by Marie Cole
I stood up quickly and tried to change the subject, "Jen, did you have a good time?" I approached Jen steadily, acting like the innocent party that I was, a smile on my lips.
Jen glared at me. Her eyes were so full of anger and rage that it was actually frightening. My mouth went dry.
"Get out,” she spat at me.
Kent approached the two of us from behind, his arms out to embrace his wife. "Jen, calm down. This isn't what you think."
"Kent, she's right. It’s late. We all need some rest." I retreated, grabbing my shoes and purse before anything was said that couldn’t be forgiven.
"Good night, Elly." It was the last thing that was said to me before I walked out the large door. As I walked away from the house I could hear Jen yelling at him. As I neared the bottom of the driveway I heard Kent fire back, his temper officially lost.
I considered going back but it wasn't my fight, it was theirs. As much as I wanted to protect and defend Kent, it wasn't my place. I put my shoes on and walked down the street, pulling out my phone to call for a cab and text with Stacy as I waited for it to arrive.
Me: Holy shit! I think I may have just burned down Kent’s house.
Stacy: What?? You burned down his house? What did he do?
Me: I meant his … not his real one. His marriage house. They are fighting fiercely in there.
Stacy: Oh. I almost peed my pants. Don’t do that to a sista.
I shivered as the wind battered me some more.
Me: Shit it’s cold out here. And dark… Lions, and tigers, and bears…
Stacy: OH MY! Haha. Stop it. Seriously, what did you do? Did you kiss him??
Me: Omg, no! He was pouting about Jen returning his present so I agreed to watch a movie with him. Jen came home and was pissed about it.
Stacy: Ugh. Seriously? She’s seriously insecure. You should’ve kissed him.
Me: Stacy! OMG!!! I’m not kissing Kent and will not. Never again. He’s like the Triple Chocolate Tower at Guppy’s. It looks really good, tastes really good for the moment, but once it settles you regret it immediately and you never want to eat it again.
Stacy: … Keep telling yourself that.
The cab pulled up to the curb and I said goodnight to Stacy. I looked at their house as I was driven away. It looked picture perfect on the outside.
Chapter 37
A week after the big fight I stopped by Kent's office with a big greasy cheeseburger and a large order of fries in hand. I hadn’t heard anything from either of them and I was anxious to hear what had happened. Unless it involved sex, and then I definitely didn’t want to know.
"Your favorite delivery girl is here!" I set it on top of his keyboard and sat down in the chair in the corner of his office after clearing it off.
Kent looked ragged. His shirt was wrinkled and his hair was more of a mess than usual. "Ah, just what I needed. Food." He didn't even freak out that I’d put the food on the keyboard like he would have once upon a time. Something was definitely wrong.
I whistled low. "You look like shit. What happened with Jen? Did she forgive you yet?" Please don’t talk about sex. Please don’t talk about sex...
"We're, uh,” he paused to stew on the words. He took that moment to take a large bite of the burger and a squirt of sauce dribbled down his shirt. "Oh c'mon!" He shook his head as he pilfered over his desk and found a napkin to wipe his face and shirt with.
I watched him procrastinate for a moment and quickly tired of waiting for his answer. I reached out and grabbed a computer part that was laying around and chucked it at his forehead. It missed, my aim slightly too high, and sailed over his head, hitting the wall behind him. "You're what?!"
He frowned at me. "Jen still doesn't want me in the house. As you can see I'm sleeping in my clothes and if you go to the back room, you’ll see there’s a cot in there. Does that answer your question, Ms. Patience?"
"Is she mental? I'll go talk to her after my shift lets out. This is crazy. Like a new level of crazy." I looked down at the floor. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Jen kicked the man out of his own house? He’d paid for that. If anyone should’ve not been sleeping out of the house it should’ve been Jen.
"I just deal with it like I always do. You shouldn't have to get involved, Elly." He sighed as he sat the burger down on the table and wiped his fingers on the napkin. He stood from the chair went into the back room and returned. When I looked up he was wearing a new shirt. He must’ve changed it while I was planning exactly how involved I was going to get.
"But the fight was directly about me. I just want to make sure she's clear that nothing happened and would never happen between you and me."
"She won't hear it from me. She thinks we've been knocking boots for years. She tells me I never loved her and that I've always been in love with you." He shook his head as he took his seat once more.
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. I shook my head and covered my mouth, trying for a good minute or two to get myself together. Kent ate some fries while he waited. “That’s ridiculous!” I blurted.
"That's what I said. She didn't want to listen to anything I had to say. All she kept saying was that she wanted a divorce,” the words seemed to fall out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He immediately looked like he regretted letting that cat out of the bag.
That definitely stopped the laughter. I swallowed visibly, my eyes on Kent. "Wow. Is that what you want too?" I asked, softly.
"I don't know, Elly. I don't like confrontation, but I believe in fighting for things. I just, I don't know anymore. She's become more distant. I…” Kent pushed the chair back away from the computer.
I nodded, he needed a push and I was going to give it to him. It was clear in his appearance that he was distraught at the thought of losing his wife.
