“How much longer, Mom? Did you know that Grandma came to school yesterday to sign up for PTA? Do you know how embarrassing that was to run into her in the hallway?”
“This I didn’t know about, but I’ll have a talk with her.” I’m confused as to why she would do that. Wouldn’t it conflict with her other activities? She didn’t even do that when I was in school.
“How was your day, Mom?” I’m shocked because I can’t remember the last time my daughter actually asked me how my day was.
“It was a normal day.” I shrug as I pull us into the driveway of my parents’ home.
Just before Sophia gets out of the car, she stops and looks back over at me. “We’ll be fine, Mom, and sorry for being a brat.”
“Love you, Sophia, and yes we will be okay.”
I sit here for just a little longer, taking in the fact that I’ve raised Sophia and even though she can drive me nuts, she’s a good-hearted person. Staring back up at my parents’ house, I know deep down I can’t keep living here. We need our own space. Our privacy. And most of all I need my sanity. As much as I don’t want Lenny’s help, I drag my phone out of my purse and open my contacts.
Foregoing a call, I type out a message to him, but before I can send it I notice David pulling in behind me. Locking the display on my phone, I get out of my car and stand next to the trunk as I watch him. It’s weird now that I see him as a different person. Even though we changed before the separation, I still found him attractive. Now, I’m repulsed by the mere sight of David.
“I’ll go get her,” I say as I push off the car and move toward the door.
“Jules, can we talk for a moment?”
“No, not really.”
“No, not really as you don’t want to, or you just don’t want to hear what I have to say?”
“Both.” I shrug and continue, but I hear his footsteps matching mine behind me. I laugh out loud as I reach the door. As much as my family loved David, they despise him now. To my parents, he’s embarrassed us all and the game he’s playing only causes more to the face of this family. In this town, you have to keep up appearance, not only on the outside, but the inside.
“Do you want to come in, David? I’m sure my parents would love to see you.” My words are drier than intended.
“No, I’ll wait here for Sophia, but we do need to talk.” I turn around and face him, taking in the way the gray around his ears is more prominent than I ever noticed before. The way his eyes now support dark circles underneath.
“Fine, I only have a minute because my parents and I have dinner plans at the country club tonight. What do you need?”
“You… Today I realized that I screwed things up and not only did I lose you, but I’m losing my daughter too.”
“You just came to this conclusion today?”
“Yes, well—no, it’s been ongoing.”
“No, it hasn’t. The only reason you’re thinking this is because you think someone else wants me. I know you, and I know it would kill you to find out that I moved along and found someone better. What, only you can play that game?”
“This isn’t a game, Jules. This is about our family.”
“Our family? You mean the one you ruined over the years with the many affairs that you were having behind my back while I took care of your house and your daughter? Is that the one you’re referring to?”
“You know what I mean, Jules.”
“No, I don’t, David. The day I walked in on you banging your bimbo against the desk was the day I couldn’t look away anymore. I knew the rumors, but I was trying to be a good wife and stand behind you. I just didn’t realize by doing that I lost myself in the meantime. Even if you could be faithful, I can’t allow you to take me down with you anymore. I just can’t David.” Once I finally let those words free, I feel a weight lift from my shoulders—a weight that I didn’t know I was carrying until now.
“So that’s it, we’re over and tossing away all those years.” David’s voice is laced with defeat. A tone that never escapes from his lips. One that I’ve never heard before. I didn’t even know he knew what defeat felt like, but standing here now I realize he’s getting a taste of it for the first time in his life. There were moments in our marriage that defeat was all I ever knew. When we were good, we were great. When we were bad, we were damaging. It didn’t matter what I did, every evening would end in some type of argument. It was beyond unhealthy. There have been times over the last few weeks that I stop to think about what this has done to Sophia. Will she resent her father or me later in life? That’s why this marriage will never be rekindled.
“That’s it, David. We are toxic to each other, and it’ll only end up killing us in the end.”
“I’ll meet Sophia in the car,” he says before he turns around and heads down the driveway to his vehicle. Entering the house, I call out for my daughter before turning to see her standing near the foyer.
