Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (23 page)

Dear God, another child—more bills. He checked the date of the letter. Monday, November eighteenth, today’s date.
 

“This letter was written this morning?” he said to himself, trying to take it all in. “She picked up the brochures today?”

That was when it hit him between the eyes. There was no way he was giving up the day job now. If there was equity in the house, great—but he would need to work harder than ever to feed, educate, and entertain a third kid.
 

Michael put the brochure and letter back in drawer. Typical of his wife to think about decorating the baby’s room before she’d even told him. Maybe it was the nesting hormones kicking in. He wondered how far along she was. When did she plan on telling him? He should wait—let her deliver the news when she wanted and in the way she wanted. It wouldn’t be fair to steal her thunder.

Michael stood back and looked at the desk. There was no sign of his intrusion. He didn’t want her to discover that he already knew. Wow, a new baby. No—it was good, great. Better than being a writer. He was going to be a dad again.

Wow.

He crept up the stairs and peeped into his two sleeping daughters’ rooms. They looked like perfect angels when they slept. Then he tiptoed into his own room. Cathi was out cold. That wasn’t surprising. The first few weeks were always exhausting.
 

Memories came flooding back to him. Cathi had suffered from extreme exhaustion in that first trimester. He would need to take better care of her. He would talk to the girls tomorrow about helping out more at home, he decided as he changed into his pj’s. Cathi might want a midmorning nap, and yes, they would have to investigate turning the fourth bedroom, which he now used as a home office, into a nursery.
What the heck? Life has a habit of throwing curve balls at you
, he thought, brushing his teeth as quietly as he could.
It’s a heck of an adventure.

Chapter Sixteen

Going on an Adventure

“We’re going on an adventure, children,” Maria said as she pulled her car into the long-term lot of Logan Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

“But how can we spend Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico without Dad? Why can’t he come, too?” Cody still managed to sound miserable even though he was heading to a tropical island in the Caribbean.

“I already said. Daddy has to work Thanksgiving. If he can get away, he’ll follow us,” she said while looking for an elusive parking spot.
 

She had heard on the radio that Wednesday was the busiest air traffic day of the year, so she had hoped Tuesday wouldn’t be so bad. How wrong was she. It was mayhem. Alice picked up on Maria’s anxiety and started to wail in agreement.

One frazzled hour later, she was feeding Cody burgers and fries, and Alice a yogurt, having stashed the car, negotiated the bus to the right terminal, and checked in. It hadn’t been easy with two uncooperative minors. Nor did Maria know how to travel light—even when she was heading to the lovely warmth of Puerto Rico. In theory, she needed a few sundresses and a bikini, but she had brought enough for a month. She hoped she was running away for just a short while and then—if things went according to plan—Rick would run after her.
 

But Maria was mature enough to buy a round trip ticket. She had no choice with Cody heading back to school the following Tuesday. She was beginning to understand what women meant when they said they were trapped in a marriage. It wasn’t just about her and Ricky anymore. There were the children to consider. How could she move back to Puerto Rico when Cody, in particular, was so attached to his father and his home? She sent up a silent prayer, hoping her husband would come to his senses soon and they would make peace. Maria checked her phone again for a message from him. Nothing. What a crazy day it had been.

That morning, when Jessie came to babysit and Cody was in school, Maria had made a dash to the mall. She picked up some summer gear for Cody and a cute little swimsuit for Alice, and then she got some things for herself. It was only after Jessie left and she had packed that she wondered how she would tell Rick what she was doing. It was eleven days since their fight. There had been arguments in the past, but they had never lasted so long without Rick caving.
 

She started by writing a note, explaining how trapped she felt and how insecure she had become about his affection. She wrote about feeling exhausted all the time and never having quality time with women her age—or with him, for that matter. It didn’t take long for Maria to start crying as she wrote. She got mad with herself for going on so much, so she crumpled up her letter and threw it in the trash.

An e-mail would be easier, she decided. She could be more concise, and there was a chance, just a tiny chance, that when Ricky read it, he would get right into his car and zoom out to stop her. Maybe he’d even come with her if he realized how badly she needed to get away.

Ricky
, she started.

I understand you’re very busy, but you know we need to work on our marriage, too. Things between us are really shitty now. Please, please come to Puerto Rico with me and the children. I have to get away, so I’m flying back home with the children today. Please follow us out when you get this message.
 

Maria

She read her message a few times. There was no love, no kisses. She couldn’t find the strength to insert them. Maria hurt too much. Then she hit send and waited. She gave Alice her lunch and checked her e-mails, but there was no reply. Twice, after lunch, she thought she heard his car and rushed out to the front of the house, but he wasn’t there. Cody came back from school and there still was no word from Rick.
 

She told her son about the surprise holiday, and he was delighted until he realized his father wasn’t coming. By midafternoon there were no e-mails or panicked texts from Ricky, so at last she locked up the house and left Orga in the kitchen to wait for Rick’s return from the office—whenever that would be. Damn him.

They clicked on their seat belts, and the flight attendant asked them to switch off their phones over the plane’s intercom system. Maria was worried. Was there a chance something was wrong? Was that why he hadn’t called?

She couldn’t resist. She dialed his office phone number, and Barbara, the receptionist, answered.
 

“Hi, Barbara.” Maria tried to sound upbeat. “Is Ricky there?”

