The Marriage Contract (18 page)

              The diner we sat in had very few people, for I saw only three elderly women huddled against the window at the other end of the room, speaking excitedly amongst each other. A middle aged man at the center of the room- sat in a small round table, flipping through a newspaper, and sipping a cup of black coffee. The place was bright, but old fashioned, as paintings of cowboys and Wild West restaurants hung against the stale white walls. The floor was a deep brown wood, as the waitresses walked around the tables, asking the customers if they needed anything more.

              I turned towards Richard, who was leaning against the chair, staring at me. I suppressed a shiver, as I realized that he must have been staring at me the entire time I was looking around the diner.

              “I want to ask you something,” I said.

              “Ask away.”

              “Do you think I’m unattractive?”

              He had been sipping tea, but the moment I asked that questioned, he choked on his drink. The beverage dripped past his chin, as he grabbed a tissue from the table, wiping off the liquid.

              “Why do you ask?” he asked.

              I sighed. “It’s just…I don’t understand your brother.”

              His brow rose, as he inched closer in his seat.

              “He’s a hard nut to crack,” said Richard. “Did he do something wrong?”

              I shook my head. “He didn’t…but I did. Basically…I…well…I held his hand, and he went off on me—“

              “Went off on you?”

              I didn’t want to tell him that I had kissed James, because he might wonder why a husband would reject a kiss from his wife. But I really wanted an answer to whatever happened this morning, and Richard was the only person I could find an answer from. I would have to twist the truth a bit, but I was determined to get an answer nonetheless.

              I pursed my lips. “Basically, we had a bit of an argument of sorts. I don’t want to go into the details, but things went downhill and he said—“

              “He said you’re below him?”

              My jaw dropped.

              “Yes! That’s exactly what he said. How did you know—“             

              “I’ve lived with him long enough to know how he is,” Richard replied. “Don’t let it get to you. He’s an ass most of the time, but he doesn’t mean it. Whenever he feels like he’s getting too close to someone, he pushes them away. He says the worst thing he could think of to say to them, to try to get them to back away. But why would he want you to back away?—

              “We were arguing,” I lied. “But…thanks for the explanation. It makes sense now.

Um…I’m late for class, I think. Thanks for the brunch!”

              Before he could object, I took out five bucks from my black purse, placing it on the table, and rushing out the door. He was asking too many questions, and if I kept sitting there, he would probably figure out that something odd was going on between me and James.

I could not concentrate.

              It was my last class of the day, as Professor Bukowsky had all of us pretend we were animals, interacting with each other in a farm. I had gotten goat, so as I wandered around the stage, knocking into my fellow classmates, I really did feel like a goat. I extended my arms over my head, creating horns with my fingers attached to either side of my skull, as another student ran past me, clucking like a chicken.

              “Hoot!” said Stacy, bumping me. “I read on OK Magazine that you and James moved in together!”

              Some guy, immersed in the role of a duck, wiggled past me, as I turned towards her, pointing my goat horns at her.

              “I don’t want to talk about it,” I whispered.

              She pouted, her glossy pink lips- shining.

              Her silky blond locks were tied in a messy bun that threatened to trail over her spaghetti strapped shoulders.

              “Don’t be a bore,” she hissed. “How was it?”

              I scoffed, not believing what she was asking me, in class of all places!

              Mr. Bukowsky, who was standing on a chair at the end of the stage, peered his head over the classroom farm he’d created, before narrowing his gaze at me.

              “Ms. Web and Ms. Kendrick!” he snapped. “If you two would like, you may leave class, and discuss on and on whatever it is you’re so immersed in—“

              “Hoot!” said Stacy, flapping her arms at the side. “Professor, you can’t call her ‘Ms.’, because she isn’t a Ms.…she’s a Mrs.! Mrs. Bellevue to be exact—“

              I bumped an elbow against her side, hoping she would just shut up. The entire class of animals had stopped moving, staring at me with judgment filled over their eyes.

              “I’m sorry, Professor,” I said. “I won’t disrupt the class again.”

              “It’s alright,” he replied. “And what are the rest of you just standing there for? This is an exam!”

              Exam?

              “Be the soul of your chosen animal!” he continued. “Don’t just act it out…feel it out! That includes you Charles. You’re a dolphin…not a goldfish!”

              We all sighed, as the animal exam continued. I glared at Stacy the majority of the time, attempting to ram into her with my goat horns, but she merely giggled.

              Ugh. I really needed some normal friends.

              I ate lunch at the back of a local diner near my school- a mystery novel laying open before me, as I entered another world. It was the latest book by my favorite novelist, Alice Himes. As I reached the second to last chapter, where the butler is about to poison the snooty owner of the Victorian mansion, a hand tapped my shoulder.

              I turned to the side, my brows raised, as Professor Bukowsky towered over me.

              “May I join you?” he asked.

              I nodded. “Sure.”

              He took the seat opposite me, placing the blue tray before him. A plastic bowl of mushroom soup rested on his plate, as he scooped a spoon within the soup, slurping it quietly. A water bottle stood beside the soup, as he opened it, taking a large gulp.

              “Is that the new Alice Himes novel?” he asked, glancing at my open book.

