by Joy Redmond
Mandy pulled into the parking lot, then she saw the shop door had the Closed sign on it. She walked to the door and it was locked. She pounded on the glass, hoping Gill was there and hadn’t lied about the potential buyer. One more whopping lie from you and I’ll have your head, she thought.
Then she saw Gill coming to the door. He unlocked it and said, “Come on in. I think you’ll be happy to hear the news.”
They went into the office and Gill introduced her to a short, potbellied, bald man with a cigar stub in the corner of his mouth. The man stood and shook hands with Mandy and a chill ran through her. I sense evil, she thought, then took a seat.
Gill patted two large briefcases. “Cash. More money than we’ve ever seen— or ever will see in one spot in our lifetime. How’s that for a Saturday morning surprise. It’s a done deal!”
Mandy eyed the briefcases. Who carries that kind of money around? A drug lord? That’s the evil I felt when I shook his hand. And what better way to smuggle drugs than in motorcycle crates being shipped in? Well, that’s on him. I just hope it’s enough to get all the overdue bills paid, she thought, as renewed vigor flowed through her.
Mandy looked around the office and saw three large boxes that were packed to the brim. Gill said, “I cleaned out the two desks and things from under the front counter. I’ve got all my personal papers and other stuff. I’m ready to load them into the back seat of your car.”
Potbellied man said, “I’ll help you load them.”
Mandy just sat and stared at the briefcases.
Once the boxes were loaded, they came back inside and Gill handed Potbelly Man a ring of keys and said, “It’s all yours. Nice doing business with you.” They shook hands and Gill reached for the briefcases. “I’ll put these in my truck.”
Many pushed his hands away. “No, I’ll put them in my car. You and I need to go to the Huddle House and have a long conversation over coffee.” She picked up the cases with both hands, not believing how heavy they were. She promptly headed for the front door and didn’t look back. She had no desire to look into the evil eyes of Potbelly Man, or even thank him. She pictured Gill’s mouth agape and almost giggled.
Mandy was sitting in a booth and she had just picked up her cup of coffee when she saw Gill pull into the parking lot. He walked inside, spied Mandy, then slid into the booth and sat across from her. His eyes were dancing and his smile was broad. “See, I told you I’d work things out. We’re set, baby. The first thing Monday morning, I’ll take the money to the bank, deposit it, then—”
Mandy held up her hand. “No, this is how it’s going to be. I’ll take the money to the bank and open a checking account in my name. Then you’ll go to the post office and fill out a change of address and all the mail will be coming to the house. I’ll keep the checkbook, I’ll pay the bills, and I’ll be getting the mail every day. Do you have a credit card? If so, hand it over!”
“Who do you think you are, Miss High and Mighty?”
“I’m your wife. And since you don’t have sense enough to manage money, I’ll be doing it. Now, do you have a credit card?”
“Yes, I have one. But you’re not getting it!”
Mandy stretched her arm toward him and wiggled her fingers. “Give it to me, now!”
“You might be my wife but by God you aren’t going to control my life!” he said, as his face turned red and the veins in his neck stuck out as if they were bridge cables.
Mandy’s voice was calm as she smiled and said, “Then you have two options. Either do as I have asked—” she paused, giving Gill time to run it through his mind. “Or, I’ll take one briefcase full of money, then I’ll pack up my daughters and granddaughters and go back to Tennessee!” She scooted back in the booth, crossed her arms over her chest, and with eyes as cold as steel, said, “Pick one!”
Gill tucked his head.
Mandy held her glare and waited for crocodile tears to roll down his face.
Finally, Gill said, “Fine. We’ll do it your way. But when I find a job, you won’t be getting my paychecks.”
“Then things aren’t fine. It’ll take both our checks to keep the household bills paid. And that’s if you find a job. In the meantime, we’ll have to do our best to live on my salary.” Again, she stretched her arm forward and wiggled her fingers. “Credit card!”
Gill reluctantly reached into his back pocket, took out his wallet, then handed Mandy a credit card.
