Too Hot to Handle

Too Hot to Handle

Oh God! I feel like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of OZ. “I’m melting”. This heat wave has been going on for 9 days. The temperature climbing higher every day. It started at 80. We’re now up to 101. How much higher will it go?

Is this the end of the world? Are we all going to boil to death? Or did I die and now I’m in Hell? Even the AC’s aren’t cooling things down to a comfortable level. And we can’t spend all our time indoors can we?

Everyone is irritable and snappy. Especially Glen He isn’t normally the most pleasant person to live with anyway. How many times have I felt like telling him to get out? But then he does something nice and apologizes for being a jerk? So, I give in and bite my tongue. Like the other day.

He had been bitching and moaning about not being able to find his favorite pair of jockey shorts. The black ones with the big red heart on them. He has a joke that he likes to tell about them. But what was the big deal? It wasn’t like anyone was going to see them. Or were they?

He never came home that night. So, where was he? When I asked him, he said that he had gone to see a customer to discuss some work that needed to be done on their house. He said that they offered him a drink and they started watching a movie and invited him to join them. He claims that he fell asleep on the couch. They were so nice that they didn’t want to wake him. Yeah right!!!

I didn’t see him until I came home from work the next day. When he told me that story I laughed in his face and asked who she is. He called me a jealous, suspicious bitch and said “This is why we don’t get along. You have no trust in me or my judgement. Do you really think that I would fool around on you?” He told me that I was very insecure and if I continued to accuse him of things like this he would go out and find someone.

I told him to pack his stuff and go find some poor stupid woman who would take him in like I did.

He’s a good-looking guy. Black wavy hair, the kind you want to run your fingers through. Blue eyes with long lashes that women are envious of. He sort of looks like Elvis. That’s what attracted me to him. Elvis is one of my idols. I thought he was pretty hot. Little did I know how hot.                                                        

He comes on as sweet and thoughtful. Until he gets what he wants, which in my case was letting him move into my house and my life.

He didn’t pack his stuff, but he left. Only to come back an hour later with flowers and apologies. He said that he acted irresponsibly. He should not have had a drink with his customers and kept it all business. But they were people that he had known for years. Friends of his Dad’s. I wasn’t sure that I believed him. But

it was too hot to argue. And maybe he was telling the truth.

My sister Lynn told me that I’m too gullible and that I shouldn’t just take his word for it. I thought I should make it a point to find out if he’s lying. Maybe I will at some point but right now it’s too hot. I just want to sit and cool off. In more ways than one.

Can I really be cool about the way he behaves? Do I really need to put up with his Jekyll & Hyde personality? Tonight, he’s being soooo sweet. He even cooked dinner. Nothing elaborate. Boxed spaghetti and a Jar of Ragu sauce. His culinary attempts are nothing to brag about. But according to him, everything he does is spectacular. Oh! I forgot he also made a salad. Lettuce and tomatoes with Italian dressing.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings. These good moods don’t last long. The worst part is when it’s time to go to bed. He isn’t going to want to go to right to sleep, if you know what I mean.

We sat with the AC going full blast and watched TV. His choice as usual. He turned on some hot, spicy movie. I couldn’t tell you the name of the movie. It definitely was not something that I cared to watch. Half-naked girls prancing around and dancing to entice the men who were watching. I chose to read my book.

He tried putting his arm around me a couple of times. But I shrugged him off. “I’m reading my book right now,” I told him. “Watch your movie.”. “But Baby” he said. “The movie is more interesting than a boring book. If you watch it maybe it will put you in a better mood.”

Oh yeah, I knew what he was getting at. Trying to get me into the mood that he wanted me to be in. No way. I told him that my book is far from boring. It’s a James Patterson Women’s Murder Club mystery series. Number 10 to be exact “10^th Anniversary” I‘m into the part where Lindsey Boxer got married and is called away to investigate the murder of a young girl. I wonder if her newly married life is going to be affected by her dedication to her career.

Anyway, I can tell that he’s getting a little hot under the collar because he’s not getting his way. Oh well! He needs to learn that it’s not all about him and as the song goes “You can’t always get what you want.

Now It’s getting late and my eyes are getting heavy. Time to try and get some sleep. I go into the bedroom to get ready for bed. I’m just wearing a big T-shirt tonight. Too hot for anything else.

Just as I’m about to get into bed, here he comes. “WOW! Baby”, he says, “You look hot and ready for me. “Wrong” I tell him. “You are sleeping on the couch. I’m in no mood for you tonight. It’s too hot and I don’t know who you’ve been sleeping around with.

He lashed out and shoved me on the bed. “You little bitch” he said “You WILL do what I want. It’s about time you learned that I’m in control. You are mine now and you will obey me.” 

I was in total shock. He’s always been volatile and verbally abusive. But I’ve never seen him like this. But he doesn’t know that I’ve been taking self-defense classes. As he came towards me I raised my foot and kicked him hard in the groin. Then as he crumpled over, I slapped his face as hard as I could. “NO” I told him, “You are NOT in control of me. Get the hell out of my house. Don’t even pack your stuff. I’ll put it on the porch for you tomorrow. And don’t come back with flowers and sweet words that mean nothing. You have 5 minutes to put your clothes on and get out or I call the police.”

“You insane banshee” he said. “I didn’t think you had it in you. How can you resist me and treat me like this? Trust me I won’t be back. You’re too hot to handle.”

Patti Foley

8/7/20