Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
“Shhh, you have to be quiet, pretty girl,” I tell her, making the universal sign of my finger pressed against my lip. She gets what I’m saying because instead of giving another bark, she goes to her hind legs, dances, and then sits back down. We walk to the fridge. I grab a bottle of beer for myself, popping the top, and taking a healthy sip before getting Jolene’s pup cup, already knowing she’ll make a mess out of it. I’ve resigned myself to seeing her ice cream mustache along her whiskers. My only downfall is not grabbing my phone to snap a picture or video. Yes, my dog has her own Instalook. Where do you think her cute handkerchiefs, bows, dog bowls, beds, and leashes come from?
“Alright, but you have to be quiet when the delivery driver arrives.” A woman in her twenties, spending a Friday night at home talking to her dog. I may as well be called the cat lady, except cats and I don’t get along. Allergies are a bitch. I give Jolene her doggy ice cream just as I hear a car door slam outside. Seeing as how she’s busy devouring her dessert, I grab my bottle of beer and head for the front door to see if it’s my dinner. My stomach grumbles, letting me know the lunch I ate is long gone. Especially seeing as how Jolene and I ran the two miles to my car, not taking a break until we got away from Madden. Only then did we drink some water, load up in the car, and head home.
All I know is that my weekend needs to get better than how my Friday evening started, or I’ll be calling in the reinforcements in the ways of Celeste, Journey, and Tyra.
FOUR
Madden
“It’s not getting any better?” I ask my brother once the girls have eaten, baths were taken, stories were read, and Cooper was in their bedroom snuggled on the floor between the two girls, who absolutely refuse to not share a room.
“Nope. I’m asking for a divorce. I’m inclined to give Krissy what she wants, which I’m sure will be more than she deserves. Except I’m worried what will happen to the girls. I can’t go a day without seeing them, let alone that fifty-fifty bullshit where it’s on one week, off the next.” Forest takes a sip of his drink. I’m just about to offer up my attorney and money when he says, “I know you’ll help me, but I’ve got money stocked away. My older brother may rake in the millions, but I’m not doing too bad myself. Krissy and I both have our own accounts, then one joined for the bills.”
“At least you’ve got the lay of the land. You need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” I tell him. The night is getting late, but I’m not willing to leave my brother in this stupor he’s in right now. If Forest and Krissy go through with a divorce, his whole house will be invaded. Our parents will move themselves right on in to help him and the girls out until they’re on their feet.
“Yeah, for now, I’m going to sip my drink, ignore the fact that my girls have been subjected to the incessant arguing over absolutely fucking nothing, and then pray to some kind of god that Krissy is asleep for the night so I don’t have to go through it all over again.” The girls were a wealth of knowledge, mainly Cammy ratting her dad out, telling me that they don’t sleep in the same room and her parents don’t hug or kiss anymore. It broke my heart that my six-year-old niece could see the writing on the wall.
“My house is open. If you need a break, bring the girls over. They have just as much fun at my place as they do at our parents’,” I offer.
“I might take you up on that. Krissy is going out of town next week, so it should be good then, but when she gets back, it’ll only get worse again.” Forest is an engineer, runs his own business, and is doing well for himself. It works that he’s able to work around the kids’ schedule as well as Krissy’s, seeing as how she’s out of town a lot as a buyer for a lucrative and well-known clothing store.
“Please do. The only time Cooper behaves is around the girls. Any other time, he’s balls to the walls,” I joke, thinking about the shit he’s been putting me through.
“You need to get him fixed. It’d calm his ass down some, maybe quit humping and lifting his leg as much, too,” Forest comments. He finishes his drink quicker than I’ve ever seen him before, then grabs the bottle of liquor and pours himself another glassful, offering it to me after.