by Pizzi, Jenna
Tasha and Emily stood up and gathered their things. Ethan looked at them and shrugged his shoulders. Tasha walked up to him and handed him a piece of paper with Becca’s phone number on it.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked her.
“No. She’s just been off the scene for a long time. She just got spooked. I’d take that as a good sign,” Tasha told him. “Give her some time and then call her.”
“I plan to. I really like her,” he said to Tasha.
“Good.” Tasha turned and winked at the bartender as she walked out the door to meet her friends. She caught up to Emily and Becca who were sitting on a bench the next block over.
“What the hell was that, Becca?” Tasha shot out at her. “You had a perfectly good, wicked hot guy totally into you and you walked away.”
“It’s wrong. I just caught my husband with someone. It’s just not right. Besides, he’s younger than me. He could have anyone in there. He doesn’t need a washed up old lady.”
“Yeah well, he apparently wanted you, so what is the problem?” Tasha snapped.
“The timing is wrong. I’m not even separated. I haven’t even told my kids. I can’t even think about another man.”
“No offense, but I wasn’t thinking that you needed another man, but I was thinking you do need to get laid. I wasn’t trying to marry you off, just loosen you up a little.”
“I kinda have to agree with Tasha on this one, Becca. You are a great mother, and you were a great wife, regardless of him being a louse. When is the last time you felt like a woman? Go do something that is meaningless and crazy for just you,” Emily told her.
“No! I just want to go. Can we please just go?” She pleaded with her friends.
They agreed that Rebecca wasn’t ready. They didn’t want to push her. They walked down the street to where they parked. They got into Emily’s car and drove back to Tasha’s house. Rebecca crashed on the guest room bed and grumbled.
“Oh God, I have to tell the kids.”
“Just get some rest, Becca. Your kids aren’t going to be as surprised as you think they will be. They are pretty smart, and it doesn’t take a genius to know how unhappy you are. Good night, babe. Tomorrow is another day.”
Rebecca stayed at Tasha’s until Sunday afternoon. She didn’t want to take any chances of running into Jack, she didn’t want a confrontation, and she didn’t want to confuse the situation any more than it already was. She knew the kids would be home by five, so she planned on arriving at four thirty.
Tasha pulled into Rebecca’s driveway and put the car in park. They sat, staring at the house.
“Do you want me to hang out while you tell the kids?” Tasha asked her.
“No, I think it is better if I do this alone. Thank you, though. You know I love you,” Rebecca told her.
“I know. I love you too. Now go, call me if you need me.”
Rebecca waved goodbye and ran into her house. At first glance, it looked as though everything was still the same. Upon further investigation she noticed little things missing. The household tools that he kept in a box under the sink were gone. The jacket that he kept drooped over the office chair was gone. Strange, she thought, how something so minuscule can have such a big impact. A simple sweatshirt was missing and her heart sank.
She walked up to the second floor and made her way into the master bedroom. Her eyes instantly found his bedside table and she noticed that his iPhone dock was gone. The slippers that he kept by his side of the bed were gone. The rocking chair that sat in the corner of their bedroom now sat empty. Jack used to come home from work and strip out of his clothes and toss them onto that chair. Rebecca felt empty. She knew her marriage had its flaws, but a part of her felt that at least she knew she had him to come home to.
She opened his closet; it was completely empty. All that remained were some empty hangers and a few lonely socks that were missing their mates. She exhaled as she realized that the lonely sock was a metaphor that closely resembled her life.
She walked into the bathroom and the counter was spotless. All of his toiletries were gone and so were a few bath towels. She recalled all the years she’d had to clean the counter off before she could use the bathroom and all the years she’d wiped toothpaste off of the bathroom mirror or shaving cream off of her sink handles. Now the bathroom sat just as she had left it on Friday: clean.
She leaned up against the linen closet door, slid down onto the marble tiled floor, and cried. She cried for her children who were going to miss their father. She cried for those rare moments when she felt any kind of connection to Jack. She cried because she didn’t know what she’d do now that she was going to be on her own.
