I--”
“Take a breath sweetie. Mark is a reactive kind of guy, that’s all. He’s brilliant otherwise. Brilliant. And I know for a fact that he needs you far more than he shows. I’ve known him for twenty years. He is crazy about you.”
She hesitated. How much could she reveal without betraying Mark? “He has those ups and downs,” she tried to say.
Lou interrupted. “Every couple has ups and downs. You’re the only woman for him and you know this.”
“But he gets so angry, and for no good reason sometimes. And every time he tells me that if I’m not happy, I should divorce him.”
“He’s under a lot of pressure, that’s all. I’ve known that bullheaded husband of yours long enough to assure you that he doesn’t mean a word of it. And I personally won’t pay any attention to this divorce scenario until Mark himself calls me.”
When Lola hung up the phone, it was clear in her mind whose side Lou would be on in case of a divorce. And Lou was “the best.”
Dread almost brought her to her knees. She stood at the kitchen counter, feeling numb, numbing herself for Mark’s return. She turned the pages of the
Los Angeles Times
. The travel section. Maybe that’s what they needed: a beautiful vacation! Maybe they could bring the nanny. Hawaii, Tahiti, Paris... Three small lines of text lost in an ocean of cruises and Club Med photographs caught her eye.
Start over in Paris! Lovely rooms in a beautiful private home. Nurturing environment. Children welcome. Affordable. Meals included. Best area of Paris. English spoken. Call
****
She heard the sound of Mark’s Hummer coming up the driveway. She threw the newspaper in the recycling bin and rushed to the window to watch Mark come out of the garage. Her heart went wild in her chest when she saw the bouquet. She was forgiven! But by the time he had turned the doorknob, barely a minute later, her mouth was dry and her head pounding.
Mark walked in the front door, dumped his jacket and briefcase into Serena’s hands, and handed Lola the bouquet. He was handsome and tall even compared to Lola, who was five-eleven. He gave her his most dazzling smile and asked, “So, did you finally get a grip on your responsibilities?” He was being humorous. Lola stared at him. Her body stiffened further as Mark hugged her and grabbed her butt amorously. “Oh, you can’t still be mad about this morning?” He said.
“Is the, the, the...divorce cancelled?” she stuttered.
“Baby, what divorce? I’m the one who overreacts around here, remember? Such a silly girl!” He gave her a gentle tap on the forehead. “You know I’d be a condemned man without you. I’m under a lot of pressure,” he said, and he walked away calling, “Could a hardworking man get something to eat?”
A lot of pressure. Lou’s exact words. Were the flowers Lou’s idea? In the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator. Her breath was shallow. She pulled a plastic container out of the fridge, placed it on the counter. For a long moment, she stared at the lid in her hand. She finally set it down, walked towards the recycling bin, took the travel section out, folded it, and hid it in one of the kitchen drawers. By the time dinner was made, she was essentially gone. Thousands of miles away.
From the sofa, Jared scanned the room for a discreet way out through the wall of bodies undulating to the music. Beautiful Parisian men and women were crammed around tiny tables or lounging as if swallowed by the red velvet sofas that looked like gigantic mouths.
He had come here with the intention of persuading a girl to come home and have sex with him, but it was taking too long. The girls wanted to stay until closing, be flirted with, have a couple lines of coke but he had run out of momentum. At this point, he wanted to get the hell out, immediately and alone. He extricated himself from the red sofa and two girls plunged in the warm spot where his body had been. The sofa-mouth became a knot of bare arms,
“Take a breath sweetie. Mark is a reactive kind of guy, that’s all. He’s brilliant otherwise. Brilliant. And I know for a fact that he needs you far more than he shows. I’ve known him for twenty years. He is crazy about you.”
She hesitated. How much could she reveal without betraying Mark? “He has those ups and downs,” she tried to say.
Lou interrupted. “Every couple has ups and downs. You’re the only woman for him and you know this.”
“But he gets so angry, and for no good reason sometimes. And every time he tells me that if I’m not happy, I should divorce him.”
“He’s under a lot of pressure, that’s all. I’ve known that bullheaded husband of yours long enough to assure you that he doesn’t mean a word of it. And I personally won’t pay any attention to this divorce scenario until Mark himself calls me.”
When Lola hung up the phone, it was clear in her mind whose side Lou would be on in case of a divorce. And Lou was “the best.”
Dread almost brought her to her knees. She stood at the kitchen counter, feeling numb, numbing herself for Mark’s return. She turned the pages of the
Los Angeles Times
. The travel section. Maybe that’s what they needed: a beautiful vacation! Maybe they could bring the nanny. Hawaii, Tahiti, Paris... Three small lines of text lost in an ocean of cruises and Club Med photographs caught her eye.
Start over in Paris! Lovely rooms in a beautiful private home. Nurturing environment. Children welcome. Affordable. Meals included. Best area of Paris. English spoken. Call
****
She heard the sound of Mark’s Hummer coming up the driveway. She threw the newspaper in the recycling bin and rushed to the window to watch Mark come out of the garage. Her heart went wild in her chest when she saw the bouquet. She was forgiven! But by the time he had turned the doorknob, barely a minute later, her mouth was dry and her head pounding.
Mark walked in the front door, dumped his jacket and briefcase into Serena’s hands, and handed Lola the bouquet. He was handsome and tall even compared to Lola, who was five-eleven. He gave her his most dazzling smile and asked, “So, did you finally get a grip on your responsibilities?” He was being humorous. Lola stared at him. Her body stiffened further as Mark hugged her and grabbed her butt amorously. “Oh, you can’t still be mad about this morning?” He said.
“Is the, the, the...divorce cancelled?” she stuttered.
“Baby, what divorce? I’m the one who overreacts around here, remember? Such a silly girl!” He gave her a gentle tap on the forehead. “You know I’d be a condemned man without you. I’m under a lot of pressure,” he said, and he walked away calling, “Could a hardworking man get something to eat?”
A lot of pressure. Lou’s exact words. Were the flowers Lou’s idea? In the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator. Her breath was shallow. She pulled a plastic container out of the fridge, placed it on the counter. For a long moment, she stared at the lid in her hand. She finally set it down, walked towards the recycling bin, took the travel section out, folded it, and hid it in one of the kitchen drawers. By the time dinner was made, she was essentially gone. Thousands of miles away.
From the sofa, Jared scanned the room for a discreet way out through the wall of bodies undulating to the music. Beautiful Parisian men and women were crammed around tiny tables or lounging as if swallowed by the red velvet sofas that looked like gigantic mouths.
He had come here with the intention of persuading a girl to come home and have sex with him, but it was taking too long. The girls wanted to stay until closing, be flirted with, have a couple lines of coke but he had run out of momentum. At this point, he wanted to get the hell out, immediately and alone. He extricated himself from the red sofa and two girls plunged in the warm spot where his body had been. The sofa-mouth became a knot of bare arms,
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