Читать книгу Brainstorm - Sheldon J.D. Cohen - Страница 10

George continued with his prescribed medication until he was symptom-free, then stopped cold turkey. He finished Worthey’s deck, and was delighted with the extra income, most of which he and Gail lavished on their children. Nevertheless, the abdominal pain returned and he refilled his prescription without telling Gail.

The following Saturday, he was free, so he took his family to a movie. Amanda was well behaved and attentive, but when Megan persisted in walking up and down the aisles, he became enraged. He tried first to scold Megan and then held her on his lap to placate her. Nothing worked, so Gail grabbed the child by the hand and led her out to the lobby, hoping to keep her occupied and away from her agitated father. She did everything she could to keep his environment serene but his strange behavior made her tense. She was wrong; things were not getting better.

On their way home from the movie, Gail noticed George driving in the wrong direction.

“Where are you going?”

His mouth fell open as he stared straight ahead. “Home,” he said.

“But you’re going the wrong way.”

He made no comment, just continued staring out the window.

“Stop,” she shouted. “We’re getting farther away from the house.” The tires screeched to a halt as he slammed on the brakes and pulled over.

“I’ll be dammed,” he mumbled under his breath. He saw a look of fear on his wife’s face. Moments later, he restarted the engine and stepped on the accelerator.

“That’s what I get for thinking too many thoughts at the same time,” he muttered. Gail kept still. She looked away so as not to let him see her worried expression. He was driving in the right direction now, and she did not want to create a scene in front of the children. Not until after they were home and the kids were out of hearing range did she attempt to speak with him.

“What’s going on? You’re forgetting things, you lose control, you get angry for no reason, and I don’t even recognize you anymore. You’re scaring me. I don’t know what to expect.” She was trembling. She stopped to regain control. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply before continuing. “What on earth is happening? I’m making another doctor’s appointment for you. You never went back to Dr. Crowell, and you never got those tests like you promised.”

“I don’t need any tests. I got better, and the pain never came back,” he lied.

“Yeah? Then something else’s going on. You’re different now. I’m scared to say anything or I’ll set you off. What you’re doing is nuts. Don’t you care about your health?”

“Drop it.” he yelled. “You’re making a federal case out of a wrong turn. I know my way home.”

His anger was unsettling, and Gail felt she was losing him. This metamorphosis had been so insidious she didn’t know how to react. Her mind was hoping it would be a temporary aberration that would soon disappear. Her one remaining tool was her vigilance. She would need to remain on guard. Why was he so irrational? Was his illness making him this way?

The following Saturday they went marketing as a family. They each took one daughter as a passenger in their grocery cart, something both girls relished. Then, they went their respective ways with a separate list of items.

While Gail was at the dairy counter, she thought she heard loud voices. Seconds later, she heard the sounds of cans crashing down onto the supermarket floor. That would have been bad enough, but what really alarmed her was the piercing sound of a crying child: Megan! She rushed in the direction of her daughter’s voice.

Several male employees were also hurrying to investigate. By the time she arrived at the scene, she saw George rolling on the floor with another man, their hands and feet flying in all directions. His face contorted with rage. A nearby employee rushed to telephone the police, and three others tried to separate the two combatants. She screamed at her husband and rushed to his side, but he never saw her. At that moment, he was too busy fighting off the three employees who were attempting to hold him back. The other man needed no restraining. Finally, George calmed down, but only with Gail’s prodding. When a uniformed officer appeared on the scene, George appeared dazed.

“Is everything okay now?” asked Officer Doherty, shaking his head with disbelief as he regarded the spectacle.

“Things have calmed down here now,” replied the store manager.

“What happened?” asked Doherty.

“These two guys got into a fight in the aisle,” replied the manager.

George was sullen and remained mute, but his opponent spoke up. “This crazy guy he attack me,” he said, pointing a finger at George.

“He hit me first,” snapped George.

“Alright, alright. Hold on. One at a time. You. What happened?” demanded Doherty of George’s opponent.

“My cart hit back of his foot. It was accident. Then this crazy guy he turn and swing at me. He throw me on floor.”

“What’s your name?” asked Doherty.

“Alberto Arroyo.”

Doherty turned to face George. “What do you say?”

George looked away.

“I’m talking to you,” barked Doherty.

“Answer him, George,” cried Gail. The tone of her voice seemed to shock him back to reality.

“Yeah, his cart hit me. It hurt like hell.”

“What’s your name?” demanded Doherty.

“George Gilmer.”

Doherty confronted him. “Did you hit him first?”

When George failed to answer, Arroyo spoke for him. “Yeah, he hit me first.”

“Any witnesses to the start of this fight?” asked the officer. By now, a crowd of curious spectators had gathered, but not one had witnessed the start of the incident.

“We just heard screams, and a crying child, and some cans crashing to the floor,” replied the store manager.

Doherty took detailed notes. “Is there going to be more trouble here?” he asked.

“No.” answered Arroyo. George remained silent. Gail forced herself to remain calm as she interjected on his behalf. “I’m Mrs. Gilmer, sir, and that’s my husband,” she said, pointing to George. “He’s never been in trouble with the police before.”

“Well, ma’am, he’s in trouble now if he refuses to answer my questions.” Returning his attention to George, he asked again, “Did you strike the first blow?”

He swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. I guess I did. Just lost it.”

“Do you lose it very often?”

“No, no sir,” he stammered.

Gail stared wide-eyed at her husband. She didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or scared to death, or both.

George’s expression softened and, for the first time, he seemed alert. “Sorry,” he said.

Officer Doherty was now eager to wind things up. “Both of you finish your shopping, pay the tab, and get out of here. There better not be any more trouble. I’m gonna stay put for a while, just to make sure.” Turning to Arroyo, Doherty continued, “If you want to press charges, sir, you’ll need to come down to the station.”

“Let’s go,” said Gail, still shaken. She paid the bill and insisted that George sit alongside her while she drove home. She could not trust him behind the wheel. For the moment, at least, she was unconcerned about the girls’ welfare. They were playing in the rear seat.

Back home, with the children in the back yard, she wept. “Now, do you believe me that you’ve changed? Who are you, anyhow? Tell me!” she insisted. “What’s happened? I don’t recognize you anymore.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

George went pale. Perhaps for the first time he recognized her desolation, but felt powerless to help. “I just lost it,” he said, his voice above a whisper. “It’s okay.”

“No. Nothing’s okay anymore. Something’s wrong, and you better admit it.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry? That guy might press charges.”

“But he didn’t get hurt,” he said.

“Oh? You assaulted him. Don’t you understand what you did? You have never done anything like that in your whole life. You’ve got to see Dr. Crowell. Enough.” Gail could no longer contain herself. She started weeping. From time to time, she reached out to touch George’s hand.

Never before had he witnessed his wife in such a state, yet he realized he needed to act.

“Okay, okay,” he said. “Set up the appointment, but you’re wasting your time.”

She knew that he was in denial, and insisted on accompanying him to the doctor’s office. She also arranged for her mother to baby-sit the girls.