Today People

by Barbara G. Tarn

  "A very short life since we'd have starved to death," he retorted. He missed dancing, and singing, and partying with his band-mates. But he had to be responsible. "I mean, we have three children now! Are you really dumping them like that? Is it Roxy's idea?"

  "Leave Roxy out of this! I want my chance now. If you're not with me, I don't care."

  "Oh, really? And what chance do you have? Who are you screwing to give you a chance?"

  She hung up. He called back, but this time she didn't answer.

  If you're out of my life, you're out of it forever. Mine, and the kids'. Don't ever bother to come back. I'll tell them you're dead.

  He typed quickly, still fuming. He wasn't going to tell the children their mother was dead, but he was furious with Penny.

  He waited, but again she didn't answer. He tried to call back, but the phone was off. Cursing under his breath, he rose from the armchair and went to take off his suit and tie. He better go to his mother's and plan for the rest of the year. Time to find a babysitter to help him. Luckily he had two days off to find one.

  4.

  Bea had had strange dreams – company nightmares, she called them – that blissfully vanished with the alarm clock, even though she knew she had dreamed of the darn day job getting from bad to worse again. She should really try to quit and be independent.

  She grumpily got out of bed, quickly showered and headed for the closest Starbucks before going to work.

  She sat at in her cubicle with a snort. Not even Rick's smile to cheer the day up. He had become the only reason to show up at work, lately...

  Not because she wanted to get more intimate with him, but because he made her curious. Maybe eventually she'd get over her natural shyness and start asking him questions, but he seemed so busy with his own life that she didn't want to intrude.

  And she wasn't really into listening to family matters. She had enough of that with other coworkers and friends who had settled in their routine and couldn't care less about her second life. It was too different from theirs to bother hearing about. Which was okay for coworkers, but not so much for friends, and Bea had long ago given up imposing herself on people.

  Bea had a habit of arriving early and leaving early – be it work, parties, wherever. Especially in crowded places. She was comfortable enough in her cubicle and at the workplace, but when she had to go to new places, she felt queasy.

  I'm an artist and an introvert. My idea of fun is different from everybody else. She needed her space. She could spend hours without saying a word, lost in her daydreams.

  "Why so morose today?" Kevin asked her at the coffee machine during the mid-morning break.

  "Couldn't upload the strip last night," she muttered.

  "Not the end of the world," he said.

  "No, but I really should quit this time-waster job..."

  "That pays the bills. And the mortgage."

  She sighed heavily.

  "I thought you were also an artist, do you have to be this down-to-earth?" she complained.

  He chuckled. "I gave up my music dreams a long time ago," he replied. "I keep it as a hobby, but I doubt it will ever become a real job. Not with the other members of the band having family and everything."

  "You could try to go solo."

  "Nah." He shrugged. "I'm not you. In fact I'm considering alternatives."

  "What?" She stared at him, puzzled.

  "I'm thinking I could adopt a child."

  Bea almost choked on her coffee. "You what? Why? You're not even married!"

  "So? Many people grow up with only one parent..."

  She pondered. That much was true. Single parents or dysfunctional families or early loss of a parent – there were many reasons why families might fall apart and children grow up with one parent. She was for marriage equality, so why not single parenthood? Just because she didn't want to do it didn't mean nobody else should do it.

  "Okay, so you're looking for what? A baby? A child?" she asked, trying to imagine Kevin dealing with a toddler.

  "I'm not sure yet. My nieces love me, so maybe I could get a little girl."

  "Nephews and nieces are nice, having your own child... not so much. You can't return him or her to the shop if you don't feel like playing anymore..."

  "Gee, Bea, maybe I'm ready to play daddy! What do you know anyway!"

  "Right, what do I know. My maternal sense died when I was in my twenties," she grumbled, looking away.

  "I didn't mean to..."

  "I didn't mean to either, Kev. Maybe we should drop this subject."

  "Obviously not on the same page with that," he agreed as Julie joined them.

