by Tiffani Lynn
“Get me a key and I’ll come back tomorrow and take care of these things. You take the kids to school and don’t worry for another minute.”
“I’m so embarrassed.”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You’ve proven you have more strength and love than you know what to do with. Now, just lean on your family a little bit. We love you and want to help you get through this.”
“Now you’re the pot calling the kettle black,” she quips with a pointed look at him.
“You’re right and I’ve never been sorrier for the example that I set than I am now. So, no more bullshit. We’ll get everything taken care of. Let’s say goodnight to the kids so you guys can get settled for the night,” Wes suggests.
I reach out and grab hold of his sister’s hand. “Maryann, those kids are amazing. If you ever feel like you’re not doing something right, look at those two. You are doing everything right when it comes to them and that’s what counts.”
“Thanks, Jess. I’m so glad you’re back, I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
We hug one last time and say our goodbyes to the kids. Once we pull out of the driveway Wes hands me his phone. “Can you call Javier Suarez for me?”
“Sure, what do you want me to say?”
“Once you get him on the phone, switch to speaker.”
I dial Javier's number and get him on the line.
“Hey, Javie, it’s Wes. I need to hire you to do some digging. Do you have a little time you can get right on it?”
“For you? Sure.”
“I’m visiting my sister in Nebraska and found out her deadbeat ex isn’t paying child support and isn't seeing his kids. I need to pay that asshole a visit, so I’ll need his current address, work history and financials. If you come across anything else I might find helpful, let me know.”
“No problem.”
“Thanks. I’ll have Jess text you his name and date of birth and last known address shortly.”
Once they finish, I disconnect the call and send the information he said we would.
When we reach his parents’ house, they are watching television in the living room but turn it off.
“You going to fill us in, son? I know something’s up,” his dad questions as he lowers the footrest of his recliner. His mom sets the yarn and blanket she’s crocheting down next to her and gives us her full attention. We sit on the worn-out loveseat across from them, and Zuzu jumps from her position next to his mom and climbs into my lap. As soon as I start petting her, her purr becomes the soundtrack to Wes’s story about the state of his sister’s home, the fact that her ex hasn’t been paying child support and that he hasn’t seen the kids.
“That son of a bitch!” Wes’s dad snarls and slides forward on his chair as if he might get up and storm out at any time. “We welcomed him in our home for years and not only doesn’t he have the decency to stay true to our daughter, but then he deserts all three of them without a care in the world so he can go shack up with some floozy half his age? I can’t believe this shit!”
His mom, ever the cool-headed woman, asks quietly, “Why hasn’t she told us any of this?”
“She feels like you two have enough to deal with.”
“She’s our little girl,” his mom counters.
“Yeah, she is. She’s also part of you two, the strongest people any of us know. She’s not about to show you her weakness.”
“I never thought I’d say this, but maybe we raised her to be too tough.”
My voice is quiet when I decide to interject. “There’s no such thing. It’s hard asking for help. Luckily, with a lot of things, I didn’t have to. Wes took care of me all this time since we split, no matter what. I never had to shovel snow, I never had to mow my grass. When my front porch light went out, I didn’t even have time to buy a bulb because he was there changing it.
“After being at Maryann’s place, I’m just thankful that I never even had to think twice about any of that.” I reach over and grab Wes’s hand and look at him. “Thank you for taking care of me even when I thought I didn’t want it.”
“I think we should drive over there and give him a good old-fashioned ass-whippin’!” Wes’s dad declares, still fired up about Dan.
“Dad, we aren’t going over there to fight the man. I’ll handle it before I leave to head home. You don’t have to worry about a thing. I’ve got a private investigator friend locating him for me now. Tomorrow I need to go over and fix a piece of soffit hanging outside of Tommy’s room, unclog the tub and check on a few other things. Want to go with me? Also, I need you to drop in on Maryann frequently for a while. Now that we know she won’t ask for help, you’ll just have to show up and offer. Do you know anyone who can check out her stove? It hasn’t been working and that’s not my forte.”
“Yeah, we’ll take care of it tomorrow. I’m just so pissed at Dan! That piece of shit. Maryann gave him everything a man could want and it wasn’t enough. I should have known not to let that guy inside when he said he worked at a bank. Can’t trust men like him with clean fingernails.” At that, I bust up laughing. Of course that’s what they think of suit and tie kind of guys.
“I hate to say it, but the kids wore me out today. I need to turn in. I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks for a great dinner tonight, Mom. I always love your cooking,” he informs her as he bends down and places a kiss on her cheek.
I hold on to Zuzu and stand, following him, and also lean down and do the same before giving a cheek kiss to his dad.
Once my face is washed and I’m in my oversized T-shirt, I climb in bed next to Wes, and before I can wonder what he wants, he’s hauling me on top of him starfish style and kissing my hair.
“Are you okay?”
“Not really. When I go see Dan, it’s not going to be pretty. Don’t get pissed if you have to bail me out of jail.”
“I won’t. I have some money in savings.”
