Second Chances (2 page)

Hannah glanced at the clock.  It was already eleven thirty.  Brett was closing in on two hours late.  This week she had smartened up.  Instead of getting the girls ready bright and early, luring them away from their Saturday morning cartoons to prepare for their father’s arrival that would inevitably never come, she had decided to behave as though it were some wonderful surprise if their father actually showed up this week.  Ever since he had been making time with…Desire?  No, that was her stage name.  Well, anyway, he had some difficulty remembering to come get them, or maybe it was the getting away from the stripper he had difficulty with. 

No doubt he had gone to the club she performed at after his last table had left the night before and ended up taking Krystal home. (Ah ha! That was her name.) And then he probably had wild and crazy sex until five in the morning.  Oh well.  She had some pretty amazing sex this morning herself.  She smirked.  Thank god he left her the massaging hand held showerhead.

She still struggled with that.  How does someone cheat, leave behind a wife and kids, take everything and then refuse to help out financially?   Six months ago…had it really only been six months?  He had sent her to visit her family over Labor Day weekend.  She should have suspected something.  In the past they had always gone to the beach for the holiday.  He said he would be working and she might as well have fun.  So, she did, or she attempted to, rather.  Every time she tried to call and speak to him, the voicemail picked up.  Something in her began to question whether everything was all right, and so she left a day early to drive back.

The apartment was dark when she arrived, which was odd since he always forgot and left one or two lights on.  And when she opened the door, she discovered that those lights probably were left on, somewhere, but as they were no longer in the apartment she would no longer be responsible for turning them off.  In fact, nothing remained in the apartment.  Well, he had left the girls their beds.  And of course, there was the stack of bills he hadn’t paid before bolting, and an empty bank account they had shared.

Through it all, she refused to let the girls see how scared she was.  She called her family and Amy.  Amy rushed right over with a hastily prepared care package full of everything a girl needs to cope in a situation like this, hence her only appliance.  And her parents wired her what little money they could afford to.  She had gone to a jewelry store on her lunch break to sell her wedding set.  She only received about half of what they had paid for it.  And so with a few thousand dollars, two kids and a rent that ate up over half her paycheck, she started this new life.

Thankfully, she had never been materialistic.  She didn’t miss the television, turning instead to library books and games.  It was amazing how many hours of fun could be had with a two-dollar deck of cards.  Even the kids didn’t notice when it took her several months to replace the television, or that the one she had purchased at the pawnshop was significantly smaller and quite possibly “hot.”  It was a concession she had to make.  And thankfully, her vehicle was an SUV.  That always helped when she would be driving somewhere and found something they could use.  That was where the Queen Anne chair had been discovered, and the television stand.  And soon she found that if she just picked up anything that fit and drove to the flea markets on the weekends, she could eke out a living.  It was unbelievable what people would throw out.  She’d found exercise equipment, strollers, changing tables, high chairs, couches, television trays, baskets, and everything imaginable.  Hannah would take a little time to clean these items up and earn an extra hundred bucks or so each weekend.  She even had the girls helping her after telling them they were treasure hunting.  She had learned long ago that she could survive anything with the proper attitude.

Most importantly, as challenging as life had been recently, Hannah was happy.  She loved seeing that she could make it on her own.  (Not entirely on her own, since her mother sent a weekly care package of whatever items she had purchased buy one, get one free.  And Hannah still hadn’t found anyone to take those dog biscuits off her hands.)  Only now she couldn’t find a way to get over the next hurdle.  When her lease came due, her rent would increase by over a hundred dollars.  She had been scrimping and saving as much as possible.  She never knew when the kids would be sick, or the vehicle would break down, or she’d lose her job.  She was merely a secretary, a damned good one, but still a secretary at that.  And if her marriage had taught her anything, it was that it could always get worse.

Taking a deep breath, she dialed the phone.  “So, Amy?”  She began tentatively.  “Where should I place this ad?”

They discussed the numerous Charlotte publications.  And unfortunately, the ones most likely to be read by businessmen did not contain a personals section.  “So, now what?”  She asked numbly.  She couldn’t believe that she was doing this.

“Creative Loafing?”  Amy suggested.  “They have an extensive personals section.  And you are going to interview the men first, right?  You aren’t just going to snatch up the first one to show an interest, right?”  She sounded worried, and it wasn’t helping.

