Vanquishing the Enemy Within
by Marie
Bud watched his wife as she walked around the house. She
skimmed her hands over the smooth cool stone and rich wood of their new
home's exterior. They hadn't even gone inside yet. She said she wanted to
learn the outside before they did.
He liked the looks of the house. Strong and solid. Had Bud
been? He hadn't wanted to move to Australia. He'd lived in the Los Angeles
area his whole life. So had his wife, Marie. He had a thriving business in
security since he'd left the LAPD.
He'd buried himself in his business after...while Marie had
descended into depression. What had taken him so long to see his happy,
pretty and loving wife was falling apart? Maybe Bud had barely been hanging
on himself.
The evening he'd come home from work to find her crying and
scared had changed everything. She'd told him she was so scared because
she'd been contemplating suicide that day. The pain was so bad that she
wasn't sure she'd wanted to continue. Bud had held her as she cried. He
felt so helpless. He was used to fighting the enemy when it was around
them, but how did he fight it when the enemy was within?
Marie was actually the strong one. She'd recognized that
something had to change and she needed help. She went for counseling and
found a woman therapist who'd helped her. When the doctor had suggesting
that Bud attend with Marie for grief counseling he'd balked at first. For
Marie he'd finally relented.
It was good Bud heard how it had been for Marie when she'd
been home shut off, isolated and recuperating. Bud hadn't thought about how
hard it must have been for his active wife to be home and unable to work in
her chosen profession as a nurse. She hadn't had the chance to bury herself
in work like he had. Each time she'd moved the twinge of discomfort
reminded her of the baby they'd lost.
Bud had been burying his own grief all along instead of
facing it. His fear was that he'd not only lost their baby, but almost his
wife. His marriage to Marie had been about the first really good
relationship he'd had in his life that he hadn't fucked up. As much as he'd
not wanted to go to the counsellor it had helped them both.
About that time Marie had found out that she'd inherited land
in Australia along with her cousins. She'd left the pictures out for him to
see. He grunted when she mentioned how beautiful the land was. Before long
the idea of moving came up. Marie researched the area. She could get a job
at the health clinic. Bud could work security consultation while
investigating the feasibility of opening his own business again.
Marie had a new sparkle in her eyes. It reminded him of the
young woman he'd first married. The hell with it. They had a house built.
They were moving.
Yesterday they'd gone to the cemetery to say a final goodbye
to their baby girl. Here they were today at their new home in Australia.
"Bud." She had called him a second time.
"I'm sorry, Baby. What did you say?" He grinned sheepishly.
She grinned back. The smile reached her eyes. "I said what
do you think of our new home?"
Bud walked over and wrapped her up tightly in his arms. He
buried his nose in the sweet scent of her hair. They were going to be
okay. He knew it. "It's great, Marie. Ready to go inside now?"
She turned, slipped her arms around his neck and placed a
light kiss on his lips. Bud pulled her in tighter and kissed her more
deeply. The kiss left them both breathless. She brushed her fingers across
his cheek.
"I'm ready, Bud. We've lots of rooms to explore. I'm eager
to see our new bedroom." She batted her long eyelashes in his direction.
Bud scooped her up in his arms and had her into the house in
seconds. He kicked the door shut behind them. He couldn't remember where
the bedroom was from the floor plan, but he knew he'd find it pretty
quickly.
