Eleanor entered the kitchen to check on the stew simmering on the stove-top, but before crossing the room to the stove, she glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall near the back door. Just three more months to go until the baby would be born, and she should have been filled with excitement. Instead, Eleanor looked upon the event with fear and trepidation because she wasn’t sure what the future held for her, Vic, or their child. Vic had started drinking again, and this time it was worse than before. He’d hidden it well at first, and she hadn’t caught on to the fact that he’d started up again until he’d begun making excuses about being late getting home from work. She had also smelled the sickening odor of beer on his breath several times. When Eleanor had confronted Vic about it, he said he’d only had one beer and that he wasn’t drunk, so there was nothing for her to worry about.
“Nothing to worry about?” she muttered. “The signs are all there. I can see them as clear as glass, but I don’t know what to do about it.”
Checkers’ ears perked up, and he gave a little bark before coming over to where Eleanor stood.
“Did you think I was talking to you?” Eleanor bent down and gave the dog’s head a few pats.
Checkers stared up at her as he wagged his tail.
“Do you want to go out for a while?”
Woof! Woof! The dog ran out of the kitchen, raced down the hall, and stood at the front door.
Eleanor shook her head. “I don’t know why you had to go out the front door when we were there in the kitchen by the back door.” She let the dog out and stepped onto the porch, hoping to see Tom’s truck coming up the road. No vehicles were in sight.
I may as well go ahead and eat without Vic, Eleanor told herself. If she didn’t eat something soon, nausea could set in, like it still did on occasion when she’d gone without food for too long.
Eleanor waited until Checkers finished his business before she called the dog and they went in. Back in the kitchen, Eleanor dished herself a bowl of stew and took a seat at the table. She bowed her head, thanked God for the food, and asked Him to bring her husband home safely and soon.
As Eleanor ate her meal, she thought about the last letter she’d written to Doretta, giving her an update on things and asking for continued prayer. She’d begun the letter by posing a question for Doretta: Did you ever talk to someone and think that everything they said was a lie? Well, that’s how I feel now whenever Vic tells me anything.
Eleanor’s throat constricted as she glanced at the clock. It was eight o’clock, and she still had no sign of her husband. Surely Vic would have called if he was going to be working this late. Maybe I should call his boss and ask. I need to know something because I’m starting to worry.
Eleanor finished her stew, put the bowl in the sink, and went out the front door. Predictably, Checkers followed. Before she entered the phone shed, she threw a stick for the dog and stepped inside the small building as soon as Checkers chased after the piece of wood.
Eleanor took a seat and dialed the number for Vic’s boss. She was glad when he answered the phone so she didn’t have to leave a message. “Hello, Mr. Duncan. This is Eleanor Lapp, Vic’s wife. My husband isn’t home yet, and I was wondering if he had to work overtime this evening.”
“No, everyone on my crew stopped working at five.” The man paused a few seconds and cleared his throat. “I did hear Tom and Vic talking before they left the shop, though. One of them said something about going to a pub in Lancaster for a few beers.”
“Oh, I see.” Eleanor swallowed hard. “Thank you for the information, and I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
“No problem. I hope your husband gets home soon. I’m sure you must be worried about him.”
“Yes, I am,” she admitted. I worry about Vic all the time. After Eleanor said goodbye, she checked for messages, but there were none. Vic didn’t even have the courtesy to call and say he was going to be late. She sniffed deeply. Doesn’t he care about me at all? Does he not realize that I’m worried about him? Have I done something that would make Vic choose spending time with his drinking buddy instead of me?
Eleanor felt so discouraged. She was tired of being on the verge of tears so much of the time. Her shoulders slumped as she left the phone shed and walked back to the house with her head down. Vic was off someplace drinking with Tom, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.
Pray, a voice in her head seemed to say.
Eleanor closed her eyes and whispered a prayer for Vic and Tom. It was the only thing she could do since she had no idea where they were or when Tom would bring Vic home. The thought crossed Eleanor’s mind that she could call one of their drivers to take her around in search of Vic. She quickly dismissed that silly notion, realizing that with all the taverns and pubs in Lancaster County, it would be difficult to find the one Tom and Vic had gone to. And even if by some chance Eleanor located her husband, she could only imagine how angry he would be if she walked into the establishment and asked him to come home with her. Vic would be embarrassed and so would she. No, the best thing she could do was to go back into the house and wait until Tom brought Vic home. Of course, he probably wouldn’t be in the best shape to talk to about this problem tonight, but in the morning, when the alcohol had worn off, Eleanor was prepared to have a serious discussion with her husband.