“You’re doing the right thing, Mom. I’ll see you later.” Sophia’s voice is barely a whisper. All I can do is watch as she leaves me standing here alone. She did get one thing correct: I did the right thing. There is no question about that decision.
10
Lenny
Seated at the bar in the back of the country club, I order another tumbler of whiskey as I down the last of my recent one. I told myself that I was going to avoid the country club tonight, forgoing to miss out on my weekly dinner with my parents. For some reason, it seems so important to not just my parents, but Rose too that I meet them tonight.
This whole week has been weird. Maybe the stars are aligned differently. Hell, as far as I know, someone is playing a big fat joke on me. It started with me hiring the first designer I interviewed without even looking at others. Then, I find that same designer attractive and can’t keep my mind off her. Then, of course, I kissed her. Oh, and I got her off while she was perched on the kitchen counter of one of my rentals. Yup, I like her. “Fuck,” I say as the bartender passes me a drink. I run my hands through my hair before I turn to look at the dining area. That’s when I see her. She’s still in the purple dress that I want to rip from her body so badly. But I can’t in the middle of a country club. Hell, I’m not even sure I can approach her while she’s sitting with her parents. Before I turn away, Jules spots me. Locking eyes, I dip my head acknowledging that I spot her. My parents are a few tables over, closer to the bank of windows overlooking the river. It’s my mother’s favorite spot to dine while here. When it’s not raining, you can watch the sunset as the boats float by. Downing the amber liquid, I set the glass on the bar top before pushing off and moving through the crowd of people as I find my way to where my parents and Rose are seated. As I pass by the table where Jules is seated, I slow my stride and cock my head toward her, offering a shy smile. I’m not far when her father, William Baxter, calls out my name. I stop in my tracks, turning to greet them.
“Lenny, what a pleasure to see you here tonight,” William states as he gestures for my hand to shake.
“Good to see you too, sir.” I take his hand in mine and offer a firm shake to match his own.
“You remember my wife, Carol Ann, and of course you know Jules.”
“Nice to see you again, ma’am. Jules,” I say, trying to conceal my smirk as I watch her glare holes into me.
“We were excited to hear that you hired Jules on to be your top designer. You won’t be sorry; our Jules is the best there is.” Carol Ann, Jules’ mother, blushes as she speaks highly of her daughter.
“Yes, we’re excited about the new adventure.”
“Well, we won’t keep you as I can tell your parents are ready for dinner. It was good seeing you again, son,” William states as he pats my shoulder and takes his seat excusing me just as quickly as he welcomed me.
“Yes, yes they are. Good to see y’all, and I’m sure we’ll cross paths again.”
I don’t wait as I need to avoid this table as much as I can. I want to smile at Jules as I remember what we did just hours ago. But I can’t
, or prying eyes will take it the wrong way. She’s still connected to that asshole David, and I don’t want anything to get in her way of being free from him.
Pulling out my chair, I take my seat and greet everyone at the table.
“We should invite the Baxters over for dinner soon. Dear, make sure you call Carol Ann and send an invitation to join us soon. Make sure Jules and her daughter can come. It’s such a shame what David Aldridge is putting those two through.”
“Certainly,” my mother says, and I know she won’t forget to call first thing in the morning. Hell, I wouldn’t put it past her to have the date arranged before they even step foot out the front door tonight.
“Rose, how’s the last of the contracts coming along?” I ask as I place the linen napkin in my lap.
“No business talk tonight, son. This is a family dinner, and you can save all that for work tomorrow,” my father states as he gives me a stern glare. I might be thirty-nine-years-old, but I still listen to my father when he speaks. Without responding, I nod and try to come up with something else to talk about.
“Jules looks lovely tonight, don’t you think, Lenny,” my mother pipes up from across the table, and it’s then that I start to put one and one together. The three are up to no good, that’s what’s happening.
“Are y’all meddling again in my love life?”
“No, I was just stating an observation,” she rebuttals. I watch Rose as she looks away acting like she’s interested in watching the boats that are tied up at the docks.
“Is that so,” I state, as I place this tiny bit of information at the back of my mind to process later.
