Taste of Reality Read Online Free PDF

time focusing on my own faults as well and doing everything I could to try and be a better wife. Maybe it was time I stopped dwelling on my career issues for a while and spent more time acknowledging what David needed as my husband.
    Monica stepped back onto the patio with the cordless phone in one hand and closed the door with the other. She laid the phone near our drinking glasses and eased her body back down on the chaise.
    “That was Mom calling,” she said.
    “Really? How are she and your father doing?”
    “They’re both fine, and from what it sounds like, they’re spoiling Tamia worse than they did last year. Which means she’ll have to be brought down to the proper level when she returns home. They let her get away with murder, and somehow she fixes her little mind to think that the rules are the same here in Mitchell.”
    I laughed because I remembered doing the same thing as a child when I visited my grandparents.
    “You know how it is when grandchildren spend time with their grandparents,” I said. “It’s hilarious if you ask me.”
    “Yeah, because you were probably one of those same brats yourself.”
    “You’re right, and I must say I’m proud of it.”
    We laughed and continued talking about everything imaginable. We enjoyed our time together, and I hated when the sun finally rested to the west of us, because it meant I had to go home and face David. It meant I had to prepare for another awkward evening in my own household. But there was no sense in trying to prevent the inevitable.
    So I went home and vowed to do all I could to make things right between us.
    It wasn’t even nine, but surprisingly, David was already home. When I walked into the kitchen from the garage, he was sitting at the wrought-iron-trimmed breakfast table eating ice cream. I glanced at him and then away, unsure if he was still angry.
    I sat my purse on the island the way I always did when I arrived home and turned toward the hallway leading to our bedroom. My first thought was to ignore him, but my heart was too heavy to continue this silent combat we were unnecessarily engaged in.
    “Hello, David,” I said, stopping in front of him.
    “Hi.” He spooned another helping of ice cream from the bowl in front of him.
    “David, how long are we going to go on like this?” I asked.
    “Go on like what?”
    “Like this. Giving each other the silent treatment, arguing like we hate each other, and not spending any quality time together.”
    “I don’t know. You tell me.”
    He wasn’t helping the situation in the least.
    “I know we don’t agree on a lot of things, and that we’ve grown somewhat apart, but I don’t want us to continue like this. I want things to be better between us. I’m miserable all the time, and I’m tired of feeling all this pain.”
    He looked at me but didn’t respond.
    “Don’t you have anything to say?”
    “Not really, because every time we have a conversation, it always turns into a sparring match. So what’s the point?”
    “The point is that I’m tired of going through this day in and day out. I’m having all these problems at work, and then I come home to either an empty bed or an argument with you. And I’m telling you, David, it’s becoming way too much for me to deal with. Sometimes I feel like I want to scream or like I’m having a nervous breakdown. I feel like everyone is against me. I know you don’t understand my job situation, but I’m still your wife, and the least you could do is be here for me,” I said with tears in my eyes. “Do you hear what I’m saying, David?”
    “I’m sorry.” He stood and walked toward me. “I’m really sorry.”
    He pulled me into his arms, and I cried the way I’d wanted to for weeks. It felt good being held by my husband, the man I’d been so happy with and so in love with in the beginning. I wished we could erase all the disagreeable moments we’d shared and start our marriage from scratch. I wished we could make things