  "Why the long faces?" she asked as they threw away their coffee cups.

  "We're worried for Rick," Bea answered promptly, not wanting to go on the maternity path with Julie.

  "Ah, yes, he's off for two days... I wonder what's going on!"

  "He's enjoying his family for a change," Kevin said.

  "With pretty Penny," Bea added. "And the kids are with Granny."

  "Bea, you're mean!" Julie glared at her. She hated to be reminded Rick had a pretty wife and kids.

  Bea chuckled. Time to go back to work anyway.

  ***

  The first thing Rick looked for was legal counseling. Maybe a divorce lawyer could help him understand why Penny left. He started researching lawyers in the area and then called a couple to get an appointment.

  The first was female and he didn't trust another woman to handle his case very well. She would probably side with Penny. Then he found a middle-aged man, with graying hair and blue eyes, who listened to his story with a sympathetic smile.

  "There are many reasons why a spouse leaves. Looks like she doesn't love you anymore, from what you tell me. Maybe she sees you like a brother more than a husband. Maybe she felt ignored or unappreciated. Maybe you don't have anything in common anymore..."

  "We have three children!" Rick protested. "One would think the mother would stick by her children's side!"

  "Some women decide parenting is not for them and leave," the lawyer continued as if Rick hadn't interrupted him. "And let's not forget the main reason why couples split – maybe she has met someone else."

  Rick shook his head, pondering. No, it wasn't possible that Penny had found someone else. She might have fallen out of love for him, but not cheated on him.

  Her dimpled smile flashed inside his mind. What if she had indeed found someone else? She'd sounded more career-oriented than in love, though...

  "We won't know until we speak to your wife," the lawyer concluded. "I don't think it's going to be hard for you to get full custody of the children, since she abandoned them, if you decide to divorce her."

  "I'm still hoping she'll come back," Rick grumbled.

  He wasn't going to do anything yet, but he needed to know his and his children's rights.

  Maybe Penny would change her mind and come home. Which reminded him that he needed to find a babysitter. As soon as he got home, he called neighbors and parents of his children's classmates to ask them for references. Finally someone down the street who had grown-up children gave him the number of a Charlene, who said she was currently free and seemed eager to get a job.

  Since it was time to go get the children from school, Rick told her to come the next morning for a final talk, when they could decide hours and rates, and gave her the address.

  He rushed out and managed to get all three, although he wondered how Penny had done it so far.

  He took them home and told them to do as if Mom was there – to which Fred informed him that Mom helped them with their homework.

  "Okay," Rick said, a little dumbfounded. Except for Harry, he found he had trouble helping them.

  Mandy rolled her eyes as he stared goggle-eyed at her book. "Grandma is better than you!"

  "I'm sorry, I finished school a long time ago and things have changed!" he apologized. "I wonder if Aunt Sarah could help?"

  The bell ringing saved him fr
om further complaints. He opened the front door and found outside a plump black woman with long Afro braids and a colorful shirt over tight pants.

  "Hi, I'm Charlene." She greeted him with a dazzling smile. "I thought I might come early to meet the little angels and see if we get along before you and me talk about money."

  "Oh!" Puzzled, he let her it. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting..."

  "A black woman?" she asked, arching her eyebrows.

  "That you'd be so early," he said. "Like, fifteen hours early."

  "I know, I'm sorry, but I was curious. And don't worry, I won't cost you as much as skinny Minny from down the road who needs to go to college to make her parents happy." She winked and looked up the stairs where three faces stared at her in wide-eyed wonder. "Are these the young people I'm supposed to look after?"

  "Ah, um, yes, this is Harry, Mandy and Fred," Rick said. "I was trying to help them with their homework, but..."

  "Dad's hopeless," Mandy said mournfully.

  "What do you need help with?" Charlene asked, dropping her purse on the low table by the door and climbing the stairs.

