Chapter 7

Still at the Hampton Inn...

Gary would have liked to say they stayed in bed and made love all night long, but they didn’t. They did take a shower, and even after that, with the scarves damp and clingy she didn’t ask to be untied. They stayed in bed and watched TV, mostly junk. Around midnight they did do it again. He untied her feet for that. Later in the morning around 8:00 a.m. they both woke up and did it one more time. By 9:00 they were downstairs having scrambled eggs, sausage, and coffee.

Shortly after 10:00 they dropped off their keys. As they left she turned, kissed him on the cheek and said, “I hope you know this doesn’t change anything. You have to stay and take care of us after the summer ends.”

He was and wasn’t surprised. Just as she reached her Mercedes she looked up and said, “I want something good on the grill tonight.” Still giving orders he thought.

She opened her car door, looked up again and said, “And oh, there’s someone I want you to meet.” She got in, started it up, and drove away. He figured she was going back to her house. He decided to go back too. It occurred to him, they’d talked about nothing so nothing was accomplished. The sex sure had been good, it was something they both enjoyed, but that had always been one thing they could do well together, at least until last December. Then again, had it been all that great last fall, had she been earning her partnership on her back, and why did it still bother him so much? It did bother him too; she was supposed to be his!

Later that afternoon Gary was lighting the grill. Most people had those ultra-fancy propane things. Not him, he’d bought a Weber when they first got married and never changed. It was the source of some interesting dialogue when they had Dorothy’s party. He used his Weber, and Jessie’s dad had brought his propane. People derided his Weber, but he noticed his charred and gritty burgers, over-cooked steaks, and crispy hot dogs were always in short supply while there was a surfeit of the upscale propane stuff. The Weber might have been dirtier, but everything tasted better. His mom always said everyone’s got to eat a pound of dirt before they died, might as well taste good.

Jessie got home and he was out back by the pool flipping burgers, ground sirloin maybe, but still burgers. She came out, looked at his Weber and groaned, “Jesus, can’t you do anything right? Why do we have to eat that crap? You could’ve at least bought some steaks.”

The girls were in the pool. Melanie yelled, “Told you dad.”

Dorothy laughed, “Can’t do anything right.”

Katy just laughed.

Jessie scowled, she looked around, then at her so-called husband, “Run over to Mallet’s Meats and buy some steaks, something worth eating.”

He grinned, “Yes Missa Jessie. Be right back.”

She scowled and pointed to his burgers, “And throw that crap out.”

Melanie and Katy both hollered, “No, don’t. We want burgers.”

Dorothy called out, “And I want a doggie!”

Jessie threw him another dirty look, “Get the steaks anyway.”

Off he went to buy some steaks. He got back about an hour later. Jessie was on a chaise beside the pool, “The girls have already eaten that garbage you cooked. They’ve gone to Valerie’s down the street. Did you get me a steak?”

He curtsied and simpered, “Yes Miss Jessie. I done got you da steaks.”

“Stop that crappy talk will you, and just fry me something I can eat,” she leapt from her seat and dove in the pool.

Jessie was a good swimmer; she had on a white two piece so he got to enjoy a nice looking woman even if she did have a shitted up personality. It wasn’t long and he called out, “Your steak is ready.”

She climbed out and saw he’d cooked three steaks. “I like mine well done.”

He pointed to the middle one.”

She took if off the grill with a fork and slapped it on a plate. It was only medium well; she frowned, but commenced eating. He picked another and sat at a table some distance away.

She looked over, “You can’t stand to sit by me?”

He got up and moved over beside her. “We never had that talk you wanted.”

She looked real thoughtful for a moment, “Doesn’t matter. Would’ve been a waste of time. You’re staying after Labor Day.”

He shook his head, “No I’m not.”

She looked at her husband. At first she seemed to get mad, but then out of nowhere her eyes welled up. She burst out crying, threw her unfinished steak in the pool, and dashed for the house.

Gary got up and fished the steak out of the pool. He tasted it, not bad he thought, better than his. Now what? The girls would be gone for a while yet. She’d left the doors open and he heard her crying in the den. He tidied up, crossed through the kitchen, the living room toward the den in time to see her slam the den door shut. He heard the lock click shut. Normally he would have left it at that, but he wasn’t feeling normal. He tried fiddling with a credit card. He tried finagling the lock with a car key. He decided; what the fuck. He stepped back, and with all his might kicked the door; it collapsed like the shitty cheap Luann stuff it was. Something, he thought, a million dollar house with doors made of cheap crap.

