H
Huram2ch214
Guest
John and Christine are in the church hall and hosting their seveth wedding anniversary. All their friends have joked about how their marriage is now safe. Standing before a large group of friends and family John recites how he believes his marriage was ordained in heaven and guided by angels. To everyone present John and Christine appear to be the perfect match. They're lives seem to just glid through all the difficulties and irritations that trouble the average marriage. But if you were to catch John alone and have a "man to man" talk with him, he might just "bare his chest" and surprize you. He has been troubled and rather upset with the way Christine has upset the family life with her frequent trips to her mother.
John is at heart a country boy. Sure he and the family now live in the inner city of Pittsburgh, but John actually grew up in "corn heaven" on a farm in Iowa. With his parents now pass away, the old family farm sits forlorn and vacant, yet very much alive in John's mind. Driving around the gray concrete life of Pittsburgh, John frequently retreats to his boyhood memories of miles and miles of green countryside, those acres and acres of rich black soil and sweet country air. And as he ponders those scenes, he often glances at the calendar at work to remind himself that soon he will leave Pittsburgh, perhaps this year! Leaving Pittsburgh and moving to the farm ~ that is John's objective. And it is this objective that keeps him going from week to week. With all his savings right on track, the loan from the bank is looking good, and the sale of the house will be no trouble. John's dream appears to be within reach. With these thoughts, John smiles to himself as he parks the car, its dark and he sees the bedroom light is on. "Christine must have turned in early". Actually, she is waiting for him in the bedroom because she is not sure how John is going to react to the news she has for him, and she doesn't want to disturb the children. This is where the story takes a diversion. Something unforseen just may derail John's dream.
Sitting out on the deck overlooking a fresh sun sparkled
morning grass, John's fist are clinched in anger. His memory constantly replays the bombshell of last night. Christine began with, "I just can't leave my mother like this". John remembers feeling relieved at first, the worried look on Christine's face made him think the whole thing was serious. Laughing, he responded with,"We'll take her with us, there's plenty of room in the old castle....in fact, I know just the room. You see, upstairs there's this.... Christine stops him, shaking her head, "Oh, John, you know thats not possible. With my mother's heart condition being way out in the country, if there's an emergency, it would be to late for a doctor". John now starting to feel the pounding of his own heart as he sees his dream start to go up in smoke. And knowing that look on Christine's face, he knew that nothing he said he change her mind. And that is when John got angry. His voice now takes on a different tone, "So, just what are you saying to me?" Christine noticing the change in John, she stands erect, and speaking slow and clear, "I am saying that I cannot leave my mother because she needs me". Speaking with sinister tone, John retorts, "Your Mother!" John's now becomes louder as he points his finger at Christine, "Your mother means more to you than me and the children". Christine, "Thats not true". John, "Christine, face the facts, it is true! You were the one who said that the move to the farm would benefit the kids by getting them away from the city kids and raise them up right on the farm". Christine tries to calm John down, answering softly, "I'm not saying we will never make the move, just not right now. Since my dad passed away, mom has no one to look after her. We are the only family she has". Suddenly the front door shuts and jolts John's mind back to the present. Last night's conversation fades away and Christine is calling. John does not answer. He has been mulling over how he would respond to Christine, "since she won't listen to me, I won't listen to her". Without so much as a word Christine watches as John gets up and walks to the car and drives away.
John's "silent treatment" has been going on for seven days now. He returns home, enters silently and sits out on the deck. Christine's "hellos" and soft touches are all ignored. Day after day the ordeal weighs heavily on Christine. Today she collapses across the bed feeling the tears tickle as they descend across her cheeks. "How long will this go on?" "Am I to blame?" "Should I move me and kids to mom's?" Suddenly she hears the front door, and now footssteps across the dining room. Running downstairs, Christine's voice quivers as she calls out, "John, John". She sees him sliding shut the patio door, and sitting down. Sliding open the door she pleads, "John, we cannot go on like this, its tearing us apart". John silently reaches for the newspaper and begins to read. "Ok", now choking back tears, Christine tries to speak calmly, "I will go with you to the farm, we'll move there just as you say. I will do it just as you planned. Ok?" John looking up into Christine's face, he shows no emotion, "I wondered just how long it would take you to get it right. Now do you promise to stop all this foolishness using your mother as a excuse to get out of house? She doesn't need your help, your job is with me and the kids. Do you promise? Well, do you?" Christine looking down sadly nods her head.
