Undertow by Jazzy Mitchell

Author:Jazzy Mitchell [Mitchell, Jazzy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Politics, Lesbian Romance, child neglect, broken home, female politician
Publisher: Desert Palm Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

1995

The worst part of the divorce was losing the closeness she shared with her two oldest friends, Lizzie and Kevin. Oh, they still invited her over. They still went through the motions of contacting her to see how she was. They forwarded funny emails and met her for walks on the Lynn Shore Drive promenade and talked about all the milestones their toddler was reaching. While they were together, it felt like old times. Like donning her favorite sweater. Comfortable but frayed at the edges—the perfect description for their friendship.

When Lizzie invited her for dinner, Maggie had mixed feelings. She didn’t want to discuss Timmy, but she knew it would come up in conversation. How could it not? Still, she missed her friends and wanted to spend time with them. Hoping for the best, she arrived with a bottle of wine and a small smile. Dinner was better than she anticipated, filled with lighthearted teasing and rehashing of past escapades they shared. It wasn’t until Kevin left the room to put Gemma to sleep that uneasiness crept across Maggie.

“Let’s sit in the living room. I can clean up the dishes later. Oh, let me refill our wine.”

Maggie sank into the soft, smokey gray chenille fabric-covered cushion, resting her arm on top of the rolled backrest. She loved this sofa, having spent many nights tucked into its corner while they chatted. She smiled as Lizzie approached with a glass of wine, handing it to Maggie before taking a seat in a plush overstuffed chair.

“How are you doing?” Lizzie leaned toward her, tilting her head.

“I’m okay. As you can imagine, work is challenging. And the campaign has taken a hit.” Maggie drank the wine, trying not to gulp it all down. She sighed, spinning the stem of the wineglass slowly with her fingers. “The timing for the breakup couldn’t be worse. Next week we’re meeting with our attorneys to parcel out our personal effects. That ought to be fun.”

“I can’t imagine. I’m so sorry. Is there anything we can do?”

“Not really. I’m just trying to get through it. I mean, I’m losing more than my marriage. I’m losing my family. His mom never warmed up to me, but his father took me under his wing years ago. He helped me with learning how to practice law. He introduced me to the right people and provided opportunities for me I never would have gotten. He’s the one who talked me into running for office. So, I’m losing more than a husband. I’m losing a father. I’m losing brothers. And I’m losing traction in my careers—the law firm and the election. I’m entirely adrift. I have all these decisions I need to make and I feel too overwhelmed to do anything.”

“Is there any chance you might reconcile? You never told me why you’re getting a divorce. Maybe you can go to a marriage counselor and work through your problems.”

Maggie was already shaking her head. She leaned back against the sofa, allowing her eyes to slip closed for a moment.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.