Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,62
on. I know that the doctor said that there was some damage to my liver and I laughed it off, but now that I’m totally sober I know that’s not good. What do you reckon?”
Elise was stunned, thoroughly stunned. Part of her wanted to shout from the rooftops – hallelujah! – this was the moment, the revelation that she had been waiting for, her husband finally seeing some sense and agreeing that maybe there was a problem. She almost wanted to dance for joy, run around the streets and tell the world; this had taken five years, five long years and she couldn’t believe that there might be an end in sight.
The other part of her however was a little doubtful at this turn of events and she wasn’t sure whether or not Dale could give up the alcohol and even if he did would that necessarily mend their relationship? As far as she was concerned he had hurt her – a great deal – and it would take him a very long time to make it up to her. She wasn’t sure she had enough energy in her to support him through this.
Plus, there was now Vaughn in her life. Whilst she knew that he wasn’t a relevant consideration and that if she and Dale did decide to work on things then he would take a back seat, she couldn’t forget what he had said last night and the way that he had made her feel. He had looked after her; listened to her, made her feel safe and secure and it had been a very long time since anyone had done that. She deliberately kept her thoughts away from the absolutely amazing orgasm; that needed to be put into a box and never opened again, especially if she was going to give Dale the benefit of the doubt.
Realising that she had been silent for an inordinate amount of time and had not responded, she tried to compose something suitable to say. She felt completely torn; she wanted to support him and believed that it was her duty to do so but she also wanted her freedom back – the kind of freedom that she had experienced over the last couple of days. That wouldn’t happen in the picture that Dale had painted.
“I think that it’s brilliant you’ve been thinking things through,” she said carefully, “and you know that I’ve been nagging you for ages to cut down on your drinking, I’m just not sure if you’re fully committed to this yet. I know you said you’ve taken what the doctors said seriously but I just need to see it to believe it, I guess. This has all been going on for too long for me to just forget everything that has happened and whilst you know that I will support you, I hope, rather than believe, you to be sincere.” She paused. Although Dale seemed to be in an upbeat mood, her negativity might be something that she paid for later and that was not something that she wanted to encourage.
“I hope that you understand I don’t mean to be negative,” she continued, “there’s just so much that’s happened as a result of your drinking that it’s hard for me to completely believe you’ve changed after just a couple of days.” She tried to word it as sensitively as she could and waited quietly for his response.
Putting her feelings out on the line like that was a bit of a gamble but she needed to be honest with both of them if they were ever going to have a chance. Nervously she glanced across at Dale, fully expecting his face to be contorted in anger but was surprised to see him nodding.
“I understand that, Elise, believe it or not” he said. “Things have been rough and I know I’ve not admitted to it before but I am prepared to do that now. I really want our marriage to work and I just feel completely blessed that you’ve not left me long before now. I wouldn’t blame you if you’d at least cheated on me.” he laughed ironically as if the thought of her being attractive to anyone else was completely ridiculous. “I know you’d never do that to me, Elise, would you?”
Elise kept her eyes firmly fixed to the road as she considered what to say or not to say. Dale seemed oblivious to her predicament and was continuing on with his train of thought.