Chapter 6 #3
“Yeah, but unlike you, I like to live them more than watch them. Since you don’t feel the same, I guess a movie and this will have to do.”
She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a box, placing it next to the bottle of wine. When I leaned closer to see what she’d given me, I gasped, “A vibrator! You got me a vibrator?”
“Yes, a vibrator.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “You wouldn’t listen to me about calling the hot biker, so I figured this is the next best thing. It has three settings, and it...”
“I can’t believe you did this!”
“Well, believe it.” She crossed her arms and huffed. “I still don’t get why you refuse to call him. You might actually enjoy yourself.”
“He’s a biker, Sydney.”
“Yeah, a biker who came to your rescue twice! And not only that, he was sweet to your boys and even left a new spare for you at the house.” She shook her head. “You need to realize that when it comes to bad boys like Widow, deep down they’re actually really good. They just don’t know it.”
“Maybe.”
“You’ve gotta stop overthinking everything so much. It’s exhausting.” Before I could respond, she motioned her hand towards my gifts as she said, “Now, don’t go getting too carried away tonight. You have to be here bright and early to open.”
“Ugh.” I leaned my head back with a groan. “I forgot about that.”
“Sorry, Sis. I already...”
“I know. It’s fine. I’ll be here to open for you. You go have fun tonight, and good luck with your hair appointment tomorrow.”
“Thanks, chicka. And you enjoy your night off of mom duty.”
“I’m gonna try.”
I never really enjoyed the weekends when the kids were at their dad’s.
I was always too worried something would happen, so I spent the entire weekend feeling anxious, dreading a phone call that may or may not come.
Just thinking about it put me in a mood which was only made worse when Marc called.
I was still sitting at my desk as I picked up my phone and sighed with annoyance.
I knew it was going to be something bad, and I was right.
As soon as I answered, he started fussing, “You wanna tell me why in the hell you put my son on Zoloft and didn’t tell me about it. ”
“I didn’t put him on it, Marc. The doctor prescribed it.”
“Well, he’s a fucking idiot. My son doesn’t need fucking Zoloft, Frankie. He’s just a kid.”
“The doctor wouldn’t have prescribed it if he didn’t think he needed it.”
“And what exactly does he need it for? The kid already has enough drugs pumping through him with all that marijuana he’s been smoking. And here you are giving him more drugs. Hell, he’s liable to get addicted to that shit, too, and we’ll have another damn problem on our hands.”
“It was prescribed.”
“Prescribed for what?”
“His anxiety.”
“Anxiety? Are you kidding me?” Marc snapped. “What’s he got to be anxious about? He’s just a kid. He needs to grow up and realize life isn’t all sunshine and fucking rainbows.”
I wanted to tell him that he was the reason why our son was feeling anxious, that his constant outbursts kept us all on edge, but instead, I simply said, “That’s not for you to decide, Marc.”
“It’s not for you to decide either!” He roared back. “You should’ve told me what was going on.”
I could’ve continued to fight with him, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. He was too angry to actually listen to what I was saying, so I simply said, “You’re right. I should have told you.”
“You’re damn right you should have. He’s my son, and I have a right to know what’s going on with him!”
“Well, if you would just stop and listen to him, maybe you’d see for yourself why he’s so anxious all the time.
I know you want to blame me for all this, but this isn’t about me.
It’s not about you either. This is about our child, and right now, he needs help.
We need to at least try this medicine and see what it can do for him. ”
“You can’t solve a problem with a damn pill, Frankie.”
“I’m aware of that, Marc. That’s why he’s still going to counseling. I’m trying to get him the help he needs, and if you care about him, you’ll do the same.”
“Fine, but the next time something like this comes up, I expect to hear about it.” He was practically growling as he asked, “Is that understood?”
“Yes, Marc. Understood.”
Without saying goodbye, he ended the call.
It pained me to know Sean and Corry were stuck there with him.
I sent them both a text, letting them know I was thinking about them.
Sean was quick to reply, saying everything would be fine.
I wasn’t surprised. He always tried his best to smooth things over.
Thankfully, they had his basketball game as a temporary escape.
Hopefully, it would be enough to cool Marc off a bit.
It was times like these I wished I was able to go to all of Sean’s games, but Marc had insisted that I not attend the games on his weekends, saying it would make things easier for the kids if we weren’t both there.
I knew it was more about the new wife, but I decided not to fight him on it.
I was beginning to think it was time to change that.
Actually, it was time to change several things in my life.
I glanced over at the bottle of wine Sydney had left on my desk, and before I had time to really think, I picked it up and carried it into the kitchen.
Once I had it open, I poured some into a coffee cup.
I didn’t sip it like I normally did. Instead, I drank it quickly and poured myself another.
After turning on some music, I carried it over to the sofa and sat down.
We’d been closed for over an hour, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone coming in.
I kicked my feet up and sipped on my wine, trying my best to put my phone call with Marc out of my mind.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until I started on my third cup.
By then, I didn’t have a care in the world.
In fact, I was feeling pretty good. I even found myself eyeballing the vibrator my sister had given me.
One thought led to another, and it wasn’t long before my mind drifted to Widow.
A smile swept across my face when I remembered that his number was still in my purse.
The more I thought about it, the more tempted I was to go get it.
Hoping for a little liquid courage, I took another big sip of wine, and then went into the office for my purse.
Butterflies were dancing in the pit of my stomach as I reached into my wallet and took out the card he’d given me.
I was feeling fairly confident as I picked up my phone and dialed his number, but the nerves kicked in the second I heard his voice on the other end of the line respond, “You got Widow.”