Breaking Brooklyn
Page 16
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
“Hold on a minute!” I yelled.
Closing the bathroom door I quickly put my clothes back on. When I answered the door I saw the after party standing in front of me. They asked where Brooke was and I explained how she wasn’t feeling well.
"Come down the hall to Chris's, we're playing drinking games."
I wasn't sure that was a good idea with Brooke being sick and all. So, I declined at first.
"Come on, she'll be alright!" they pressed.
Regretfully, I agreed.
The next day Brooke looked like she had the stomach flu. Things were definitely awkward between us on the trip back home. Later that week Brooke approached me discreetly. She directed me to a conference room where she started integrating me like she was trying to solve a cold case.
"Did we have sex that night on the cruse?" She asked.
She didn't remember?! I thought.
"Yes," I said, not sure how best to answer the question.
Brooke immediately began to cry. I felt like an asshole but I didn’t do anything wrong. Anyone else in my position would have done the same thing. If I would have known how this was going to haunt our relationship I would have never let her talk me into going back to her room. I said the only thing I thought would fix the situation.
"Brooke, I love you!”
"This is not how it was supposed to happen, Jack!"
"We were drunk, Brooke, and you were all over me."
"You should have been a gentleman and done the right thing!"
"Look, I am sorry. I love you." It was all I could say.
Brooke
Chapter twenty-eight
“I am living in hell from one day to the next. But there is nothing I can do to escape. I don't know where I would go if I did. I feel utterly powerless, and that feeling is my prison. I entered of my own free will, I locked the door, and I threw away the key."
~ Haruki Murakami
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
What’s up?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
Just trying to stay away from Jack!
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
Why is that?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
He lost his temper the other night and he's being a real asshole.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
That's not good!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
He's not a very likable person. My parents can't stand him and they like everyone LOL! That should have been my first clue not to marry him.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
So why did you marry him then?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
There is something about him I feel connected to. A venerability that attracts me to him. Jack had a rough childhood and I think deep down inside I felt like I could help him. But all he has done is bring me down.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
That's not good.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
I know! Right after we graduated from college we had a big fight that almost end it all. Jack and I met some friends at the Casbah in Broad Ripple and Jack got really drunk. We had been fighting about our wedding plans because my parents were not happy about me marrying him. He wanted me to stand up to my parents but I wasn't ready for that.
After the bar closed Jack and I said goodbye to our friends, then hopped on our bikes and started pedaling our way to my apartment. Jack was so drunk he wrecked his bike and had to hop on the back of mine.
On the way home Jack starred in about how he was not good enough for me. How he would only complicate my life.
Boy was he right! I should have listened but the way he said it made me more attracted to him.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
We are always more attracted to the things we cannot have.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
Very true! When we got back to my place things got really crazy. Jack had a meltdown. He told me how I couldn't begin to understand what his life was like. Like he was the only person who ever had it bad.
Then he starred punching the wall an throwing furniture. I was so scared I was about to call the police. I'm surprised my neighbors didn't!
When Jack finished his tantrum he fell to the floor and crawled in to a fetal position and began to cry. I sat down beside him and tried to calm him. That's when he told me about the horrible things his step father did to him.
It broke my heart.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
Wow!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
Yeah, WOW is right! That's when we got married.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
Is there someone in your life Jack reminded you of?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
I don't know. Maybe he reminded me of myself.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
What do you mean?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
Maybe I see a reflection of my own sadness in Jack.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
That’s sad Brooke!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
Unfortunately, that's life.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/7/2014:
It doesn't have to be that way. You deserve to be happy.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/7/2014:
I know : (
Chapter twenty-nine
“The sorrow we feel when we lose a loved one is the price we pay to have had them in our lives.”
~ Rob Liano
Jack Napier - Day 56
After Brooke and I were married things were rough for the first couple of years. I resented her for not standing up to her parents and she resented me for never wanting to visit her family. We quickly had kids thinking that would help. We even moved Grandma Daisy into the house so she could help with the kids. She was truly a blessing. The boys loved having her with them every day and to me, her presence was like the old familiar pillow I loved as a child.
