“Mom, please don’t leave me alone, I’m scared.” The little boy cried as the woman gently hushed him.
“I will be back for you soon, i promise. Just wait here like a good boy while I go and look for daddy okay? I will be back in a minute.” She reassured him and when he nodded even though his big eyes were brimming with tears she patted his head affectionately.“My brave boy, stay strong for me okay? And no matter what you hear don’t come out until I tell you so.” She hugged him and tried to hide her tears from him.When she was sure that he was hidden out of sight she left him, running in the opposite direction and some minutes later there was a flash of light and the loud rat tat tat sound of machine gun fire.The little boy flinched in fear and put a fist in his mouth to stop himself from crying out loud and silently rocked himself while tears streamed down his cheeks and he waited in the damp dark undergrowth of the tree for what felt like eternity for his mother to come back and get him.*SPLASH!*Thor started to breathe heavily as the dampness changed to wetness and he felt like he was drowning in a dark sea of water that kept trying to pull him under and he fought breathlessly until he was able to break free and he sat up and realized that he had been having that nightmare again and he had woken up into another nightmare.The couch that he had been laying on was now soaked with water which dripped down his face and hair and right in front of him stood his wife Garnet looking tousled and displeased in a tiny silk nightgown that stuck to her skin. In her hands was an empty jug of water which he figured had contained the water that was now all over his face and the couch.Her almond shaped eyes were filled with sleep and annoyance, the frown on her face did nothing to mar her beautiful delicate features. She ran a hand through her short blonde hair in frustration as she eyed the man who was looking around in confusion in disdain.Thor stood up to his full height and stared down at her while she stared straight at him as if daring him to do anything. There was anger evident in his eyes as he wide chest expanded from his heavy breathing, a result of the nightmare and the manner he had been abruptly woken up from his sleep.The look in Thor’s eyes made Garnet take an unconscious step back in fear, he looked exactly as he had looked the first time that she had seen him, captivating and powerful. That had been the reason that she had sought him out in the first place and chosen him to be her husband.With her heart racing she belatedly remembered who was standing in front of her, for all his good looks and intimidating demeanor he was nothing but a pathetic leech who lived off of her hard work and hard earned money while living in her family’s palatial mansion with doing anything reasonable for his keep.He was nothing but a shell of a man who did not have a penny to his name, she should know after all she had been married to him for three years and he had never amounted to anything in all that time and neither would he in future.She defiantly took a couple of steps closer to him and slapped him hard on his face, making him turn his head sharply from the force of the blow. The sound of her palm hitting his cheek rang out loudly in the silent night.“How dare you look at me that way? Do you want me to divorce you?” She yelled at him.“Yes Garnet, maybe that is what is best for us both. We should get a divorce.” He said calmly and turned to stare at her while she looked at him in shock at his audacity and felt a little fear creep into her heart.She could not understand his reason for this behavior since usually he was docile and never spoke back to her and she would threaten him with divorce in order to keep him in line which was very effective. She told herself that he was acting this way because she had woken him abruptly and he was not fully in his right senses.He was just an orphan bum who had nothing, not even a degree. She had been responsible for paying for everything that he had down to the very underwear he wore, there was no way that he could ever dare speak to her this way on a regular day.If anyone was going to be demanding for any divorce here it would be her and soon enough she was going to be free of this farce of a marriage. Until then he would have to do exactly as she commanded.Her door flew open and Beth her mother who looked very much like her except older and smaller with longer hair stepped into the bedroom followed by Stan, Garnet’s younger brother.“What is happening here?” Beth asked and looked at the couple and when she saw the imprint of a slap on Thor’s cheek she sneered.“What have you done this time? I know that you can never do anything right but could you at least let decent people get some sleep.” She scolded.“His whimpering woke me up from sleep and he knows how important it is that I get at least five hours of sleep tonight before my very important meeting in the morning.” Garnet explained.“Maybe he was dreaming about how miserable his pathetic life is. I know that i would be crying everytime if this was my life.” Stan said laughing loudly and Thor lowered his head as he remembered the dream.“Don’t you know how important tomorrow is for Garnet? Or is it your intention to ruin her night so that when it is time for her to work she will lose concentration and be unable to secure the big deal that she has been working so hard for?” Beth screeched.