Dinner goes by without any drama or talk about work. It’s funny when I think about it because I don’t know how my father turned the switch off all these years. It didn’t matter how long he was at the office. When he walked through the front door, it was family time. Don’t get me wrong, there were many nights when he’d excuse himself to his study after dinner. But while at the table, he never let anything slip. It was one of my mother’s rules and still is. If we want to talk shop as she calls it, we wait until we are in the study or not at her dining room table. The same rules apply for restaurants. I just hope that one day, if I ever settle down, I learn how to flip that same switch.
I think about how life was for Jules and David. Did he follow the same rules? Before I can even answer that one, I spot him approaching Jules and her parents. I lean back in my chair, giving myself a better view of the interaction. Jules’ father doesn’t appear to be happy with the intrusion. The welcoming face that greeted me has morphed. The deep creases showing in his forehead prove that David isn’t welcome. Jules won’t even raise her eyes from the table to look at him. While witnessing this exchange, I wonder where their daughter is. I wouldn’t think Jules and her parents wouldn’t have invited her tonight, too. The conversation between them is brief, and relief fills me as I watch David leave Jules’ space.
11
Jules
What a night. I took Anna and Lacy up for their suggestions to have drinks and texted them halfway through dinner. I told them to meet me at the club for drinks to follow the dinner portion of my evening with my parents. I figured it would be a good way to decompress after the day I’ve had. I knew my parents wouldn’t be sticking around long after dessert, so I gave them an hour’s notice.
“What do you mean you almost slept with Lenny Ward?” Anna spits out after I finish telling them about my out of body moment from this afternoon.
“Just that. I let him take full advantage of Charlotte with no respect for myself,” I say, leaning back further in my chair.
“He’s your Jack Ryan, and you’re Molly Ringwald,” Lacy says before bringing her wineglass up to her lips.
“He’s my what? And I’m who?”
“You know the eighties movie Sixteen Candles; he’s the hot rich guy—Jack Ryan, and you have a crush on him.”
“I think you’ve had enough wine for the night. You’ve lost your mind,” I say while shaking my head at them.
“No, seriously. Think about it, Jules. If they were to remake the same movie but aged Jake and Samantha, what would you have?”
“A hot mess,” I say while crossing my arms over my chest.
“No, you’d have this. It’s the perfect explanation of you and Lenny.”
“Then who’s farmer Ted and Long Duk Dong?”
“First, David and then what’s his name who works with Lenny?”
“Blake? You think he fits one of them?” I ask in a fit of laughter. “For the record, I’m not giving my panties to anyone, so that scene’s not happening.”
“Don’t need to, he’s already tested the goods out, and from the looks of it, I think he liked it,” Anna states, and the hair on the back of my neck perks up. Leaning forward, I lower my voice like our conversation is top secret. “Is he here?”
“Maybe, you’ll find out soon enough.” Lacy shrugs. They both earn a set of glaring eyes as they know I don’t like surprises.
“Evening, ladies, Jules,” Lenny slurs his charm as he sinks down in the chair next to me. I didn’t realize he was even still here. I was supposed to be decompressing right now, not getting more worked up. Before Lenny’s ass even hits the leather, my head whips around so fast that if I were standing, I’d have fallen over from being dizzy.
“What are you doing?” I seethe.
“Coming to say hello and speak with a friend,” Lenny states.
“Sorry, but I don’t see any of your friends here.”
“Of course, they are. You’re my friend, and that makes your friends my friends.”
“You’re talking in circles, Lenny, and this is girls’ time.”
“Great, what are we chatting about?”
“The movie Sixteen Candles, have you ever seen it, Lenny?” Anna asks, and before she can take a breath I extend my foot and try to kick her, but instead I get Lacy.
“What the hell, Jules? That hurt,” Lacy yells as she leans under the table to rub her leg. I scrunch up my face, mouthing ‘I’m sorry.’
“Now I think y’all have my attention. Watched it a million times growing up and always thought I could pull off being Jack Ryan.”
“That’s funny, we just compared you to him,” Lacy states, and I know it’s payback from me kicking her.
