Reality Check (3/3)
Okay now, I finished it. Not really what I wanted when I started it but at least I didn't leave it unfinished. Great thanks to Diane who helped me through this even if the lousy plot is only my fault!
Not sure if anyone would read it, anyway enjoy!
Chapter Three
The lunch went smoothly with both women trying to chat lightly. They were savoring the dessert when Catherine’s phone rang.
Catherine immediately recognized the caller ID. It was Grissom. She excused herself and went outside to answer.
“Hey! I think I told you to come by. Why are you at the phone?”
“I just don’t think it would do any good for Sara and me to talk now. I’m going to leave tonight. I left a letter for Sara at home. We’ll talk when we see each other next month. We both need time. I’ll phone her as soon as I arrive at the site.”
“Are you trying to say you want to leave her? With a letter? Oh, Gil…”, why are you telling me this?
“It’s something I have to do. I know you can’t understand.”
“Really? What could make you think this, Gil?” Catherine’s best sarcastic tone underlined her disappointment. She squeezed her eyes as she slowly shook her head, then took a long breath to cool down (to calm herself and clear her mind) and continued, “You have already made up your mind on this, haven’t you? Why can’t you see what you’re doing to her, to both of you?” Catherine left him the time to reply, but as she already knew, he chose to stay silent. Go figure!
“Gil, please, talk to her. You claim to love her, but you don’t act as if you do. Just an intellectual bond, even if it’s a very strong one, is not enough to make a marriage work, above all if you live in different countries, when not continents. There is passion, yes, but there is also that feeling of serenity and protection that you know you will find at home after long exhausting hours at work. A phone call, as intimate as it can be, will never be enough.”
“Catherine…”
“I’ve known you for enough time to know you won’t change your mind, at least not now. But I hope you’ll mull over my words and your feelings and realize that you’re being an ass. Anyway you should at least call Sara. And remember, she’s too young to sleep alone every night. I have to go, she’s waiting. Bye,” Catherine coldly added and hung up the phone. She took a long breath as she pinched her nose. Grissom… you would think that getting older would make you wiser, or at least more aware of how the world turns… but obviously it wasn’t Grissom’s case. She eventually shrugged the thought away and went back inside.
“Was it him?” Sara asked as soon as Catherine walked through the door.
Catherine hid her surprise and, recollecting quickly, decided to be honest, “Yes, it was Gil.”
“I looked at my phone, just to know if it was working… or if I missed any calls, but everything is right, so.. why did he phone you?” Sara’s seemed genuinely curious.
Because he is an ass. Catherine bit her tongue and went for the coffee pot. “Coffee?” she finally asked.
“Anything stronger?” Sara replied, aware of Catherine’s need to collect her thoughts before answering her question.
“Yeah, better. There are a few bottles in the cupboard in the living room,” Catherine said as she led the way toward the furniture. “Choose your poison. I’ll go for a glass of Jack Daniels. We still have hours before shift.”
“Me too.”
“Here it is,” Catherine said as she handed the amber glass to the other woman. “Let’s take a seat; I think I’ll need it soon.”
An almost ironic smile appeared on Sara's face. Catherine thought she would soon need a seat, as if she was the one who was going to hear some upsetting news about marriage.
“Listen, Sara,” the older woman said, looking warmly at her friend, “If you want to go, I won’t stop you. I had just told him to come here after lunch. I thought you needed to talk. I wanted him to see what he was doing to you, to your relationship…”
“He just called you to say he wouldn’t come, didn't he?” Sara interrupted her friend.
“Yeah,” Catherine confirmed and took a sip from the glass she had been toying with since they had sat down.
Sara took a moment to take in the words and get the implications, then looked at her friend and promptly asked, “Is he going to break it up?”
Catherine studied her friend for a few seconds before answering. Sara was hiding her emotions pretty well, but her whitening knuckles clenching the glass gave her anxiety away. Honesty, Sara deserved it.
“Not sure about it. I think he wants to take some time off, but you should ask him,” the older woman replied.
Sara drank what was left in her glass in one gulp and put it on the coffee table.
“Maybe it’s just what we need,” Sara stated as she lifted her eyes from the so interesting glass.
“Are you serious?” Catherine asked, surprised.
“Yeah. We can’t go on this way. It’s consuming us, it’s consuming me.”
“You’re terribly detached. You’re scaring me. You won’t get mad now and trash everything, will you?” Catherine asked, a little worried.
“No, don’t worry,” Sara said as a little smile crept her lips. “I know you don’t understand. I’m not sure I understand myself, but we are this messed-up couple with enormous relationship and communication problems. We just don’t function like other people do.”
“Again... I give up! You’re alike. Do you and your husband think I’m so obtuse? Gil told me the same words.”
“Quite the opposite. We are the impaired ones. Where you face things openly, we just stuck our heads in the sand. We tend to always complicate things. The easier way never worked for us,” Sara stated.
“I got it-you’re masochists, both of you,” Catherine said, lifting her hands in surrender and then added, “Just remember I’m here if you need anything. Even if I can’t understand, I can lend you an ear.”
“Thank you, Catherine. I think it’s better if I go now.”
Catherine walked Sara to the door.
“See you tonight then.”
“Yeah, later.”
Catherine waited until Sara reached her car and started the engine, then closed the door. She had thought that maybe she had been wrong, that they could have made it work, that their marriage wasn’t a ticking bomb. But people hardly change. Those last hours helped her realize she couldn’t help them as a couple. She would have to sit down and see what they will decide to do about their marriage. Meanwhile she would keep an eye on Sara, pick the right moment to push her to open up again and be sure that she wouldn’t burn herself out. And Grissom be damned! He could keep living in his hermetically sealed world with his books and his bugs--at least until he would realize that words, above all those never said, can hurt more than actions.