“Sure, just a minute and I’ll put you through.”

“No, no that’s not necessary. It’s just I e-mailed him earlier and I kinda thought he’d reply, but maybe he hasn’t got it yet.”

“It’s a madhouse in here today, Maria. Do you want me to check?”

“No, don’t bother. Just tell Rick I’m at Mom’s with the kids and he needs to get home to Orga at some point because she’s locked in the kitchen.”

“Got it. You’re at your mom’s and Orga’s in the kitchen.”

“That’s it, Barbara, and thanks.”

“No problem. I’ll see he gets it. These guys have become workaholics with this new account. They’re working late every night and all weekend. I don’t know how you put up with it, Maria. I hear they’re working right over Thanksgiving, too. You corporate wives are very patient,” she said.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to shut your phone down now, ma’am.” One of the flight attendants was standing over Maria.

“Mom, get off the phone.” Cody poked her.

Maria smiled up at the stewardess. “I have to go, Barbara. Thanks for that.” She switched the phone off and slipped it into the pouch of Alice’s diaper bag.

So Ricky
was
working straight through the holiday. Why had she thought it was another woman? He would think she had lost it. Maybe she had. Maria looked up and watched the airplane doors being closed. The cabin crew was doing the head count. There was no turning back. Maria and the kids were on their way without Rick. What would he think?

What do you think?” Ely asked Jessie when she arrived at their room after another afternoon in the library.

“Oh my God!” She didn’t know what to think.

“You like?”
 

Ely had cleared the room. There was no sign of their desks or chairs, and the beds were propped up on their sides. She had somehow managed to take out their center lightbulb and replace it with a rotating glitter ball, and there were red, blue, and green lights flashing along the floor where once her desk had stood.

“What have you done with our furniture?”

Ely laughed. “Why? You wanna study some more? Girl, when you ever gonna relax?”

Jessie glared at her roommate.

“It’s okay. Everything you don’t see is in Amy’s room next door. She’ll keep it safe. Josh is getting me the keg, and I just need to focus on the bar now. It’s lookin’ good, ain’t it?”

Jessie nodded. “Yes, it’s great. I just wish it was in somebody else’s room. I really can’t afford to get kicked out of college, Ely. I have too much invested in this course. If I don’t—”

“J, it’s Thanksgiving. We’re simply givin’ thanks. You know, we only got one life . . .”

That was usually the point where Jessie collapsed onto her bed, but that wasn’t an option this evening.

“You wanna drink?” Ely said.

“Yes, please. I think I need a beer.”

“That’s my girl.” Ely went into the bathroom and came out with two bottles, one for each of them. “I filled the tub with ice so it can be the cooler.”

Jessie was torn. She sat down on the floor next to the window and took a sip from her beer bottle. The place looked fantastic, and with a bath full of beer, it was sure to pull in enough party people later.
 

Ely seemed to read her mind. “Before you worry yourself sick, you know my friend Brian?”

“The campus cop that buys all your booze for you?”

“I am old enough to buy my own drink, you know. It’s just I like to delegate. He makes a little profit, but most of all, it makes him complicit—and my friend!” She nodded and took a swig from her beer bottle. “Anyway, he’s on duty tonight and gonna cover for us.”

“Terrific,” Jessie said without conviction. “So now we can add bribing an official to our list of misdemeanors.”

Ely laughed. “You make it all sound so damn serious. It’s just a party.”

“Did someone say party?” Josh pushed their bedroom door open with his shoulder and lugged in a keg of beer.
 

Jessie stayed sitting on the floor and watched Ely welcome her boyfriend. Then they started to argue over where the keg should be set up. It was funny.
 

“Behind the door is good because I can hide it quick if we get raided,” Ely said.

Josh shook his head. “Next to the window is better. You can throw shit out onto the grass, and it won’t stink up the room.”
 

“I like it next to the bathroom door, because you have the sink in there and it’s close to the rest of the drink in the bath,” Jessie said, trying to be helpful.
 

“And the toilet,” Ely said, looking disgusted. “I don’t want the keg anywhere near the
john
. That’s gross.”

Jessie raised her hands in surrender and pulled out her phone to check for messages from Dan.
Nada
. Why was he so distant when there was such a good vibe between them?

“Looking forward to the party?” Josh asked as he connected pipes together for the keg.

“Eh, I think so. I have no idea where anything I own is, and I’m a little scared about getting kicked out of college. But as usual, Ely tells me I’m being too serious.”

He nodded. “She’s a bit of a wild child all right, but she’s got a heart of gold.” He winked at his girlfriend. “Tell me, is your biker boyfriend coming?”

Jessie gave him a sideways glance. Josh was obsessed with the Bugatti Dan drove. “I think he might be at work tonight.”

“Can’t you call him?” Ely asked, watching Josh set the keg set up behind the door. It made Jessie smile. Ely had won that argument.

“I keep getting his bloody voice mail, and I don’t want to leave another message.”

Ely walked over to where Jessie sat and gave her foot a gentle kick. “Go over to his house,” she said. Then Ely glanced at her boyfriend. “You could drive her over, couldn’t you?”

“Sure.” He winked at Jessie. “Soon as I get this baby connected, I got a couple of free hours. Let’s go over to say hi. You can tell him about the party, and I can have a look at this famous bike of his.”