“Interesting,” Lenny says as he brings his drink to his lips. After taking a swig, he places the glass on the table before leaning into me. His mouth is so close to my ear that I can feel the hot breath coming from his lips while smelling the hints of whiskey.
“I don’t get strangers off, Jules. That makes you my friend.” I take in his words, the power that is laced behind them and swallow a little louder than I intended.
“Wow, look at the time. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow and should get going,” I say, pushing my chair back from the table. Before I can stand, a strong arm grabs my wrist slowing me down.
“No need to rush off on my account. I just wanted to stop by and say hello, you know, to remind you of our meeting tomorrow.”
“What meeting tomorrow?” I ask as I turn my head toward him. I can’t help that the man affects me in ways that no man ever has. He really is beautiful, and life just keeps getting shittier and shittier as the days go by. If I wasn’t dealing with my issues, I might reconsider going after Lenny Ward. No, not dating as that’s not his game. He’s a screw them and leaves before morning type of guy. I want someone to worship me, snuggle, and be next to me when I wake in the morning.
“House hunting, here’s the list of houses that we will see tomorrow.” Lenny stands and drops the printed paper on the table. He’s gone just as fast as he approached, not giving me a moment to rebuttal or deny the meeting.
“Have mercy, Jules. Just put yourself out of misery and let that fine man use your body like a temple,” Anna says while fanning herself with her hand.
“Not funny. For real, how do I get out of this?”
“You could qui
t your job, move to Iceland, and change your name,” Anna says.
“Ha, very funny. Can we be real for just a moment? I can’t deal with him and how forward he is.”
“He’s forward because Lenny Ward is a man who knows what he wants, and right now he wants you on a silver platter,” Lacy reminds me that Lenny’s still here as she keeps eye contact with him behind me.
“You know, for years I prayed that David would one day look at me like that, that he would want to devour me, and nothing ever happened. Why is it that the ones you wish for, show up at the worst times?” I ask out loud, wondering if I really want an answer to that question.
“Sometimes, you have to go through the trash to get to the treasure, Jules. I’m not saying that Lenny is marrying material, but he would be fun.” Anna winks, and I know she’s right. Lenny would be fun, but I’m not sure if I’m up for just fun. What if my heart gets attached and he breaks it in the end? Heck, can I even be that person who just dates for fun with no end game in sight?
The girls and I stay at the club for a little longer before saying our goodbyes. It’s not like I won’t see them tomorrow, but you never know. On the drive home, my mind races with thoughts of Lenny and the way my body betrayed me with him this afternoon. Even with him sitting next to me tonight I must admit that I wanted his hand to slide over and touch the bare skin of my legs. I wanted to feel his fingers slide up the inside of my thighs, teasing me as he brushes past my core and back. I’ve never been a sexual creature. Yes, I enjoy sex, but it’s never been something that I had the need to have. I never reached climax with David until after he was done. I’d have to make it happen when he’d jump in the shower or right before I knew he was finished. David was blind to the fact. Maybe that’s where we went wrong. We weren’t sexually compatible. Can that kill a marriage?
I don’t know the answer to that as I can’t ask my girlfriends; well, I could ask Lacy as she’s been married to Trent for almost ten years. But I already know the answer to that question. She’s always talking about different things that they’ve tried and such. I remember her telling me about this one position that sounded interesting. I tried to explain it to David, but he excused it as some childish thing that grown-ups shouldn’t be trying. I can’t even remember now what it was. Curiosity gets me, and I know I want to know. Maybe, just maybe, if I decide to try this out with Lenny, we could give it a go. Lenny definitely seems to be the type who tries everything at least once. Maybe that’s what I need to do. I just need to have some fun. I might be approaching the four zero, but I’m not dead yet. Men do it all the time, so, why can’t I? I have a willing partner, a very functioning Charlotte. Wait… Lenny has been with multiple partners and even though I’ve only been with David for the last eighteen years, I know I’m STD free. Yes, after I saw his affair with my own eyes, I hauled my ass into my doctor the next day for testing. I wanted to make sure that he hadn’t contaminated my precious cargo.
Forty Candles: A Standalone Romantic Comedy Page 7