She heard the door open and Riley call out, “Mom, we’re home! I got Adam from down the street. Mom, where are you?”
Rebecca quickly wiped her face. She didn’t want the kids to see her crying. She walked out of the bathroom just as her kids rushed into her bedroom. They took one look at her red, puffy eyes, and stopped short.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Adam asked her.
Riley stepped forward, “Dad’s gone, isn’t he?”
Rebecca looked at her extremely mature daughter and frowned. “How’d you even know to guess that?”
“I’m a teenager, I’m not stupid. Did he leave us for some bimbo?” Riley asked.
“Oh, Sweetie, don’t talk about your father like that.” She wrapped her arms around her children and they both hugged her back tightly.
“I’ll talk about him any way that I want to! He left us, he’d rather be out there with someone else than us. I hope I never see him again.” Riley said.
“He didn’t leave, I told him to go. I just would rather be alone than have someone here who would rather be somewhere else.”
Adam backed up slowly and then quickly turned and ran to his room. Rebecca heard his door slam shut and tears fell from her eyes.
“He’ll be fine, Mom. I don’t think he’s too shocked anyway. Dad hasn’t exactly spent any time with him lately. Not that much will change around here, you’ll see.”
She turned to walk to her own room when Rebecca called out to her, “Riley.”
Riley turned around to look at her. “Yeah, Mom?”
“Are you mad at me for making him leave?”
“No. I think he was never really with us to begin with.”
“I don’t know how it is that you grew up so fast, but you are a very smart girl. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.” She turned, walked into her own room, and shut the door. When no one was looking she fell on her bed and cried.
The next few weeks quickly flew by. The divorce was settled before it ever went to court because no one contested it. She got the house and custody of the children. She was entitled to an alimony payment, but she knew it wasn’t going to be enough for them to live off of. She realized she was going to have to find a way to bring in enough money to support the kids and her.
Jack rented himself an apartment near his shop, which surprised Rebecca. She just assumed now that he was a free man he’d run off with the woman he had been seeing. He began taking the children every other weekend. Riley made sure to have plans somewhere else. She was letting him know that she was not OK with all of it. He allowed her to feel what she was feeling. He didn’t want to push her away any further than he already had.
Adam, on the other hand, loved the one-on-one guy time. Their bond finally began to form, and they did things together again. They played ball at the park, and they went on long bike rides at Cape Cod Canal. Adam couldn’t have been happier. Everyone managed to fall into a new type of routine.
Jack picked both the kids up after hockey and basketball on Wednesday nights and took them out to dinner. He told Riley she didn’t have a choice with it. The sleepovers were one thing, but until she was eighteen, she’d have to do what she was told. She didn’t like it, but slowly, she ended up looking forward to her Wednesdays with her dad.
Rebecca was
in the kitchen making cookies for Riley’s bake sale when her phone rang. She wiped the cookie dough off her hands with her kitchen towel and reached for the phone.
“Oh thank God you are home,” Emily cried into the phone.
“What happened? Are you alright?”
“Depends on what alright is. My water just broke and I am at the store; I need you.”
“Oh God, I’m coming. Do you have everything with you?”
“I have a bag in my backroom. I figured that way I’d be safe. Please hurry.” She hung up the phone.
Rebecca left a note on the table for Riley to take care of Adam and that she’d call them soon. She quickly called Tasha and asked her to meet her at Emily’s store. Tasha agreed that she’d meet them there and then she would take Andrew while Rebecca went to the hospital with Emily. All was set.
Rebecca pulled her car in front of Solstice, Emily’s harbor front novelty store, and double parked with her hazard lights on. She quickly rushed through the door and to Emily’s side. Emily was sitting on a stool behind the register holding her stomach and blowing air out of her mouth.
“Oh Emily, please tell me we can make it to the hospital.”