His chuckle reverberates under my cheek. “I don’t need money. I just need someone to come get me once I tear his ass up. Leaving my little sister to fend for herself and their children is a wrong, and he’s about to make it right or he’s going to be sorry. The kids are innocent in all of this. His midlife crisis doesn’t mean that they should take a back seat to anything.”
“I know. The fact that you get that is…” I trail off, not willing to say the rest. Since he’s been back in my life on an everyday basis, I remember why I fell in love with him and why I was willing to wait as he was deployed each time for far too long. I just don’t know if I can admit it and go back to that together place in our lives. I mean, we’re divorced. We proved already that we couldn’t hack it. My getting protection and comfort from him right now doesn’t mean anything. Pretty soon they’ll put Vogler on trial, convict him, and it will be back to business as usual.
Zuzu must sense that things are physically quiet in our bed tonight because she jumps up on the bed, curls up around Wes’s head and begins to purr.
“Your cat is so loud, I think the vibration is rattling my brain.”
I giggle. “It just means she’s happy. She always loved being here.” I don’t say it out loud, but so do I. I’ve always loved it here. There is an aura of home to this place that I’ve never felt anywhere else. I’ve always loved the house I live in and consider it home, but this is where two loving parents raised their family and have entertained their grandchildren. Where life and nourishment are the building blocks of happiness. I close my eyes and listen to the steady beat of Wes’s heart and feel his hands move slowly up and down my back, and it’s not long before I slip into dream land, content.
Eighteen
Wes
Holding Jess like this in the quiet of the house I was raised in, is one of the greatest pleasures. Knowing that she’s so comfortable and relaxed that she hasn’t mentioned Vogler since we got here and has drifted off to sleep without so much as a twitch. I wish I could fall asleep too, but I’m too busy thinking about what I wil
l do to my ex-brother-in-law when I get ahold of him. The guy is a grade A jackass. I can’t get over the fact that he didn’t just leave his wife, he abandoned his kids and stopped taking care of them. How did he think that my sister’s salary as a dental hygienist could provide for the three of them? I don’t understand it and I’m ready to communicate that it’s not going to fly with me. After a while, the cat finally quiets down and eventually I fall asleep.
The next day, my dad and I head for the hardware store and then to Maryann’s house. My mom and Jess stay home to take care of the animals and to handle a few things around their house. My dad turns out to be pretty damn handy with the appliances and fixes her stove before I even have the soffit job completed. I uncover the snowblower and tinker with it until it works on the first pull. My dad unclogs the kids’ tub and even gives it a quick scrub. I finish by checking every light bulb in the house and changing Paulina’s closet light. By the time I’m done, Jess and Mom are pulling into the driveway.
“What are you two doing here?” I ask, pleased to see them.
“We brought a Crock-Pot with dinner for Maryann and the kids. Didn’t want her to worry about cooking.”
I nod and smile, happy to know things haven't changed. These women are always thinking of things I don’t.
Jess carries the Crock-Pot inside and Mom follows with a pie tin covered in aluminum foil.
I check my phone and find I missed a call from Javier, so I call him back.
“Hey, man!” he answers.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Good. I got that information for you. Your sister picked a real winner. This guy hasn’t had a job in several months and from what I can tell, isn’t looking too hard. After poking around, it looks as if he got fired from the old job because he was skipping too much work. They fired him not long after he left her. I suspect he got caught dipping his pen in the company ink. Now he lives with this new girl. She’s young and easily distracted. A quick little peek at her online information and it was easy to see she’s found another man from a dating app. She obviously doesn’t like deadbeat Dan as much as he thinks, even though he’s shacked up there. She’s been seeing this new guy on the side. I’ve got proof if you want me to text or email it to you.”
“Text would be great. Good work, man! Also, text me the bill and I’ll pay it electronically.”
“You don’t owe me shit. Remember when you wouldn't take anything when I got stranded on that back road and you towed me in and fixed my car? Well, here is the payback.”
“You can’t do that. You have a family to feed.”
“Not charging you, so stop arguing.”
“Thanks so much.”
We disconnect and I turn to Jess. “Want to take a ride with me? I have a couple of things to take care of.”
She nods and we say goodbye to my parents and let them know we will be back home in time for supper.
“Where are we going?” she asks as she fiddles with the radio, trying to find something other than commercials.
“We’re going to pay Dan a visit. I didn’t take my dad because I’m afraid he will have a heart attack when he goes after that idiot.” I can tell she’s concerned when she starts twisting her hands together, so I reach over and grab one.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him, but it’s time someone pounds some sense into him.”
Jess knows the kind of man I am. I believe men should still act like men and take care of their families, or at least be an equal partner in doing so. I think men should still hold doors and pull out chairs, but number one above all else is that I believe that men should treat women with the utmost respect. Dan has dropped the ball in all of those areas but especially the first and the last, and because it’s my sister and her kids, I’m planning to make him see the error of his ways.