  Mandy answered warily, and Fred added that he didn't think Charlene could help them. And of course, she proved them wrong. Homework was quickly finished with her, and Mandy said she liked Charlene's braids.

  "They're extensions," Charlene said. "My sister does them down at the beauty salon... But you have beautiful curls of your own, don't ruin them yet."

  "Mom takes me to the hairdresser once a year," Mandy said with a sigh.

  "It's because you're eight," Rick reminded her. "We can try Charlene's sister this year, if you want."

  "When is Mom coming back?" Fred asked. "Did she call?"

  "Ah, yes,she's... in California until the end of the month," Rick couldn't look his children – or the babysitter – in the eyes as he lied to them. "She has found a temporary job, an opportunity too good to pass up..."

  "That's why she didn't take us with her?" Mandy asked, disappointed.

  "She said she's following her dreams," Rick snapped. "You'll have to work with Charlene for now."

  "So when is she coming back?" Mandy asked.

  "She hasn't booked her return ticket yet."

  "When do we go there, Dad?" Harry asked.

  "I don't know, Harry, when school is over?"

  "That's a lo-ong way away!" Fred sighed.

  Charlene stared quizzically at Rick, but he wasn't going to explain anything in front of the children.

  "Charlene, thank you. See you tomorrow morning for the final arrangement."

  Charlene grabbed her purse and waved the children good-bye.

  "She's even better than Mom for homework!" Mandy enthused.

  "She's fat!" Harry said.

  "She's nice," Fred said with a shrug.

  "She will have to do for now," Rick said with a sigh. "Let's see what's in the fridge and decide what we're going to eat."

  5.

  Rick was glad Charlene had agreed to help him with the children. She reminded him of a younger and more hipster version of Mrs. Gold, and she had such a happy-go-lucky disposition that she made him feel relieved with her simple presence and smile. She had experience with children, since she had many nephews and nieces and she helped out at a local school.

  She didn't have a steady job, in spite of being in her thirties, and that was one of the reasons for not starting a family with her boyfriend yet. She could help Rick deal with the children, and that was all he needed right now. The sudden loss of Penny was weighing heavily on his heart, and he didn't think he could make it without help.

  He told her he wasn't sure how long the job would last because he had no idea if or when Penny would be back. He hadn't started the divorce procedure, but it didn't look good. Charlene promised to help, flashing her dazzling smile as she reached the front door to leave.

  His mother crossed Charlene on the front yard and turned to look at the plump figure half-walking, half-dancing down the street.

  "Who was that?" she demanded.

  "The new babysitter," he answered, moving aside to let her in the house. He wasn't going to let her make a scene in front of the neighbors.

  "Babysitter?" his mother stopped in the entrance and put her fists on her hips. "But she's black!"

  Rick rolled his eyes. His mother was still a southern belle inside, in spite of her move to Illinois in her twenties.

  "Well, she's the only one available right now, and I'm not going to discuss this with you," he replied. "I'm sorry, Mom, but you saw what happens when you deal with your grandchildren. Charlene can handle them. I need to go back to work tomorrow, which gives us today to get used to each other. The kids have already met her and they love her."

  "When is Penny coming back?"

  "I have no idea, Mom. And neither does her mother. I went to a lawyer yesterday, just to make sure I know my rights. If Penny sticks to her word and confirms her will to leave us, I'll start the divorce process."

  "But you can't divorce her! You have three kids!"

  "And she walked out on me! And them! What am I supposed to do?"

  Rick loved his mother, but sometimes she was really narrow-minded. Just because she'd stuck with her husband for almost fifty years didn't mean her offspring would be able to do the same. Sarah hadn't married yet, having dumped a couple of boyfriends, and now here he was, going to a divorce lawyer, if only to ask information.

  He calmed down, seeing her mutter under her breath about younger generations being unable to commit.

  "Mom, I'm not happy with what happened," he said. "Penny took me completely by surprise. I didn't see it coming. But she says I'm boring and I'm not the man she married anymore and she's not coming back."