She looked up at Rebecca with a not-so-amused look on her face.
“We’d better. I love my store, but in no way am I bringing my baby into this world here. I’ll sit with my legs crossed. Get me out of here.”
Tasha rushed through the door and took one look at her two friends and laughed.
“I don’t know who looks more scared.”
“Shut up, Tasha. I’m in no mood to laugh,” Emily snapped at her.
“Don’t make her laugh; she might shoot the baby out,” Rebecca laughed.
Emily shot her a bitchy look.
“You’d better get her out of here. She’s ready, you can tell. The little guy and I will follow behind you.”
Rebecca tossed the store keys to Tasha and helped Emily up. She put her arm around her and walked her out to the sidewalk. Emily cried out in pain as she tried to move toward the car.
“Oh God, I don’t think I am going to make it,” she cried out.
Someone rushed past Rebecca and opened the car door for her. She looked over and saw a familiar face —it was Ethan. Rebecca looked at him curiously, and he just smiled his dazzling smile at her. Rebecca helped Emily into her seat and tried to help her buckle the seatbelt, but the buckle wouldn’t reach over her.
“Forget the damn buckle, just get in the car,” Emily snapped.
Rebecca hurried over to her side and opened it up. She smiled to Ethan to thank him, and hopped into her car.
She turned off her hazard lights and put the car in drive. She looked in her rearview mirror and could see Ethan watching as the car pulled away. Her heart fluttered.
“Pay attention to the road and not to the cute guy, please,” Emily joked. Rebecca blushed at being caught. Emily smiled at her in between contractions.
Within five hours, little Layla Grace Williams was born. She weighed seven pounds and three ounces. She was only twenty inches long. She was so tiny and pink. The doctor rested the baby on Emily’s chest and Emily burst into tears.
“Oh, Becca, it’s a little girl. I have a little girl.” Rebecca watched her friend as she looked over her newborn baby to make sure she had ten fingers and ten toes. Rebecca cried in joy at being able to share this moment with her friend. The nurse took the baby and told Emily she’d be back in a little while. They just had to examine her and make sure everything was all right.
Emily hated to part with her new bundle of joy, but she knew she had to. She let the baby go and kissed her little fingers as she was carried off. The nurse turned to Rebecca and smiled.
“You might want to head out now. It’s going to be past visiting hours, and mom and baby are going to need their rest.”
Rebecca hugged her friend and told her not to worry about Andrew; she’d take him home for the night and bring him by in the morning. Emily thanked her friend.
“I am never going to be able to repay you for everything you’ve done for us. You are too good to us.”
“That’s what friends are for. I’ll see you in the morning.” She kissed her friend on her cheek and walked out into the waiting room. Tasha sat holding a sleeping Andrew in her arms.
“Can we go see the baby?” Tasha asked.
“Let’s swing by the nursery. I’m sure they’d let us,” Rebecca said.
They walked up to the glass window and looked inside. The nurse from the delivery room walked over and picked up little Layla from her bassinet. She signaled the girls to walk over. Andrew opened his eyes and asked to be put down. The nurse lowered the baby for Andrew to see. He got a funny look on his face.
“What’s wrong, Andy?” Rebecca asked.
“It’s a girl!” he said with a totally serious expression on his face. The three women laughed. He looked at them and blushed. “I wanted a baby brother,” he said to them.
“Well, Andy, you are really lucky to have a little sister. You’ll get to take care of her and play with her, and it is a really big job to protect her since she’s so small. Do you think you can handle a job that big?” The nurse said to him.
Andrew looked from Rebecca to Tasha.
“Really? I can do that. I can protect her. I’m super strong. I’m a big boy.” he said to them.
Rebecca ran her hand over the top of his head.
“You sure are, pal. Why don’t you say goodnight to your little sister and you can come and sleep in Adam’s room tonight. I’ll bring you here tomorrow to see mommy and Layla.”
