Confidant

A marriage that should have ended a long time ago

For some reason everyone comes to me for advice. I don’t even really think my “words of wisdom” help. They never listen to me; they choose what they want to do in the end. But it is as if I walk around with this sign saying Dr. Phil on my forehead or something. I don’t have too many people I would call my friend, just a lot of associates that I talk to on a daily basis because I’m friendly. The funniest thing though, most of the stories people tell me all sound so similar. If I told you a story from a hooker and one from a church woman you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. We all pretty much have a lot of the same problems going on in our lives.

 

            One day changed my life forever; made me vow that I would take more consideration into when I help people with their problems. I was reading a book at my favorite book store, Barnes & Noble, when I noticed one of my friends walk in by the service desk. She looked nervous and lost, like she didn’t quite know where she was going.  She must have spotted me because her eyes got wide and she started shuffling this way. Veronica has been one of my best friends since second grade. We knew everything about each other. So I figured she was just here to tell me the latest news about another fight between her and her husband.

 

            She’s been married for 10 years and I think she is fed up with her husband after so much time. But I warned her of early marriage and not giving it enough time for the honeymoon phase to pass and really see how things will be. We were 18 when Keith proposed to her. They were madly in love then; I’d say I don’t know what could have possibly happened but I do know. He got controlling. Veronica was a free spirit so they clashed a lot in that department. So you would assume, like me that she was here to complain about him again.

 

            As she got closer I noticed her makeup was smeared under her eyes and they were puffy and red. I also saw that her clothes were rumpled like she was wrestling and just came from a cage match. I didn’t know what to think or even say. Before I could say anything though she said to me, “We need to go some place quiet, preferably not public.” She said it in a voice I had never heard before. It kind of scared me. I agreed though; I tell her my place is fine, my boyfriend was away this week on business. And the next thing she said definitely had me worried. “Good, I might need to stay with you a couple of days, I will explain everything later.”

 

            When we got to my place I didn’t even take off my things to get comfortable. As soon as my door was shut I told her to explain. She hesitated at first but when she saw how distraught my face looked she started. “I’ve killed my husband…” She said this in such a low voice I almost didn’t catch the whole thing. What! Is what I wanted to yell at her but I knew I would scare her and obviously she was terrified. This was the first time I noticed she was shaking; I hadn’t seen it before because I was too focused on her appearance. So I went for the gentle approach. I told her to tell me everything, start to finish.

 

            “Well when I got home from work last night I told Keith I didn’t have to work today so I was going to go to Chicago to go shopping because I thought I deserved it. I’ve been working all those extra long hours to put some extra money on the table for groceries for the kids. We can’t eat out all the time. You know he likes to be in control and I was tired of arguing with him so I decided I would do this the easy way, or so I thought. After talking to him last night he agreed to let me go and told me he would pick up the kids from school in the afternoon.”

 

            I could tell she was happy when she thought everything was going to be fine when she got home. She smiled a little as she told that part of the story. And then she continued without the smile. “So you know we have been having our issues, well what I never tell you is that he beats me. He has gotten more violent in the past two years. I didn’t tell you because I knew you would say something to him about it and I didn’t want you involved like that. Especially not so our kids would have to see. Anyways, when I got home today around 4pm he was sitting in the living room watching the game. I asked where were the kids because usually I hear them playing in their rooms. You will not believe what he told me.”

 

            I felt myself tense up when Veronica said that, I don’t know why but I got this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. “He told me they were still at school. That it was my responsibility to get them from school. That it was the woman’s duty to make sure the family was taken care of, I snapped, I couldn’t help it,” tears started rolling down her cheeks, “after everything I do for the family I couldn’t get one day to relax and enjoy the day, he had to let me come home to some type of problem because of his male dominance. So we argued and fought, I fought back this time. I usually don’t. He involved the kids in this BS Noreen, they were sitting at school waiting for me and I never came for them.”

 

            So I had to interrupt her here, I was a little confused by the first thing she had said when we got in the door; and wondering if she got her kids from school, so I asked. “I picked them up after I killed him and took them to their grandmother’s house; I couldn’t let them go home.” Why not I asked. “I already told you, I’ve killed him! I couldn’t take it anymore, the beating, the controlling, it was too much and I cracked. Today wasn’t supposed to end like this. I don’t know what to do now. I’m so scared. That is why I asked to stay with you for a few days to figure some things out. The kids will stay with my mom until I have found out what to do. I don’t want to go to jail.”