“Is this one all you have? Remember, I’ll be collecting the mail. If there’s a bill from a credit card company, I’ll—”
“I know. You’ll pack up and leave! The only thing you’ve left me is three go-carts and a trailer to haul them with. I hope you’re happy. Should I start calling you, Boss?”
“No, just call me Bitch! And the go-cart trailer will be sold. You can haul the go-carts in the pickup, Mr. Fancy Pants. Buying that was totally unnecessary. It was just to show off.”
“I will not!” Gill said, and everybody in the Huddle House turned to look at him. He slid out of the booth, walked outside and got into his pickup. He peeled rubber as he backed out of the parking space, then sped up the road, heading in the opposite direction of the lake house.
Mandy continued to sip her coffee. That went well, she thought, and again she wanted to giggle. Now I’ll see how well things go once I pay us out of debt. And hopefully, he’ll have a job soon.
She walked out to the car, unlocked it, and slid under the steering wheel. She patted the briefcases beside her. She backed out of the parking space and starting singing, “Skip to my Lou, my darling.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Mandy collected Abbie and they stopped at Joe’s Café, had a nice dinner, then went home. She pulled into the driveway and noticed that Gill’s truck wasn’t there. She and Abbie unloaded the car, took the boxes upstairs, and Mandy slid the briefcases under Abbie’s bed.
Mandy and Abbie stayed up until midnight watching movies, but Gill still hadn’t come home. Mandy kissed Abbie goodnight, then went to her bedroom. She undressed, crawled under the warm blankets, but she was chilled without Gill’s arms around her. I don’t know where you are or what you’re doing, but you better have a good story when you do come home. Not that I’ll believe a word. The longer she lay, the more chilled she became. Damn your hide, Gill, she thought, and she hated not being able to shake the craving of his body next to hers.
Gill didn’t come home Sunday. Abbie was downstairs watching a movie as Mandy pulled out the briefcases and counted the money. “Damn!” she exclaimed, then shut them and slid them back under the bed. She went into her bedroom, searched through the boxes and dragged out all the overdue bills and stacked them. One by one she took the bills out of the envelopes, added them on her pocket calculator, then wiped sweat from her upper lip and her nape. There’s enough money to pay off the creditors with a few thousand left over. I hope the extra will keep the bills paid until Gill finds a job.
That afternoon, Mandy and Abbie drove over to visit with Kati, Tina, and Leigh. Mandy played with her grandbabies and Gill left her mind for a few hours. Mandy was glad she also had a few hours to get to know Max, the man who Kati swore she was madly in love with.
By dark, Mandy kissed them all goodbye and headed for home. She reached over and patted Abbie’s leg. “Kati and Max seem to be very happy together. And they’ve been together for over a year. He has a job, and he seems to love Tina and Leigh. But it still bothers me that Max hasn’t gotten a divorce. Maybe he will soon. Kati is chomping at the bit to get married.”
Midnight rolled around and Gill still hadn’t come home. Mandy went to bed. Gill, I’m going to kill you. You better be getting your ass home.
The next morning, Mandy drove Abbie to school and she was still in awe of the large high school. I didn’t think there were enough students in this Podunk town to warrant such a big high school. And Abbie loves it. She picked up a few items at the grocery store, then headed back home. She pulled into the circular drive, hoping t
o see Gill’s truck. He still wasn’t home. “Ah, shit!” she said, and wondered if she’d been too harsh and demanding. What if he went out in the woods and shot himself. Oh, God what have I done?
She went into the house and made a pot of coffee. Just as she poured a cup and went into the family room, she saw Gill pulling into the driveway. Relief flowed through her, but she didn’t know if she wanted to kiss him or kill him. Where the hell have you been? What are you up to now? I hope you don’t think you’ve pulled another fast one on me, Sneaky Pete.
She unlocked the front door and was ready to spew obscenities, but Gill grabbed her in his arms and swung her around. “Put me down!” she said as she wiggled free of his grasp. “And don’t try working your magic by hugging and kissing me so I’ll overlook that you’ve been gone for almost three days. We do have a working phone, you know.”