Eleanor felt a rush of adrenaline course through her body when she opened the blinds in the living room the next morning and saw Tom’s truck parked in the front yard. She had fallen asleep, still wearing her clothes, while lying on the couch, as she’d waited up for Vic last night. Eleanor wondered what time they had arrived and where Vic and his buddy were. Surely she would have heard them if they’d come into the house during the night. Could they be in Tom’s truck? I need to go check.
Eleanor got up and put her prayer covering on, then slipped on a sweater and opened the front door. Checkers made a beeline for the entrance before she had a chance to step out. Eleanor waited until he’d made it to the yard, and then she stepped off the porch and walked up to Tom’s truck. Her heart pounded as she peered into the window on the passenger’s side. There was no sign of Vic or his coworker. She squinted as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Where are those two men? Could they be out in the barn?
Eleanor headed in that direction. At the same time, Checkers rounded the corner of the house and followed her. After opening the barn doors, she stepped in, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light inside.
Yip! Yip! Yip! The dog bounded in, bumping Eleanor’s right knee. It threw her off balance, and she quickly grabbed one of the door handles to steady herself.
“Who’s there?” a voice she didn’t recognize called out.
“Eleanor, is that you?”
She recognized the second voice and took a few tentative steps forward. Then she saw them—Vic and Tom lying in a mound of straw on the floor. Checkers had seen them too and barked frantically as he crouched close to Tom.
“Knock it off, dog! Get away from me!”
“It’s okay, boy. Come here, Checkers.” Vic clapped his hands, and when the dog came to him, he looked over at Tom and said, “Don’t worry. Checkers won’t bite. He doesn’t know you and is just being protective of me.”
Eleanor’s legs trembled as she moved closer to the men. “What are you two doing out here—sleeping off a drunk?”
Vic scrambled to his feet and reached a hand toward her. “We got here late and didn’t want to disturb you.”
“So you stumbled your way out here to the barn?” Her voice shook with raw emotion as she stared at her unkempt husband. “When you didn’t come home at a reasonable hour, I called your boss.”
“You did what?”
“I called your boss, and when I asked if you were working late, he said that he’d heard you and Tom talking about stopping someplace for a few beers.”
Tom spoke up. “Yeah, it’s true. When I brought your husband here, I was a little tipsy and didn’t think it was a good idea to drive myself home.”
“But you drove here, with my husband in your truck. Since you’d obviously been drinking, didn’t you realize how dangerous it was to be driving your vehicle?”
“Yeah, that’s why I bedded down in the barn with Vic.”
As Vic moved closer to Eleanor, she focused on his bloodshot eyes, sallow skin, and disheveled hair. It made her feel sick to her stomach to see him that way.
With courage coming from somewhere deep inside, Eleanor planted both hands firmly against her hips. “You’ve been lying to me, Vic—promising to quit drinking, but like before, you couldn’t keep your word.” She gave her head a vigorous shake. “Sis en sinn un en schand.”
Tom crooked an eyebrow and looked at Vic. “What was the last thing your woman said to you? I couldn’t understand the Pennsylvania Dutch.”
“She said it’s a sin and a shame,” Vic replied.
Tom tipped his head back and let loose with a boisterous laugh. “She thinks a little lie is a sin and a shame?” He looked right at Eleanor and pointed at her. “Better get over that notion, lady. People stretch the truth and tell white lies all the time. It’s just the way of things.”
Vic said nothing in defense of Eleanor, and that fueled her anger even more. She shuddered, looking at these two men, both in such unsettling condition and apparently not the least bit sorry for their actions. Seeing Vic and his coworker like this was the last straw for her. In that moment, Eleanor knew that it was time to seek professional help of some kind for Vic, and perhaps she would need some counseling too. Eleanor couldn’t wait for Tom to go home, because she and Vic had some serious talking to do, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer this time.
