Olivia didn’t want to sleep while her husband was still outside in the yard. She thought she’d wait for Oscar, and they’d calmly talk things through. It wasn’t a big deal that they had argued. Oscar had embarrassed her in front of their friends, and she had left the gathering and gone home. What was she supposed to do when everyone was laughing at her because Oscar called her “Snowcow”? Stand there politely and wait for everyone to finish laughing at her? Snowcow. Oscar could go to hell.
At two in the morning, Olivia couldn’t take it anymore. She went out into the yard to look for him. She suspected he was sitting behind the raspberry bushes with a bottle of whiskey. Whenever he was really angry, that’s what he did.
“Are you mad?” Olivia asked hesitantly.
“No,” came the weary reply. “I’m just sad.”
“Sad?” Olivia was surprised.
“Yes. Very sad. I don’t know where everything went so wrong.”
“You called me Snowcow.”
“So? Is that a reason to humiliate me in front of our friends? Don’t you get a joke?”
“You know how much I struggle to lose weight.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Then why did you call me a cow?”
“I didn’t call you a cow,” Oscar snapped angrily. “I was teasing you affectionately! And you ran off like an idiot just because we all had a good laugh. At my joke!”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia whispered with a dry throat. “I thought you were mocking me because that white dress didn’t look good on me.”
“Just leave me alone, okay?”
***
The gate slammed shut with a loud bang against the car’s front. Olivia screamed. She stood there for minutes, staring teary-eyed at the dent. She hoped she would wake up and realize it was just a dream. Meanwhile, a heavy weight of guilt mixed with fear pressed down on her chest like a rock. She had never damaged any car before, never had an accident. And now, a damn gate had dented the front of her new car.
Oscar silently examined the dent.
“Are you very angry?” Olivia sniffled.
“I’m not angry,” Oscar replied in a tired voice. “I’m sad. I didn’t think that just because the wind was blowing, you wouldn’t be able to park the car in the yard. I thought you could prop the gate open. I guess I was wrong.”
“I don’t know how it happened…”
“Really? And why not? You weren’t even here? Someone else damaged the car that we haven’t even paid off yet?”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t get us far. The mechanic doesn’t take apologies as payment,” Oscar shook his head disapprovingly. “I’m so fucking sad.”
***
“What did your dad say?” Olivia asked her older son. “Was he very angry that you lost his snowboard gloves?”
“He said he’s not angry, just sad.”
“Yeah,” Olivia remarked sarcastically. “That happens sometimes. You’ll just have to get him a new pair.
***
“Where are you going?” Oscar asked when he saw his wife.
“Out to dinner with two of my colleagues. You know them, Rob and Lee.”
“You didn’t say anything,” Oscar said, confused.
“Yes, I did,” Olivia replied firmly. “I told you the day before yesterday that I had plans tonight.”
“I thought you were going to see one of your girlfriends or something.”
“That was the plan, but it turned into a dinner with Rob and Lee,” Olivia smiled. “Is that a problem?”
“It’s not exactly a problem, just…”
“I know, I know, you’re sad. Don’t worry. Pour yourself a whiskey and watch a comedy. You’ll feel better!”