Making Do

As a couple they are movers and shakers, pillars of the community. Yet the wife beats the husband. One morning, surprised by impulse, she hits him a little too hard. He seeks medical help. Word starts to seep out. Already the husband has alerted the district attorney and an assistant to his problem at home, and this latest escalation alarms them. Thus, they are drawn in. Along with family and friends of the couple, they maneuver to stop this domestic crisis from exploding into serious crime, formal charges, and scandal. They meddle, encourage separation, and suborn new romances for the distressed couple. This project impacts all of them. A private investigator discovers the wife has a shadow life. A counselor gets involved. A hoped-for resolution collapses. All are faced with picking up the pieces.This mystery tale in reverse offers no corpse on the floor at the start but threatens to put one on the floor at the end. The characters must negotiate a close web of relationships in a small town. An historic symbol of American violence hangs over the wife's family. Randomness, accident, and quirkiness also play parts. Violent incidents have stalked the wife's family. She copes well with this legacy - it appears from the outside. But within she does not, thus she faces a crisis. Her husband likes to fix things so they come out win-win for everyone. This is his virtue but also his flaw. He faces frustration this time, but he patiently soldiers on, contriving possible solutions the best he can. In addition, he has his own secret. There is also the new man, who is drawn to the wife by what at first he believed was a great stroke of luck. As her secrets trickle out to him, he must give the matter some serious consideration.The characters here strive to prevent a violent result in lives that appear to be wholesome, stable and mature, or to extricate themselves or to take on a risk.Although the conditions are serious, events turn funny now and then. Those involved enjoy these moments -- and usually they handle the difficult times with level heads. This is what you would expect: these are not kids; these people have some mileage on them.