After emerging from the shower then drying herself, Debbie wrapped herself in her towel before walking into the bedroom. David was already in bed, obviously nervous as he waited for her. His backpack had already been packed and loaded into his Jeep Wagoneer along with their children's backpacks and other camping gear for their three day weekend expedition to the desert.
Debbie lifted her own suitcase onto the bed. It was larger and heavier than the overnight bag that she had packed for her second Friday. She opened it to once again just to check her own preparations for the weekend. Her sundresses, tank tops, bikinis and other beachwear for her own weekend were all ready to go. She needed to pack only one more item. She reached for her CycleBeads. She struggled to remain calm as she advanced the marker ring from the twelfth bead to the thirteenth. She could feel her husband's eyes on her as she then put her beads in her suitcase. He said nothing as she nervously closed it and latched her suitcase.
David finally spoke as Debbie was setting her suitcase down on the floor. "You seem to be packed for the weekend, not just another Friday night." Given their situation, his demeanor was amazingly calm. There was no hint of the impending violence that she might have expected.
Wanting to defuse tension, Debbie shed her towel then slipped into bed nude rather than put a nightgown on. She hugged her husband then kissed him. She finally said, "I figured that since you were taking the kids camping, I would make a weekend of this Friday night."