She took the boys out for pizza and then they went home to snuggle on the couch and watched cartoons.
After they were asleep, she was busy preparing her material for teaching the modeling classes and verifying through phone calls that everything was a “go” for the cigarette promotion. They would be canvassing a large area in a few short weeks. As she was the supervisor in charge of hiring, she had asked Adam if he wanted to participate. It was a nice little chunk of extra cash and they would be working in couples. He would be with her for the duration of the promotion and she was looking forward to that, that is, if all went well. He would have to carry two full time jobs to do it but he acted as if he was looking forward to it. Nothing was certain after his recent revelations to her.
By Saturday, he had still not contacted her. He had been gone almost three days. She had hoped he would call but had to keep reminding her of his promise. Chris was with the boys and being alone made her agitated and she considered that she may as well go out then stay home and suffer. She started to get dressed then lay back against the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, she pondered the possibilities of her life. If she divorced, she would probably lose her home and a great deal of money. Everything they had built in just a few years would be split in two. Chris’s favorite thing to do was drink beer and watch TV. When the boys were first born, he had made an effort at being a good father, now he was back to hanging out in sports bars.
She decided not to go out. She would just wait out the verdict. On Monday, she would have the answer, one way or another. At least, tonight, she could still believe that he was still hers.
Monday’s arrival found her frantic. She could not be still and immersed herself in paperwork and chores. Tonight he would tell her everything; it would be the beginning or the end of her dreams. Soon, the answers would come.
She was entranced by the misty, devil blue of the night. It seemed to pull something out of her like a magician groping for his prop. It stirred her senses and made her feel a crushing need to be alive, alive in the nature of love, of happiness, of utter joy. This is what life is intended for, for us to voraciously dig in and let our appetite grow. She did not want to wander in the jungle of a nameless adventure. Feeling the ridges of life with tender fingertips and holding onto the edge— that was all right with her.
Holding her breath, she knocked. What seemed like a lifetime later, he opened the door. She braced herself in the event that Patty Jo might be standing beside him. She had expected the worse.
But instead he stood there looking at her with an ardent glaze, like the first time they danced. He seemed almost humble.
Holding out his hand to her he said, “Hi, girl, I’m so damn glad to see you. I kept thinking you wouldn’t be able to forgive me and you wouldn’t show up tonight. I wanted to call you but I was afraid of what you might say. It was so wrong of me to be with her and I know what you must have gone through. There’s no way I can change what I did but I wish you could have seen me these last few days. You would have known how much I love you. My entire family was pushing me to be with her and I was going nuts trying not to argue with them at my brother’s wedding. I didn’t want to make any scenes for his sake. I told them all, this is one thing I have to do for myself, it’s only for me and Patty Jo to decide. My God, she was so upset; she broke out in hives while we were on the plane. The whole trip she was crying and scratching. I didn’t want that but I know in my heart, she doesn’t really need me. She has her boyfriend and we had years to work this thing out and it didn’t
After they were asleep, she was busy preparing her material for teaching the modeling classes and verifying through phone calls that everything was a “go” for the cigarette promotion. They would be canvassing a large area in a few short weeks. As she was the supervisor in charge of hiring, she had asked Adam if he wanted to participate. It was a nice little chunk of extra cash and they would be working in couples. He would be with her for the duration of the promotion and she was looking forward to that, that is, if all went well. He would have to carry two full time jobs to do it but he acted as if he was looking forward to it. Nothing was certain after his recent revelations to her.
By Saturday, he had still not contacted her. He had been gone almost three days. She had hoped he would call but had to keep reminding her of his promise. Chris was with the boys and being alone made her agitated and she considered that she may as well go out then stay home and suffer. She started to get dressed then lay back against the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, she pondered the possibilities of her life. If she divorced, she would probably lose her home and a great deal of money. Everything they had built in just a few years would be split in two. Chris’s favorite thing to do was drink beer and watch TV. When the boys were first born, he had made an effort at being a good father, now he was back to hanging out in sports bars.
She decided not to go out. She would just wait out the verdict. On Monday, she would have the answer, one way or another. At least, tonight, she could still believe that he was still hers.
Monday’s arrival found her frantic. She could not be still and immersed herself in paperwork and chores. Tonight he would tell her everything; it would be the beginning or the end of her dreams. Soon, the answers would come.
She was entranced by the misty, devil blue of the night. It seemed to pull something out of her like a magician groping for his prop. It stirred her senses and made her feel a crushing need to be alive, alive in the nature of love, of happiness, of utter joy. This is what life is intended for, for us to voraciously dig in and let our appetite grow. She did not want to wander in the jungle of a nameless adventure. Feeling the ridges of life with tender fingertips and holding onto the edge— that was all right with her.
Holding her breath, she knocked. What seemed like a lifetime later, he opened the door. She braced herself in the event that Patty Jo might be standing beside him. She had expected the worse.
But instead he stood there looking at her with an ardent glaze, like the first time they danced. He seemed almost humble.
Holding out his hand to her he said, “Hi, girl, I’m so damn glad to see you. I kept thinking you wouldn’t be able to forgive me and you wouldn’t show up tonight. I wanted to call you but I was afraid of what you might say. It was so wrong of me to be with her and I know what you must have gone through. There’s no way I can change what I did but I wish you could have seen me these last few days. You would have known how much I love you. My entire family was pushing me to be with her and I was going nuts trying not to argue with them at my brother’s wedding. I didn’t want to make any scenes for his sake. I told them all, this is one thing I have to do for myself, it’s only for me and Patty Jo to decide. My God, she was so upset; she broke out in hives while we were on the plane. The whole trip she was crying and scratching. I didn’t want that but I know in my heart, she doesn’t really need me. She has her boyfriend and we had years to work this thing out and it didn’t
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