Chapter 2 - THE FAMILY RULES
Three days earlier, I had believed my biggest problem was a controlling father-in-law.
At our October wedding, Robert had insisted on handwritten invitations, an old country club, and a stiff dress that covered my arms and throat.
I'd changed the dress after the ceremony.
That small decision made him furious.
“Women in this family don't make spectacles of themselves,” he told me beside the cake.
David touched my elbow.
“He doesn't mean anything by it.”
I'd fallen for David because he was gentle.
On our first date he'd spilled coffee, blushed, and laughed at himself.
He brought me lavender iced lattes after work and walked shelter dogs with me on Saturdays.
I mistook his kindness for courage.
The first morning at his parents' house, Susan and I cooked breakfast together.
She smiled when I flipped pancakes and asked why a gym teacher was so comfortable moving around a crowded kitchen.
“Practice,” I said.
I didn't explain the sparring mats, the six a.m. runs, or the medal boxed in our apartment.
Robert complained the eggs were too crisp and his coffee was too cold.
Susan apologized for both.
Then he ordered me to quit teaching.
“David earns enough,” he said.
“You'll have children and stay home.”
“I love my job,” I answered.
“That's not a request.”
His voice was flat enough to frighten me more than shouting would have.
When David came home, he brought my favorite cherry pies and promised to handle things.
Instead, his father demanded that I swear obedience in front of a military portrait on the mantel.
I refused.
That was when Robert invited relatives over for a so-called family dinner and placed the old leather belt beside his chair.
Back in that crowded room, the camera light blinked again.
David stared at the belt on the table.
“Dad,” he whispered, “you promised you wouldn't use that thing again.”
I turned toward my husband.
May you like
“Again?”
Susan's face drained of color.
