The Sauna Part 257

I woke up Sunday morning feeling refreshed and looking forward to going home. I was anxious now to see my babies and spend time with them before I left them again to join Jon. Cherie was still sleeping, as we’d spent a late night talking and I had hope that she’d really follow through with some counseling. Jared was up and went out to get coffee for both of us and I decided to call Jim and confirm tonight’s flight.

“Hey, Trish, is everything still on for tonight? Eight o’clock, right?” Jim asked, sounding rather dejected.

“Yep, everything’s still the same. I just thought I’d call and confirm and see how you’re doing” I said.

“Well, I could lie and say everything’s fine, but I’m not sure what to think after Cherie called me last night. I’m guessing you were there and heard most of it?” he inquired.

“Yeah, I was here. Jim, I’m really sorry. Cherie’s just really confused and conflicted right now. She just needs some time…” I said when I heard a noise at the door.

I assumed it was Jared, but when he didn’t come in I began wondering and got up to see what it was. There was no one outside and I hadn’t heard a car, but there were a dozen red roses outside the door with a note. I immediately slammed the door shut and locked it as I started to panic.

“Fuck!” I yelled in the phone.

“Jesus, what’s wrong? Trish?” Jim said in a panic as well.

“Shit, Jared went out to get us some coffee and Dave must have been watching the house. I heard a noise and when I went to the back door, I saw a dozen roses lying on the doorstep. Dammit, Jim, he was here!” I shouted.

“Wait, are you sure? Maybe Jon sent the flowers to you?” Jim suggested, trying to calm me down and be reasonable.

“He doesn’t know Cherie’s address. It was him, I know it. That son of a bitch!” I said, my voice getting louder.

Cherie came down the stairs then just as Jared arrived back with the coffee.

“What’s all the commotion? Oh my gosh, roses! My favorite!” she squealed, seeing Jared walk in the door carrying the bouquet.

“Jim, I’ll call you back. Jared’s here and we’re safe. I’ll see you tonight” I said as I hung up the phone.

“Cherie, I went to get coffee and these were here when I came back” Jared said, seeing the look on her face.

Cherie’s face fell when she realized they weren’t from Jared, but she took the flowers and opened the note. Her face showed a number of feelings in rapid succession as she read it quietly to herself and then handed it to me.

“They’re from Dave” she said, moving into the kitchen to find a vase. “He just wanted me to know he was thinking about me. I’ll have to call and thank him. They’re beautiful” she said with a smile.

“Cherie, it’s a ploy. There’s an Order of Protection, remember? He’s trying to get you to refuse to testify at the hearing. Dammit, don’t you see what he’s doing?” I demanded.

“Trish, maybe he’s just trying to say that he’s sorry and that he still loves me” she said defensively.

“Jared, can you remind her how he behaved the night that you rescued her? Does she know what he did after she passed out?” I said, desperate for something that might shake her out of the daze she seemed to be in.

“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” Cherie demanded, confusion now twisting her features.

“Trish, I never told her. It’s in the statements that Rick and I made to the police” he said, turning his head, hoping he’d never have to say it to her face.

“Tell me!” Cherie shrieked.

“Cherie, he called you a ‘fuckin’ bitch’ and then he spit at you. That’s when Rick swung at him” Jared told her as he stared at the floor, unable to meet her eyes.

“He spit at me?” Cherie asked, suddenly numb.

Jared nodded and she sat down in a chair, still holding the flowers which I now took from her arms. I wanted to throw them right out in the trash, but they weren’t mine to dispose of. I set them down on the counter and shook her gently and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

“He really spit at me?” she asked again tearfully.

“Yeah, Cherie. Jon told me what Rick had told him. I thought you knew” I said, holding her closer.

“Oh Trish, I just can’t believe he’s the same man I married. He’s like Jekyll and Hyde. I love my husband, but I hate the man that I’m married to” she sobbed, almost hysterically now.

Jared looked disconcerted and he wondered if he should have told her, but I was relieved. Finally, I saw hope at the end of the tunnel. Cherie had just verbalized what we called “ambivalent attachment to the perpetrator” and the fact that she was no longer splitting Dave into the “good” Dave and the “bad” Dave was a good sign. Maybe she was ready to finally see him as a whole person-the man who told her he loved her and brought her flowers and apologized and the man who hit her and spit on her and called her names. That was the man she needed to make some decisions about, not the distorted “bad” husband she wanted to leave or the “good” husband she wanted to forgive.

I made her a cup of herbal tea and we talked, really talked this time. Cherie began grieving for the love she wished she had had and the marriage she wanted so desperately but never had. I’d seen this stage often enough in many trauma victims, but it was the first time I saw it in a friend and it was hard to see how she suffered. But she needed to accept Dave for who he was, not how she wanted him to be.

It was getting late and I needed to get ready and get to the airport. We hadn’t eaten all day, but I’d grab a quick snack at the airport. I took a quick shower and dried my hair and got ready and we drove to the airport with Jared. He’d stay with her until she had seen a counselor and an advocate and there was a safety plan in place. Cherie was exhausted and drained, but she was on the road to recovery.

“Trish, I’ll call a counselor tomorrow, I promise. Is there someone you’d recommend?” she asked.

I gave her a name, confident this time she’d make the call and Jared assured me he’d make certain that she followed through. He didn’t understand what all had just happened, but he knew something had changed and he knew there was a plan. I hugged Cherie goodbye and went through security, knowing that I was leaving her in a much better place.

I grabbed a roast beef sandwich at one of the restaurants and headed towards my gate. I sat down to wait until it was time to board and dialed Jim. He’d been waiting patiently to hear what had happened and I could sense the relief in his voice when he answered the phone.

“I’ve got some good news” I said as he asked anxiously what had happened.

I told him the story and he didn’t quite understand, but he was glad she had eventually come to her senses and thrown out the flowers. I explained that she still needed time and she needed some space, but I softened that blow with the news of Jon’s offer.

“We found someone else who can watch the boys and Jon wants us both to come to Australia and then to Japan. He thinks you should get a taste of what it’s like on the road and it’ll give you a chance to meet all the guys. Why don’t you just think about it for a few days?” I encouraged.

“It sounds like a great opportunity, but lemme sleep on it first” he replied as it was quite a surprise.

“They’re calling to board. I’ll see you in a few hours” I said as I grabbed my bag and boarded the plane.