Brian
I can’t concentrate. I took leave from work, I called in a favor at our sister gym, and had two trainers coming in to cover for Savvy and me, for a month. I woke up this morning to numerous calls from my mother. The last message she sent was that she was coming over and that was ten minutes ago, so she should be here soon.
Sherry texted me and apologized left and right. She claimed she only did it to get back at Savvy for leaving me, but I don’t believe her. I told her to never contact me again. I also told her to tell Emily I loved her, but Uncle Brian couldn’t see her anymore. Sherry ruined my marriage. I could never forgive her.
Banging on my door got me out of my stupor. I opened the door and my mother started wailing on me. Was she hitting me with a belt?
“Ma, ma! Stop! Ow, Stop Ma!”
“I can’t believe you cheated on Savvy with that wh*re next door. You got f*cking played and fell right into that sk*nks trap.”
“I know!” I roared.
“Don’t you take that tone with me, Brian Carter Garrison.” She hit me with the belt again.
“Ow! Will you stop? Mom, I’m sorry. I know I f*cked up.”
“You sure did. And now my daughter-in-law is leaving!”
“What do you mean?”
“I just got off the phone with her about thirty minutes ago. She was crying, telling me she couldn't be in the same town as you. So she’s gone. Didn’t tell me where. I am to tell you to sign the papers, and I want you to do it right now. I’m going to take them to her lawyer myself so they can be filed immediately. You owe this to her.”
“I don’t want to divorce her!”
“It isn’t what you want anymore. You gave up that right when you stuck your d*ck in another woman!”
“Jesus, will you stop with the crude words? I’ve never heard you do that before.”
“Well, I wasn’t this pissed before. I am so disappointed in you.”
My shoulders slumped and tears fell from my eyes. I sat on my couch and put my head in my hands.
“Mama, what do I do? How do I fix this?”
“Brian, you can’t fix this. All she sees is betrayal now. You hurt her, son. All you can do now is sign the papers.”
I broke down. She wrapped her arms around me and I clung to my mother. I was so stupid. I saw a woman, who I thought was helpless, and she played me so hard that I lost myself, and the woman I loved.
“I don’t know if I can? She is my life.”
“Then you should have treated her like she was. Sign the papers. Take some time for yourself, get your head and life straight. If it’s meant to be, you can get her back.”
I looked at her and nodded. I went and got the papers. I read through them again, she really didn’t want anything except her personal bank account and half of the joint account. I got to the last page and signed the papers. Teardrops falling on the paper. I walked back to my mother and gave them to her.
“I will get her back, mama.”
“I sure hope so, baby. Because you will never find another woman like her. She is the sweetest girl. Always so helpful, beautiful, and a fantastic cook. I don’t know if you ever noticed, but men flocked to her. Their eyes always tracked her. Her laugh brought them in like bees to honey. Every time there was an outing we all went on, I noticed. She makes friends easily.”
“Are you trying to rub it in, mother,” I gritted out.
“Yes, because the hurt you are feeling right now, is nothing compared to the hurt Savvy has gone through these last six months. Then, to open her phone and see the proof of her husband’s infidelity, I just know that tore her apart.”
“Jesus, you’re right.”
“I’m going to her lawyers right now to give this to him. Fix yourself before you go after her, son. Because I know that’s what you are going to do.”
“I don’t even know where she’s gone, mom.”
“Well, use your brain when it’s time. Figure it out.”
She left after that piece of advice. I tried one more time to call Savvy. Yep, definitely blocked. A knock at the door caught my attention.
“Hi Uncle Brian, mommy said you didn’t like me anymore. Why?”
That f*cking bitch! How dare she do this to me and say that to this precious girl?
“Emily, honey. I never said that. Your mommy is lying. I love you. You are my very special girl. You and me, kiddo. I just need to take a little vacation, and I am going to be gone for a little while. I told your mommy that I wouldn’t be around.”
“Oh, so you do still like me?”
“Yes, of course. Where’s your mommy sweetie?”
“She’s at home.”
I took Emmy by the hand and marched her back over to her house. Her mother and I were going to have some words.
“Emmy, honey. I want you to go to your room and draw me a picture. I need something to have with me during my vacation, so I can look at it and smile.”
“Oh, okay,” she squealed and ran off to her room. She really was a precious girl. I looked in the kitchen for Sherry. She wasn’t there. I walked down the hall, looked in the first room I came to, it was the hall bathroom. It was empty, the second room was Emily’s. I walked to the last room, opened the door. It was the master bedroom and I saw, like our house, there was a master bath. I could hear the water running. The bathroom door was slightly ajar. I walked over to it and looked through the opening. Then I burst through the bathroom and over to Sherry. She was in the tub, water running. I don’t know if she had fallen, but there was blood in the water. I picked her up and that’s when I noticed she had slit one of her wrists.
“F*ck,” I shouted.
I got her on the floor and grabbed a towel. I wrapped her wrist up and put pressure on her wound. Digging in my pocket, I pulled out my phone and dialed 911.
The ambulance got there in five minutes. The police took my statement. I was holding Emmy in my arms. We followed the ambulance to the hospital.
“Is my mommy going to be okay?”
“They’re going to do all they can, sweetheart.”
I sure do hope what I just told her was true. I am in way over my head.
We were told to wait in the waiting room. I got Emmy and me some food from the cafeteria, and we waited for hours. Finally, a doctor came to the waiting room.
“Are you the family of Sherry Winters?”
“Yes,” I lied.
“She’s stable and awake. Asking for her daughter. Is this her?”
“Yes.”
“We stitched up her arm, she didn’t do any damage to herself besides the cut. It wasn’t as deep as we thought it was when she came in. She’s lucky she did it horizontally. If she did it vertically, we probably would be talking about funeral arrangements.”
Jesus, this guy has no bedside manners.
“She’s on the third floor, room 320.”
“Thank you.”
I took Emmy to see her mother. When we entered the room, Sherry was lying there staring at the ceiling.
“ Mommy,” Emmy yelled, as she ran to her mother's bed.
“Oh, Emmy, I’m so sorry, baby.”
I watched as she embraced her daughter.
“Thank you, Brian.”
I stared at this woman. How could she do this to her daughter?
“Why Sherry?”
“I couldn’t stand the idea of you hating me.”
“So, you pull something like this? What about Emmy?”
“Emmy, honey, can you go lie down on that couch over there?”
We waited until Emmy lied down.
“Brian, I love you. I want to be with you.”
“I am married.”
“She’s left you. We can be together.”
“No, Sherry. I will get her back.” She did not need to know I signed divorce papers.
“No, Brian. I made sure you couldn’t. She’ll never forgive you.”
“You’re wrong.”
I turned and left the room to her yelling my name. I needed to get away from her. I needed to fix myself, and then get my wife back.