*wham!*When he did not answer she took the few steps left to him and slapped his face hard and he saw stars and blinked furiously to stop the tears that sprang automatically from the force of the blow.Beth relished being able to torment Thor whenever she wanted to, she hated his airs. Just who exactly did he think he was? When he had first come to live with them after he had gotten married to Garnet she had been unable to resist his good looks and hard attractive body and had tried to flirt with Thor but he had had the nerve to reject her.That action had humiliated her so she made sure to remind him that he was nothing but trash, the slaps and abuse served as a way to keep him in check so that he could never tell anyone that she had tried to sleep with him. Like anyone would believe him over her anyway.“When I speak to you I expect an answer. Is it your plan to make Garnet as useless as you are so that the entire family can be plunged into the pits of poverty just like your miserable self?”“No ma’am.” He said soberly and Garnet felt a little more at ease.The slaps seem to have reset him back to factory settings, the hint of arrogance and the challenge in his eyes from earlier on were gone entirely and were now replaced by the glint of tears and the subservient beaten down Thor that she recognized.“You know what? I cannot get any more sleep with you around me in this room so i want you to get out and go sleep under the stairs.” She said.Thor picked up his blanket and soaked pillow and with slouching shoulders went out the door past mother and son who gave him a kick that made him stumble and fall to the ground.“Useless.” He spat at him as he walked back to his room followed by his mother.When they were gone Thor’s eyes hardened as he stared at the closed door of Garnet’s room. He silently straightened up and walked down the stairs and from a locker pulled out a thin pallet and put it on the ground before lying on it.He was used to being here on the hard cold floor, it was his go to punishment whenever he did or said the wrong thing. He was simply a tool for Garnet who had married him solely because she needed a husband to be able to climb the corporate ladder and she had chosen him because she believed that he was younger than her and did not have any money so he would be malleable.But that was alright because he had also married her for his own reasons and he was okay being the punching bag and slave for all the members of the family as long as he got what he needed. He would take whatever they meted out on him as long as he was able to remain here being their down trodden son in-law.“Why are you just sitting here when breakfast has not been set on the table? Is there any depths of laziness you will not stoop to?” Beth scowled in irritation when she saw Thor sitting on a chair at the bare dinning table.He immediately jumped up and stood at attention, slowly creeping away from her as she came closer so that she would not batter him with slaps this morning.“Sorry mother in-law, I have made breakfast but since no one had come down yet I did not want to serve the food so it won’t get cold.” he said and ran off into the kitchen where he put final touches to the morning meal he had prepared.There were no servants in the Woods family so Thor had to do all the chores alone, he washed the dishes, cooked the food, cleaned the rooms, did the laundry and any other menial tasks that needed doing. Despite all of this he was still termed a “lazy bum” by members of the family who would not lift a finger to do a single chore or even offer some help.Once upon a time the Woods f
Thor was in the kitchen peeling potatoes in preparation for the family’s supper when he heard commotion coming from the living room, just as he wondered what could be happening he heard a loud Pop Sound that startled him. He hurriedly dropped the peeler and half peeled potatoe before rushing out of the kitchen towards the noise in fear that something bad was happening and someone had been hurt. He got to the living room and stopped in surprise as he saw that Garnet was back and everyone was assembled in the room and seemed to be in very high spirits. Bill was holding an opened bottle of champagne which he was pouring into the glasses that they all held, even Greg had made a rare appearance and stood holding a glass. “Did something happen?” Thor asked in confusion looking from face to face for answers.“I secured the Skye account and I have now been promoted to senior partner at the firm.” Garnet squealed gleefully and jumped up and down like a little kid, her excitement making her e
Early the next morning Thor woke up in the house he had grown up in and went into the garden and stood at the open lattice gate staring at the old man who stood at the artificial pond throwing fish food at the koi fish that flocked around fighting for the food and speaking affectionately to them.He smiled and took a couple of steps in and when he stepped on a dried leaf that had fallen to the ground it made a crunch sound alerting the old man to his presence and he slowly turned and squinted at the figure in the distance wondering who it was and when Thor came close the old man’s eyes widened and tears filled them as he held his arms out wide.Thor walked into the old man’s arms and held him close, careful not to squeeze too tightly before pulling back and staring at the beloved wrinkled face which radiated with happiness. They hugged once before separating and walking to the table which was at the base of a Cherry tree.Shortly after they had sat down a maid came with a tray with te
