Oh no the hell he didn't!

You guessed it!

When Carl got home Stacey did not say a word about what she had heard. In the back of her mind, she wanted to confront him but her gut was telling her that he would deny it.

Stacey asked Carl about his trip and he gave her the usual, it was okay. He did not give much detail but had the nerve to crack a joke saying that a woman made a pass at him. At that point, Stacey was ready to blow a gasket but was able to calm herself down before she said or did something that she would regret.

Now that Carl was home a few days, Stacey had a chance to talk to him about how he made her feel. Carl being the stubborn, self-centered, unconcerned person that he was did not validate any of her feeling, thoughts, or assumptions. He just felt that she was being jealous for no reason and did not want to talk about it anymore.

He threatened to leave her if she did not stop the accusations.

Stacey left for work and Carl did not kiss her goodbye like he had done in the past. He sat there on the couch with a blank expression not even acknowledging that she was leaving. She tried to call him while she was on the road; no answer. She tried to call him once she got to work; still no answer. Finally she tried him again on her way home; and he still did not answer.

Her heart began to race and her mind was filled with crazy thoughts, “Was there a woman in my house.” “Did something happen to him?” Finally Carl picked up the phone on the fourth call. He had a raspy, groggy voice as if he had a long night at the bar. Hello Carl, Stacey said as she quickly tapped her newly manicured nails on her steering wheel. She did not give him time to speak but continued to fuss and complain until all of her thoughts of him were said. After calling him one last name, she hung up the phone abruptly to show him how angry that she was.

Back at home, Carl planned a night on the town for himself with the thought of being long gone before Stacey returned home. He put on his leather jacket, grabbed his car keys, and headed for the door. By the time Stacey arrived, he was gone for the evening. Eleven o’clock turned to midnight turned to 2am and there was still no sign of Carl. He finally stumbled into the door at 3am and trust me when I say, it was on and poppin!

At the end of the word exchange Carl finally gave Stacey some insight into what was wrong. He admitted that he was not sure he wanted to continue the marriage. He felt that he was at a point in his life where he wanted to hang with his friends and did not need her to nag him about his behavior. This of course broke Stacey’s heart and she was at a loss lost for words. She was not sure what to do now because this was such a fatal blow. She tried to convince him that he did not mean what he said. He was intoxicated so he was not thinking clearly.

Stacey left their home to go and clear her head. She drove and cried, cried and drove not believing what she had heard. Once she returned home, Carl was on the couch asleep. She wanted to kill him on the spot but instead she headed upstairs to the bedroom. The next afternoon when they saw each other, there was complete silence… no good mornings, how are you, nothing. Stacey went off to work on a project leaving Carl at home. When she returned, it was as if the house had been robbed!

The $3,000 television and video equipment was gone, all of his clothes were gone, even the DVD movies and storage racks were gone. Carl had taken all of these things from the house with not so much as a goodbye.

As Stacey’s eyes burned with tears and anger she sat in the middle of the floor with her hands covering her eyes. She had not only lost her husband, but all of the things that she had purchased and worked hard to acquire. Her first thought was to jump in her car and look for him; but then should she knew that she would do something that she would regret. Instead she let the hurt and pain take over her body, held herself tightly and bellowed. The pain cut so deep like a knife. It hurt like coarse salt in a fresh wound. She never thought in a million years that her life would turn out this way so unfortunately she did not know what to do.

Stacey needs more help with how to handle this situation. Should she (1) Call the police, (2) Try to call Carl’s phone, (3) Call Carl’s momma, (4) Call her best girlfriend and tell her, (5) Do nothing; wait it out and see what happens or (6) Go and talk to her pastor?


Word to the wise: You are always worth more than anyone can ever take from you.

Know your worth!

Next weeks installment: Pick up the pieces.


Mary Jane

Real Life, Real Talk, Real Women