It’s All Good and Well

TW: domestic abuse

Just another day. Melissa thought to herself as she stared at her black eye in the mirror. She leaned forward and touched her puffy eye and searched her bloodshot eye to make sure it was still intact. One day he will get help.

“Hey, you little Tramp. Get in here.” Her husband Jack called out.

Melissa wiped a tear off of her cheek and tucked her brown hair behind her ear. She slowly walked down the hall shaking in anticipation of what her husband was going to do next. No telling what he could muster up to yell at her. He’d been drinking all night long tearing up the house.

Taking in one long controlled breath to settle her nerves she entered the room. Sun filtered through the window showing the dust and filling particles that danced in the air. The rocking chair was turned upside down and the couch cushions were all torn open.

“I thought I told you to clean this room yesterday?” Jack threw down his glass shattering it on the floor. This caused a piece of glass to bounce and leave a nick on Melissa’s foot.

“It was.” Melissa looked down.

“You call a dirty coaster on the end table and a wrapper in the chair cushion clean?”

“I will do better today.”

Jack stepped toward Melissa wrapping his hand around her chin lifting it to stare into her eyes. “You bet you will or I will make your eyes match. I want lunch ready at noon today at the picnic table.” He put on his Bull Dogs cap and tugged at his shirt. The front door made an eerie sound as he headed out with a bottle of brandy in his hand.

Melissa didn’t move until she heard the old pickup door slam shut and it started up. Diligently she went to work perfecting the living room. She noticed a picture of her mom laying on the floor destroyed. Her mom to was a wife of a violent man. Melissa couldn’t help but think that maybe it was a family curse to end up with men like that. Once she had the living room cleaned she put a load in the wash and went to work on lunch.

The chicken was fried to the perfect crunch and the cornbread fresh from the oven in the cast iron pan like Jack loved it. The baked beans put into a thermos so they would stay hot. She had made a pitcher of lemonade freshly squeezed with ice and slices of lemons in it. It was her favorite refreshing drink.

Jack liked things the old fashioned way. She placed the classic red and white checkered table cloth on the picnic table, placed the plates opposite of each other, and carefully covered the food to keep the flies off and food warm. It was high noon everything was perfect and no Jack.

Fifteen minutes passed and Jack staggered up to the table. “It better still be hot.” He shoveled food onto his plate.

If looks could kill Melissa thought she would be dead from the ice cold dagger of his eyes staring at her. He spit the chicken out. “This is cold.”

She stood up and took his plate. “I wasn’t able to keep it warm for you out here. I’ll run this in and warm it for you.”

Jack extended his leg out causing Melissa to fall. His food went everywhere. Chicken landed a few feet away and the sticky beans landed in her hair.

“You’re getting clumsier everyday. What a waste. A waste of food and of a human being.” Jack poured he pitcher of lemonade over her.

Melissa stood up, grabbed the cast iron pan and dumped the cornbread onto the ground for the dog to eat. She knew she was going to catch hell from that move but she was at the point where she didn’t care anymore.

He widened his eyes and doubled up his fist. “Now your feeding the dog my food! You know that is the only thing I like that you make?”

Standing opposite of him from the table Melissa squared up her shoulders to his. “You just said it was wasted, you drunken bastard.”

“What did you just call me?”

“You need help. I will not live like this anymore.” Melissa said confidently.

Jack nodded his head. “That’s right you won’t. You know why?”

Melissa didn’t respond. She knew something was going happen. The tension was so thick she could cut it with a knife. It didn’t matter how she responded, she was already in trouble and knew she would soon feel his wrath.

“I’LL tell you.” He pulled his picket knife out and opened it. “I’m gonna kill you.”

Melissa turned pan still in hand and ran towards the shed.

“That pan ain’t gonna help you.” Jack caught up with her and pushed her down. Melissa hit her head on the side of the dried up water well with the wind knocked out of her. She gasped for air as Jack picked her up by her hair.

“Isn’t this just perfect.” Jack motioned towards the well. “I’ve been meaning to fill this in. I think the first layer will be you.”

Melissa elbowed him in the gut caused him to loosen his grip enough that she was able to break free. She didn’t make it far when he struck her to the ground again. The dog lunged at Jack and locked its teeth onto his leg. Jack tried tossing the dog off. He kicked it with his free leg sending the dog rolling.

This distraction gave Melissa enough time to take the skillet into her hands and swing it with all her might into Jacks head. It hit with such force it spun him around and he lost his balance right into the well.

The following spring Melissa had a beautiful flower bed made out of the well that her husband lay beneath. A sign hung on it that read “All is Good and Well.”