Little ficlet
Evie couldn’t say anything when Jon showed up with Stan the Cat and a duffel bag, because Tracey had filed for a separation and then changed the locks and she knew Jon was about a minute away from a nervous breakdown. She loved Jon, he was good to and for her family, and the fact he had asked for help showed just how desperate he truly was.
She knew it was the right thing to give Jon the guest room for as long as he needed, and she let Stephen whisper his concerns to her every night, because his friend was hurting and he couldn’t help and wasn’t there anything they could do?
Evie said they were already doing it, just by being there for him, and Stephen would sigh and kiss her and stay awake for hours listening to Jon pace.
It was hard when Jon moved back. They all missed him terribly- even the dog, who would lay by Stan’s favorite chair and stare despondently for hours. She figured Stephen missed Jon most of all, so she didn’t mind so much when they would spend time together. Stephen told her he was scared of how volatile Jon could be, and Evie said she understood completely.
It took months before she realized the pattern. For a few weeks, Stephen would be a ghost. Then one night he’d be home on time, and the kids would be ecstatic and he would wait until they were asleep before making love to her, and it was always satisfying and she never even thought to say no. He’d be back for a few days, and then something would come up with Jon or with work or with a guest spot. Evie would disappear to him, and it didn’t matter what she said then because he never heard a word.
The night Stephen didn’t come home, Evie screamed. She screamed at his voice mail, screamed when he came in at six in the morning, screamed at the kids to get back in bed. By the end she didn’t even knew what she was saying. He was good about coming home for nearly a month after that, but she barely spoke to him at all.
A few months after Jon had moved back in with Tracey, Evie met them up in the city for a quiet dinner. Tracey spent an obnoxious amount of time holding Jon’s hand and smiling, and finally she cleared her throat and made a little thank-you speech. She needed to say this to Evie, because Stephen knew all of this, of course. Stephen had helped them figure out what was wrong in the first place; if he hadn’t been there they’d be divorced by now. Tracey put her hand on top of Jon’s white-knuckled fist and Evie stared her husband until he met her gaze with wary eyes.
Evie smiled and the tension at the table lifted perceptibly, and she turned back to her plate with nothing else to say.