured, knowing that it was the wrong thing to say. She knew of nothing else someone would say to comfort a person whose family had just died though. Absently, she shifted closer to him on the couch, "How'd it happen?"
He shrugged non-committaly and slid away from her. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming at him that he needed to talk about these things. Her mind was whirring. She had never really known the woman, but she had known how much she had meant to Rodger. The pain inside of him would have been deadly.
"I'm flying home... on Friday after work for the funeral and to help out at home... I'll be back after the weekend..." He muttered, more to himself than to her, "You'll... you'll be okay without me... for the weekend?"
Marrietta shook her head desperately, "Can't you get some time off of work and... well, fly out now? I'll come with you. We can help out your dad on the farm and-"
"NO!" Rodger thundered, standing up from the couch. "I'll finish the work week. I'll go on Friday. You are not coming with me. You barely knew her." He spat the words as if he was trying to imply that she had not tried to get to know his mother. He didn't even turn around to look at her as he added, "Answer me. Will you be okay here without me for the weekend?"
She nodded weakly. She had almost slid off the side of the couch when he had shouted. Realizing suddenly that he couldn't see her, she stammered, "Y-yes. I'll be fine, Rodger. Stay as long as you need to."
"I'll be back Monday," He said stonily before leaving the room.
Marrietta's heart was pounding in her chest. Thoughts swirled in her mind like snowflakes in the wind. It was a completely disorienting feeling for her to have the entire world, not just hers, but everyone else's as well, crashing down all around her. She could even tell what parts of the world were falling into disrepair. Her and Rodger's relationship... Tyler and Jennifer's relationship... Rodger's family... her sanity... All of it had crashed and burned in a matter of seconds. All of it was her fault.
She reached for the phone with shaking fingers and dialed Jennifer's number. If she had to do one thing right that day to make her feel okay, she had to tell Jennifer that she had made a mistake. Maybe then Tyler could be happy even if she wasn't. But at the last second, she changed the number she was dialing and hit talk.
"Hello?" She said shakily, "American Airlines? Yes, I would like to book a ticket for Friday to San Francisco? Yes, I'll hold." And she sat there with the country music playing in her ear, shivering, wondering how bad Rodger would kill her for coming after him.
Does he know? She thought, panicked, How could he know? Did someone see us kissing outside the cafe? Did someone see us enter the hotel? She searched through her memory the best she could, but nothing out of the ordinary came to mind. There could be no way that Rodger knew what had happened, so why was he so sad?
Marrietta made her way to his side cautiously and sat down on his left. She laid one hand on his arm but he shook it off almost violently. Inhaling sharply, she whispered, "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got home... I got your message and then I thought I'd have some time and... you don't really care, do you?" She asked solemnly.
He shook his head slowly and his whole body trembled. Marrietta had an instinctive urge to shuffle away from him, but she resisted. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, forming unfinished thoughts and half-thought out word choices. Finally, he stopped and shook his head as if to clear it. Taking a deep breath, he said, "My mother's dead."
A gasp escaped her mouth before she could stop it. She wanted more than anything to wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be fine, but she knew that she couldn't. Rodger was a very private man and did not like to share his emotions. Just telling her this was a major breakthrough for him. He usually wouldn't have said a word.
"I'm sorry," Marrietta murmured, knowing that it was the wrong thing to say. She knew of nothing else someone would say to comfort a person whose family had just died though. Absently, she shifted closer to him on the couch, "How'd it happen?"
He shrugged non-committaly and slid away from her. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming at him that he needed to talk about these things. Her mind was whirring. She had never really known the woman, but she had known how much she had meant to Rodger. The pain inside of him would have been deadly.
"I'm flying home... on Friday after work for the funeral and to help out at home... I'll be back after the weekend..." He muttered, more to himself than to her, "You'll... you'll be okay without me... for the weekend?"
Marrietta shook her head desperately, "Can't you get some time off of work and... well, fly out now? I'll come with you. We can help out your dad on the farm and-"
"NO!" Rodger thundered, standing up from the couch. "I'll finish the work week. I'll go on Friday. You are not coming with me. You barely knew her." He spat the words as if he was trying to imply that she had not tried to get to know his mother. He didn't even turn around to look at her as he added, "Answer me. Will you be okay here without me for the weekend?"
She nodded weakly. She had almost slid off the side of the couch when he had shouted. Realizing suddenly that he couldn't see her, she stammered, "Y-yes. I'll be fine, Rodger. Stay as long as you need to."
"I'll be back Monday," He said stonily before leaving the room.
Marrietta's heart was pounding in her chest. Thoughts swirled in her mind like snowflakes in the wind. It was a completely disorienting feeling for her to have the entire world, not just hers, but everyone else's as well, crashing down all around her. She could even tell what parts of the world were falling into disrepair. Her and Rodger's relationship... Tyler and Jennifer's relationship... Rodger's family... her sanity... All of it had crashed and burned in a matter of seconds. All of it was her fault.
She reached for the phone with shaking fingers and dialed Jennifer's number. If she had to do one thing right that day to make her feel okay, she had to tell Jennifer that she had made a mistake. Maybe then Tyler could be happy even if she wasn't. But at the last second, she changed the number she was dialing and hit talk.
"Hello?" She said shakily, "American Airlines? Yes, I would like to book a ticket for Friday to San Francisco? Yes, I'll hold." And she sat there with the country music playing in her ear, shivering, wondering how bad Rodger would kill her for coming after him.