Read The Ties That Bind for Free Online Page B

had a body that was going on. The more beer that was consumed the more leering eyes I noticed checking out her ample chest and long, slim legs. Brice must’ve noticed it too, because later on Mia came back out with a bra and Marine T-shirt on. I guess he persuaded her to change.
    Brice, on the other hand, was tall, solidly built and had strong, chiseled features, a look that broke a lot of hearts. He also carried himself with an arrogance and domineering presence that intimidated a lot of people, but Mia appeared to bring out another side in him.
    Later, after most of the crowd had left and Brice and I were sitting in two of his lawn chairs, finishing off another beer, he asked me what I thought of her. Mia was inside, in the kitchen, trying to clean up some of the mess.
    “You are a lucky man,” I stated. “Mia is beautiful and intelligent, and it is obvious that she loves you.”
    Mia and I had talked briefly earlier, and every other word out of her mouth was “Brice this” or “Brice that.” She was head over heels in love with him. I was truly happy for my partner.

8
     
    Mia
     
    T oday has not been a good day for me. Sure, I’m taking two courses at the university, but that still doesn’t occupy my day. Most of the time I am so bored. You can only watch so much TV. Brice didn’t want me to take a full schedule because he wanted me here for him, for us. I compromised because taking two courses was better than none, and I need only a few more credits to graduate. Brice wants me here for him, yet half the time he is out of town.
    We have been married for a little over a year, and I still don’t fit in here. I’m not military; I’m just married to a Marine.To make matters worse, I don’t think Brice wants me to have any friends. He wants me all to himself. I keep trying to tell Brice that, but he won’t listen to me. He can be so bullheaded at times. Going to the university is a much-needed diversion because I’m meeting people who aren’t military.
    Brice is trying his best to make me into this little homemaker. On the days when he is in town, he expects dinner on the table when he walks through the door. He said that that was the way his mother always did it when he was growing up. I told him that I wasn’t his mother, and he just looked at me. I even have to take cooking lessons from this older lady in town, Mrs. Jackson. She is always shaking her head when we cook, like I am a lost, hopeless cause.
    As I said earlier, Brice is very bullheaded, domineering and possessive . . . so a lot of times I find myself biting my tongue just to keep the peace because I love him so much. He means well and this is a learning process for both of us. God, is it a learning process! I know that he gets stressed out at work, but he doesn’t have to take it out on me. He has to learn to control his temper. Just the other day, I was ready for class, about to walk out the door, when he made me go back and change my outfit. I had on a black miniskirt, black sandals and a purple midriff shirt that showed just a hint of my stomach. It was in style, everyone wore minis, everyone at State University anyway. So what was the big deal?
    I had been hurriedly shoving books into my backpack when Brice approached me. “Where the hell do you think you are going dressed like that?” he asked as he roughly grabbed my arm.
    “Brice, let go of me. I’m going to be late for class.”
    “If you don’t change out of that shit, you aren’t going to class.”
    He still hadn’t released my arm and was looking at me in a mask of anger.
    “What’s wrong with what I have on?” I asked. I had already started wearing bras at his insistence, even though when he met me I didn’t wear them.
    “Mia, I don’t want my wife showing off her ass to anyone but me. Now, get in there and change,” he said as he pushed me towards the bedroom.
    I decided I was sick of his shit and I wasn’t going to move. That was a big mistake.
    “Mia, get your