 

            I didn’t know what to say to my friend right now, as she sits here with her head in my lap sobbing. It was really hard to see her like this. She used to be such a happy woman and now look at what has happened. I’m the type of person that says I told you so but I didn’t want to be right about this mess. I would never want to see someone I love like this. After she took a shower and got herself cleaned up I cooked us some dinner because I knew she had to be hungry, all the energy she exhausted. Then I told her she could sleep on the couch; but she asked to sleep in my bed like old times when we were younger and she was scared. So I said sure.

 

            While I was laying there with Veronica on my shoulder snoring I had to really think about what I was going to do myself. Was I now an accomplice? With me knowing this information and not saying anything what happens to me? I couldn’t turn her in, she was my best friend and I knew she didn’t mean to kill him, it was built up. She had her right to self defense right? I needed to get some sleep but I just couldn’t seem to keep my eyes shut. I kind of wanted someone to confide in right now. I couldn’t call my boyfriend because he was a lawyer and would basically read me the rights and wrongs of the law, so that would have been a terrible idea. So I resorted to sleep medicine; the only thing that would help at the moment.

           

            When the morning came I heard Veronica’s voice on the phone. When I came into the kitchen she was just hanging up. I asked her who was on the phone and she didn’t answer right away. It looked like she was thinking about how to answer the question. So I asked her again. She finally said it was her kids, she was telling them that she would be home soon. Again, I got another feeling in my gut, I didn’t like it at all but I went with it. I asked Veronica if her mother knew what happened and she said that she hasn’t told anyone and she didn’t plan on it. She said she just left his body in the middle of the floor in their kitchen. I wanted to see the body.

 

            Veronica took me to her home and when we entered the house it smelled repulsive. I couldn’t help but plug my nose of the smell, after just one day. When we reached the kitchen the sight was gruesome. I’ve never been to the scene of a murder before and I didn’t plan on making this a habit. As soon as I saw the body is when I wanted to leave but I needed Veronica to reenact what had happened exactly so I knew everything. This was to actually make me feel a little bit better about knowing all this, if I knew how it went down exactly. What caught me off guard the most was Veronica the whole time we were here, she didn’t look upset or anything looking down at him. She kind of smirked a little.

 

            This was getting creepy. Also, she couldn’t tell me how it went down again. She said everything was becoming a blur because she felt so bad, and then this was when she remembered to look devastated realizing this was her husband lying in a puddle of dried up blood. “Oh Noreen I don’t know how things got so out of control,” then she walked away. I heard the front door slam; this scene didn’t look right to me. There didn’t look like any sign of struggle. Everything in the kitchen was still intact. Nothing was knocked over and the knife was in his back. There was no way Veronica would have been able to stab him in the back from the front of him, he would have grabbed her before she was capable of reaching around.

 

            I think I needed to do my own investigating. I made my way to the door when I noticed a note sitting under the bowl on the table. I went over, picked it up, and read it. “I hope you will take care of the issue that is keeping me at bay.” This was definitely becoming an interesting story I will admit. What was going on with my best friend? Was there a part of her that I didn’t know about? And if so how didn’t I know? I got out to the car and didn’t say anything about what I found but I could see she looked blank again. The ride back to my place was silent. I had so many questions but the time wasn’t right.

           

`           While we make our way back to my place she didn’t say a word until we passed the police station. “How much time do you think I would have to do if they found out it was me?” I told her that if it was just self defense then I think you would get a slap on the wrist for a first offense. But if it wasn’t then you might do a lot of time. “Why would you say that? “If” it wasn’t self defense.” I was just saying but she got really defensive about it which only made me think even more that this wasn’t an accident. So I just came out with the question. I knew how offended she would be but I had to. “Was this incident really an accident?” She looked at me crazy but gave me an answer. “Yes Noreen, why would I kill my husband on purpose?” It was quiet for a moment before I asked if she had met someone.

 

            Out of the corner of my eye I saw her flinch a little, probably in shock that I would suggest such a thing. “I am not a cheater, and as long as you have known me you should know that.” I apologized because I did know her, if anything she would have said something about the man but she would’ve never acted on it. We continued our drive. I couldn’t help but think I didn’t know what to believe right at this moment. I was conflicted within myself still about the whole situation.

           

            Back at my place again we both sat down and tried to devise a plan about how to execute the situation, debating on going to the police before they found anything or let them find the body giving them a tip off. As we were making these plans I remembered I had a pen in my pocket and I wanted to scribble down some ideas so we could have a list and choose the best option. When I took out the pen though the piece of paper I found fell out, Veronica saw it and her eyes became big. I saw what she was looking at and didn’t say anything at first; but then I was thinking screw it. “What is this Veronica?”

           

“What do you mean?”

“I found this in your house by the door under that bowl.”

“What does it say?”

“’I hope you will take care of the issue that is keeping me at bay.’ Who sent this to you?”

“What makes you think it’s mine?”

