Ice Marriage

A few of my friends do a writing challenge at Writng Upside Down I wrote a short story for the March challenge, but I got way to busy and missed the deadline. Story of my life, do the work miss the deadline.
Anyways, I didn’t want the story to sit in a folder on my computer without ever seeing the light of day, so I’ll share it here.

Ice Marriage
By Mari Wells

I worry he knows what I’m thinking and will drive us straight into a tree to stop my thoughts.
The night is so cold, but not as cold as our bed has been for the past few months. If I’m honest with myself, our marriage has become colder every day since the honeymoon three years ago. I don’t know where we went wrong. When did it happen, I search everyday in my mind. We were happy. We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company.

Why us, I keep asking myself repeatedly everyday for seven weeks now. I can’t find the answer. We both know the end is just around the corner. It’s much better for us both to cut what we have while we’re still friends. I don’t think he agrees with me though. He refused to talk when I brought it up earlier today. It’s all in your mind he said I know it isn’t.

I look out the window at the trees. Ice or is it snow, I can see it well, covers the branches. Could our problems just be a phase of marriage too, similar to the seasons affect these trees. Three years of winter seems too long to be a season of marriage. Winter, is equal in length to the other seasons, we haven’t had three years of happiness. No, I’m sure this is the end. I’ll try to explain my feelings and thoughts again.

“I was telling you earlier,” I’m still staring out the window, “We’ve hit a bad spot. We need to talk this through or call it quits.” I wait for him to answer. The trees speed past my window. Seconds pass and he still doesn’t respond. I turn to look towards him not wanting to see him though. His hands grip the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.
“It’s in your mind. We’re fine.”

This isn’t true, and he knows it as much as I do. “We’re not fine, we haven’t talked,” tears well in my eyes, “really talk, in weeks.” It’s so quiet inside this car, as if to prove my point. I can hear the air swoosh around us as he continues speeding in the frostbitten dark.
“Well maybe if you had sex with me once in a while I’d want to talk to you!” He almost barks at me. I can’t believe it, I’ve tried he doesn’t pay attention when I’ve tried.

The tears spill from my eyes. They roll down my cheeks. I won’t let him see them. This isn’t the man I married something has taken over his body. Every scary movie I’ve ever watched comes to my mind. I know this isn’t a scary movie, this is real life and his outburst proves my suspicion, that he doesn’t love me anymore. I inhale deeply gathering all of my strength.
“I want a separation.”

Stillness, silence, he hasn’t even taken a breath. I didn’t think he could squeeze that steering wheel tighter than he already was. I was wrong. The speedometer rises. My heart beat races.
I search him for answers. His eyes are glossy. He twists the wheel. The sound of the tires hitting loose gravel scares me. “Shane!”

My eyes open and squeeze shut again. Bright lights are all around me, they burn my eyes.
“Mrs. Douglas,” a deep voice says.
My head pounds echoing shattering glass, and smashing metal. My fingers dig into my sides. Something on my left side starts beeping.
“Mrs. Douglas, can you hear me? Do you understand me?” the deep voice says.
The light burns my eyes. I can see the tree coming right towards us. Shane won’t stop. He wants to drive us into the tree or flip us off the side of the road.

Make it go away. I don’t want to hear anything. I want the darkness back.
“Mrs. Douglas,”
My head nods in response, against my will.
“Do you know where you are?”
“No,” my throat burns, my whole body hurts. Why wouldn’t they just leave me alone in the darkness.
“You’re in the hospital, Mrs. Douglas.”
Hospital, the tree, my hurting body, Shane, he didn’t want us to separate. Shane.
“Shh…” I can’t finish it hurts too much.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Douglas,” the deep voice replies.
My eyes close. I’ll listen another day.