Chicken Skin – Chapter XVI

One night, as Arthur was already in bed, to the the great astonishment of Antoine who had ended up, in desperation, and because he had regained more control over his own freedom, to show a certain detachment with regard to Judith, she offered herself to him.

Had she worried because of the kind of disregard, which she couldn’t uncover the meaning of, that Antoine recently displayed with her? Did she have remorse or did she simply wanted her husband again?

Antoine didn’t ask himself so many questions. He just seized the advantage as it came.

In fact, Judith, after she had entered into a ratio of power that, at the end, had become totally inextricable, and that had revealed itself to be indubitably a dead-end, simply had become aware that Antoine, by dint of being inexorably rejected, could get tired and end up to extremities she didn’t wish to see materialized: she became frightened that Antoine finally take a mistress and think about leaving her.

Judith didn’t want that her husband slip from her grasp for good. She perfectly knew that he needed to maintain a sexuality as high as his vitality. He tired her, but she had finally understood that it was time for her to accept to share a bed that she had deserted for too long.

In the morning, Antoine left the house to go to work, a little lighter, a little happier than he used to.

Judith, during the night, had shown herself pleasant, almost infatuated. She gave to him unrestrainedly what he hadn’t got from her for a time that had seemed to him like forever.

As is was one of the days which evening was kept for Christine, he joined her after an ordinary busy day at work.

His happiness, his spirit surprised Christine. Antoine was always dynamic, lively; he had never seemed happy to her though.

Antoine didn’t tell her about the reason of the change in his mood. He knew that women could show themselves possessive and didn’t want to take the risk to bring about a scene of which he knew he wouldn’t bear neither the content nor the kind of fierceness.

At bottom, since Antoine had reason to congratulate himself for the way his business was improving, that would be far enough to explain his found happiness.  By the bye, Christine didn’t look any further than the explanation that Antoine gave her as she had told him about her awareness. That evening, she also simply showed herself happier than she usually was.

Judith had obviously decided to make a fresh start in her relationship with her husband.

During the days that followed their reconciliation, that she had initiated, she began to show herself more accommodating, more pleasant, and, above all, she had been back into the conjugal bed.

He felt relieved. The arguments with his wife had sapped his will even if he always had held his course.

He didn’t really feel totally confident though. At all time, he was expecting that Judith, whose unpredictable mood he knew well, without warning, get back to the hostilities, refuse again to share the conjugal bed.

In the meanwhile, he was taking things as he used to: just as they came, without really trying to understand the real causes of Judith’s change of attitude. By the bye, he didn’t have much time during his days, to lend himself to that type of exercise in thinking. He was a bit more happy and that was enough for him. When the tension would start again he would bear and wait till the next respite. He then was convinced that Judith didn’t want either that they split.