“I know. But I didn’t want to call until I was sure everything was in order. I’ve been in Valdosta. I needed to talk to my parents and explain about the shop going belly-up and me selling it.”
“So did they pat little son on the head and make things all better?” Mandy asked with thick sarcasm.
“They did better than that, but if you want to get all pissy, then forget it.”
Mandy crossed her arms over her chest, arched her eyebrows, and said, “This better be good.”
“That’s more like it,” he said, then walked into the kitchen. He poured a cup of coffee and came back into the family room. “Are you ready to listen, Bitch?”
“That’s Miz Bitch, to you. Spill it!”
“Daddy is retiring and he hired me as his office manager. Mom and I went out to a new sub-division and we found us the perfect house. You’ll love it. It’s brand new. This will be the house that we’ll start building memories in. No ghost of other wives in the rooms. Mom made the down payment, I signed the deal and it’s all ours!”
Mandy just stood in shock and couldn’t speak for a long moment. She felt faint but she willed herself not to keel over.
“Well, aren’t you proud of me? I’ve got a good job, we’ve got a beautiful home, and our lives will be perfect. I thought you’d be happy.”
“Happy? You buy a house without consulting me. We have to pull Abbie out of school and move. I have to leave my job. And I have to leave my oldest daughter and granddaughters. So now we’ll have two house payments, plus taxes and insurance on them, and all the household expenses, plus personal items for three people, a truck payment, and we owe your parents for the down payment on the house. Oh, and add the go-cart trailer payment, since you refuse to sell it. We just got out of debt, now you’ve gone and put us asshole deep in debt again. And I’m supposed to be happy?” she yelled.
“If you’ll simmer down, I’ve got more to tell. I stopped by my oldest son’s house on my way home. He agreed to take over the go-cart trailer payment. That’s gone. I’ve only got two more payments left on the truck. That’ll be gone. I’ll put this house on the market tomorrow. It’ll sell fast. People for miles around just sit on wait, hoping to buy a house on Lake George. It’s the hot spot in this area. Soon, that payment will be gone. So, now what do you have to bitch about?”
“A lot. But I guess I don’t have a choice in how things are going to go.” She threw her arms into the air. “I just might as well give up!”
“Since I just put my last dime in the gas tank, would you give me my allowance?”
“Yeah, I’ll get—” Before Mandy finished her sentence, the phone rang. She went into the kitchen. “Hello,” she said in a voice that sounded annoyed.
“Well, a good hello to you, Sis,” Lee said. “I never seem to call when you’re in a good mood.”
“Lee!” Mandy cried. “I’m sorry. It’s good to hear your voice. I haven’t seen you for almost four years. And we don’t talk that much anymore. So, how’s things going with you and yours?”
“That’s what I called to tell you, Smarty Pants. I retired from the Army. I’ve got a few health issues, which I’m not going to discuss, but the Army strongly suggested I retire and I did. Maylee and me bought a beautiful home in Saint Petersburg Beach, Florida. We’re right on the water. My boys are in the Air Force Academy. So, it’s just me and Maylee and Lady. Lady is our poodle. Killer died two years ago, and Maylee has to have a baby, ya know.”
“Oh, Lee, that’s wonderful! We’ll be close to each other again. And speaking of moving, we’re moving over to Valdosta. We’ll be about five hours apart.”
“Well, we’re in the process of moving. We should be settled in, in about a month and we wanted to come see you and Gill. What’s your new address?”
“I don’t know. Hang on.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and yelled, “Gill, what’s our address?” Gill called it out and Mandy repeated it to Lee.
“If it’s okay, we’ll see you in about six weeks. I’ll be in touch,” Lee said.
“Of course it’s okay. I can’t wait to see you. But hold on. Since you and I both will be in transient, we can’t call each other. When you get to Florida and get a phone, just call information and get our number. Then call and let us know when to expect you.”
“Sounds like a plan, Sis. I’ll be in touch. Love ya.”
“I love you, Lee. See you soon.”
Mandy hung up the phone and ripples of excitement cascaded throughout her very being. “My brother will just be a hop, skip, and jump away. And Don isn’t that far. I’m going to be able to see my brothers often. I sure hope this is the last move for all three of us.”
