24. Greece Lightning #2
“I absolutely appreciate how hard you work. I just want to share with you what my life has been like since I got here. I’m in charge of the daily well-being of forty-eight eight-year-olds and twelve twenty-year-olds.
I wake them up at 7:30 a.m., and I tuck them in at 9:00 p.m., and I’m responsible for everything that happens in between. ”
“I get it. You’re a babysitter.”
I stopped walking. Even though what he’d said was hurtful, I didn’t want to start an argument. I wanted to show a united front for our children, so I smiled and said, “Right, I babysit spoiled children, and you babysit entitled adults.”
“Touché.” He reached into a side pocket of his cargo shorts and handed me a letter-sized envelope with his law firm’s name embossed in the upper left corner. “This is probably going to surprise you . . .”
My heart skipped a beat. “Are you serving me divorce papers?”
“What? No. Wow. Are things so bad between us that you think I came here on the one day I could see my children to divorce you?” He looked honestly shocked. “Open it. I think it will change how you’ve been feeling about me.”
Inside were two tickets to Athens. I pulled them out and stared at them in disbelief. I was tongue-tied, trying to sort my feelings.
“I know you wanted to go to Greece this summer, and I stupidly refused. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I’m rectifying the situation. We leave on Tuesday.”
Tuesdays were the weekly campfires. I couldn’t miss that or the upcoming dance, or the carnival.
“I can’t leave in two days. My job doesn’t end for another month.”
“I know, but this coming Tuesday was the first day that worked for me. I have it all planned out, you’ll leave with me tonight, and that will give you a day and a half to pack us up.
” He tousled my hair. “And hopefully Zito will have a salon appointment for you. I can’t wait. ” Ronnie grinned from ear to ear.
This wasn’t about romance. It was clearly Ronnie trying to manipulate me and restore control over our relationship.
I would’ve naively fallen for the idea a month ago, but not now.
My time away from him had given me clarity about the dynamics of our marriage, and I wasn’t going to let him make any decisions for me ever again.
No, the tickets did not change the way I felt about Ronnie—they validated my feelings.
“I made a commitment to work at Woodlands for the entire summer.”
“I don’t understand, I thought this was what you wanted.”
I handed him back the envelope. “Yes, but you’re six months late.”
Zelda and Hazel had found a shady spot under a tree, and we joined them with plates filled with hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, and potato salad.
The girls told me about what they did with their dad that morning: gymnastics, archery, and volleyball.
“I used a bow and arrow for the first time. I missed the bullseye by a mile,” Ronnie said.
Hazel seemed to be jumping out of her skin. “Dad, did you give Mom her present?”
“Do you mean the tickets to Greece for this coming Tuesday?” I asked.
“The tickets are for now?” Hazel asked. “That can’t be right, who’d take care of the girls in Mom’s bunks?”
Zelda crossed her arms. “You always say we can’t quit after we’ve made a commitment. How can you think Mom could pick up and leave in the middle of her job just because it was good for you? That’s really inconsiderate.”
Ronnie’s mouth hung open, but no words came out.
I was thrilled.
Before we could continue the conversation, a mother of one of the Cubs came over to talk to me. “Sorry to bother you while you’re eating . . .”
Smiling, I looked up, shielding my face from the sun, and said, “Give me one second.” Facing Ronnie, I said, “Let’s talk more about this later. I’ll catch up with you guys down at the lake.”
Zelda and Hazel were in the water splashing around with their friends. I stayed in uniform, and Ronnie wore tropical print trunks with a matching rash guard swim shirt and a baseball cap.
I expected he would’ve gained weight, ordering in, noshing on chips and candy in the office late at night. “You’re looking slim.”
He stood straighter. “You sound surprised.”
“I figured since I wasn’t home to take care of you, you’d be eating junk all day.”
“Jana orders in food from healthy places and keeps things like carrots and hummus around to snack on.” He tugged at the elastic of his trunks to show it was loose. “All the attorneys on my team have lost weight since she’s been ordering.”
“I’ll have to remember to thank her for taking care of you while I’m away.”
We stood next to each other watching the girls from the shoreline, our toes in the water. There was so much I wanted to say but didn’t know where to begin.
Mike came by in a white Speedo with “Lifeguard” written across his butt in green. He put his hand out to shake Ronnie’s. “You must be Lori’s husband. I’m Mike, I run the show down here.”
It was comical watching them size each other up.
