For
the next couple of weeks Shawn spent his days turning the trailer into a home
for them. He cleaned, dusted, and rearranged what little furniture there was,
to give them the optimum amount of space to move around. When Jared came home
tired and hungry, dinner was waiting for him. Afterwards they'd sit on the sofa
watching whatever television program Jared found to his liking and then it was
off to bed.
I'm turning into my mother, Shawn began to think as he did yet another chore or
cooked yet another meal. Stay at home
just like she did. No life of my own.
It
hadn't always been like that with him and Jared. Usually Shawn worked too. He
was a good mechanic—a very good one according to his various bosses. Now the
only time he'd get to put those skills to work would probably be when the truck
needed something fixed—the truck he had no access to now since Jared used it to
drive to the job.
"You
don't need to go anywhere, so quit grousing," Jared had said one evening
when Shawn suggested he could start taking Jared to work.
"I
could do the grocery shopping and what have you," Shawn had protested.
"That way we wouldn't have to do those things on your days off."
When
Jared scowled at him, Shawn backed off. Things were going well now, better than
they had in ages actually. He didn't want to rock the boat. Jared hadn't even
been drinking—or at least not much. He'd come home a couple of times smelling
of beer but he hadn't been roaring drunk.
Then
came the Saturday night when Jared returned after work and announced they were
going out for the evening. "You deserve it, baby," he said, giving
Shawn a tight hug. "Wear that blue shirt I like and the black slacks,"
he called over his shoulder on his way to shower, stripping off his work
clothes, leaving them for Shawn to pick up.
"What
would you do without me," Shawn muttered, as he deposited Jared's dirty
laundry in the hamper and went to change. He wasn't really upset. How could he
be? They were going out—together—on what amounted to a date. It was the first
time in way too long. Since Jared had gotten the construction job, Shawn
realized, which had been months ago.
He
was almost dancing in elation as he got dressed then stood in front of the
mirror on the back of the bedroom door to make certain he looked just the way
Jared expected. He jumped away when Jared pushed the door open.
"Looking
good," Jared commented while he started dressing. "Do something about
your hair though. Tie it back." He dug through the top dresser drawer and
tossed Shawn a leather thong. "It's getting too long. We'll go to the
barbers in the morning. You're starting to look 'girly'."
Am not. Lot's of guys
have longer hair and it looks good on them. Of course—he looked at himself
in the mirror again—most of them are
muscular six-footers like Jared. Not slender and five-nine like me. With a
mental sigh, he pulled his hair back and tied it off.
"Ready
to go out on the town, baby?" Jared asked a few minutes later, putting his
arm around Shawn's shoulders.
No no no! It may start out as fun but I bet it will end in pain and not the good kind. Jared has him were he wants him isolated from anyone.
ReplyDeleteExactly. That's the way it sometimes happens with abusers.
DeleteI do not think it is going to be fun with Jared drinking.
ReplyDeleteTherein lies the problem, because he probably will.
ReplyDelete