when it became clear the Lakers were wiping the floor with Atlanta. I gave the boys a hug and stuck my nose in the kitchen to sign off with Archie and to semi-acknowledge Sharon’s prowess.
As I walked home, I knew in my heart that I was no threat to Sharon. And that hurt. Archie was as good as married, and I was going to have that hateful woman as my next-door neighbor forever. And the boys? Oh, this was going to be bad.
Leslie was waiting up for me.
“Glass of vino?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said. “This is getting to be a habit.”
She poured me a glass and put it in front of me.
“These are stressful times,” she said.
“Cheers,” I said. “I owe you twenty dollars.”
“Cheers. Figures. How did it go?” she asked quietly because my face probably said it all.
I told her every single detail I could remember.
“This woman is insufferable. Even Tyler thinks so.”
“He’s too young to have an opinion.”
“Yes, but there’s nothing wrong with his judgment of character. I’m so worried, Leslie.”
“This could head south very quickly,” she said with concern, agreeing about the urgency of the situation.
“I’m telling you, Archie is down the rabbit hole,” I said. “From the looks of things, I’d guess she’s screwing him every time she sees him. They’re all over each other. I watched the game in the living room with the boys while they drooled all over each other in the kitchen.”
“What can we do about it?” Leslie said.
“I don’t know. Here’s the thing. It’s the boys. This woman doesn’t give a damn about children. Those boys are going to suffer. And it won’t be long until Archie’s miserable.”
Leslie was quiet then. She was thinking about Hunter and Tyler’s welfare. If Leslie knew anything about me, it was that I adored those kids. And even though Leslie wasn’t crazy about having her own children, at least so far, she certainly understood crisply how they could be compromised if Archie married the wrong person.
She looked up with a huge grin on her face.
“I’ve got it!” she said. “I’ve got the solution!”
“What?”
“I’m going to seduce the shit out of him and wreck their relationship!”
She was so pleased with herself and her marvelous scheme. I was less so. And, excuse me, why was she so confident that she could waltz right into Archie’s life?
“What? What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’ll take one for the team.”
“Really? Can you do that?” Just how far was she willing to go? Knowing her, she’d go as far as it took. I wasn’t so sure I liked her plan, but I couldn’t think of a better one. “What if he doesn’t want to fool around with somebody else?”
“Please! He’s a man, isn’t he? I’ve yet to see one say no. Watch him resist. Watch and learn, little sister.”
“I don’t know, Leslie. This could really backfire. I mean, if he’s in love with her and tells her what you’re up to, they could put the house on the market and move to Timbuktu.”
“Let’s sleep on it and talk some more tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
We said good night and I slept like a stone, but morning came early. I tossed and turned a bit, watching the rising sun creeping up through the slats of my blinds. I was remembering the previous night and Leslie’s plan. Maybe she was right. I was never going to have Archie. But maybe we could stop Sharon from having him, for the sake of the boys. I wasn’t pleased one bit with the idea of Leslie putting the moves on Archie. But I’d do anything to get Sharon out of the picture, so I swallowed my damaged pride.
I finally got up and dressed and poured myself a giant mug of coffee. Momma and Leslie still slept. I took my disappointment out to the bees in the haze of early morning’s light and told them everything I was worried about. I know it may sound peculiar to say this, but I felt better when I unburdened my heart to them. In my whole life, there had only been two men I’d ever loved: my father and Archie. Both had broken my heart.
I don’t want to seem melodramatic, but there were things I just didn’t understand about men and never would. How could our father put himself so far ahead of the needs of his daughters? How could Archie do the same thing to his sons? Look at Leslie, Dad. Take a good look at what you did to her. Who did