It wasn't log after Grandma moved it that she was diagnosed with cancer. The diagnosis was a vague explanation of an out-of-control cell growth in Grandma’s left kidney. Treatment was “iffy” at best, and might even cause additional complications. We tried chemotherapy for a while, but it was awful. She wanted to stop, and I couldn’t blame her. She told me she had reflected on her life, and the legacy she was leaving behind more than satisfied her. So, Grandma Daisy spent her remaining days with me and my three boys. At this point Brooke was very elusive and I hardly saw her anymore. She was not happy and I really don't know why. She even started taking Prozac.
It was hard for me to watch Grandma Daisy's health deteriorate. One day we were joking and watching a movie, and the next day she was losing her balance and falling. Deep down inside, I knew the end was coming.
A few weeks later, we purchased a wheelchair for her and had a ramp built onto the front porch. It wasn’t long before the dining room became her bedroom. The central location made it easier to care for her when she was finally bedridden.
The insurance company provided a part-time nurse who came in the mornings and afternoons. Grandma Daisy would fall into and out of consciousness while I sat at her bedside.
One morning, I remember waking particularly early. I walked to the kitchen, checking on her as I passed. Charlie was sitting by her side, holding her hand. My heart lurched at the sight of this gentle tableau. Grandma Daisy’s eyes were open and she was staring at the cracks in ceiling. She knew that Charlie was there but she struggled to turn her head to look at him. W
hen he was in her line of sight, she smiled. I started to tear up. She was in extreme pain, yet she still smiled on those she loved.
I joined Charlie at her side, and kissed her on the forehead. My eyes drifted up to meet hers. For a moment there was that twinkle that I loved so much.
“Jack,” she said with a heavy breath and watery eyes, “You’ve turned out to be a fine, fine man. I couldn’t have asked...for anything better.”
“Shhh, you need to save your energy,” I said, fighting back my tears.
"There is something that is very important that I need to tell you, Jack."
“What is it, Grandma?"
Her face twisted in sorrow then she whispered, "I am sorry you never had a father. I see the father you are to your boys and I am so proud of you. And your mother is proud of you too. I know you had your differences, but she loved you, Jack. She was young and very confused when she had you, but she always loved you. She just didn’t know how to show it.”
She swallowed and licked her dry lips as I tried to mask the pain that showed on my face. Then Grandma Daisy looked up and studied me, like she was trying to memorize every detail of the moment. She struggled hard to smile.
That was my last memory of her. She died in her sleep that night.
Grandma Daisy wanted to be cremated, and insisted on having a small ceremony with only her immediate family. She requested that her ashes be used while planting a tree in the front yard of our house. I complied with her every wish except for one.
When the day came to let her rest, I stood before my family with Grandma Daisy's ashes in my hands. My voice cracked, my eyes filled with wonderful memories of my guardian angel. This was the first time my kids saw me openly weep. I told her one last time what she meant to me.
“When no one wanted me, you were there to take me in. When I fell, you picked me up. Sometimes you even carried me when I could no longer walk. You were always there. You are my Guardian Angel. Everything that is good in me is because of you and your sacrifices. True success is measured not by what we possess but rather how much we are loved. You are the most successful person I have ever known. I will miss you more that you could ever imagine. Having you in my life has truly been a blessing."
I then poured part of her ashes in the hole I dug the night before, and planted a river birch among them. It was her favorite tree. She loved the white flaking bark. I kept part of her ashes to be buried with me when I die.
That was not part of her last wish, however, I could not bear the thought of her being alone. I wanted to have her by my side even in death.
I packed the loose dirt around the tree’s base with my foot. When I noticed my boys watching me, I dropped the shovel, and held out my arms to them. We hugged each other in one monolithic embrace.
Brooke
Chapter thirty
“Sex is the consolation you have when you can't have love.”
