Eloquent Silence Read Free Page A

traveler who has sold you a vacuum cleaner at 2pm that very afternoon, passes by and climbs the stairs to the second floor where the bedrooms are located.
    He says, ‘Good evening, Mrs. Schmidt,’ because he remembers you and the sale from six hours ago.
    You reply, ‘Good evening,’ as he continues up the stairs towards his room. Your memory allows you to recall the event six hours ago and you can see no reason to openly snub the man just because your husband thinks you should.
    At the ball, your husband refuses to speak to you. After a while, he commences nagging you, accusing you of an affair with the traveling salesman. On the dance floor, his voice is growing louder and louder and you are terrified that he will make a fool out of both of you before much longer.
    Hastily, you grab your evening purse from the seat beside your friends and run out into the night to go home, hobbled in your long blue evening dress that you have made for yourself out of curtain material. Your husband wants to keep abreast of his more wealthy friends but refuses to give you money to buy better material or, Heaven forbid, an evening dress. Luckily you can sew adequately and you hope that any of his friends do not recognize that the material was originally meant for curtains.
    When he notices that you have gone for the balance of the night, he comes roaring home and gives you the sound beating that you deserve for greeting the vacuum cleaner salesman with whom you must have had sex during the afternoon. He then forces you to have sex with him just in case you need further mastering.
    He awakes next morning and greets his children who have been brought home by their aunt. Bacon and eggs, tomatoes and toast, are tossed around with alacrity. He is happy because he conceives that he has won a victory over you for some insubstantial reason that you cannot understand.
    Your sister, who has had the children for the night and is placing their belongings onto the end of the kitchen table while eyeing him with hostility, asks how he enjoyed the ball.
    ‘I had a good time but Sylvia threw a wobbly late in the night,’ he says with a cheerful grin. ‘Cleared off and walked all the way home in high heels and her evening dress. Silly bugger.’
    ‘What about you, Sylvie. How did you enjoy yourself?’ your sister asks you.
    ‘Very nice thanks, Angela. Lovely ball, nice debs.’
    ‘Why are you limping?’ my sister asks me.
    ‘Oh I just had a bit of a fall,’ I reply a touch defensively.
    ‘Mmmm,’ my sister replies. ‘That would probably account for your black eye, your swollen jaw and the bruise on your arm, I suppose.’
    ‘Yes, Ange, it probably would. Thanks for babysitting,’ I smile at her tentatively, trying unsuccessfully to stop my bottom lip from trembling.
    ‘You’re welcome any time. Anything you need, any time you want,’ she says, reaching out to pat my hand. She looks deep into my eyes and I choke back hot tears.
    ‘I know, love. It’s okay.’ My family know but they will not interfere unless I ask them to and I am reluctant to do so as he is twice as strong as either of my brothers-in-law and far more agile and abrasive than my father. I will let sleeping dogs lie for as long as I am able because I fear the consequences of stirring him up further.
    For a time he is in a condition of euphoric determination, resolving to be the best husband and father in the town. You know this will last approximately two days.
    Another misdemeanor unwittingly committed by the little woman. A television set left on when children were taken for their baths becomes an occasion for an outburst of incredible rage. A large electric bar heater is full on in the lounge room. In fury he kicks it until it comes apart while you stand by wondering where so much blind rage originated. Red-hot pieces of broken element burn holes in the carpet while he goes to collect his gun.
    The couple sit companionably together with the loaded gun against her temple