guilty. You’re going to be judged. You’re going to be worried about what he can do to you. He might want to do battle. Your daughters might love you a lot and still not be supportive—to them it’s not ideal for you to walk away now. Would they have you spend the rest of your life unhappy just so it won’t inconvenience them? I’m afraid so. You’re going to have to do what you think is best in spite of what other people, including your kids, think. And depending on how tenacious your husband is, this could go on for a long time. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“We haven’t even shared a bedroom in years. I’m not spending the rest of my life like this. I may crumble sometimes, but I’ll pick myself up. I regret that I didn’t do this years ago. I thought I was doing right by the girls by staying, but I was wrong. Obviously I didn’t do anyone any favors. Including Brad.”
He looked at her for a long moment, sympathy in his eyes. “Buckle your seat belt.”
* * *
Lauren had made two phone calls before arriving at her new rented house with Beau following. She called Beth and said, “I’m not coming over. I’m going to my house. I bought a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers and right now I really need a little time to think. Can I call you in the morning?”
“Was it terrible?” Beth asked.
“Kind of, yeah. But highly survivable.”
“Call me,” her sister said.
Then she called Cassie. “I left the house and came to my rental. It was terrible and I need a little time to process. Is it okay for me to call you later?”
“Yes, but Lacey already called. Oh Mama, I’m sorry she was so selfish!”
“Well, she was shocked, I suppose. Let me take off my shoes and relax, get a grip on my feelings and call you later.”
“I’ll be up and if not, call anyway.”
“Should I wait and call tomorrow? I’m having the day off.”
“Call tonight to say good-night. I’ll be up till midnight. Then we can talk tomorrow, too.”
“Thank you for being so understanding, Cassie. I’m sorry to put you through this.”
“He put us all through it. It was harder listening to the way Daddy put you down all the time. I know you were putting us first. If it hadn’t been for me and Lacey, you would have left him years ago.”
She prayed there was a way Cassie and Lacey could remain close through this, but that seemed impossible, given the differences in the way they both felt.
Then Lauren had unlocked her front door and carried in her meager groceries, followed by the flower man. And a whole new world seemed to open up to her. At first they drank a glass of wine and dumped their bad marriage tales on each other, but after an hour, almost by mutual decision, they moved on to other topics. He told her about his house in Alameda, a Victorian he renovated and remodeled almost entirely on his own. He had a job that never required dressing up and all summer he worked in shorts. He had an office and an associate, three assistants and several landscapers he’d worked with for years.
“I built the business from the ground up, at first I was designing and planting with a small crew to help. I only worked for someone else for a couple of years after college, then I bet it all and struck out on my own.”
“I don’t mean this in a nosy way, but is your company successful?” she asked.
“It is,” he said. “But more importantly, I still love it. Both the boys have worked for my landscapers. Drew still does. It will get him through college and make him strong. It’s hard work. Tell me about your job.”
“It’s not very interesting,” she said. “It’s just product development. We’re the people that help marketing introduce new products and investigate ways to use them. We work closely with the dieticians and chefs. We call them chefs but they’re not official chefs—more like cooks. In fact some of our best cooks are men and women who are semi-professional but have great success in the kitchen. They take something as simple as freeze-dried or frozen chicken strips and create a packaged chicken Alfredo that’s inexpensive, nutritious, easy and fast.”
“And full of preservatives,” he said.
“Don’t you ever eat prepared meals? Like frozen pizza?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’m giving you