              “Yeah,” I said. “Do you read her books—“

              He looked taken aback.

              “I would never,” he said. “She’s over rated, if you ask me. A terrible writer—“

              I glared. “Professor…forgive me for sounding rude…but you’re clearly misunderstanding her genius—“

              He scoffed. “Genius? Hardly!”

              For the next half hour, we debated on the literary credentials of Alice Himes. When the half hour ended, I told him I’d give him my book after I finished it, and if he still didn’t like it, then he was either insane, or had terrible taste.

              “See you tomorrow, Professor,” I said.

              He smiled. “Have a safe trip home.”

              As I turned, standing from the chair, my ankle wrapped against the bottom leg of the seat, and in a heap, I tripped. I would have landed on the floor, had Professor Bukowsky not caught me, his hands curled over my waist, holding me up. I was in a dipping position, as he blinked slowly at me, staring in a way that made me uneasy. I looked away, clearing my throat, and he did the same. I stood, giving him an awkward smile- repeating my farewell.

              I was above ground on the train, when my phone rang- April’s picture flashing over my small black screen.

              “Hey, stranger,” I said. “You didn’t call me in a while—“

              “Ok, forget that!” April snapped. “Did you see what’s trending on YouTube right now?”

              She sounded erratic, as I gripped my hand tighter around the pole, looking out at the scenery from the wide window. The train wasn’t packed, but I enjoyed standing rather than sitting, for it gave me the chance to stare out at the passing scenery.

              “I didn’t,” I said. “I’m on the train—“

              “Well, basically, there’s a video of you and some bald, creepy looking old guy, and people are commenting on it saying what a cheating whore you are—“

              “What are you talking about? I wasn’t with any…wait…oh, no.”

              Could someone have taken a video of me and Professor Bukowsky while we were having lunch? But…that’s disgusting! That’s sick! That’s—

              “It’s insane!” April cut through my thoughts. “There’s even a part where you fell, and he caught you, and the asshole who caught it on camera, edited it, saying you tripped on purpose. Dorothy, this is serious. It’s gotten over ten thousand likes and it’s only been an hour since the douche uploaded it—“

              “Ten thousand!” I repeated. “You know what, April? I don’t care about it. I did nothing wrong, so I have nothing to be ashamed of. If people want to make something up, then that’s their problem—“

              “But this isn’t about you anymore,” April said. “It’s about your marriage! What if James sees it?”

              My grip over the metal pole tightened, as the white clouds outside the window, swiftly passed. I stared passed the rooftops of apartments, and noticed people walking down the streets- appearing like ants.

              “He doesn’t give a damn about me, April,” I said. “He thinks I’m below him—“

              “Who cares what he thinks,” she snapped. “But you’ve got to clear this video mess up with him when you get home! Even if he doesn’t care about you, he still cares about his reputation. He wouldn’t want people thinking he married a cheater.”

              The train came to my stop, as I pressed the phone against my ear, walking out. It was crowded as usual, as I made my way past the maze of people, and walked down the wide steps.

              “James can think whatever he wants,” I said. “He doesn’t care about me…so I won’t care about him—“

              “You two had your first fight?” she asked.

              “No,” I said, walking down the steps. “Not exactly—“

              Another call beeped over my phone, as James’s name flashed on the screen. I stared at it for a moment, before deciding what I had to do.

              “I’ll call you later, April,” I said. “I’m getting a call right now. Bye. Remember to feed Plunky. And tell Judy I said hi—“

              We hung up, as I picked up the second call.

              “What the hell, Dorothy,” James snapped.

              He was livid, as venom dripped from his tongue, piercing my ears.

              “Why, hello to you too,” I said.

              “You had no other guys to cheat on me with?” he snapped. “No one else? You had to go find some middle aged, bald guy to screw?—“

              “Don’t talk to me like that!” I snapped. “You’re misunderstanding—“

              “I’m understanding everything just fine,” he said. “Get home. Now! We need to talk.”

              I scoffed. “No.”

              “What did you just say?” He spoke slowly, as though challenging me to disobey him.

              I glared through the phone, walking past the subway, as the bright rays burned through my neck. As I headed down the street, I held back the urge to throw my phone against the ground, watching it shatter to a million little pieces.

              “I said no, you egotistical, arrogant, maniac!”

              I hung up the phone before he could object, thrusting it against my purse.

              When I reached home, I stood before the door, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. Anger and nerves rushed through me at once, making my head throb just slightly, as I slipped a key into the door knob, twisting it open.

              When I entered, I noticed James sitting by the window, his legs spread before him on the smooth, wooden floor. His cold eyes watched my movement, like a lion following its prey, as I closed the door, feeling my heart thump.

              “Take a seat, Princess,” he said, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Chapter Thirteen

              My footsteps echoed along the walls of the vast, empty, living room, as I made my way towards him. I walked towards the window, sitting on the other side- staring, for a moment, on the four feet of space that separated us. Evening light streamed through the tall, curtain less window, casting an orange glow over the deep brown wood.

              I stared ahead, my gaze focused on the white door, as my hands clenched and unclenched against my lap. My heart thumped like small droplets of rain over stained glass, as I leaned back against the wall- wanting the night to end.