Let’s Taco Bout It

Speak now.”

Louise stared warily at Ron as he continued to remain silent. She knew it sounded a little commanding, but this was getting ridiculous. Ron looked out the window with contempt, watched a passing car, and tried hard not to make eye contact with Louise. She was quickly running out of patience, but she took a deep breath and felt a different approach may be more fruitful.

“Please? I know you can. I know this isn’t easy, this is a hard one, but you can do it.”

Ron looked more tight-lipped than before. He gave her a look as if to say “Not a chance.”His eyes went back to the window. 

“Fucking hell.” Louis stood up and walked out of the room. She had had enough and didn’t want things to turn ugly. 

Ron hadn’t said anything to Louise in what seemed like forever. If he did have something to say it was always on his terms. It seemed like it was impossible for Ron to form a clear line of thought, and often he’d say things in  short bursts of random, if not aggressive, announcements. He’d barge in the room and say something loudly outrageous and uncalled for, hardly waiting for a response before leaving the room again. It always startled Louise and she’d call after him to be quiet. 

Now look where they were. All quiet. Only quiet.

Louise made the decision it was time to move Ron in to her apartment when she noticed she was getting a little bored. She knew it wasn’t the right reason, but who would find that out? Everyone had their wrong reasons for doing things. She loved him after all, and she thought this was the natural next step. 

That was 2 years ago. It was all fun at first. They’d go everywhere together; restaurants, the farmers market, the beach, even her parents’ house. Ron and Louise’s love was contagious and unstoppable. Even when they were on a random drive, stopped at a stoplight just laughing and chatting, people in the next lane would look over and smile. They hit the jackpot. 

Things of course died down as they always do when you decide to move in together. Louise soon found out Ron woke up at an insanely early time every day, and he always woke her up with him. He had an annoying habit of scratching his stomach while watching tv, and don’t get Louise started on his farts. It was inhumane, the smell, and downright rude to let escape out into the world. 

If you asked Ron how things were going, he’d have a little different take on the situation. He thought things were going fine. Alright, not great, but fine. Sure, Louise was a little nagging, but she was also always down to cuddle up in bed. She made great food and always kept the house clean. So what if she asked him to do things that, well honestly, felt a little demeaning. It’s not like he always did them, which he guiltily thought may be the reason for this tension. Louise was a good person. She for the most part, deserved good things. 

“Let’s seeee.”  Louise rolled her eyes around the kitchen. 

She thought maybe some positive reinforcements were necessary to get things moving. Get things back to how they were, in the beginning. She took out a pack of biscuits from the top shelf. It felt silly, but she was willing to try anything, and she read that this could help. Who doesn’t soften up at the sight of food? 

Louise went back to where Ron was sitting in the living room. Ron shot her a quick look and turned his attention back to the window. 

“Fucking stop with the window.” Louise thought to herself. 

She, of course, actually said;

“Ron, sweetheart, look what I’ve got. Your favorite.”

Ron turned and stared at her, at the pack in her hands, and absolutely hated that she was right. He did love those biscuits. They were crispy, they were peanut-buttery, and he never turned them down. He also never knew where to find them, he had a flash of angry realization that they were in the house this whole time and he didn’t know it. Where on earth had they been. 

But also! Who did she think he was? An idiot? A child? An idiot child? He was a full grown adult dammit. He did not deserve to be treated this way. Is this what the relationship had come to? He remembered when they actually got out of the house and did things. Now she just goes out without him, comes home, goes to sleep without so much of a hi. And now this? Demands to talk and breaks out the sweets like she’s babysitting?

Why does she want him to talk so bad anyways? He didn’t have anything to say, not anything that she wanted to hear anyway. She usually tells him to shut up if he DOES say something, so what the hell now? It was always so confusing with her. 

“Alright Ron, let’s go. I know you can do this. Let’s hear what you have to say! This is important! Let’s speak!”

Ron involuntarily let out a disgruntled growl. He blamed it on the sheer audacity of this bitch. Did that count as talking? He hoped not. 

“Ahp! Was, that…??” Louise excitedly held up a biscuit. 

Ron opened his mouth in a perfect O of anger. How condescending could she be? How dare she….

A biscuit flew through the air and landed perfectly in his open mouth.

He didn’t want to crunch down, he didn’t want to enjoy the taste of that delicious treat, and he especially didn’t want to love her for it, but he couldn’t resist.

“Good boy Ron! Good Speak!” The smile on Louise’s face was of genuine delight. Were those tears in her eyes? They were. She needed this. This perfect moment in time. 

Ron wagged his tail despite himself.

Alright. Shit. Fine. He quickly decided he’d go back to the silent treatment soon enough, just a couple more peanut butter biscuits first. Ron opened up his furry little whisker- lined mouth and gave it his all. It’s what Louise wanted anyways. 

“Bark! Bark! Bark-bark!!”