Looking directly at her husband, Eleanor spoke in a steady, lower-than-normal voice. “I am going into the house to start breakfast now, and then we need to talk. Will you be coming in soon?”
He gave a slow nod and gestured to Tom. “What about him?”
“He should go home. I’m sure someone is there waiting for him.”
“Not anymore.” Tom clambered to his feet, brushing at the straw clinging to his shirt and pants. “But you’re right, little lady. I do need to go home.”
Yes, you do, because if you stay here much longer, I’m likely to give you a piece of my mind. Eleanor didn’t voice her thoughts, because Vic’s coworker was not her problem. He probably wouldn’t have listened to anything she had to say anyhow. Without another word, she turned away from the men and hurried out of the barn.
“That went well, right?” Tom gave Vic’s back a few thumps.
Vic cringed and muttered, “Yeah, real well.”
“Guess you’ll be sleeping in the doghouse with your mutt for a few nights.” Tom gestured to Checkers, who stood near Vic.
Vic didn’t appreciate Tom’s comment and told him so. “For your information, I’m the man of this house, and my wife doesn’t tell me what to do. Furthermore, during the night, Checkers has been sleeping in the house with us, here of late, not in his doghouse.”
Tom flapped his hand. “Oh, don’t look so serious. Can’t you take a joke?”
“I could if it was funny.” Vic flicked some straw off his shirt and headed out of the barn in a huff.
Tom followed. “Guess I’ll head home and take some aspirin for my headache before I get cleaned up. See you Monday morning, Vic. Oh, and I hope your ball and chain doesn’t give you too harsh of a tongue-lashing when you go in the house. Who knows—she might end up handing you your walking papers.”
Vic clenched his teeth. It was all he could do to keep from punching Tom. It was bad enough that he had to face Eleanor right now. He sure didn’t need to put up with Tom’s snide remarks. Without another word, he walked off toward the house with his faithful dog at his heels. He’d messed things up with Eleanor again, and now it was time to face the music. Vic could only imagine what she would have to say to him during breakfast.
Eleanor didn’t say anything to Vic when he came into the house. She only nodded when he said he was going to take a shower and asked if she could hold breakfast until he was done. That had been thirty minutes ago, and still no sign of Vic. Eleanor wondered if he’d gone to bed after his shower. No doubt he was still suffering from a hangover, and he probably hadn’t slept well on his mattress of straw in the barn.
She placed a box of cold cereal on the table, along with some blueberries she’d taken from the freezer. It wasn’t an exciting breakfast, but Eleanor didn’t feel at all like cooking. She just wanted to sit down with her husband and have a serious talk about his drinking problem and discuss some options for him to get the help he needed.
Another ten minutes went by, and Vic finally walked into the room. Like a shadow, the dog came in behind him and lay down on the throw rug when Vic took a seat at the table. He glanced at the box of cereal and frowned. “I’m not hungry; what I really need is a good strong cup of kaffi to clear the cobwebs outa my brain.”
Eleanor poured him a cup of coffee and took a seat opposite him. “We need to talk, Vic.”
“You’re right, and I know I blew it last night. I promise to do better from now on, Eleanor.”
“I’ve heard that before.” She sat straight up and looked directly at him. “You have to get help for your addiction. You also need some counseling to resolve your guilt issues over Eddie’s death, for which you were not to blame.”
Vic breathed noisily through his flaring nostrils, and he glared at her with his bloodshot eyes. “I do not appreciate you telling me what I need. I told you I would quit, and I will!”
When Vic slammed his fist on the table, Eleanor flinched. She’d never seen so much anger pour out of her husband. It frightened her, but she couldn’t back down. “Please, Vic.” She spoke calmly and without raising her voice. “I’d be happy to go with you to an AA meeting, and we could talk to our bishop or one of the ministers about—”
“No!” Vic’s face flamed a bright red, and he jumped up so quickly his chair toppled over, which caused the dog to jump up and scramble out of the room. “I do not want to hear another word about this, Eleanor. Is that clear?”
Her eyes burned, and she blinked away the moisture as she murmured, “Jah, Vic, I understand.”
Vic grabbed his cup of coffee and headed out the door. Eleanor didn’t bother to ask where he was going. This issue was not over, however, because if Vic wouldn’t seek help for himself, then she would do whatever she needed to help herself.