Not sure if anyone would read it, anyway enjoy!
Chapter Three
The lunch went smoothly with both women trying to chat lightly. They were savoring the dessert when Catherine’s phone rang.
Catherine immediately recognized the caller ID. It was Grissom. She excused herself and went outside to answer.
“Hey! I think I told you to come by. Why are you at the phone?”
“I just don’t think it would do any good for Sara and me to talk now. I’m going to leave tonight. I left a letter for Sara at home. We’ll talk when we see each other next month. We both need time. I’ll phone her as soon as I arrive at the site.”
“Are you trying to say you want to leave her? With a letter? Oh, Gil…”, why are you telling me this?
“It’s something I have to do. I know you can’t understand.”
“Really? What could make you think this, Gil?” Catherine’s best sarcastic tone underlined her disappointment. She squeezed her eyes as she slowly shook her head, then took a long breath to cool down (to calm herself and clear her mind) and continued, “You have already made up your mind on this, haven’t you? Why can’t you see what you’re doing to her, to both of you?” Catherine left him the time to reply, but as she already knew, he chose to stay silent. Go figure!
“Gil, please, talk to her. You claim to love her, but you don’t act as if you do. Just an intellectual bond, even if it’s a very strong one, is not enough to make a marriage work, above all if you live in different countries, when not continents. There is passion, yes, but there is also that feeling of serenity and protection that you know you will find at home after long exhausting hours at work. A phone call, as intimate as it can be, will never be enough.”
“Catherine…”
“I’ve known you for enough time to know you won’t change your mind, at least not now. But I hope you’ll mull over my words and your feelings and realize that you’re being an ass. Anyway you should at least call Sara. And remember, she’s too young to sleep alone every night. I have to go, she’s waiting. Bye,” Catherine coldly added and hung up the phone. She took a long breath as she pinched her nose. Grissom… you would think that getting older would make you wiser, or at least more aware of how the world turns… but obviously it wasn’t Grissom’s case. She eventually shrugged the thought away and went back inside.
“Was it him?” Sara asked as soon as Catherine walked through the door.
Catherine hid her surprise and, recollecting quickly, decided to be honest, “Yes, it was Gil.”
“I looked at my phone, just to know if it was working… or if I missed any calls, but everything is right, so.. why did he phone you?” Sara’s seemed genuinely curious.
Because he is an ass. Catherine bit her tongue and went for the coffee pot. “Coffee?” she finally asked.
“Anything stronger?” Sara replied, aware of Catherine’s need to collect her thoughts before answering her question.
“Yeah, better. There are a few bottles in the cupboard in the living room,” Catherine said as she led the way toward the furniture. “Choose your poison. I’ll go for a glass of Jack Daniels. We still have hours before shift.”
“Me too.”
“Here it is,” Catherine said as she handed the amber glass to the other woman. “Let’s take a seat; I think I’ll need it soon.”
An almost ironic smile appeared on Sara's face. Catherine thought she would soon need a seat, as if she was the one who was going to hear some upsetting news about marriage.
“Listen, Sara,” the older woman said, looking warmly at her friend, “If you want to go, I won’t stop you. I had just told him to come here after lunch. I thought you needed to talk. I wanted him to see what he was doing to you, to your relationship…”
“He just called you to say he wouldn’t come, didn't he?” Sara interrupted her friend.
“Yeah,” Catherine confirmed and took a sip from the glass she had been toying with since they had sat down.
Sara took a moment to take in the words and get the implications, then looked at her friend and promptly asked, “Is he going to break it up?”
Catherine studied her friend for a few seconds before answering. Sara was hiding her emotions pretty well, but her whitening knuckles clenching the glass gave her anxiety away. Honesty, Sara deserved it.
“Not sure about it. I think he wants to take some time off, but you should ask him,” the older woman replied.
Sara drank what was left in her glass in one gulp and put it on the coffee table.
“Maybe it’s just what we need,” Sara stated as she lifted her eyes from the so interesting glass.
“Are you serious?” Catherine asked, surprised.
“Yeah. We can’t go on this way. It’s consuming us, it’s consuming me.”
“You’re terribly detached. You’re scaring me. You won’t get mad now and trash everything, will you?” Catherine asked, a little worried.
“No, don’t worry,” Sara said as a little smile crept her lips. “I know you don’t understand. I’m not sure I understand myself, but we are this messed-up couple with enormous relationship and communication problems. We just don’t function like other people do.”
“Again... I give up! You’re alike. Do you and your husband think I’m so obtuse? Gil told me the same words.”
“Quite the opposite. We are the impaired ones. Where you face things openly, we just stuck our heads in the sand. We tend to always complicate things. The easier way never worked for us,” Sara stated.
“I got it-you’re masochists, both of you,” Catherine said, lifting her hands in surrender and then added, “Just remember I’m here if you need anything. Even if I can’t understand, I can lend you an ear.”
“Thank you, Catherine. I think it’s better if I go now.”
Catherine walked Sara to the door.
“See you tonight then.”
“Yeah, later.”
Catherine waited until Sara reached her car and started the engine, then closed the door. She had thought that maybe she had been wrong, that they could have made it work, that their marriage wasn’t a ticking bomb. But people hardly change. Those last hours helped her realize she couldn’t help them as a couple. She would have to sit down and see what they will decide to do about their marriage. Meanwhile she would keep an eye on Sara, pick the right moment to push her to open up again and be sure that she wouldn’t burn herself out. And Grissom be damned! He could keep living in his hermetically sealed world with his books and his bugs--at least until he would realize that words, above all those never said, can hurt more than actions.