The Angry Husband

She understands she takes a risk telling him she feels flailed by his anger.   For what will happen, she already knows, is he will accuse her of being angry, and then he will descend into a frigid silence.

He will not speak.  Sometimes for a few hours,  sometimes for a few days.    Once, and after many attempts to gain a response, she too fell silent, defeated by his will.    But three weeks later, outcast and saturated in rejection, she went and found him sitting on a sofa, barricaded by a nothing-ness. She knelt and cried, sobbing, pleading for him to see her, to touch her, to allow some of his words to escape.

He looked at her as if at a stranger, patted her absent-mindedly and said “I’m sorry.”

And that was it, till the next time.

So today, asking him to recognize the anger emanating from himself is fraught.   They have friends coming for the weekend, one of the reasons he is angry.  He really doesn't like having friends to stay, although on occasion, she does. Then today, whilst doing the banking, he discovers she has spent $720 without discussing it with him.   She has booked a ‘surprise trip’ for them in Sydney - to celebrate their anniversary - to see “La Traviata” on the harbour and a stay in a very smart hotel. 

It is hard to create a surprise when he does the banking and she knew she would be in trouble when she booked it but she did so anyway.   And he would deny he is angry about either of these things of course, and when asked what was the matter, would reply ‘Nothing’.

But she can see hot anger in him, the tightness of his mouth, he is displeased, and he shouts at the dog unnecessarily.  She knows she cannot help him, in these matters, she seldom has.   Only time will, and only in his own time.

And so she waits.