That Was Before by Dan Lawton

Author:Dan Lawton [Lawton, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2021-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sheila stared at him as he climbed back into the truck and wiped his brow. A headache pulsed in the back of his skull. He rubbed his eyes. He sensed everything was beginning to crumble around him, that the jig was up. His life had spiraled out of control—he knew it and watched it happen in real time, yet could do nothing to stop it. He felt helpless.

“Do you really think making a phone call right now is a good idea?” she asked. “Considering everything.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s not like he’s tracking me too. It’s not me he wants.”

Sheila turned and faced the window, crossed her arms.

“What? Am I wrong?”

She did not respond.

He fumed. About everything. The bullshit from every direction had worn him thin. He slammed the truck into gear and floored his way back onto the interstate. Once he merged into the lane and kept pace with traffic, he took some time to cool off, to decompress. None of this was Sheila’s fault—he knew that. It was not fair he took it out on her, or anyone. It was not about what happened to him, but about how he reacted to those events that made the man. He regretted his reaction.

“I’m sorry,” he said once the guilt set in. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

She stayed quiet.

“It was my accountant on the phone. And then my attorney. There’s something troubling going on.”

She faced him.

“I think my wife is cleaning me out.”

Nothing.

“I’ve made a careless mistake. She—Patricia, my wife—has been talking about a divorce for years. I kept pushing it off and pushing it off, hoping it would get better. Hoping she’d change her mind.”

“I wouldn’t call that careless.”

“No, not that. That’s not what I’m talking about. I should have been prepared. I should have taken care of certain things, but I didn’t. I blinded myself with hope.”

Her focus was on him, urging him on.

“My parents died. Many years ago now. A house fire.”

“I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”

“It was a gas leak. They were asleep when it happened. I’ve comforted myself through the years with the thought that they didn’t suffer, that they were killed instantly. But there’s no way to know, so . . .”

“If this is too difficult to talk about, by no means—”

“I want to. I want you to know.”

She nodded.

“Long story short, they were frugal. My dad, he refused to buy a dishwasher.”—he smiled at the memory—”I can’t imagine how frustrating that must have been for my mother. But it was just the three of us, so I get it. Now at least. Then—no, not then. I thought he was being ridiculous. The funny thing is, she never let him forget it. When they would disagree about something completely unrelated years later, the dishwasher always came up.”—he smiled again, chuckled—”Anyway, he worked hard and they lived within their means.

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