Page 48 of The 158-Pound Marriage

'And she put him to bed.'

'No, no ...'

'Apparently,' Utch said, her voice - mocking - imitating Edith's voice, 'he couldn't get up for it, he never rose to the occasion.'

'I don't believe any of this,' I said. 'Edith seduced Bender? It couldn't have happened!'

'Maybe she told him it was the coach's orders,' Utch said. 'Maybe she said it would relax him. Anyway, she told me he was unable to.'

'She's lying,' I said.

'Maybe she is,' Utch said. 'I don't know.'

'Yes, you do,' I said. 'Go on.'

'So Severin came back to the motel and found them together.'

'I don't believe--'

'And Bender was very hangdog about the whole thing.'

'"Hangdog!"' I cried. 'Good Christ ...'

'I mean, he'd been unable to do it with Edith, and he'd let his coach down ... I suppose that's what he thought.'

'Bullshit!' I screamed.

'And the next night just before the match, Severin told Bender, "I hope you get your ass knocked off." And Severin sat in the coach's chair and watched the match in an absolutely emotionless way. So Bender lost, of course.'

'And I suppose Edith sat in the balcony and waved a pennant and cheered her heart out!' I hollered. 'Oh, come on!'

'Do you know what Edith said to Severin?' Utch asked. 'She said, "Now we're even, if you still think being even matters."'

'And I suppose Severin decided that he'd had enough of wrestling and resigned?'

'Right.'

'Wrong,' I said. 'Edith's a lousy storyteller, or you are.'

'Edith thinks you're a lousy writer,' Utch said. 'She doesn't believe you can teach her a thing.'

'Did she say that?' I asked. But Utch just put her head down and sighed, and I knew that was all I was going to hear.

'Severin told you that,' I said. 'Edith wouldn't say that about me.' But when Utch lifted her face, she was crying.

'Don't you see?' she asked. 'It just gets uglier. We've stopped it, but we can't stop it. It just goes on and on. You shouldn't let it.'

'Utch, come here,' I said. I went toward her but she ran from me.

'You haven't even noticed what's wrong!' she screamed.

'What!'

'I can't come,' she cried. I stared at her. 'I can't come!'

'Well, you don't have to shout about it,' I said. She ran out the door into the yard yelling, 'I can't come! I can't come! I can't come!' Then she went into our bedroom and sprawled on our bed and cried. I left her alone.

I called Severin and said, 'Look, how are you two getting along? Utch told me.'

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