“Of course,” Hannah said quickly.  “Listen, I have to go.  I might just as well get the ad in this week’s edition and make my humiliation complete.”

She hung up and paced for a few minutes, taking deep calming breaths intended to relax her.  It didn’t work.  She finally gave up and sank down on the chair to dial.  Before she had a chance to reconsider, the call was received and a voice she barely recognized as her own spoke a phrase that was destined to change her life.  “I’d like to place an ad, please.”

“It’s nearly April,” his mother announced. 

“Yes, mother,” he said.  “I have a calendar.”  He frowned.  He knew only too well where this was going.  In a conversation that began eerily similar to this one, he wound up announcing he would marry India. 

“You haven’t even dated since she left you over a year ago.”  She stirred her tea, the clanging declaring her frustration.  “I want grandchildren.”

“So, I’ve heard.  In fact it was that declaration nearly six years ago that inspired my marriage, the dissolution of which has kept me more than busy this past year and soured me to the institution altogether.”

“You are my only hope,” she mourned.  “I mean now that Bitty has announced…” She glanced around the room to ensure the staff was out of ear shot and lowered her head and her voice, “…she’s a lesbian, I don’t expect I’ll be getting any from her.”  She sniffled.  “And your father…” Knowing what was coming, Gavin raised his eyes heavenward. “…God rest his soul; will never get to enjoy the honor of being a grandparent.  I don’t suppose I will either.”  She dabbed at her eyes with her linen napkin.

Gavin stared at her a moment with a wry look on his face, folded the newspaper and then abruptly began clapping.  “Bravo, Mother, that performance was worthy of an Oscar.  Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get to the office.”  He turned to leave the room when a thought occurred to him.  “By the way, when are you returning to Fort Meyers?”

She blinked.  He saw it and smiled.  “I just wanted to be here to help you through this difficult time.”

“By giving me a difficult time,” he mumbled under his breath.  “I’ll be home late,” he said as he departed.  He knew that in less than a week he would be divorced.  And while he looked forward to the end of his marriage, the end of this painful year, he was afraid of what might happen in court.  This state was known to split any assets acquired during the marriage equally.  And if India was able to make a case that suggested she had been forced to give up her dreams to support him in his, he could very well stand to lose a great deal.  North Carolina also had another law that was of very little comfort, since he couldn’t use it without creating a scandal that would rock his mother’s world.  He would never be able to sue his sister for alienation of affection.  He sighed as he exited his Lake Norman estate and made the lengthy commute to his office in uptown Charlotte.

Once he was able to enjoy the privacy of his vehicle, he dialed his lawyer.  He recognized her voice as soon as she answered.  “So, how do you think it went?”  He asked in a feeble attempt at humor. 

“You need to lose the attitude before we get to court,” Ms. Pendergast warned.  “You hired me for more than my gender.  Take my advice.”

“You haven’t given any,” he said quietly.

She growled.  “I wasn’t finished.”  Sighing, she continued.  “Get a hobby.  Take up fishing, or hunting, or any other sport that will allow you an outlet for this slow burning rage.”  She paused for a reaction, but since he offered none she decided to pound her point home.  “You need to channel all this hostility into something productive, stop carrying it around with you.  The sooner the better.”

Gavin pondered a moment, trying to imagine what might peak his interest.  Clearing her throat, Ms. Pendergast delicately reminded him that she was still on the line.  “I’ll take it under advisement,” he said sincerely.  And without awaiting her response, he snapped his phone shut.

“I saw it!”  Amy squealed several days later.  “I grabbed a copy at the mailboxes when I checked my mail this afternoon.  It’s in there.  Has anyone called yet?”  She was breathless in anticipation, and due to her proclivity to say so much so quickly.

Hannah sighed.  She had seen it as well and knew there was no turning back now.  Her four-year-old twins Aurora, Rory for short, and Zoe would be graduating from preschool the first week of June and after that, she would be in a bind.  She had to find childcare, figure out how to pay for it, and finance a move.  She had tried to find a cheaper apartment, but Brett had so effectively ruined her financially that she couldn’t pass the credit check necessary to get in to them.  She reminded herself that this plan, as hair-brained as it might seem, could solve all of her problems and she would make the best of it.

“No,” Hannah replied.  “No one has called yet.”  She felt slightly disappointed, but she didn’t really expect to be picked up the first day.