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Hudson
“She’s lost her shit completely. She’s obsessed with some character from a book. This chick in the book is a Wendigo or something. She eats men and drinks blood. Kind of like a vampire. Half human and half beast. Some shit. It’s all freaky to me. What I know is I’m not staying there. I swear to fuck she’s trying to poison me. You have no idea how psychotic this woman is. Half the time, she lives in some other reality.”
“Jesus,” Kate whispers.
“I’ll be there in ten. Do you need me to pick anything up?”
“No. We can figure it out when you get here. Are you moving in for good?”
At least Kate has no interest in arguing with me. I press harder on the gas to get to her place. Mary had to be bluffing about being late. She just stopped her pills and I’d only charity screwed her once to shut her up. There was no way she was pregnant. Later, I could call her bluff.
“As long as you’re okay with it. I can’t see myself going back. She’s insisting we renew our vows and work on the marriage. Talking about getting a therapist too. I can’t take it, babe. I’ve told her I am done. And when she finds out about Daisy? Well, fuck.”
“No one says she has to find out right now. Breathe. I’m on your side. Just get here safe and we can figure it out later. We can even order out for Chinese. We don’t have to eat there. We can eat it in bed for all I care,” Kate says. “As for vows? Good luck to her on that. I’d kill her myself. Drink her blood.”
I laugh. Kate has a way of fixating on the tiniest details. She reminds me of Mom. I can’t wait until my family can meet her. They will be shocked, of course, but I can alter the timeline enough to make it seem like Mary and me were separated long before Daisy. Mary never had any use for my family. She insisted we spent holidays alone and would freak the hell out any time I asked if she’d mind them coming over. I’ve missed them.
“Okay, I’ll be there soon. I am going to stop at the storage place on Route Nine. I want to see if they have a tiny place I can rent for my tools and the lock box with the safety deposit key in it. I have a feeling the rest of my shit is going to wind up on the lawn.”
“Are you giving her the house?”
“No. But I’m leaving. That means I need to get my shit out and soon. When she realizes I’m serious and not coming back and that she can’t put some witch curse on me to stay this ‘fix it’ talk will turn to war. I’ll have to go back for the house legally, in court. Right now, it’s not my biggest problem.”
“Wow.”
“I wish we could fast forward. In a year or two, she’ll move on.” She’ll give up the shit about being pregnant too. Time will solve that. Fucking head games! Sick of it.
“No, don’t think like that. If we fast forwarded we’d miss Daisy’s birth. Yeah, this might get hard, but you don’t want to miss out on the stuff in the middle. You can handle her legally and still have a life in between. Have you contacted a lawyer?”
“That’s on the list too. I need to tell Brown first. The guy’s about to throw some huge announcement in the corporate newsletter about us renewing our vows. She’s all over him too; another one of her nasty games. She loves fucking with my job and family. Nothing is off limits with that woman.”
In reality, I’m not sure how to time warning Brown. Round one of the newsletter has already gone out. While he’d know the best lawyer in town, Mary’s right in that he’ll give me kickback. At Brown Investments, where we turn cash green, there’s an image about partners and anyone working their way up on that latter. Maybe I could fake interest in his religion. If he thought he had a chance of converting me—that I was ready—he might even bite. Mormonism didn’t sound as bad as a demotion and the alimony payments I’d soon be bleeding out my ass. It would be easier if Kate understood the politics. That’s where Mary—now to my detriment—wins. She’d always kept close tabs on my career. To her credit, she’d even helped me climb the corporate ladder. Now, I wondered if she’d done it for her own best interest. She certainly didn’t appear to have a problem unravelling it.
“Brown will know who to call. The firm’s been through how many suits?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking,” I agree as I pull onto the highway to drive the three exit that will take me to Kate’s. Eventually, I’ll have to get us a new place. The tiny apartment won’t cut it – not with a baby. Move money too. Fast, before Mary. My stomach sinks. I know my wife well enough to know she’s probably on that too. “Babe? It may be more like an hour or two. I need to get to the bank too. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you.”
“Take your time. Remember the silver lining. We won’t be apart anymore. We can handle this together. Shitty circumstance or not, this is exciting! I’ll make you some closet space. Love you!”