"So you’ll fight for her. You can win her back, Kent. How long until you close the other stores?"
"One is already under contract and the other I'm in negotiation for."
I checked my watch. "That's good." I looked at him and smiled. "You'll figure this out. And if you need me, you know my number. I've gotta get back, my lunch break is almost over." That meant that soon the dinner crowd would be coming in. As well as my biggest tips of the day.
Kent nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm a smart guy. It'll get figured out." He stood from the chair and before I knew what was going on he hugged me. "Thank you, Elly. It means a lot."
I was like a brick wall in his arms and awkwardly patted him on the back. The physical contact with him was making me anxious. "Anytime." I pulled away and slunk out of the shop.
* * *
Another week went by and I still hadn’t heard anything about the outcome of the huge marital fight. I hadn’t wanted to text or call either in case it was bad. I was missing teasing Kent so I dropped by his store, his lunch in my hand.
I stepped into his office and dropped the warm contents in the middle of his keyboard. His eyes were on me as soon as I stepped in.
I didn’t think it was possible but he looked even worse than he had last week. “Dude. What the hell happened to you?” I asked as I sat down in the chair across from his desk.
He frowned as he considered my question, “What are you talking about?”
I scoffed, “Are you kidding? When was the last time you looked in a mirror? Jen seriously let you leave the house like that?”
“Jen doesn’t really give a shit anymore.”
It was my turn to frown. “What do you mean?”
He picked up the burger and brought it to his lips to take a bite and mustard dripped down the front of his white shirt. “Sonofabitch,” he growled. He took a big bite and as he chewed he stood up and pulled his shirt off, revealing his chiseled bod. I pulled my eyes away, choosing to stare at the wall instead as I wondered what he’d meant by that.
Were he and Jen finished? Was that even possible? What would Kent’s life look like without Jen in it? Without her weight around his neck he might actuall
y start to enjoy his life again. But I was jumping to conclusions.
When I looked up again he had on a clean shirt and was chewing like a man who hadn’t eaten in days. I waited as long as I could to pester him but his lack of answers was frustrating me. “Oh my god, Kent! Tell me what happened!!” My palms were pounding on his desk rapidly.
He swallowed and then wiped at his mouth with a napkin. “Jesus. Can’t a man eat in peace?”
“Yes…after said man tells his friend what happened.”
He sighed and sat back, setting the burger down. “Fine. We had a huge fight and she demanded a divorce. Happy now?”
“Divorce?” I was shocked. Too shocked to ask all the important questions. Like, did he want a divorce? Was he happy or sad about it? Were they going to try to work it out? Who was going to get the house?
“Yeah. Guess my monogamous, hard working ass wasn’t enough for her.”
“I…” I was still at a loss for words. My heart was thudding in my chest as I stared at him. He picked up his burger and started to eat again. His mind having had a whole week to wrap itself around the situation. Was he really going to throw away a nine year marriage just like that?
My phone sang to me, letting me know I needed to get my ass out of Kent’s chair so I could get back to work. “Shit. I’ve gotta go. Where are you staying?”
“Here.”
“Here?” I shook my head as I made my way to the door, “No, no. You need to find a place to live, Kent. ASAP. I’ll help you go look for a place tomorrow, okay? It’s my day off. Clear your calendar.”
When I turned around Kent’s head was on his folded arms and his shoulders were shaking. I rushed over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. “Kenny…come on, it’s going to be okay.”
He didn’t look up, he just put his large, warm hand on top of mine. I squeezed his shoulder and then slipped my hand from his. “You come by my place tonight, I’ve got a nice couch that has your name written all over it.”
He looked up, his eyes red and damp, “Thank you, Elly.”
“That’s what friends are for,” I smiled down at him as I ruffled his hair gently. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you later.” I blew him a friendly kiss and then booked it back to work.
Chapter 38
After work I checked my phone for messages and saw a text from Jen.
Jen: Kent is angry. I don't know where he went. I think he might do something stupid.
I frowned at my phone. Surely Kent wouldn't kill himself. Jen was probably just over-reacting and being Jen. Or maybe it was her ego making her say to me that he would be so distraught about losing her that he’d kill himself. I sighed as I texted her back.
Me: We need to talk. Meet me for lunch tomorrow?
I dialed Kent's cell, walking the short distance back to his shop while I waited for him to answer.
"You've reached Kent. I can't pick up right now, but if you leave a message I'll get back to you." The recording played on his voicemail. Soon after the voicemail my phone tweeted signaling a message from Jen.
Jen: Of course. Time and place?
I peeked into the shop only to find that it was empty. All the lights were off and Kent’s SUV wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I frowned as I quickly made my way to my apartment. Maybe he was there. I changed my clothes when I didn’t see him and then called a cab. I returned Jen’s text while we drove.
Me: The place that only serves the salads. 11am.
She knew the place I was talking about, it was the usual place we ate lunch whenever Jen needed to discuss Kent, which was almost always exclusively around major gift-giving holidays.
The cab pulled up to Kent's tower and I got out. I looked up, trying to see if I could spot him. I was dressed for the occasion this time, in spandex running pants, a sweatshirt of our alma-mater, and athletic shoes. I stuffed my phone into the front pocket of my hoodie and started to climb up.
