Costly Confusion

Abruptly breaking out into another sob of angst just like she had earlier that day, she let out a doomful, "SHAME on me!!"

Donna steadied herself to her feet and began walking past Val out the door.

"Excuse me..." whispered Donna. "I can't think straight right now. I gotta take a leak."

***

September 18th, 11:24 p.m.

After her bathroom excursion, Donna didn't come right back to the bedroom, and Val couldn't blame her. They both needed a little time alone to think about things. She went down to the laundry room instead, found the clean clothes Valerie had put in the dryer, found enough of hers to accessorize a passable outfit, and put it on.

Time passed. The sun closed the day and the moon lit up the night. The city lived its usual nightlife, just another evening right before fall. Trees rustled, leaves yellowing. Streetlights beamed. Traffic lights turned red, green, yellow and red again. Rain fell into the later night hours, drizzling down to none, leaving rainbow reflections on the pavement and in the clouds.

But the rainbow above 301 NW 3rd Avenue remained broken and invisible.

After Valerie realized Donna wasn't coming back from the bathroom, she crawled to the closet. She cried all over again as her eyes fell on the Fantasy Files, thinking she had probably tainted all the symbols of their love that meant so much as this. She dug into a box where some of her old toys were kept and pulled out a ratty old teddy bear with a red scarf around its neck. She got herself up into the bed and lay, hugging the bear to her face and torso for comfort, crying innumerable tears on its head.

Oh, why didn't I just ask her, Walter? she silently wept to the bear. Why didn't I just talk to her about it, instead of...of...

She felt another wave of tears come on as she heard Donna's Beetle start up and pull away. Valerie didn't know where she was going; she had only to figure Donna felt she needed some time away from her. What a shambles. Twenty-four hours ago, they were the two happiest wives on the planet. Now for all she knew, things could be over tomorrow.

Donna had needed some time away. She'd gone to visit her parents for a few hours. But she didn't think she could bear to spend the entire night away from her wife, so she headed back home about an hour before midnight. When she returned home, Valerie was lying in bed, asleep, hugging her teddy bear. After she had a little snack, she traversed the house, and finally made her way back around to the bedroom, and sat on the bed beside her sweetheart. Her soft breath eventually woke Valerie up.

"Hm?" she blinked.

Donna gently stroked her cheek. "Sweetie..." she whispered.

"Donna?"

She nodded. "I'm home, hon."

Valerie sat up to hug her. "Oh, I'm so glad."

"Val...do you know what I was just doing a minute ago? I was walking around our home. And taking it all in. All the beauty that we created together in this ordinary building. I love this house, Valerie. And I love being married to you. What we have is extraordinary. I know it means as much to you as it does to me. And I thought...it must have been so scary and horrible for you thinking this awful thing happened to us. And I just hate that you had that kind of day. I'm so, so sorry you went through that."

Valerie began crying again. "Oh...I'm the one who's sorry. I should have trusted you. I'm a terrible wife."

Donna hugged her. "No, you're not. You are an overcautious wife. There's a difference. It's just the way your mind works. The only thing that hurt me was that you wouldn't believe me. But we can work it all out. We can work everything out together."

Valerie looked back up into her hazel eyes, her own green eyes pooling with hope and love. "Together?"

"Forever. Valerie...my bride...our love is invincible. It can overcome anything. You taught me that. Do you remember? Last year when we stayed up all night, and had our first fight? You told me we'll have fights because we love each other so much."

Valerie smiled for the first time in twelve hours. Her arms slipped around Donna as they laid down in bed side by side.

"I'm so sorry I doubted your love for me, honey," Valerie whispered into Donna's neck. "I never will again. I love you."

As the clock struck midnight, and the angels fell asleep in each other's arms, above the one-story red and blue house on the corner at 301 NW 3rd Avenue, the fresh, pristine rainbow arched anew, eternally watching over Valerie and Donna O'Hanlon.