John is at heart a country boy. Sure he and the family now live in the inner city of Pittsburgh, but John actually grew up in "corn heaven" on a farm in Iowa. With his parents now pass away, the old family farm sits forlorn and vacant, yet very much alive in John's mind. Driving around the gray concrete life of Pittsburgh, John frequently retreats to his boyhood memories of miles and miles of green countryside, those acres and acres of rich black soil and sweet country air. And as he ponders those scenes, he often glances at the calendar at work to remind himself that soon he will leave Pittsburgh, perhaps this year! Leaving Pittsburgh and moving to the farm ~ that is John's objective. And it is this objective that keeps him going from week to week. With all his savings right on track, the loan from the bank is looking good, and the sale of the house will be no trouble. John's dream appears to be within reach. With these thoughts, John smiles to himself as he parks the car, its dark and he sees the bedroom light is on. "Christine must have turned in early". Actually, she is waiting for him in the bedroom because she is not sure how John is going to react to the news she has for him, and she doesn't want to disturb the children. This is where the story takes a diversion. Something unforseen just may derail John's dream.
Sitting out on the deck overlooking a fresh sun sparkled
morning grass, John's fist are clinched in anger. His memory constantly replays the bombshell of last night. Christine began with, "I just can't leave my mother like this". John remembers feeling relieved at first, the worried look on Christine's face made him think the whole thing was serious. Laughing, he responded with,"We'll take her with us, there's plenty of room in the old castle....in fact, I know just the room. You see, upstairs there's this.... Christine stops him, shaking her head, "Oh, John, you know thats not possible. With my mother's heart condition being way out in the country, if there's an emergency, it would be to late for a doctor". John now starting to feel the pounding of his own heart as he sees his dream start to go up in smoke. And knowing that look on Christine's face, he knew that nothing he said he change her mind. And that is when John got angry. His voice now takes on a different tone, "So, just what are you saying to me?" Christine noticing the change in John, she stands erect, and speaking slow and clear, "I am saying that I cannot leave my mother because she needs me". Speaking with sinister tone, John retorts, "Your Mother!" John's now becomes louder as he points his finger at Christine, "Your mother means more to you than me and the children". Christine, "Thats not true". John, "Christine, face the facts, it is true! You were the one who said that the move to the farm would benefit the kids by getting them away from the city kids and raise them up right on the farm". Christine tries to calm John down, answering softly, "I'm not saying we will never make the move, just not right now. Since my dad passed away, mom has no one to look after her. We are the only family she has". Suddenly the front door shuts and jolts John's mind back to the present. Last night's conversation fades away and Christine is calling. John does not answer. He has been mulling over how he would respond to Christine, "since she won't listen to me, I won't listen to her". Without so much as a word Christine watches as John gets up and walks to the car and drives away.
John's "silent treatment" has been going on for seven days now. He returns home, enters silently and sits out on the deck. Christine's "hellos" and soft touches are all ignored. Day after day the ordeal weighs heavily on Christine. Today she collapses across the bed feeling the tears tickle as they descend across her cheeks. "How long will this go on?" "Am I to blame?" "Should I move me and kids to mom's?" Suddenly she hears the front door, and now footssteps across the dining room. Running downstairs, Christine's voice quivers as she calls out, "John, John". She sees him sliding shut the patio door, and sitting down. Sliding open the door she pleads, "John, we cannot go on like this, its tearing us apart". John silently reaches for the newspaper and begins to read. "Ok", now choking back tears, Christine tries to speak calmly, "I will go with you to the farm, we'll move there just as you say. I will do it just as you planned. Ok?" John looking up into Christine's face, he shows no emotion, "I wondered just how long it would take you to get it right. Now do you promise to stop all this foolishness using your mother as a excuse to get out of house? She doesn't need your help, your job is with me and the kids. Do you promise? Well, do you?" Christine looking down sadly nods her head.
