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        Susan heard the sound of car doors slamming and went to the front door to see who was outside.  Max was helping a dark haired girl from his car, and a young couple was getting out of a car parked behind Max.  What was going on and who were these people?  Max swung the door open and invited the strangers in, offering them a beer as they entered the house. 

            “Sue, get them a beer before you sit down,” Max told her.

            The dark haired girl waved her fingers at Susan, “Hi, I’m Carmen.” 

            Susan gave her a wan smile.  “Hi.” was all she could manage in response.  Her stomach was in knots, and her throat was tight and dry.  She had a gut feeling she knew who Carmen was.  The perfume she was wearing smelled very familiar.

            Susan handed beers all around and took a seat out of the way, listening to the chatter around her.  She saw the way Max kept looking at Carmen, and his looks were returned with interest.  Max began grumbling about work, and before Susan could blink, Carmen was standing behind him massaging his shoulders.  Smiling at Susan, she said, “I guess if you can’t take care of your husband, I’ll have to.” 

            Susan’s throat tightened to the point where she couldn’t even whisper.  She felt like she’d been sucker-punched in the gut.  Thankfully, she heard little Max cry from his nursery and left to tend to him.  She stayed in his room to feed and rock him, and waited for him to go back to sleep.  He could hear the voices and laughter and didn’t want any part of sleeping.  “Little Max, I love you with every part of me, but I wish I could die.  I’m so tired of living.  It’s just too hard,” Susan whispered.  

            He started wiggling and screaming, trying to get down and join the party.  Susan held him firmly on her lap trying to get him back to sleep.  The nursery door opened and Carmen stepped inside.  She took little Max from Susan’s arms and began to coo and talk to him.  In just a few minutes, he was sound asleep.

            “I guess if you can’t take care of little Max I’ll have to take care of him, too,” Carmen said sweetly.

            Susan was stunned.  It took several minutes to compose herself enough to rejoin the party.  She sat in a corner, out of the way, and was quiet the rest of the evening.  Her heart was heavy.  Her life wasn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, but it was all she had and she could feel it slipping away. 

            The party broke up about midnight and Carmen left with the young couple.  Max grabbed Susan by the arm.  “Just what the hell was that?” he asked, snarling.

            “What?” Susan responded, her eyes wide with fear.

            “You know what I’m talking about!  You were so rude to my friends that I wanted to just slap your face right in front of them!”

            Something snapped inside of Susan and all the bitterness and anger came pouring out.  “If you want to impress your girlfriend, you need to take her somewhere else because I’m not going to be her servant.  I’m sick and tired of putting up with your shit!”

            Susan felt the blows landing on her face, head, and body.  She put her hands up in front of her face, but it did no good.  Blood was flowing from her mouth and her eyes began to swell, but still Max continued to beat her.  She crumpled into a heap on the floor and he began to kick her.  As she was losing consciousness, she began to pray for death.  Please let me die, God.  I’m tired of living like this.  I don’t want to hurt any more.  Please let me die.

 

            Ceres looked down upon Susan, concern etching her face.  “Janus, I think she’s had enough.  She’s begging for death.  I say we let her have her wish.”

            “Fortuna certainly hasn’t held up her part of the bargain.  This poor child has known nothing but heartache.  I, too, think we should grant her plea,” Janus replied.

            “Don’t blame me for her misery!” Fortuna sniffed.  “I granted her some blessings when the opportunity arose, but you know I don’t intercede against free will.  Let her soul find rest if you want….she’ll certainly never find it there.”

 

            Max opened a beer in the kitchen as Susan lay quietly on the floor, blood pooling around her.  There wasn’t a place on her body that didn’t hurt with unbelievable pain.  With her last conscious thought she prayed, please take care of my baby.  And as her heartbeat stopped, the pain went away and she felt a peace she’d never known before.  After living through hell on earth, her soul was finally free.