“Stop asking me all the questions, that’s what I’m, suppose to be doing to you. And quite frankly you’re not giving me anything. So answer me because I’m getting suspicious.”

“Suspicious of what exactly, Noreen?”

“That this “killing your husband” might not have been an accident.”

“You really think I would do it on purpose?”

“I think you would plan a way to get out of your marriage but I didn’t think this would be the way out. I am your friend and I would have helped you if you would have told me what was going on with you.”

 

            Veronica was speechless, she didn’t know how to respond to what I had just said, which more so confirmed what I was thinking. “Did you meet someone else? Did you want to be with this other person?” Veronica again just sat in silence before she began to open her mouth to say something. But when she did I didn’t know whether to leave the situation alone because I knew too much or if I should shoot someone.

 

            “I did meet a man, a very good one. We went on a few dates and really got to know each other in a short period of time. I knew it was wrong of me because I am married but I couldn’t help the urge to see what it was like to be with someone else who was good to me. Keith stopped being a gentleman awhile ago and he never complimented me anymore. It just seemed like he didn’t love me like when we first met, especially when the beating came into the picture. This other man knew I was married though and I told him that I have a family. He would tell me he didn’t care; he just loved spending time with me so we continued to see one another.”

 

            “After awhile though, he became a little impatient. He said that he was tired of being in the shadows and that if I didn’t love my husband anymore I should leave him. The problem with that was that a part of me still really loved Keith and hoped things would one day go back to when we first met. Silly of me I know but a woman can dream. The other man didn’t understand, he kept threatening to tell Keith if I didn’t. I wouldn’t tell Keith, so the other night when I told you about coming home and the shopping trip to Chicago, some of it was a lie. I did go to Chicago but to meet up with the man to tell him to leave me and my family alone.”

 

            “So then you kill your husband when you get home?” I asked Veronica. “No I didn’t intend for any of that to happen, I kind of wanted to believe everything would go back to normal. When I arrived back home, yes me and my husband argued but it was my fault this time. The other man had beaten me back here and met my husband. He told him everything and when I walked in the door he got to yelling at me. When Keith came towards me to hit me…well that’s when things got out of hand, the other man stabbed him in the back. I didn’t know what to do. I yelled at the other man to leave before I call the cops. He left in a hurry and I just stood there in tears not thinking and wondering how I was going to handle all of this.”

 

            I was more confused than ever. Basically all that has happened in the past two to three days my best friend has told me that she almost cheated on her husband, he has been murdered by her, then turns it around and it was really some strange man. I was in disbelief right now. What to do or say was not clear at the moment. “Veronica I need you to tell me the man’s name. I won’t involve you; I will turn him in myself.”

 

“Noreen you can’t do that he will know it was me who told you and then he will tell the history that I and he had. I will be an accessory. I can’t go to jail and leave my kids all alone with my mother, what life is that for a child?” I just looked at Veronica for a moment before I said that she needed to be a woman about this situation. She couldn’t be scared of this man or he was going to be controlling her every move. I also realized I had to be a good friend here, even if it meant that she would hate me for doing it. “Veronica what is his name? I won’t say anything; I just want to know so that I can help you through the situation.”

 

So when Veronica stopped sobbing she confessed his name and where he lived. Honestly I took that and ran with it. I told her that I had some errands to run and that I would be back later tonight. She made herself comfortable and heated up some of the leftovers from the night before. Before I was fully able to get out the door she said something to me that I wasn’t expecting. “I know this is bad but I have a little sense of relief that I wouldn’t have to be beaten anymore. I don’t want to talk about it but I just wanted to let someone know.” And then I left, straight to the police station.

 

The whole thing was a little more complicated than I thought it would be. The biggest struggle was telling them how I found this information out and them telling me that I could be sent to jail for framing an innocent man. So I had to tell them majority of the truth. I said he was obsessed with my friend and he found out she was married and wanted to deplete the obstacle. The police took my statement and said that we would have to take this to court before anything could be done to the man. I guess I would have to see how this turned out. I am hoping for a satisfying result but I might also lose my best friend, but it was to protect her. All she would have to do is make the same statement.

 

A few weeks went by and no word from the police. I was getting nervous because Veronica wasn’t talking to me because of what I did. She said I put her family and her in danger, which I think she is being a little dramatic about. So I had no idea if the police had contacted her yet about the case or trial date either. I had also talked to my boyfriend and he said that he would defend Veronica if she liked but she kind of disregarded what he had offered because of me. I guess this is what happens when you are faced with a problem that is even too big for you. I never asked to be the person who always is being told others’ issues. They come to me. But I will just have to see how this pans out, but I am feeling kind of a*s out.