Ronnie sucked in his gut and threw back his shoulders, standing straighter. “Ron. Nice to meet you.”
“I hope Lori told you how I saved her ass.” Mike actually glanced at my butt. He picked up the whistle hanging around his neck. “Lori, you’re not wearing the one I gave you.”
“I didn’t think I would need it today since I have you and my husband watching out for me.”
Ronnie threw his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him. “I don’t think my wife mentioned you. But it’s nice to meet you.”
I wasn’t surprised by Ronnie’s demonstration of possession. His interest in me might have waned, but he still needed to piss around me.
Mike gave Ronnie a bemused look and said, “Sure, buddy.” And swaggered back to his post.
When Mike was out of earshot, Ronnie said, “He seems very fond of himself, strutting around in a miniscule Speedo. His ego must be as swollen as the rest of him.”
“Di, one of my housemates, says it’s his budgie smuggler.”
“I saw the way he looked at you . . . has he come on to you?”
“You know the type, he’s like that sleazebag in your firm who always flirts with me at office events.”
Before we could continue our discussion, Teddy appeared with Max and I froze for a second.
They looked adorable in their matching board shorts.
I hadn’t ever seen Teddy without his soccer shirt on.
The broad shoulders were obvious, but until then I hadn’t seen the lean, long, well-defined torso that was hidden under his clothes.
“Ronnie, this is Ted, the soccer coach, and his son Max.”
Teddy’s demeanor didn’t change. “You’re one fortunate man to be married to Lori.”
“A Brit? You’re a long way from home.”
“Woodlands feels like home to me and Max.” He squeezed his son’s shoulder. “Well, nice meeting you. Enjoy your visit.” Teddy caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod as he walked off, hand-in-hand with Max.
“I had no idea that there would be so many men, I mean adult men. I figured they’d be kids, you know, half your age.”
“I was also surprised.”
“And they’re all so fit.”
Parents kept interrupting us to say hello and to tell me how happy their daughters were.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you’re never alone at camp,” Ronnie said.
“Now you see why I can’t leave my job in the middle of the summer.”
“When I bought the tickets, it made complete sense to me. You say I never do anything romantic so when I did, I thought you’d jump at the chance to be with me. But I see that you have responsibilities where people depend on you, and you can’t just walk out.”
“I can’t leave because of the commitment I made.
Plus, I’m enjoying my job. I’ve been learning about myself, how resilient I am, how capable I am.
After all our disagreements about camp, it probably worked out for the best because now I can keep an eye on the girls and watch them having the time of their lives. ”
I smiled as Zelda and Hazel held hands jumping off the docks, exactly as the kids did in the Woodlands video we’d watched back in February.
“You and I are living separate lives,” Ronnie said.
“We did agree to try a separation this summer.”
“I’m feeling really disconnected from you, Zelda, and Hazel.”
I turned to face him. “That is exactly what I’ve been telling you about how I feel when you’re in the middle of a case. You may be physically present, but you’re mentally absent.”
“This is how I make you feel?”
Now that it affected him, he was finally hearing me. “Most of the time, yes.”
“But I’m home every night, if not for dinner at least for dessert.”
I scoffed. “It doesn’t matter what you think. I’m telling you how I feel.”
“It isn’t my intention to hurt you,” Ronnie said.
“I never thought it was . . . but you do. The truth is that I no longer feel like your partner or best friend. I feel more like the hired help you occasionally sleep with.”
He looked off into the distance for a moment and then turned to face me. “I had no idea you felt that way.”
I looked down at the water washing over my feet and shook my head in disappointment. He hadn’t paid any attention to a word I’d said in the past six months.
He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to make it up to you starting tonight.”
“Part of being separated means that our bodies don’t entangle. But aside from that, do you really think that one night of sex will magically make all our problems disappear?”
Ronnie saved a seat for me in the theater while I stood outside, chatting up more parents. I slipped in next to him and noticed two small gift bags at his feet.
“What’re those?”
“I bought a bracelet for Hazel with a comedy/tragedy charm, and one for Zelda with a basketball charm.” I could tell he was impressed with himself.
“How’d you come up with the idea and know where to buy them?”
He reddened. “Actually, Jana and I brainstormed and then she picked them up for me.”
I’d been hearing quite a bit about Ronnie’s assistant Jana. “I’m sure the girls will be thrilled. I’ll have to call Jana to thank her.”