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 Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 5:39 pm
Elka 1 The days had never seemed to stretch as long as they were now. Not even during the first few months of her abandonment in Neued. She felt lonely now as she did than, but it was a different kind of loneliness. For she had tasted what life could truly be like and now she feared it might be over.
Over and over, at least once a day, Elka had tried to get through to Kayde. Tried to explain to him her reasons for wanting to take up her brother's offer. It could only benefit all of them. Surely he had to see that eventually, if she just kept trying? But he always refused to listen, brushing her off with a shrug or a wave of his hand or even sometimes telling her to leave him alone. Than he'd storm away, out of the house, towards the nearby town. Where he went, she was not sure. He was always doing odd jobs for someone. Always lending his help where needed, no matter what it was. She never worried about where he went, since he had been doing this for years. Even though their dancing made enough, he continued to spend hours helping build a house or filling in on a fishing boat or whatever else was the job of the day. He was becoming known around town as the one to ask when something was needed to be done. And she was proud of him for this. He had learned so many skills over the years. He never complained.
Until now. About this.
Elka peeked around the corner of the bedroom doorway. It was late in the day and the sun was starting to go down. Kayde had just walked through the front door. She had heard it close from where she had been sitting nervously on their bed, wringing her hands in her lap waiting for him. Maybe night would be the best time to approach him? When he was too tired and had nowhere else to run off to. Maybe he'd be too tired to argue with her.
She watched him sit down on the sofa, run a hand through his hair until it stuck up a little more than usual. His eyes were closed and she took that opportunity to leave the bedroom and stand near the hallway. "Um, Kayde, I..."
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 6:44 pm
Kayde 1 It wasn't by intention that Kayde was out all day, every day. At least not entirely. Not that he could say he didn't mind it. For the first time in, well, as long as he'd known her, the man didn't want to be in the presence of Elka. Despite his anger at her, it still hurt him to silently admit that to himself. He just didn't want to be around her right now. Oh, he tried. Each day, when he was finished with his work or volunteering as it were sometimes, he'd return home, to relax in the sitting room with a book. As he did every evening before going to bed. Each night, she was there, sitting a distance from him, pretending to read her own book but watching him. He could always feel her eyes on him and tried to ignore it. She'd try to talk to him. He'd brush her off, still not feeling like the time was right for it. Though he could see the hurt in her eyes, the worry, he never said anything to reassure her that he would want to talk one day. He knew it was very unlike him. He couldn't help it. Never had he felt such betrayal before in his life. He was afraid of how his voice would sound if he did speak. He wised she'd understand he just wanted some space. She didn't.
Tonight was no different.
As her voice filled the empty room, his pale eyes glanced briefly up at her before returning to the words on the page. The same page he had been reading for the last 30 minutes, over and over. "I don't want to talk," he cut her off.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2024 2:23 pm
Elka 2 His attitude continued to surprise her, but she didn't back down. If anything, she walked further into the room, leaving the safety of the hallway and the easy exit of their bedroom.
"But we really need to, Kayde," Elka insisted, wringing her hands nervously in front of her, her skirt balled up between her fingers. "It's been almost a week, now." And you won't talk to me or look at me. She felt at her wit's end with this fight that came out of nowhere, like a sudden strike of lightning in an otherwise clear sky. She didn't know how to fix it. Or even if it could be fixed. No. Best not to think like that. It could and would be fixed.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2024 5:51 pm
Kayde 2 "Later," was his quick response, still not looking up from the book in his lap. Not that he was reading it. Not by an inch. At least not most of it. He was sure, if someone asked him to, he could recite the entire 73th page to them by memory, he had reread those same words so many times.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2024 5:58 pm
Elka 3 "You always say that," Elka sulked, crossing her arms over her chest and nearly stomping her foot like a child who wasn't getting their way. Which wasn't far from the truth. She wasn't getting her way. Kayde wouldn't listen about the house. He wouldn't listen when she spoke. They could have been happily packing up to move to a bigger space by now. Told the kids they could have their own, large, rooms, which was the most important thing. A boy and a girl couldn't share a room for long. Soon enough, that time would come and than what would they do? Make one sleep out on the couch? Buddy up mother/daughter, father/son? Her family weren't low-bred. "Kayde, please."
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2024 6:18 pm
Kayde 3 The sound of the book closing was loud in the silence. Not that he had done it quietly, taking the spine between the fingers of one hand and slamming them together. Kayde looked up at his wife, than, his eyebrows knitted down in annoyance. He didn't like feeling this way. Didn't like seeing the expression on her face when he looked at her this way. So why couldn't he stop? Part of him was screaming at him how ridiculous this whole thing was. Yes, he understood why he was so upset at her. But it still didn't warrant this kind of attitude from him.