  "So you talked to her?" his mother asked.

  He sighed. "Yes, I got hold of her for, like, five seconds. She didn't explain much. Just said she's not coming back. That's why I went to a lawyer. If she comes back, it could hurt the children even more, so I want them protected."

  "How could she? I mean, she's their mother..."

  "Apparently some women decide parenting is not for them. My lawyer says she's not the first one to do it. Although why she waited for so long is anyone's guess."

  "I'm so sorry, Rick..." His mother hugged him and he squeezed her. "Did you call Millie?"

  "Yes, she hasn't heard from Penny either. I'll be all right, Mom."

  "At least come for lunch. It's been ages since you visited..."

  Rick smiled despite himself at his mother's hopeful expression. Maybe talking to his parents was a good way of trying to figure out how he felt. Lost, upset, and lonely. And betrayed by friends who didn't pick up the phone or had no advice.

  He followed his mother down the street and helped her set the table.

  "Maybe your mother talks too much, but we don't talk enough," his father told him while his mother was in the kitchen. It felt like a secret between them. "Don't go crying about the end of a relationship with your friends, Rick, you won't find any support."

  "Not even with Robbie, who is not answering his phone?" Rick asked, frustrated.

  "This should tell you something," his father replied.

  "What? That he doesn't want to talk to me?"

  "And he's hiding something. I never liked Robbie. Of all your friends, he's the sneakiest."

  "He's not!"

  "I bet he stole you a girlfriend or two when you were younger."

  "Dad!"

  "No? Good for you. Because that's how I see him."

  Rick shook his head, glaring at his father. It was true that he had realized his "guy squad" was actually non-existent. But his father's insinuations about their youth weren't helping. Yes, once or twice Robbie had taken a girl he'd been after, but they were adults now. They were beyond that, weren't they?

  "Don't show your vulnerability," his father added. "Us men, we're supposed to suffer in silence."

  At that point Mom came back in the room and Dad stiffened, averting his eyes, pr
etending he'd said nothing. Rick raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment.

  ***

  Sarah came after work to make a delicious dinner. She worked full time, so she couldn't babysit, but she could help Rick with the house chores. Charlene's duties would be to pick up the children at school, help them with their homework and stay until Rick came home, so when Sarah arrived with the food, Charlene was already gone.

  Mandy helped Aunt Sarah in the kitchen while Rick entertained Harry and Fred.

  After dinner, she waved good-bye to the children and left. The children were still quite excited by all the novelties and Mom's absence, and it took Rick some time to calm them and send them to bed.

  He'd barely switched off the lights in their rooms when the phone rang.

  "Hey, Rick, is my pretty sister around?"

  "Oh, hello, Sam. You haven't talked to your mother, have you?"

  "No, why?"

  "Penny is gone. I have no idea where. If you find out, let me know."

  "What? She's gone?" The shocked tone of his brother-in-law didn't surprise him. Sam had been his fan when he was in the boyband and he still admired him. He kept saying his sister was lucky to have married Rick.

  Rick almost smiled as Sam insulted his own sister for dumping such a wonderful man and wonderful children.

  "Is my favorite nephew already in bed?" he asked. Sam was also Fred's godfather.

  "Yes, Sam, it's been a tough week. Come and see us this weekend if you want, but now it's late to talk to the children."

  "I'll come on Sunday, Rick," Sam promised. "Give them a hug. I'll see if I can get a hold of my sister."

  "Thanks, Sam, appreciate it."

  Rick hung up with a sigh. He hadn't done much, but he felt wrecked. The whole week seemed to weight on his shoulders.

  But looking at the empty bed put a lump in his throat. He plopped himself on the couch, in front of the TV, hoping it would dumb him down enough to fall asleep.

  ***

  Going back to work after his break Rick spent the whole CTA ride trying to paste a smile on his face as if nothing had happened. He wasn't going to tell his coworkers his wife had dumped him, so he took deep breath, putting a mask on.