Garnet sat quietly the entire ride back to the office and she kept staring contemplatively out of the window while Bill constantly glanced at her in concern.He had been surprised to see her looking sober when she got out of the courthouse, it was a sharp contrast from what he had expected because how was she more subdued coming out than when she first went in and he had been afraid that the lawyer had been unable to secure the divorce for her but she told him that she had signed the papers.That left him in a state of confusion, had that not been what she wanted in the first place? What had happened in there to make her be this way? When he tried to probe she told him that she was simply tired and wanted to go back to her office which disappointed him.He had hoped that he could convince her to go to a celebratory lunch after signing the papers and then he would slowly begin the process of courting her and making her become his woman. But she was obviously not in the mood to celebra
“Bill!” Beth exclaimed excitedly. If Bill was here then any problems that they had would be resolved, he was the answer to their problems. “I can pay the mortgage. Tell me, how much is it?” Bill asked Edward Stone lazily and the man straightened up stiffly. “My boss has been lenient for a long time and no longer has any use for the money, he now wants to use the property as his own home.” Bill’s brow furrowed in irritation, he was trying to score points with Garnet and her family and this man who was nothing but a stooge was trying to get in his way and ruin his plans. “Who is this boss of yours? Is he any better than Bill Pearle? Don’t you know who he is?” Beth sneered. Now that Bill was backing them she was sure that they would not be oppressed by this man. Her formerly docile face had faded and now she looked at Edward Stone with superiority. “I am sure that I can reach an agreement with your boss, i could offer him a couple of my properties in place of this one. Who is thi
The next day the Woods family had packed up all of their possessions and as a packing crew took the boxes and loaded them in the vehicle, a different crew of construction workers with hard hats and a truck complete with a wrecking ball moved into the compound and headed towards the house. As they left, they turned and watched as the building was demolished and Beth could not hold back her bitter tears. “Look at my beautiful home.” She wailed as she saw the house she had so treasured fall into rubble. “Don’t worry, soon you are going to have a bigger and better home than this, I promise.” Bill boasted and Beth sniffled as she nodded, sure that soon she would be the envy of everyone who was probably laughing at her misfortune currently. “Come on mom, we have to leave now.” Garnet said before leading her mother to the car and they drove off. She hated the fact that she would have to live off Bill’s charity, it was a very dangerous thing to do because he could demand payment in form
Garnet’s foray into the unemployment market was shocking and unexpected. She had been a fast rising star at her job and had gotten quite a number of offers from other companies so she had felt that getting a new job with her resume would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately for her, the reverse was the case. It seemed that no one wanted to give her a chance any longer, when she got to their offices she was turned away and told that there were no vacancies. It all seemed very sinister and she could sense that something was at play. Why would companies who had offered her more competitive offers than the one she had at her job just in order to poach her from her company suddenly turn her away and some even refused to let her into the building in the first place. Feeling frustrated and beginning to wonder if she was carrying a stink, Garnet broke down at the last office when she was turned down without an explanation. As she cried, Nola the HR officer who was an older woman that had admi
“What kind of despicable act is that?!” She explained angrily and shot out the chair. “I cannot believe that you are a cad who would force me to accept you in my bed against my will, Well absolutely not!” Her voice filled with outrage still did not hide the fear that crept in.Thor remained calm and reclined in his seat and studied her face lazily while Garnet forced herself to hold his stare.“I am certain that you and your family would be able to give classes on how to be despicable…” Thor eyed her and a pink blush of embarrassment rose up her neck. Moreover, I am a gentleman and i would never force a woman, I have no need to do that.” he said and Garnet scoffed while he grinned at her prickly reaction.She stared at him and had to silently agree with him, even without the appeal of the money and nice clothes and expensive accessories he had always been an attractive man. An image of him shirtless rose unbidden to her mind and she had to clamp down on it as she blushed.“I do not ag