Read Online Look Both Ways by Joan Early - Free Book Online

She gave me an ultimatum: buy her a nicer home or she’d take the kids and leave. I didn’t, she did.” There was no bitterness in his voice.
    “I hope you have a good relationship with your children. I hate seeing kids suffer during divorce. That’s one reason I’m glad Stan and I didn’t have children.”
    “I have a good, but distant, relationship with the kids. Freda married a lawyer, and they live from paycheck to paycheck in that nice house she wanted. I suppose that compensates for having a husband who rarely sleeps at home. It’s one of those ‘be careful what you wish for’ situations.”
    Now, detecting bitterness, she was relieved when he asked a question she did not mind answering.
    “So what about your family?”
    “Dad is a high school principal. Mom is a nurse. I have two brothers, one younger, one older. I miss my family more that I ever imagined, and I’ve only been in Texas two weeks.”
    “A teacher’s kid?” His eyes twinkled. “Uh-huh.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” She liked his teasingly pleasant smile.
    “The worst kids around belong to teachers and preachers. Didn’t you know that?”
    “Not in my family. Dad was very strict. Loving, but strict. I was an obedient child.”
    “I’m not too sure about that. I detect a bit of mischief in your eyes. Little demon kid.” He held his drink aloft and smiled.
    She laughed. “No way. My parents were firm disciplinarians, rigid but fair, and they were very loving. My brothers and I towed the line unless we wanted to see the veins pop up in my father’s forehead. The entire family helped keep us straight. My paternal grandmother taught me a few lessons that still keep me out of trouble.”
    “How so?”
    “Mama Em, her name was Emelda, came to live with us when I was around eight. She told me stories about her youth, and in every story, no matter how tough things became, she managed to retain dignity and control. Being in control of my life is my prime endeavor. I want to say when, where, and how much.”
    “Are you speaking personally or professionally?”
    “Both. I’ve never used drugs, never smoked cigarettes, and I’ve never been wasted on alcohol. I obey laws and never take unnecessary chances. As Mama Em always said, I don’t throw rocks at the penitentiary. I like to have fun and I’m not totally inflexible. I’m willing to bend, but I like who I am. Anyone wishing to share my life will have to accept that.”
    “Was that a problem for you and Stan?”
    She thought about her answer while remembering Stan’s anger, hurled accusations, and the clash that could have ended tragically.
    “No, the problem with Stan was insecurity. It drove him to hit me, and that is not something I will live with.”
    “He was violent?”
    “Not really. Not at all.” The face next to hers in her their wedding photo was the one she preferred to remember. “We were so in love and so happy for the first two years of our marriage. We graduated college, and I started working full-time at Sealand while working on my MBA at night. Stan was recruited by a subsidiary of a big software company. He dreamed of being this innovative software designer who would revolutionize the industry and make a mint. Of course, everyone in the firm had the same aspirations. There were no promotions and few raises. In the meantime, I was promoted from loan processor to underwriter, and then to head underwriter in no time flat.”
    “And he was jealous of your career.”
    “Oh, yeah. He was bothered that I made more money than he, and that I had a life outside our home. We had both planned to pursue advanced degrees, but while Stan was sitting around complaining in the evenings, I was in class. He blamed his lack of progress…you know the story. He was the victim of discrimination, didn’t attend the right college, didn’t fit in with the others. My schedule was tight, so he was alone a lot. I guess he had too much time to obsess over what he thought