#fastandfurious | The Ink Well Fast and Furious Festival - Day Four

William had fallen in love with Cécile by singing beautiful old songs to her. It was accompanied by a clean-sounding acoustic guitar that, before Cécile's eyes, William seemed to make people talk.

The two young men had a peaceful courtship, behind were the memories of old conquests. When they married they seemed to have been born for each other.

When they had their first pregnancy they were pleasantly surprised by
the news that a couple of males were on the way. During those months they saw the need for William to commit to a second job. He had been working in a college as a music teacher. He received an offer to work with a string group at a nightclub. The guitarist had resigned. William found the proposal interesting, accepted immediately and brought the news to Cécile.

The woman saw the excitement in her husband's eyes at the prospect of a more artistic job than teaching and had no heart to object.

A year and a half later the relationship between them showed signs of fracture. Gradually they had gotten used to being without each other. Cécile spent her time taking care of the twins and housework, and William divided himself between his work as a teacher and his night work.

When, in the wee hours of the morning, a smell of tobacco and alcohol came home with him. There were no more love songs for Cécile, the romantic young man of another time was turning into a bohemian man who seemed eager for the weekend hours to pass to return to the bar where he worked.

Sometimes Cécile would sit next to him and tell him about her loneliness and the tremendous effort she made to take care of the children. He listened to her attentively, but unable to make promises that he could not keep, he only limited himself to hugging her. She felt him cry but knew that a great force was separating them.

When Cécile came to the conclusion that she couldn't help him, she began to wonder about herself. The twins were three years old, she could already have some time for her, when she dropped them off in kindergarten. He got a job and gradually grew stronger.

During the intermission of their performances, William thought of her, while he held a glass, absently. He imagined her beautiful, and courted, at the electronics company where Cécile worked and saw himself as despicable, unworthy. He was brought out of that state by the loud applause after his performances. He felt on an emotional slide. He could barely maintain the necessary form to continue teaching at the school.

The jealousy episodes began to become more frequent. The night was, once an escape from his torment, the propitious environment to feed his imagination. He had fallen into a vicious circle that fed on insistent fantasies.
One night, spurred on by alcohol, he decided to surprise Cécile. He had called her and she was not answering the phone.

He came quietly, opened the bedroom door, and found Cecile awake. He was treating the fever of one of his sons. He listened to instrumental music at a low volume. The beautiful songs that William played for her.

William's anger disappeared in that instant. Leaning against the wall, he seemed to be asking for help. With the look of a child he said simply "I'm afraid."

Cécile came over, hugged him, and cried with him.