Kent was at the edge, like always. His hands rested on the floor of the tower on either side of himself. I stopped a couple feet away from him, my hands stuffed into my front pocket. "Don't jump. I would be devastated."
"You'd be the only one, Elly." He took in a breath and let it out slowly. "Did you know Jen was sleeping with Dave?" I was pretty sure I hadn’t heard him right.
"I...what?..." I blinked. I hadn't broken things off with Dave, we'd seen each other almost every night for the past week.
"I went to the house to try and work things out. When I showed up there was a car there. I thought nothing of it, of course. I went to the door and knocked. When Jen came to the door she just told me to leave. I simply inquired about the car and she flipped out. So, needless to say, I pushed the door open kind of hard and Dave was standing there in the kitchen. When I confronted them both about it, well…” He paused for a beat before continuing, “Apparently it's been going on for a little while now."
All the past feelings came rushing over me, overwhelming me. Jen had taken another man from me. Despite her being married and my being single. Despite the quasi-friendship I’d thought we’d built over the last nine years. She’d taken another guy out from under me. She was my Jolene. I turned away from Kent and started towards the ladder.
I heard Kent scramble up from the ground. He came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder to stop me from running. "Elly, I didn't want to have to tell you this way. But it's hard to find out that it's the both of us this has happened to."
I stepped back from his touch, tears clouding my eyes. “Don’t. Please, don’t. I can’t… I can’t do this right now. I can’t be your shoulder to cry on. Go stay at a hotel tonight.” I turned back to the ladder, climbing down before I was unable to see my feet. He didn’t try to follow me, and I was grateful for that little grace. What the hell was she thinking sleeping with my boyfriend? What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she have to swoop in and take every man I was interested in?
I ran until my lungs were on fire, until my brain could think of nothing except how much pain I was in.
* * *
I had cried so much last night that my eyes were slightly swollen. I kept my large shades firmly in place as I stepped into the salads place. After today I would never again step inside of it. I had a feeling today was going to be a bit dramatic. Jen was long overdue for a verbal smack down and I was finally confident and angry enough to give her one.
She smiled at me as I sat down across from her. I returned the smile, I could play the rich bitch “everything is kosher” game too. If she wanted to smile at me as if she hadn’t been backstabbing me for the past three months, or longer, who knows which other of my boyfriends’ she’d slept with, I would gladly play along.
The waiter was prompt, offering me another moment of stalling. I ordered a glass of champagne and then put my napkin on my lap. She lifted her flawlessly manicured brows and smiled as she took a sip of her water, “Are you celebrating something?”
“Yep. I’m finally going to do something today that I’ve been waiting for over a decade to do. It’s going to be epic and I’m probably going to feel magnificent after I’ve done it.”
Jen set her glass down and laughed, “You’re finally getting a colonic?”
Oh my god, she was clueless. How could she sit there and act so casual with me when she’d been fucking my boyfriend? I tried to keep the anger from my face as I returned the smile.
“No, that’s an exit only. But Dave tells me that’s not the case with you.” I sipped the water sitting at the table, keeping my tone friendly despite the fire I was feeling inside.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise and then scrunched them up as her angry face arrived, “Excuse me?”
“Oh, we’re going to pretend like you aren’t screwing my boyfriend behind my back? How many other men have you fucked in your marriage bed? I’m just curious. Maybe you should have your own reality TV show. That was always a dream of yours, wasn’t it?”
She laughed, “Elly, dear, you’re being ridiculous. Where did you
hear this nonsense from?”
“Your husband, of course. He said he walked in on you and my shirtless boyfriend in his living room.”
“Was that before or after you fucked my husband?”
I gripped the arms of the chair tightly so I wouldn’t slap her across her plastic face. “Don’t you dare degrade my relationship with Kent. As far as I know he has been completely faithful to you while you’ve been screwing around behind his back.” Eyes and ears were turning in our direction but I was too angry to care. Fuck the decorum thing. I was starting to see red.
“Please, Elly. Drop the innocent act. I know that you have always had feelings for Kent. You’re still holding a grudge with me because he picked me over you.”
“Yes, I hate that he picked you. I always have. But I tried to be decent about it. I stayed true to who I was and I was never anything but nice and kind to you. For ten years I’ve helped you pick out thoughtful gifts for him, I’ve helped you plan surprise vacations, video games, menus to please him. I have listened to you complain about him, his workaholic ways and I always bit my tongue, as a friend would do, when what I really wanted to tell you was that you are a self-centered, materialistic, whiney-ass self-centered bitch. I didn’t make a move on your husband because I cared about the vows you took with each other, because he loved you. But you fucked that all up now. Maybe now is my chance. And if he becomes mine you will never be able to have him again. You fucked up big time.” My champagne arrived and I swigged it down, Jen was staring at me, a little dazed by my outburst. I set my glass down and stood up. I looked down at her shocked and appalled face, “Oh, and did I mention I think you’re a whore?” And then I turned on my heel and sashayed out of there.