ONE HUNDRED AND TWO
“Why am I not surprised,” Monica snarled, getting out of her car and slamming the door, “to come home and find you walking back from Jessie’s when you haven’t returned any of my calls or come by to see me?”
“I’m not getting into it with you, Monica,” Todd said, attempting to walk past her. “Not now.”
She grabbed his arm. “Todd, please!”
He shrugged her hand off violently.
“I’m your wife, Todd!” Monica cried.
“Please, Todd,” Mr. Thayer implored. “Talk with her. See what you can work out.”
But Todd continued walking down the driveway toward the street without looking back. “There’s nothing to be worked out,” he said. “I want out of the marriage. End of discussion.”
“No!” Monica shrieked.
“I’m sorry, my dear,” Mr. Thayer said, passing her, hurrying to catch up with Todd.
Monica stared after them. Her husband was striding down the street now, disappearing from sight.
Walking out of her life for good.
“No!” Monica cried again.
She wanted to run after him. But instead she turned the other way, and ran to her sister’s house.
“Jessie!” she screamed, banging on the front door. “Jessie, let me in!”
Jessie opened the door, staring at her with blank eyes.
“Why was Todd here?” Monica demanded to know.
“I have no clue,” Jessie told her.
“Were you making plans to meet him later?”
“No.”
Even in her fury, Monica detected the unnaturally calm tone of her sister’s voice. Standing behind her in the living room was that boy. That strange, dark-eyed boy.
“He’s saying the marriage is over,” Monica said. “Did you know that?”
The boy came to stand beside Jessie, his little arm gripping her around the waist.
“Monica, I have to go” Jessie said. “I’m getting Aaron’s costume ready. We’re having a Halloween party. If you like, you can come. . . .”
“Listen, Jessie, my whole life is ruined,” Monica told her. “I’m not interested in goddamn Halloween parties! I need you to help me! We’re sisters!”
“But I can’t help you, Monica.”
“Yes, you can. You have to go to Todd. You have to tell him to come back to me!”
Jessie sighed. “You told a terrible lie a long time ago, Monica. That was wrong.”
Monica could feel her face burn with rage and hatred. “You bitch! You’ve always hated me! You always got everything!”
“That’s not true, Monica.”
Jessie’s voice. So calm. So even-toned. As if she were stoned on pot or something. Even in her anger, Monica could sense something was different about her sister.
“I have to go now, Monica,” Jessie said. “We’re getting ready for our Halloween party. When Aunt Paulette gets back, we’re going to bob for apples and string some popcorn.” She smiled at her sister sadly. “We might have been a happy family—you and me and Aunt Paulette and Abby and Aaron.”
With that, she closed the door on her sister’s face.
Monica screamed in frustration, then raced back to her house, where she drank an entire bottle of wine in fifteen minutes, then smashed the bottle and the glass.