What Woman, Maria?

(Part of the story)

"You always do that, Campbell," Maria said as she glared at her husband.

"Do what? I have no idea what you're talking about, Maria."

"You stop talking and decide to go do something when we're in the middle of an argument."

"An argument? I thought we were having a discussion and that we were finished." Campbell shook his head, a puzzled frown on his face.

"Did we come to a solution, Campbell?" Maria's voice was beginning to reach a higher octave. Campbell didn't like it when her voice began to climb the musical scale.

"I didn't think we had a problem, Maria. I thought everything was going along just fine." Campbell threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "I don't understand women at all."

"And I don't understand men. But that's the problem. You always think everything is just fine, you don't listen, you never seem to understand anything I say and you'd rather walk away than solve a problem."

"But we don't have a problem. You're making a problem when none exists. I'm going to my workshop. When I have a problem out there, I know what it is. It's plan and simple, not something that's been built up out of nothing and exaggerated out of all proportion. Keep it simple, Babe and then there isn't a problem."

"You haven't heard anything I've said this whole last week, have you? The problem is that woman, you Knucklehead." Maria's voice had reached almost the highest level on the musical scale. Not a good sign as far as Campbell was concerned.

"I'm listening and you have my attention but I really have no idea what woman you're talking about. What about this hypothetical woman?>"

"You know very well who I'm talking about; the one at Corey's baseball game." Maria banged the cupboard door to emphasize that what she was saying was something he'd better not miss.

"Which woman at the game? I still don't know what you're talking about. You know, I think this whole conversation is getting ridiculous. When you've figured out what you're really upset about, let me know. I'll be in the workshop."

Maria could feel her blood pressure soar as she watched Campbell walk nonchalantly out of the kitchen, as if he had not a care in the world. She knew he thought she was dramatizing but she had seen the exchange between her husband and Michelle, Matt's mother. And this wasn't the first time she'd noticed them flirting. She wanted him to know that he wasn't pulling anything over on her. 'And he brought me that bouquet of flowers on Friday too. I wonder if it was because of guilty feelings? I'd sure like to know what he's up to?' Maria fumed.

Campbell measured the piece of wood for the garden planter he was building for the back yard. 'What was that all about?' he wondered. 'I don't have a clue what woman she's talking about. Probably another one of her jealousy attacks.' He shook his head impatiently. 'Oh well, I'm not going to worry about it. Hopefully she'll cool down by dinner time.'

As he worked, he could hear the cupboards slamming in the kitchen and an angry outburst directed at one of the children. 'Well maybe not by dinner time. Hopefully by bedtime.' He smiled at the thought of that. Maybe he'd suggest they have a glass of wine later, after the children were in bed. It had been a while. He thought the flowers would have earned him some brownie points but they probably just made her think he was up to something. Instead they had gone to bed that night and she had turned her back on him again and in only moments had fallen asleep. More times than not she was either too tired, had a headache or stayed up until the wee hours of the morning on the computer. 'The wine probably won't work any better than the flowers did,' he reminded himself.

Maria came in to the workshop and saw him bent over the pieces of cedar, tape measure in hand. Picking up the pieces, he began to walk towards the table saw. "Campbell, dinner is ready."

"What? Oh, okay I'll be right there."

'He probably hasn't given what I said another thought since he came in here. It's so typical of a man. Everything in one ear and out the other. He's so good at tuning me out,' Maria thought angrily. "If you wait too long, it's going to be cold," she said as she flounced out of the room. "Then you can bloody well heat it up yourself."

Campbell glanced after her and wondered again what had brought this whole thing on. Shrugging, he decided to cut just a few more of the board lengths before going in for dinner. He knew it would probably be another ten minutes anyway before it was on the table. He'd rather be out in the workshop than go into the kitchen and feel the below freezing atmosphere there.

Whistling as he worked he was planning the other planters he was going to make for the deck. 'And maybe a bench with planters at each end with a trellis behind. That would be nice,' he thought, 'to have clematis growing up behind where you sat. A nice colorful area to sit in and relax.' Coming to the end of his cuts, he suddenly became aware of the feeling of daggers driving their sharp edges into his back. He glanced at his watch and grimaced. 'It has been half an hour, at least, since she called me in for dinner. She's going to kill me.'

Turning slowly, he pasted what he hoped was a charming smile on his face. 'Wine probably won't help tonight, I'm guessing,' he told himself. "Sorry, Honey. The time kind of got away from me."

"So I noticed but why change now?" There was no warmth in her voice, and no humour and definitely no smile on her face. "You know Campbell, it doesn't take much to make me happy."

"Yeah? The flowers I brought you on Friday night didn't seem to make you happy."

"That's the first flowers you've bought me in three years. They made me more inclined to wonder why than to be happy about them. All I need are little things. If you were to come home from work and put your arms around me and tell me you loved me regularly, I'd be ecstatic. And not just when you want a toss in the hay. You rarely do it even then, Campbell."

"We're married for Pete's sake, Maria." He ran his hands angrily through his hair making it stand up in spikey blonde tufts.

"So you don't think you need to show affection when you're married?"

Campbell, looking confused, shrugged. "I show you affection."

"When Campbell?" Maria stood with her hands on her hips. "When we're having sex?"

"Well, yes." Campbell was wishing he'd gone in for dinner when she'd first called him. This was not a conversation he wanted to have. He hated talking about touchy-feeling things like Maria always wanted to do. 'And she always thinks she's right about everything,' he thought angrily.

"You're not affectionate then either. You don't tell me you love me even then. It's an act for you, a physical release I guess you men call it; it's having sex but has nothing to do with making love."

'Wow!' Campbell thought. 'Who the hell is this woman she's been yammering about? That's what probably got all of this started. Now she's going to drag out every little thing that's been bothering her for the last five years or so.'

"I've been thinking, Campbell. I think we should go and see a counselor together."

'Yup, here it goes,' Campbell thought. "A counselor? What in the hell for? I thought we were getting along just fine. At least until the last few days when you started harping on me. I don't get it, Maria. I really don't."

"Because you're a man. Any woman would understand and feel exactly like I do."

"You know, Maria, I'm going to go and get my dinner now. And I know," Campbell held up his hand, "it'll be cold. I don't really care at this point."

"You're running off again, Campbell. We can't have any discussion without you doing the disappearing act. I'm going to make an appointment with a counselor," she said as she brushed past him and did her own disappearing act.

As he put his plate of food into the microwave to heat, he thought, 'I think I'll save the wine. It would just be a waste of good wine now.'

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