Gill hugged her. “You need to be close to your brothers. See, everything is going to work out.” Gill kissed Mandy, deeply. Once again she was putty in his arms.
The next day, Gill called a realtor and listed the house. Mandy turned in her two-week notice. After work, she stopped by Kati’s. Tears rolled as she told her daughter that she’d be moving and there was no way she could take her and the girls with her. She promised she’d come for a visit at least once a month.
Kati said, “I hate to see you go, Mama, but I’ve got Max. He’ll take care of us, and you come as often as you can.”
Mandy was glad that Tina and Leigh were too young to understand that Nana was moving over a hundred miles way. They just understood that Nana would come see them often, and they didn’t cry.
Two weeks later, Mandy checked Abbie out of school, and Abbie swore she’d never forgive her mother for taking her out of her junior year, away from Liz and her other friends. Mandy just let Abbie blow, hoping she’d quickly adjust to the high school in Valdosta, and make new friends.
The next day the moving van pulled out of the driveway. Gill pulled out behind it in his pickup. Mandy and Abbie stopped by and kissed Kati and the girls, then headed to Valdosta
Abbie pouted all the way.
Fluffy was telling us that a big change was on the way, but he’d still be with us, Mandy thought.
Three hours later, Mandy pulled up in front of her new home. The house was beautiful, but there was no landscaping. “Well, Abbie, like it or not, we’re home. And hate me if you want, but I did what I had to do. I love you.”
Abbie didn’t answer her mother. She opened the car door, stepped out, then headed for the front door, pushed it open and stomped inside. Mandy blew a deep breath. Spirits, please pay her a visit and bring her comfort. She doesn’t want to hear anything from me.
Mandy walked through the garage and opened the back door that led into the kitchen. Gill was waiting for her, and he had a vase of fresh roses sitting on the island in the kitchen. Mandy bent and inhaled the sweet aroma, feeling as if Mama was following the scent up her nostrils.
Chapter Forty-Five
One night Mandy lay in bed, recapping the four years she had been in Valdosta. So much had happened. She was working at a doctor’s office and she rotated her time between three gynecologists and two nurse practitioners. Though she and Gill were both working, the bills were still taking every cent, and several times Mandy had to dip int
o her savings account.
Lee and Maylee came for visits once a year. Tony and Belinda had two more children, Belle and Ian. Max went back to Virginia to be with his wife and children, but he was kind enough to rent a truck, load the household contents, and he drove Kati and her children to Kentucky and left them with Otis. One month later, Kati reconnected with a grade school classmate, Wally, and they married. They had an apartment only two miles from Otis, and Kati seemed to be happy every time Mandy called her.
Abbie graduated from high school and Mandy took what she had left in savings and bought her a car. Abbie had been a model child, and Mandy felt as if she had cheated her youngest because of the money she had spent on Kati and her girls, and Tony and his children, and what Gill had milked her out of. She was broke, but Abbie deserved her share.
Abbie enrolled at Georgia Southern University, a three hour drive from Valdosta. She came home once a month and her visits were the only thing that sustained Mandy. She grieved for her two oldest children and her five grandchildren, whom she only saw once a year when she took her vacation. She always stopped and spent the night with Don and Anne, going and coming. Being able to see her two brothers, even if it was once a year, helped fill the void she had carried for them since they were children.
Mandy and Gill celebrated their 7th anniversary, and as Mandy sat across the table from him, she realized her love for him had waned until there was only a thread of what she had once felt. Too many lies, too much deception, and too much taking from her had filled her with more resentment than she had love for him.
One morning, Mandy got into the station wagon, and turned the key. It wouldn’t start. She tried several times but the engine refused to turn over. “Shit!” she yelled, as she pounded the steering wheel. “You’ve been a trusted friend for thirteen years, but lately I’m dumping more money into you than you’re worth,” she said, as if the car understood her.
She went back into the house and called Gill. He came and got her and she was only fifteen minutes late for work. That afternoon, Gill picked her up from work and he had bought a new battery.