The Long Road Home

The weather suited her. Dark skies rumbled ominously with thunder, lightened only by the frantic lightning strikes. The air was dank and damp with moisture from the steady rain lashing the windows, the trees whipping in the raging winds. The storm outside was nothing compared to the one currently raging inside Marisa Granger as she sat staring hopelessly out the window. Her thoughts were racing with more ferocity than the storm. Alex had, as usual, come home well after midnight last night, telling her nothing more than he had needed to stay late at the office again. The smell of a now familiar perfume and the trace of lipstick on his collar told her the real story, however. He had once again spent the evening with his latest in a very long string of girlfriends. As if that was not bad enough, once he put up his coat and keys he had gone into his study and logged into his favorite chat room to visit with yet another lover. It was simply the last straw.

She knew he would say that there was no way she could prove what he had been doing while he was online last night, but in reality she was actually quite smart and handy with a computer. After all, she was a top computer technician at the biggest computer firm in the city; she knew her way around a computer and could get any information out of it she wanted to - as long as it was actually there to get. Marisa sighed and got up to get another cup of coffee.

Today had been an unplanned, but much needed, day off. The storm had knocked out the power at the office and they had closed up shop and sent everyone home for the day. Once she got home she went to the study and logged into Alex's computer. Within an hour she had the whole truth out of the machine as he had failed to delete his browsing history. It showed quite plainly what he had spent the wee hours of the morning doing, and as he had also left his chat window open the history of that time was spelled out in plain black and white computer type on the screen. "Well, he never did give me much credit for being smart. He always did wonder how I got to be a top computer technician. He really didn't think there was any reason to hide this; he never thought that I would be able to find it." With another heartbroken sigh she put her cup in the sink and went to the bedroom to begin gathering up what she would need to stay with a friend for a few days.

Knowing just exactly what sort of scene was going to ensue the moment he got home from work and saw her packed suitcase was almost enough for her to give in and stay. The trouble was, she had been living this nightmare for months now and no longer even knew who she was. "I have spent so much of my time the last few months just trying to keep him happy and be whoever he wanted me to be that I don't even know who I am anymore. I just can't keep living like this. For my own sanity, I have to go. How can I live with him when I can't even trust him?" With that, Marisa hung her head and began to cry softly. Within 30 minutes she had packed a few changes of clothes and her toiletries that she would need. She had already told her boss that she would be taking a few days vacation time, though he thought that she and Alex were going out of town together. With that thought she laughed out loud. "What a laugh that would be! He might go out of town with his current lover, but never with me. I am just Marisa Granger, his wife, after all."

When Alex got home - amazingly, and unexpectedly, at a normal hour - she had supper on the table set for one. Her bags were by the door waiting and her ride would be at the house within the hour. She knew that he hated for her to even try to mention anything that was bothering her, but she felt that since she would be leaving for at least a few days until she could sort things out in her own mind, it was only fair that she tell him why she was going. So she walked into the dining room and sat down at the table next to him.

"Not eating again?" Alex asked. "I just don't know what your problem is these days. But you aren't going to spoil my dinner. I'm starved." "We need to talk, Alex," Marisa began quietly. "I know that you want me to keep quiet about this sort of thing, but I have to talk to you."

Alex began to scowl, "I know you spent last night with your lover again. I can't continue to live like this any longer. Most evenings you don't even come home till after midnight, and when you do you have her scent clinging to you. I am tired of it. I am going and I honestly don't know at this point if I will be coming back or not. I already took a few vacation days from work and will be leaving in about an hour."

Alex threw his fork across the room and began to pace, yelling loudly and calling her names that still made her cringe with fear. "You know you aren't going anywhere. And I am so tired of you accusing me of cheating on you. Not to mention, you have no idea what I was doing on the computer last night. I had some work to finish up and simply brought it home with me." He continued to pace and rave, but Marisa was no longer listening.