"Because I don't want to deal with this right now."
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2024 6:30 pm
Elka 4 Now Elka was starting to also get mad. The book slamming had made her jump, her hands letting go of the fabric she had been twisting around. Why did he get to behave like this? Tell her what to do? She'd had enough of people telling her what to do growing up.
"And when will you?" she nearly screamed, her voice much higher than she had intended it to be. Looking around for open windows, she hoped the kids weren't close enough to the house to hear her raised voice. This whole situation had been going on far enough that it was becoming much, much harder to hide it from them. "We can't keep going like this." Tensions were constantly so high, she was surprised she had enough energy to take care of herself and the kids every day. Where was Kayde even to? Not helping her, that was for sure.
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 4:36 pm
Kayde 4 "Keep your voice down," he nearly hissed, his voice a loud whisper as if he expected the kids to be listening right behind the door. Who was to say they weren't? One look at the growing shadows on the floor told Kayde it was getting late, about the time they usually started back for the house from whatever imaginary adventure they had been on that day. Oh, to be a child, again. "We will talk about it when we do. Please, I had a very busy day." He opened the book back up, using it as a distraction to lure his eyes away.
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 4:43 pm
Elka 5 "Oh. I see." Elka kept quiet as she watched him go back to his book, folding her hands behind her back and leaning her shoulder against the wall. She pursed her lips, even her mind quiet as the minutes ticked by, waiting. She noticed he never once turned a page in his book. "When you want to, I suppose," she couldn't help saying, purposely not posing it as a question. Of course it'd be when he wanted to. He was the one this was hurting the most, of course. Not her.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2024 6:53 pm
Kayde 5 No. Of course he wasn't getting any more reading done. As if he'd gotten a lot in the first place. Kayde felt like he'd been on that same page for the entire week.
Reaching up with a hand, he rubbed at the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Yes. I am not ready to discuss it yet." Than he lowered his hand back to his lap and said no more on the matter. Hopefully she would go back to what she had been doing and leave him alone. Already he could feel the hurt slowly lesson, but it was still there and still too fresh.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2024 6:56 pm
Elka 6 But Elka wasn't ready to let it go. Already she felt as if this had gone on forever, this weird tension between them that had never been there before. She didn't like it. Didn't want to admit that it scared her. Was this how marriages dissolved into nothing? She stomped her foot, putting her hands on her hips and staring him down. "That isn't good enough anymore." How long was he prepared to prolong this for? Why was it such a big deal? It made no sense to her. And it wasn't as if he was explaining anything to her. Quite the opposite. He had closed up completely.
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2024 4:51 pm
Kayde 6 Thumbing the page, Kayde sighed for he didn't know how many times that day. "I don't know what to tell you," he answered softly, feeling the sharp edges of the paper against his thumb, sharp enough to cut. Only he did. Of course he did. He knew exactly what she wanted to hear. And it wasn't as if these things would be a lie if he were to say them. He still loved her. This in no way felt like the end of them, to him, as it might be feeling like to her. So why couldn't he just say the words and reassure her? He just didn't feel ready for that conversation.
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Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2024 6:45 pm
Elka 7 Elka's mouth twisted into an angry frown, the nails of her fingers digging into her sides. Yes, of course he would say that. It wasn't as if he had been saying that for almost an entire week, now. Should she adapt a new tactic and start crying? No, that would probably do little to change his attitude. Though the thought of that alone was enough to make the tears threaten. She sighed and closed her eyes tight to prevent it. She wouldn't do that. She would be brave and strong in the face of these troubles.
"I think you do," she pressed, an edge to her voice she couldn't, or tried, to help. If she couldn't cry, she'd just indulge in her anger than. Her emotions had to go somewhere, after all.
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Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2024 7:01 pm
Kayde 7 Keeping his face passive, Kayde pretended to be more interested in his book than answering, in the hopes that she would leave. When she continued to stand there, staring at him, after minutes went by, he finally looked up and closed the book for the second time. Wasn't like he was reading it anyway.
"It's getting a bit late."
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2024 2:28 pm
Elka 8 Why was he being so calm? It both baffled and angered her even more. He'd been so snappy the past few days, that Kayde's return to his old carefree personality felt so out of place.
The woman took a few steps closer, seeing no reaction on his face as she did so. "That's besides the point," she corrected, hands still on hips, as if she were talking to Elias about something he had done and he was arguing against it. "Why won't you just tell me what's wrong?"
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