I'd asked her more than once why she chose me. She always smiled and said, "Because you're good to me."
"I can tell. You genuinely like me."
Four years together, and I gave her everything she asked for. I never dared ask too much of her in return.
When we got married, her family's demands were steep, but my parents and I did our best to meet every one of them.
Marrying her was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.
But everything changed three years ago, when Elaine got laid off.
"Charles, why don't I just come work at your company?"
"With you looking out for me, I can find something easy and focus on getting pregnant."
To get her into the company, I spent weeks drinking with my supervisor after hours. I nearly ended up in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer.
I finally secured her a spot as a team leader in the sales department.
"Most of the client work is handled by Mr. Gray personally, so you won't be too busy. It's a pretty cushy gig."
At first, Elaine really wasn't busy.
We exercised together to prepare for the pregnancy, drank herbal supplements together to get our bodies in shape.
But it wasn't long before I noticed the drinking.