Judas KISS- NINE- HEREAFTER ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘

Steve was standing in the middle of the room, his parka and the key of the car in his hand. Helen observed that his knees were bending, his body was shaking. The jacket and key fell from his hand on the floor. Obviously his exhaustion was so grand that Helen thought he, himself, might fall, too, and he did! She at once got up from the

recliner and went to the kitchen and brought some water and forced him to drink it. He had returned home to rest the day before from three years war, so many dangerous situation, to recuperate; and he had spent all night without sleeping, driving, perhaps crying, who knew!? He had simply no energy left. He had come home to revive, to retire, to live a normal life, but there was no normalcy either in this home or his home as a country. People out there were demonstrating for Vietnam war, and calling him, "the baby killer", and his wife at home, was carrying another man's baby! She perhaps had made life with another man on his bed!!

She sat on the floor and put his head on her lap, but before doing that, she brought a blanket and covered him. His face and hands were cold. She asked him if he wanted to eat something, but he closed his eyes and fell asleep. He slept for two hours. Helen did not move. She let him rest his head on her lap for the entire time. Occasionally she played with his dark, full hair. He had let his hair grow. She guessed since he was coming home, he had let it grow. Her back was hurting sitting on the floor without anything to lean on. She could feel her baby was kicking, Steve's breathing! Two hours of complete silence. She wanted to sleep, too. But no way she could fall asleep in that position. She wished they were in bed and she could sleep next to him, inside his bosom! She wished the baby was his!!!

Steve finally woke up. He realized that she had not moved.

"I am so sorry. You should have put a pillow under my head so you could get up. It must have been hard for the baby!"

She did not know whether he was telling his true feeling or stabbing her by bringing up the baby's name!

"You must eat something Steve."

"Yes, you're right. I am hungry."

She went to the kitchen. Her back pain was unbearable. She was exhausted and hungry, too. She warmed up the left over food from the night before and put it on the table. They both ate in complete silence. Then suddenly towards the end of the meal, he put his fork down, looked at her with a blazing eyes and said:

To Be Continued