Andrew leaned over and planted a very gentle kiss on the baby’s forehead. The three women were in awe over it. Tasha and Rebecca hugged goodbye in the parking lot. Rebecca buckled Andrew into the backseat and he put his head against the side and closed his eyes. It had been a long day, and they were all tired. The girls said goodbye and told each other they’d meet in the morning at the hospital.
Riley begged and pleaded to go into school late so that she could go and see the baby. Adam wasn’t fazed one way or the other, but liked the idea of missing first period. They stopped off at Carole’s Boutique and grabbed a bouquet of flowers and some Mylar balloons. She had made up a flyer to hang on the door of Emily’s business, stating ‘closed due to a birth in the family.’
They pulled up at the same time as Tasha and Ashlee. Riley and Ashlee grabbed each other’s arm and started whispering to each other. Tasha grabbed Rebecca’s arm and did the same thing.
Adam rolled his eyes and commented, “I’m around too many girls. We need some guys around.” Rebecca looked at her son and laughed. “What?” Adam asked.
“Yeah Becca,” Tasha added her two cents. “Even your son has a point. You need more men around.”
Rebecca shot her friend a harsh look. Tasha squeezed her arm.
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m doing just fine, thanks,” Rebecca commented.
They walked into Emily’s room and she was on Face Time with James in Iraq. She was showing him the baby and then turned the camera on her friends.
“Say hi, guys.”
Tasha and Rebecca waved and congratulated him on being a new daddy. They could see that he had cried out of happiness. Andrew jumped up and down.
“Hi, Daddy. We have a baby, Daddy.”
“I know, buddy. I need you to be the man of the house while Daddy’s gone. I need you to take care of your mom and your little sister. I’ll be home in a few weeks buddy, OK?” James told him over the line.
“OK, Daddy. I’ll keep them safe. I love you.”
Emily said goodbye to her husband and took a deep breath.
“I love that man. I just want him home safely. We thought he’d be home by now, but it’s just a few more weeks. He’ll be home for good.”
“I’m happy for you, Emily. You deserve all the happiness in the world,” Rebecca told her.
Riley and Ashlee flew over to the bed maki
ng ooh and ahh sounds at the baby. They dropped on the bed with Emily and started poking at the baby. Emily smiled at them.
“Hello, girls. It’s nice to see you, too.”
The two girls looked at Emily and in unison they both said, “Hi Aunt Emily. Can we hold her?”
Emily carefully placed the baby in Riley’s arms.
“Just support her head. I expect both of my girls to put in lots of babysitting time with Layla.”
The girls smiled.
“Absolutely, all the time.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Tasha commented. The girls shot her a nasty look.
Emily sat up in her bed and looked at Rebecca.
“I have another favor to ask you,” She said to her.
“What?” Rebecca responded.
“The girl I hired to fill in while I am out just bailed on me. I need someone to run the store for me for the next few weeks. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’ll pay you and pay you well. It is summer and all the tourists are here. It’s my busy season.”
“Oh Em, I wasn’t really expecting this,” Rebecca commented.
“I know, but the baby is too small for daycare, and James will be home soon. I just want some time to settle in and get some sort of routine going. I’d never ask you to do it, but like I said, the girl I hired quit on me. I promise it’s just for the summer. I’ll be back in a few weeks and then you can work with me while the tourist season is here. Then you’ll be off the hook. It will be short days. I close by five, and you’ll have your evenings and Sundays free. Please?”
“It’ll be good for you, honey. You have been cooped up in the house for so long. You’ll have an excuse to buy some new clothes and dress up a little…talk to other adults.” Tasha tried to sell her on the idea.
“Go ahead, Mom. We’ll come with you. It is summer, so we can walk to the beach and then hang out in the store. It’ll be fine,” Riley told her.
“Alrighty then, I guess that you have yourself a sales girl,” Rebecca told Emily. “I kind of could use the money anyway. Things are starting to get a little tight, budget wise,” Rebecca confessed.