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Chapter Six
- University of New Mexico Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
AS THE DARKNESS ENvELoPED THE HoUSE IN ALBUQUERQUE, I decided to take a walk. The rooms seemed unfamiliar. Shadows and misplaced chairs created an unexpected set of obstacles. “Shit!” I shouted as I bumped into a stool and knocked it over. I couldn’t remember putting it there in the hall, and I wondered if Laura had moved it. I could turn on some lights and make my walk easy, but I enjoyed the challenge and the misery the darkness created, a punishment that I could blame on Laura if I did get hurt. I kicked a ball that was lying in the living room. It was Ethan’s basketball . I wondered why it wasn’t in his room. He was at camp, so I couldn’t blame him. Maybe Laura had taken it out when she was packing boxes, to bounce it on the brick floor the way Ethan did. And then I stepped on the dog, curled up and sleeping near the door. “oh, Chamisa, poor thing,” I said as I tried to pet her and reassure her that I intended no harm. I opened the heavy front door and noticed the stars visible through the gaps between the branches of the huge cottonwood tree in the front yard. I doubted that whoever planted it next to the house fifty years ago had realized what a hazard it would become. As the tree grew bigger and bigger, the wind would tear at the large branches, causing them to crash down onto the roof and walls of our home. I decided to walk down the road and along the irrigation ditch. I wasn’t sure where I was going. I needed some air, and the fresh evening breeze felt comforting. I followed the dirt path past neighbors ’ houses, peering into windows as I passed, wondering who was chapter six • david p. sklar fighting, who was watching Tv, who was making love. What do we know about other people’s lives? What happened behind closed doors was a mystery until some event suddenly revealed it all. Like when Laura moved out and packed up the furniture and boxes. Suddenly we were exposed, our marriage available for dissection by anyone who cared to discuss it. But before that, what did anyone know? We seemed like any other couple, with our grocery shopping and soccer games and morning rush for school and work, our dog barking at passing strangers. I followed a side trail past a different street, and a dog barked behind a wall. I hurried past and now realized where I was headed. I was on the way to Laura’s apartment. It was close enough that the kids would be able to walk between the two homes. I should have called her to let her know, but now it was too late. And anyway, I sort of wanted to look things over first from a distance before I went in. I wanted to see what it looked like and if she had any visitors. I entered the apartment complex of small separate houses or duplexes. one or two bedrooms. Hers was number 123. Easy to remember. My legs began to shake as I got close. What if someone was there? A man perhaps. I found 101. Then 115, then 123. The lights were on, and the curtains closed. I heard music coming from the stereo. She was playing Brian Eno, one of those weird instrumentals that was meant to suggest an environment like a desert or another planet. I remembered she would put it on sometimes in our bedroom after we made love, to help her drift off to sleep. It had that peaceful kind of feel. I walked up to the door and knocked. She opened it. “oh, hi,” she said. I noticed she was alone. “Hi,” I said. “I wanted to see your place.” “oh, fine. Come in.” I looked around. She had already unpacked the boxes and hung pictures. It looked well put together, unlike my house. The lamps were plugged in and shining light in the right places. The stereo worked. The kitchen was clean, and there were no dishes in the sink. I noticed the paintings on the walls, the same ones that had been hanging on our walls a few days before. And the chair with the reading lamp seemed quite comfortable in its new location. Even the books were already in [54.224.52.210] Project MUSE (2024-03-30 04:58...