Read Online Better Off Without Him by Dee Ernst - Free Book Online Page A

“But as a husband he really sucked. I never could figure out why you stayed with him for so long.”
    “He was a great husband,” I roared. “And a wonderful father. He has always been a great partner.” Right up until he started screwing around, that is.
    Aunt Lily took a few moments to swallow her sandwich, then sipped her martini again, delicately. “He never did a thing to help you, dear. Let’s face it, you ran this home and took care of the girls, and aside from bringing home a great paycheck, he never lifted a finger. You have always done it all, dear. My heavens, you even had to schedule his colonoscopy last year. I mean, the man couldn’t arrange for a tube going up his own ass. Useless. Of course, he was probably a good tumble, but that can only go so far.” She smiled sweetly. “Not to worry, dear. You’re much better off without him.”
    “Aunt Lily,” I was breathing heavily, “you’re wrong. He was my best friend.”
    She shook her head. “No, Mona. You’re very lucky to have two best friends right here in this room with you. But Brian was never your friend. Brian never thought about anyone but Brian. He was always the most important person in the room. A best friend is someone you can call up in the middle of the night because you’re afraid or mad or in jail, and that person will drop everything to help. Brian wouldn’t even get up to answer the phone. He never once put anything or anybody ahead of his own needs. Didn’t you ever notice that? I mean, really Mona, you were married to him, what, twenty years?”
    I nodded dumbly.
    “And what I really didn’t like was how he never took you seriously,” she went on. “As a writer. We talked about it a few times, you know. He thought it was some little hobby of yours. He never respected all your hard work. He just liked going to all the award parties.”
    “Not true!” I yelled.
    Aunt Lily set down her glass and looked at me very seriously. “Dear Mona, I’m so sorry. But I bet if you asked him, he couldn’t name one of your books.”
    I looked at Patricia and MarshaMarsha, and something in their faces stopped my anger. Aunt Lily was right. Brian had been a lousy husband.
    I had never thought about it much, because he was very charming. We were always laughing together about something. He would stretch his legs out in front of him and start waving his hands around, and soon the whole room would be smiling along with him.
    He wasn’t big on helping around the house. Or running the girls to various sports events or rehearsals. He never had dinner ready if I came home late from the City, not even take-out. He never called anybody for anything, not the doctor, or our broker, or Ben Cutler. He didn’t walk the dog or feed the cat. He let me hire the cleaning people and the lawn people and the painting people and the snow-plowing people and he never bought me a birthday or anniversary card. There was always something attached to a beautiful bouquet, of course, but nothing was ever signed by him in his own hand, and I knew for a fact that there were standing orders with our local florist to automatically send those beautiful bouquets because I had given those orders myself years ago.
    What a bum.
    “But I loved him,” I said.
    “I’m sure you did, dear,’ Aunt Lily said sadly. “But it doesn’t look like he loved you.”
    “I think I need to rest for a few minutes,” I said slowly. Why on earth had I finished that last martini? Was I crazy? I had almost been sober after lunch, and now I was back in that let’s-spin-a-few-times-around-the-world’ mode. I needed somewhere quiet.
    I wasn’t going to get it. The back door slammed open, and I heard a familiar clomping. The girls were home already?
    “They don’t know yet,” I hissed to Aunt Lily, and I pulled myself upright and forced myself to stand straight as Jessica rushed into the living room.
    “Mom, did you really kick Mr. Arnold’s butt?” Jessica asked.
    Her face was