~ Gabriel Garcia
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 12:43 am:
Hey : (
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 12:44 am:
What's wrong?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 12:45 am:
I have writers block!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 12:46 am:
What are you stuck on?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 12:48 am:
I'm trying to figure out the underlining theme of my book? Right now it feels like my story has ADHD lol
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 12:49 am:
Hahaha! That's funny!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 12:51 am:
Why do you write? What is it about writing that you love?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 12:52 am:
It's my escape.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 12:54 am:
My escape is reading. Things are so bad with Jack all I do is read and masturbate lol
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 12:55 am:
: o
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 12:56 am:
How are things with you and Kim?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 12:59 am:
Nothing's really changed. I get once a month maintenance sex as usual. I hope she's just going through a phase. I can't imagine spending my 40s like this. I'm at my sexual peak!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:01 am:
I don't know about Kim but these last few years in my 30s, I've been randy as hell.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:02 am:
Stop! Your killing me!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:03 am:
Are you getting excited :--
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:04 am:
Maybe lol
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:05 am:
Send me a pic!
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:06 am:
What?!! Have you been drinking?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:07 am:
Maybe
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:10 am:
So?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:11 am:
Send me one first.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:13 am:
Ok I'll send it to your cell phone so you can delete it. I don't trust Facebook.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:14 am:
K
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:18 am:
OMG those are nice!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:19 am:
Are you masturbating?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:20 am:
: )
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:21 am:
I want to see!
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:22 am:
I don't know ... I've never done that.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:23 am:
We had a deal : )
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/1/2014 at 1:28 am:
Okay, check your phone
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:32 am:
OMG, I want that inside me so bad right now!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/1/2014 at 1:40 am:
Hello? You there?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/2/2014 at 9:04 am:
You deleted my pic right?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/2/2014 at 9:06 am:
What happened to you last night?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/2/2014 at 9:08 am:
I fell asleep. You deleted the pic I sent you right?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/2/2014 at 9:09 am:
YES!
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/2/2014 at 9:10 am:
Good!
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/2/2014 at 9:12 am:
You don't have to be an asshole about it!
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/2/2014 at 9:13 am:
Sorry, I just feel bad about it.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/2/2014 at 9:14 am:
Why?
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/2/2014 at 9:16 am:
I shouldn't have sent that pic.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/2/2014 at 9:17 am:
We were just having fun, relax!
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/2/2014 at 9:18 am:
I guess.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/2/2014 at 9:19 am:
I can see you
're in a bad mood so have a nice day!
Chapter thirty-one
“Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in Hell.”
~Walter Scott
Jack Napier – Day 59
Brooke became very distant towards me. When we were together she wanted her “space,” which meant I was left alone. Eventually, we were sleeping in separate rooms. I felt like we were living separate lives. This went on for 12 years. At first, I toughed it out for the kids, but then I started to suspect that maybe Brooke was having an affair. So, I tried hacking into her Facebook account.
Figuring out her password was easy; it was the name of our first dog, Bailey. She obsessed over that dog like a newborn baby. If we were out to dinner it wouldn't be five minutes before she would start worrying about him, if he had enough food and water, if he was lonely. The whole ordeal would ruin the night.
Once I was in her Facebook account I saw lots of private messages from her sister Amy, then some from her friend Stacey. There was nothing suggesting an affair, just a lot of backhanded comments about me never being around anymore. After about an hour of surfing through Brooke's picture comments and messages I decided to quit. Right then a message popped up. It was from Tyler Ward.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/25/2014 at 11:45 pm:
Is everything okay? I haven’t heard from you in a while.
“Tyler Ward! You fucking asshole!” I shouted at my laptop. Then I went to check if there were other messages between Brooke and him.
I saw a list of conversations that seemed to go on forever. It was so overwhelming I didn't know where to start. The more I read the more I filled with hate.
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/11/2014 at 10:49 pm:
I got on Tinder last week.
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/11/2014 at 10:50 pm:
What?! Why???
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/11/2014 at 10:51 pm:
It's not bad. You should try it :-)
Facebook Message from Tyler Ward 10/11/2014 at 10:52 pm:
Have you been drinking again?
Facebook Message from Brooklyn Page Napier 10/11/2014 at 10:53 pm: