156 wivesebhavingbadly

              chapter twelve
the dark has never held any real terrors for me . it was the time in which hot , pleasurable things were accomplished . it was the moment to dream , to plan , to sleep ; to touch a warm sleeping body , and amrvel at its beauty , or its power , or to realize that you hated it .
but when i went to bed that night i was afraid .
there were scvattered clues that i had come home and gone through the motions but i cannot remember much . a water fall of socks , underpants , and trousers flowed out of the boys' linen basket . in the bathroom , my face flaanned was damp . in the bedroom , myshoes had beenput away in the cupboard . in the kitchen , the dishwasher had been swirched on and was ready to unload and a half-eaten tin of tuna from the boys' supper was wedged between the cheese and bacon in the fridge .
eve and i had whispered to each other while the boys romped upstairs ." so dreadful , minty ." her complexion combined an agitated red and white ,