We pull into the driveway of a cute little brick house. The driveway hasn’t been shoveled, nor has the walkway, from the snow that’s been falling all day. There is a weathered little garden flag stuck in the corner of a flower bed off to the side of the front entryway. We trudge our way through the snow-covered sidewalk to the front door and ring the bell. Dan answers the door less than a minute later, wearing sweatpants, a long-sleeve T-shirt and slippers. Nope, clearly not looking for a job. The television is blaring some sitcom in the background and his dark hair is disheveled like he’s been lying on it all day. Once he realizes who is at the door, he tries to push it closed but I’m faster than he is and push back.
“You can’t—” he cries out and trails off as I grab him and pull him outside into the cold with us.
“I’m calling the cops!” Dan wiggles until I let him go on the snow-covered stoop.
“Go ahead. We can report a deadbeat dad while you are telling them that I’m trespassing.”
“I pay child support,” he whines, but not convincingly.
“True, you have in the past, but not recently. What the fuck is that about, Dan?” I stretch his name out as I lean into his face. “You think my sister can pay the bills on the house you deserted her in and feed the kids on a dental hygienist’s salary?”
Dan doesn’t say a word as he stands there glaring at me and shivering.
“Well, Dan, she can’t. I just spent a couple hours at the house with my dad, fixing some things up. My parents are going to the grocery store to feed your kids, Dan, and I’m going to get my sister caught up on bills she can’t pay because they have no money.
“Now here is what you’re gonna do, Dan.” I emphasize his name again in the most condescending way possible. “You are going to get your lazy ass off your girlfriend’s couch and get a job. I don’t care if you’re working at another bank or flipping burgers, you’re going to work and contribute to the household you deserted. You’re also going to make arrangements to spend some fucking time with your kids. Lots of time, and it better not come across as a chore. Those kids better think you are dying to see them, can’t live without them, love them so much it hurts. Lastly, you’re going to treat my sister with the respect she deserves.”
Now he chooses to speak up with a tinge of defiance in his voice. “I’m not getting back together with her.”
“Oh, don’t worry, she wouldn’t take you back anyway. But just so we’re clear, I don't want you back together. I couldn’t care less if I ever see your sorry face again. My sister is way too good for you and now she has a chance to move on to a real man.”
“Oh, like you? One who’s such a fucked-up mess he can’t keep his own marriage together? You know what it’s like being tied down and even you didn’t like it. Fuck off, man. I don’t need to listen to a word you say. You’re a bigger loser than I am.”
He tries to turn and head for the door and my temper hits the max. I jerk him up by the front of his shirt and shove him against the wall. His eyes bug out and he starts clawing at my fist to let go.
“Motherfucker, you aren’t man enough to face what I faced, all the shit that took me to hell. I’m man enough to say I was wrong and continued to take care of my woman after I left. You not only abandoned your woman but you also left your kids. You have your work cut out for you because Paulina overheard Maryann on the phone begging you to spend time with them. She thinks you don’t love her. I think she’s right, but you’re about to fake it until you give a shit because my niece isn’t growing up with a father who's this big of an asshole. You got me?”
Behind me I feel Jess’s hand on my shoulder. “You should let him down. Oh, and we have company.”
I set him down and turn to see the young woman I’m assuming is Dan’s new girlfriend stomping through the snow toward us, madder than hell.
“Why are you blocking my driveway? What are you doing to him? I’m calling the cops! Who are you?” She yells the questions in rapid succession.
“I’m Dan’s ex-brother-in-law. I’m here to make sure he pulls his head out of his ass and takes care of his family.” I make a show of looking around us. “I see he’s not any less lazy for yo
u than he was for my sister. You should get rid of his ass before he knocks you up and leaves you high and dry with no money and a couple of kids to take care of.”
“That’s not true. He takes care of his kids! It’s why he doesn’t have any money.”
“Wrong. He’s lying to you because he hasn’t paid child support for three months.”
“Dan!” she yells, probably more pissed that he lied than that he’s not paying child support.
“What? I can’t pay her if I don’t have a job,” he whines.
One look at the girlfriend and I can see she’s about to blow up on him.
“You actually have to get off your ass to get another one. You’ve got two weeks to get a job and start paying my sister. You have one day to start calling and seeing your kids. After that, I’m siccing my lawyer on your ass and he won’t play games,” I explain to him.
“We can’t have kids in my house. It’s not made for kids,” she tells all of us with an incredulous look on her face.
I turn back to Dan. “Well then, Dan, you better find somewhere that is allowed to have kids. Your days of freedom and bachelorhood are over. You brought Paulina and Tommy into this world and I swear to God, if you don’t help raise them the right way, I’ll take you out of it. You’ll disappear and no one will ever find your body…at least intact.”
With my point made, I grab Jess’s hand and pull her to the car, satisfied that I left that asshole in a situation that won’t be comfortable for tonight and possibly the foreseeable future.
The rest of the week goes by smoothly, between spending time with my family and helping them around the farm. Rajesh calls once to let us know that things aren’t any closer to closure and that they have no idea where Vogler is or who he’s working with. Once we hang up, I decide it’s time to call in reinforcements. Javier was quick to find the information on Dan; I wonder what he could do to find Vogler and his backer.