He looked around, but couldn’t see her. Then he did, she was on the floor hiding in the well of the desk. He walked over and around the desk, reached down, took her hands and pulled her up.

She kept crying, “You can’t leave. You have to stay. You’re supposed to stay. I don’t know what I’ll do if you leave.”

He picked her up like he’d done the night before, “Come on let’s go to bed.” He carried her upstairs to what had once been their master bedroom and laid her down.

He started to leave when she said, “You’re not leaving?”

He looked around, “What do you mean?”

“I feel sick,” she said, “I don’t want to be alone. I think I’m going to throw up.”

“OK,” he answered, and walked over and sat beside her on the bed.

She whined, “Aren’t you getting in?”

He sighed, “All right.” Off came the shorts, undershorts, and T-shirt, and in he climbed.

She slipped the top, then the bottom of her suit off. Still teary eyed, cheeks streaked with watery rivulets, fingers already toying with his penis she murmured, “You can make love to me again if you want.”

He asked, “Are we ever going to have that talk?”

She had her arms around his ass pulling him toward her hairless slit, “Not tonight.”

As he slid inside her he asked, “Then when.”

She had her lips on his, “Tomorrow maybe.”

Tuesday night became a repeat of Monday, maybe a little less frantic and not quite as exhilarating, but most certainly fulfilling and for Gary in inexplicable ways comforting.

Wednesday she was up early. As he climbed to the side of the bed she threw him his shorts, “We’re out of bread.” Already dressed for work she was out the door and down the hall before he could answer. Gary spent the day at the supermarket and doing Jessie’s and the girl’s laundry. When she got home that night it was like the previous nights never happened. She was her usual shitty self. The girls left right after they gnawed on some seafood casserole he’d made. Jessie ate a little and disappeared in the den, but not before reminding him to fix the door.

Thursday, first thing in the morning he went to Lowes, bought another cheap door, and by lunchtime had it on. The girls were staying home. He wondered, if Melanie and Dorothy were supposed to be working, why they had so much free time. He didn’t bother to ask.

Around 1:00 p.m. Gary scouted around, nothing to do except more laundry so he decided to give himself a treat. He bribed Daisy with some left over steak, and together they took off for the state park where he kept the pram, he had an electric motor for it. Before he left he gathered his fishing gear, got Daisy in the Jeep and took off. He stopped at the sporting goods store outside the state park’s lake, bought some bait and Rolling Rock. At the lake he got the pram, Daisy jumped in and they motored out to a small island. He figured he probably wouldn’t catch anything, but he’d be free for a while, and Daisy would be on an island about the size of three tennis courts so she could wander around all she wanted. Gary needed to think.

Labradors are a funny kind of dog. They have a D.N.A. problem; they can eat all day and never feel full so they have ravenous appetites. He’d had four Labs; Daisy was the gentlest but dumbest. She was no good for hunting; she wouldn’t retrieve. Imagine a retriever that wouldn’t retrieve. He had tried to teach her, and every time he threw something, she’d get it, but if he said anything like “good girl” she’d drop what he threw and coming running back for a pet or a scratch, or a kiss. Yeah, he kissed them, right on the lips too.

He was fishing and enjoying one of his wimpy Rolling Rocks when he noticed Daisy swimming right in front of his line. He had to reel it in fast. He called out, “Come here girl.” She ignored him, so he called again, “Come here Daisy.”

The damn dog swam over to the main shore and sat down. Damn her, he thought, if he didn’t get over there a ranger would see and there’d be hell to pay. Daisy had her license and rabies tag, but she, like the other labs he’d had, wouldn’t accept a collar, she’d somehow finagle it off. He didn’t get it; other people had labs and their dogs had collars.

There she sat on the other side of the water staring at him. He called out again, “Come here girl.” She wiggled her ass in the sand, but didn’t move. He called again; she wiggled again. He knew his afternoon of fishing was over. He packed up his gear, loaded it in the pram, and puttered back to the shore where Daisy waited. Once he got there she started wagging her tail, but when he called her to come she ran down the beach toward the marina. He supposed she’d gotten tired of fishing and wanted to go home, so home they went.

They got back a little before 5:00, and Jessie was already there. She saw him with Daisy and went ape. “Where have you been,” she yelled, “Out with your mutt again I guess. One day I’m going to get rid of that damn dog.”

Imagine, jealous of a dog, he thought. He answered, “Daisy and I went fishing.”

She shook her head in disgust. She looked around and growled, “Didn’t catch anything did you. I bet you’re covered in ticks.”

He laughed, “No and probably yes.”

