chapter 4

She arrived home and carried Christopher up to his room. She refused to let any of the staff do it. Once she was done, she informed the kitchen that they’d be the ones cooking dinner till she said otherwise. She could tell from the puzzled looks on their faces that her request was odd given how she was before:

She’d just moved in after her marriage to Logan and was getting to know the staff. She’d ask for all of Logan’s favorite dishes and decided to cook them for dinner that night. At the dinner table, she waited anxiously as he tried the food.

“Mmmm.” He moaned approvingly, “This is really good.”

“You like it?” She asked him her face lighting up.

“Gosh, Marybeth, this is exquisite.” He said in response.

And since then she’d always made sure she cooked his dinner

“But madam, that means you won’t cook dinner tonight.” One of them said.

“Yes, that’s because I’m really tired. Plus, I doubt it would make any difference to him, so don’t worry. Just make it. If he says anything” Though she doubted that he would, “You can tell him I insisted that you guys cook it.”

“Very well madam.” They nodded their heads in agreement.

Dinnertime came around, and this time so did Logan, but he wasn’t alone. With him came Christa dragging a suitcase behind her.

“Logan? What’s going on?” Marybeth asked, her eyes darting from Logan to the briefcase to Christa.

“As you know, Christa just moved back and she doesn’t have anywhere else to stay so I decided it would be no trouble for us to take her in for some time, till she gets her feet up.”

“Why wouldn’t she have anywhere to stay? Didn’t she live here in this city before she went abroad? She can go back there instead.”

“She can’t go back there, that place is unkempt.”

“Hire a cleaning service then. I don’t see why she has to stay here.”

“Marybeth!” Logan’s voice rose, his tone threatening, “Don’t get on my last nerves tonight” He wagged his finger at her.

“No. If you want to play Good Samaritan, why don’t you send her to a hotel or something? I’m sure there are a lot more options than her having to stay here. Just find-“

Pa! The sound of hand meeting cheek echoed through the room. Marybeth’s face turned red, and Logan stood in front of her, hand still raised.

“I dare you to say something more. This is my house and I can bring whoever I want to bring into it.”

“Daddy?” Christopher’s voice was heard at the top of the stairs. He stared down at the scene before him, eyes wide with shock, his brain unable to compute what had happened and why his father had slapped his mother. “Why did you hit mommy?” He asked, running down the stairs to stand before his mother, hands spread wide in a protective stance.

“Christopher, the grown-ups are talking, you go back upstairs,” Logan said in a cajoling tone.

But Christopher was not having it, “No!” His tiny voice yelled, “Daddy bad! Bad man! You hit Mummy! You’re not supposed to hit Mummy!”

“Now, child,” Christa said, trying to approach him, “You should listen to your daddy. Your mommy did a very bad thing and daddy was just teaching her a lesson.”

“Don’t you fucking talk to my son.” Marybeth said, finally finding her voice and pulling Christopher behind her, “He doesn’t need a snake like you spewing venom in his ears.”

“How am I a snake when I’m only telling the boy the truth?” Christa asked blinking her eyes innocently, then she clung to Logan, “Logan, do you think what I did was wrong?”

“No.” Logan huffed out, then he turned to Christopher, “Chris, remember what we talked about this morning about mommy and how she was not smart? Well, she tried to do a very not smart thing and that was the only way to correct her. You understand, don’t you, son?”

Christopher peeked out from behind his mother and shook his head, “You’re wrong, Daddy. In school, they taught us not to hit girls, and mommy is a big girl, so it’s the same thing.”

The words of such a little boy had the room frozen in shock and Logan suddenly felt embarrassed that his five-year-old son was schooling him on violence. He turned towards Marybeth, “I apologize for hitting you,” he apologized reluctantly, “I’ll find somewhere else for Christa to stay tonight.” Christa turned to him in shock, but he ignored her. “I apologize about dinner.”

“That’s ok. I was not the one who cooked anyway.” She responded flippantly carrying Christopher and walking up the stairs. Her back was turned to him so she did not see the look of surprise that came over his face that he was quick to hide.

Logan and Christa left the house- albeit reluctantly on Christa’s side. Together they got back into Logan’s car, and then Christa turned to him with a huge frown on her face.

“Find me another place? I don’t want another place. Why can’t I stay at the house? It’s not like you guys need all that space anyway.”

“My wife didn’t cook dinner.” He said in response to her.

“What are you blubbering on about? She didn’t cook dinner so what?”

“You don’t get it, ever since we’ve been married; she’s never not cooked dinner. It’s almost like a ritual for her. No matter what happens between us, she always cooks dinner.”

“That’s what has you looking so worried?” She rolled her eyes at him. “She didn’t cook dinner, so what? It’s not the end of the world.”

Logan suddenly remembered what Marybeth had promised after he’d first tasted her cooking.

“Gosh, Marybeth, this is exquisite.” He had said to her and the meal really was exquisite.

“I’m so glad you like it.” She said eagerly, “I’ll always cook dinner for you from now on.”

“Really?” he asked raising a brow.

“Mhm, if ever I don’t cook for you, it would only mean you’ve done something that really hurt me.”

He shook his head at the memory. It was a long time ago, and there was no way she’d remember making such a promise; it was all probably just a coincidence that she decided not to cook tonight. There was no way her attitude towards him would change no matter how badly he treated her. She had stuck around for seven years already, so why would now be any different?

Back in the house, Marybeth was tucking Christopher in for the night.

“Are you ok mommy?” He asked, his small hand stroking her cheek that was still red from Logan’s slap.

“I’m ok, don’t worry. Also, Toto, you were so brave today. You protected mommy like a knight.”

“That's because I’m mommy’s knight.” He said drowsily already drifting off to sleep.

She gave him a peck on his forehead and quietly left the room. She stood on the staircase, gripping the railing to steady herself. Logan struck her, for the first time in seven years he struck her. Was that enough grounds for a divorce? She asked herself.