Walter dragged himself from his car to the door. He tried the door handle and it opened. He dumped his laptop on the sofa and went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face.

He was groggy with sleep – he’d been up for 35 hours, relying on caffeine to keep him awake. He staggered to the sofa and slumped in it, having decided he was too tired to contend with Gina that night.

It seemed he had hardly shut his eyes than he felt someone shaking him awake. It was Gina. He took a glance at his wrist-watch and discovered he had slept for eight hours.

‘Hi, Hon,’ he said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized he had said the wrong thing. Her face clouded over instantly.

‘Don’t you call me Hon,’ she screamed, arms akimbo. ‘Not after spending a night with that bitch of a secretary you’ve got.’

‘I’ve told you before Gina  – there’s nothing going on between us,’ he said wearily.

Her palm connected with his cheek, knocking him over. ‘I’m not a fool – okay?’

None of them noticed the door open slowly as someone let herself in.

He rubbed his jaw slowly, watching her carefully. She knew he would try to run away and she studied his movements to ensure she caught him before he could. Instead of making a dash for it, his face lit up.

‘Hi Laura,’ he said.

His wife turned on her heel and lifted her chin defiantly.

‘I don’t want you meddling – do you understand?’ she shook her finger in Laura’s face.

‘Hey,’ he said, ‘Let her alone, will you?’

She gave him a backhand slap accross the mouth.

‘I didn’t ask for your opinion.’ she said.

‘Watch it,’ he said in a very low tone. ‘I’m beginning to think I’ve had enough of this.’

For a while she was speechless – this nobody she beat up everyday was telling her to “watch it”.

She struck out at him. He seized her hand in midair and threw her accross the room. She hit her head against the wall and went out like a light.

When she came to, her head was in Laura’s lap. She struggled to sit up but Laura held her down.

‘Calm down. I’m trying to stop the bleeding.’

‘Where’s Walter?’ she asked.

‘Over there,’ Laura nodded.

He was still sitting on the sofa but his face was buried in his hands.

‘You know,’ said Laura. ‘He’s very strong. He was always scared he would hurt someone when he was angry – that’s why he…’

‘That doesn’t explain what he’s doing with his secretary!’ Gina cut her off in mid-sentence.

‘There’s nothing going on between him and his secretary. He volunteered for more work because he doesn’t want to come home,’ Laura explained softly. ‘Besides, he knows about you and Andy.’

Gina went through nine shades of pink, then turned pale.

‘Why didn’t he say?’ she whispered.

‘He wasn’t sure he could control his emotions,’ Laura replied. ‘He almost killed someone once in a fit of anger when he was only sixteen.’

‘What’s he going to do… I mean about me and Andy?’ Gina whispered.

‘Why don’t you go on and ask him?’ Laura urged. ‘I think I should leave you both together. Just remember that he still loves you.’

With those words, she was gone.