She turned, and in a huff strode in the house. A few minutes later Dorothy drove up; Melanie and Katy were with her. He thought, overall, excepting for Jessie, they were a pretty happy family. He followed the girls inside.

Jessie was in the kitchen fixing coffee “What’s for dinner?”

He said, “Not fish, maybe some scrambled eggs and sausage.”

Jessie turned green, “No thanks,” and scurried toward the downstairs bathroom.

Oh yeah, he’d forgotten, pregnant. He guessed it was the sausage. He yelled toward the bathroom, “I’ve got some homemade chicken soup in the freezer.” He heard the toiled flush and a forced OK.

Later they all sat down to dinner; it was good to have everyone at the table at the same time. It was for a minute or two anyway, but then Jessie had to open her mouth, “I have to go away tomorrow. I’ll be gone all weekend.”

Gary asked, “What for?”

She looked out the window, “Lawyer business. You know, stuff you wouldn’t understand.”

He recalled she’d said something about quitting, but he knew that was bullshit, he asked, “Where?”

She looked at him briefly, grimaced, and looked back out the window before she said, “None of you damn business.” The girls got up and left.

He knew where she was headed and said, “Western part of the state.”

She turned on him, “What business is it of yours. You’re leaving us anyway.”

He chuckled, “Not for a few more days,” then he added, “They want to dump you out there in Siberia don’t they.”

She got up, “I don’t have to listen to this.”

She started for the living room, which meant the den. He followed and caught her before she reached her lair. He turned her around, “You’re right. You don’t have to put up with any more of their shit.”

She squirmed and tried to get away, but he had her. She said, “How do you know so much?”

He got his arms around her and pulled her in close, “You’re a smart woman, too smart for them. Why don’t you just quit?”

She struck right back, “And do what? Live off your salary. I don’t remember taking any vows of poverty.”

“No,” he said, “but you could go out on your own. You’re smart. You know people. I bet in a couple years you’d have a thriving business.” Then he added, “You won’t though. You won’t because you’re an idiot.”

She stood stock still, like a rock. She said, “Let me go. I have to get ready to leave.”

He held her. Then he threw in his single biggest chip, “I might stay if you quit.”

She stopped struggling and looked at him, “No you wouldn’t. First chance you got you’d be gone.”

He let her go, “No I wouldn’t. Besides we have to have that talk you wanted, and I want to meet your crazy doctor.”

Surprised, she started to say something, but stopped and yelled at him, “He’s not some crazy doctor,” her eyes grew very wide, “You think I’m crazy! Well I’m not! The only crazy thing I ever did was marry you!” Then she did get away to the den.

~~~V~~~

She left for the western part of the state the next morning. She didn’t know it, but he figured it was most likely her swan song. Somehow some of the other partners would figure out a way to get rid of her. He only hoped it wouldn’t be something that might cost her that license she worked so hard to get. Sometimes lawyers can be a seedy bunch. He wondered about the other woman partner. Was she in on it? What had she really been talking about when they’d met for lunch? Should he try to see her again? Would it produce any answers?

He did call the Calligari woman, but her responses were as vague as ever, and he believed deliberately misleading. She did agree to see him again, but only on the promise anything she relayed to him was to be kept in the strictest confidence. They met, they talked, and he walked away.

Jessie got back Monday, and she was so glum she reminded him of a line from an old Concrete Blond song; it was something sad, like “Your mother or your dog just died.” He left her alone.

He was busy fixing several meals he thought she would be able to eat. He knew she liked chicken and he had a good recipe for broasted, and there was pork, he thought some thinly cut chops might work. He felt sorry about what he knew she was going through. He knew she didn’t deserve it, but he was just a milquetoasts anyway so it didn’t matter. What does someone do when they have to watch someone they once loved slowly self-destruct?

~~~V~~~

She stayed home Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday night she found her husband out by the pool. She had a sexy black one piece on. She asked, “Want to go for a swim?”

He thought she looked great, tired but great, “Be right back.” He went in and got on a pair of trunks. When he got back to the pool she was already in the water. He jumped in.

She swam over. She had something to say, “Would you like to meet my psychiatrist? I have a scheduled appointment tomorrow morning at 9:00. He said he’d like to see you.”

“Yes I would,” he answered.

She swam away; Gary thought, this could be important, then again it was Jessie...

The next morning they were at the offices of Dr. Isaac Korlov, doctor of psychiatric medicine. They were both led in by his secretary; a rather prudish looking middle-aged woman he later discovered was the doctor’s wife. Her name was Orla Korlov. He stood as Gary and Jessie entered. He held his hand, “So you’re Jessamine’s husband.”