Cereal Punishments

 

 

Mirsky knew that Elaine was angry with him because she left Rice Krispies next to his cereal bowl and he never ate Rice Krispies. He was a Corn Flakes man. He wondered what he could have done to her this time. Of course she wouldn’t tell him but she would be F & F, friendly and frosty until he apologized for whatever heinous act he had committed this time. He switched cereals, ate his breakfast and then went and showered while Elaine slept.    

 

I’m sorry Mirsky said when he came out of the shower and into the bedroom. Elaine had her running outfit on and was tying her sneaker. Whatever for, darling? What on earth would you be apologizing for so early in the day?    

 

You know, he said and began dressing for work. Elaine kissed him lightly, slipped her hand in his shorts, smiled and said, silly goose and off she went.    

 

This was going to be a tough one, Mirsky thought, and realized he was going to pay big time for whatever wrong or slight he’d caused, real or perceived.    

 

 Meanwhile on her run Elaine wondered how long she could make Mirsky squirm just by leaving out the Rice Krispies. She knew that she was wrong to pull this stunt again but she’d been doing this sort of thing her whole life; first with her father and later on with boyfriends and finally with Mirsky. For fifteen years she’d pull her fake punishment routines on him and sometimes she’d find out little secrets he’d been keeping or even things he would make up just to satisfy her passion for punishment.    

 

Little could she know that he was at the end of his rope and while she thought of this as a way-of-life game, he never did.

   

Elaine fell asleep in her chair after midnight wondering where Mirsky was and why he hadn’t called her. He never did this before and she planned new punishments as he slept the sleep of the satisfied next to a woman he’d met on the internet who also was in a psychologically abusive marriage.