Are you not going to come home and sort out this mess? Call me as soon as you get this message.”
Nick listened to three more messages before he started the engine and quickly made his way home. All sorts of thoughts were going through his mind; surely there had to be a simple explanation. His wife must have got it wrong. Anyone couldn’t just get into their house, or into their neighborhood.
When Nick pulled up outside the house, he saw Ben standing in the garage alongside Nora, who had her arms folded and looked furious. He stopped the car, not pulling it into the garage. Something was seriously wrong.
“Ben?” he said, stepping out of the car. “What are you doing here?”
“There you are!” Nora interrupted, stepping in front of Ben. Nick had never quite seen her look like she did. Her hair in disarray, her makeup smearing across her face—he’d only ever seen her like this when her mother had died a few years back. “Why on earth did you not come home sooner? Do you know how long the kids and I have been waiting for you to come home to sort this mess out?”
“Look, Nora, I had a conference meeting all afternoon and have only just heard all of your messages, and to be honest none of this makes any sense. What on earth has happened?” he asked, confused.
Nora was livid, and none of it made sense to Nick. Then again, nothing she was livid about ever really made sense to him.
“I came home to find a moving van with two ratty kids inside our home moving items in, saying it was their home,” Nora said, her voice shaking a little. He recognized the tone; it was verging on hysteria. “I had to call Ben, of all people, to come and help me, because my own husband can’t answer his damn phone!”
Ben stepped forward, trying to talk some sense into Nora. Nick assumed the kids were in her car, which was parked a ways from the house.
Nick thought he would sort this problem out immediately, and took his mobile out to call the police.
“What are you doing with your mobile, aren’t you going to let me finish telling you what has happened?”
“It’s quite simple, love; I’m going to call the police to send someone over who’ll get this problem sorted out in no time.”
As Nora watched her husband talking, she began to feel livid. He thought that he could call the police and they would sort this mess out so easily, when she had spent the afternoon with the police arguing about the problem but had gotten nowhere. She looked at Ben, pleading him to step in.
“Nick,” he began, getting her cue. “I think what Nora is trying to say....”
She interrupted him, ready to slap Nick’s phone out of his hands. She had spent hours trying to get the situation resolved, and he thought he could simply ignore what she had to say? Not this time.
“Well, if you think it’s that easy to get this problem resolved, I am all ears. Tell me how exactly are you going to make the police get those two kids out of our home when I spent the afternoon trying to get them to do just that, but got nowhere?” she spat, as he brought the phone up to his ear. “I spoke with the police all afternoon , Nicholas! Are you listening to a word I’m saying?”
Nick didn’t want to antagonize his wife; he could see how angry she was already and he didn’t want to add fuel to that. He tried to keep his voice calm as the phone rang. He had dialed a non-emergency number, so they didn’t pick up right away. Nora’s eyes glazed over with tears as she turned away from him, back toward Ben. He couldn’t believe she had called on Ben to help her. Where was Belinda when he needed her? He didn’t need good ol’ Uncle Ben coming in and trying to analyze his relationship with his wife, especially with the information he’d given Ben in the past about his and Nora’s differences.
“I realize the police were here earlier, love, but let’s see what they say when I threaten them
Nick listened to three more messages before he started the engine and quickly made his way home. All sorts of thoughts were going through his mind; surely there had to be a simple explanation. His wife must have got it wrong. Anyone couldn’t just get into their house, or into their neighborhood.
When Nick pulled up outside the house, he saw Ben standing in the garage alongside Nora, who had her arms folded and looked furious. He stopped the car, not pulling it into the garage. Something was seriously wrong.
“Ben?” he said, stepping out of the car. “What are you doing here?”
“There you are!” Nora interrupted, stepping in front of Ben. Nick had never quite seen her look like she did. Her hair in disarray, her makeup smearing across her face—he’d only ever seen her like this when her mother had died a few years back. “Why on earth did you not come home sooner? Do you know how long the kids and I have been waiting for you to come home to sort this mess out?”
“Look, Nora, I had a conference meeting all afternoon and have only just heard all of your messages, and to be honest none of this makes any sense. What on earth has happened?” he asked, confused.
Nora was livid, and none of it made sense to Nick. Then again, nothing she was livid about ever really made sense to him.
“I came home to find a moving van with two ratty kids inside our home moving items in, saying it was their home,” Nora said, her voice shaking a little. He recognized the tone; it was verging on hysteria. “I had to call Ben, of all people, to come and help me, because my own husband can’t answer his damn phone!”
Ben stepped forward, trying to talk some sense into Nora. Nick assumed the kids were in her car, which was parked a ways from the house.
Nick thought he would sort this problem out immediately, and took his mobile out to call the police.
“What are you doing with your mobile, aren’t you going to let me finish telling you what has happened?”
“It’s quite simple, love; I’m going to call the police to send someone over who’ll get this problem sorted out in no time.”
As Nora watched her husband talking, she began to feel livid. He thought that he could call the police and they would sort this mess out so easily, when she had spent the afternoon with the police arguing about the problem but had gotten nowhere. She looked at Ben, pleading him to step in.
“Nick,” he began, getting her cue. “I think what Nora is trying to say....”
She interrupted him, ready to slap Nick’s phone out of his hands. She had spent hours trying to get the situation resolved, and he thought he could simply ignore what she had to say? Not this time.
“Well, if you think it’s that easy to get this problem resolved, I am all ears. Tell me how exactly are you going to make the police get those two kids out of our home when I spent the afternoon trying to get them to do just that, but got nowhere?” she spat, as he brought the phone up to his ear. “I spoke with the police all afternoon , Nicholas! Are you listening to a word I’m saying?”
Nick didn’t want to antagonize his wife; he could see how angry she was already and he didn’t want to add fuel to that. He tried to keep his voice calm as the phone rang. He had dialed a non-emergency number, so they didn’t pick up right away. Nora’s eyes glazed over with tears as she turned away from him, back toward Ben. He couldn’t believe she had called on Ben to help her. Where was Belinda when he needed her? He didn’t need good ol’ Uncle Ben coming in and trying to analyze his relationship with his wife, especially with the information he’d given Ben in the past about his and Nora’s differences.
“I realize the police were here earlier, love, but let’s see what they say when I threaten them
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