“You too, little sis. Now get in there and apologize.”
As soon as I opened the door, Joe was standing there ready to knock.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I’m sorry I embarrassed myself. At least it was my family and not yours.”
We laughed together and hugged. I held his hand as we walked into the television room where Ken and my dad were talking to my mom. Once they saw me walk in, you could’ve heard a pin drop, and all eyes were on me.
“Um, I’m really sorry. I’m not sure what came over me, but I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”
My dad walked over and pulled me into a hug.
“Are you okay, pumpkin? It’s not like you to snap like that. Are you feeling all right?” dad asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just feeling a lot of stress, I guess. Joe and I are fine. I’m fine. Everything’s fine, okay?” I asked as I batted my famous puppy dog eyes. They always made my dad melt. My mom was impervious to them.
“Okay. Just talk to us if you need us. Don’t let yourself fall under a mountain of stress. You’re too young for that. The weight of the world isn’t on your shoulders and we’re always here for you.”
“Thanks daddy.” My mom joined our hug too.
Ken said, “I’m sorry, kiddo. I shouldn’t have been talking crap like that. Can you forgive me?”
Before I could answer, Lainey grabbed him by the ear and said, “It doesn’t matter if she does or not. I haven’t, so get in the kitchen and start carving the turkey. You can make it up to me later as her proxy.”
We all knew what that meant but in order to maintain proper decorum, no one mentioned it. All was well and the crisis I almost created was averted.
***
I was leaned back into Joe’s arms on the couch as we watched ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ on TV. I felt so comfortable in his arms, and I never wanted him to let me go. Mom was on the other couch cuddled similarly into dad. The only exception was they had Lainey’s daughter Isabella asleep in mom’s arms.
I was struggling with what my sister told me, but mostly with what Joe told me about myself. How could I think I was being less controlling and bossy, yet have Joe feel I never changed? I had to reevaluate everything I thought about myself. I never thought I was a bitch but was I a bitch too? How did I treat Keri? I had a lot to think about.
After the movie, I decided to pay my sister back for sending me the box of condoms. I went upstairs and snuck into their bedroom. I took the opened condom wrapper out of my pocket and left it under Ken’s side of the bed, just out of sight. I hoped he found it and not her, but I figured she didn’t go under the bed on his side all that much.
Later, I left with mom and dad, while Joe stayed at Ken and Lainey’s. We agreed to meet for breakfast in the morning and I got a soft peck on the cheek goodbye.
In the car, Mom asked, “So all is well with Joe then?”
“Yeah, I have some personality issues I have to resolve but we’re good.”
“Don’t change yourself too much, honey,” dad said. “You sound like you’re the one making all the compromises.”
“Sort of, but I’m the one who was demanding and bossy. I’m the one who was trying to change him to bring him out of his shell. I’m the one that tried to get him to put me before his schoolwork.”
“All I’m saying is just find a balance. Relationships are about mutual respect and balance. The other stuff is easy, but you can’t change nor expect him to change for you. Maybe smooth out the rough edges but keep yourselves you. You don’t want to become so different than the people you were attracted to in the first place.”
He made some sense. I got the basic gist of what he thought he was saying, but he was telling me he liked me the way I was. I knew I needed to figure out how to be myself yet less of a control freak and I had my work cut out for me.
***
Fecal matter hit the turning fins on Sunday morning. I heard the phone ring and then nothing until mom started shouting something to dad. I heard him rush downstairs and then the garage door opened and closed.
I wondered what happened, so I crawled out of bed and made my way downstairs. They left a note on the table that said, “At Lainey’s.”
That was odd and then I remembered the condom wrapper. “Oh, no,” I said to the empty room. I called my mom’s cell. When she answered, I asked, “Mom, what happened? Is everything okay?”
“No, honey. Ken and Lainey had a huge fight and he left her.”
I started to cry. I never wanted him to leave her.
“What was the fight about?” I asked, trying to hide my emotions.
“He thinks she’s cheating on him. It’s ridiculous.”
I knew for sure he found the condom and overreacted, but then, how should he have reacted? What the hell was I thinking? Of course, he wouldn’t understand it was a joke. I had to find him and make it right. I needed Keri. She gave me the condom from the box that Lainey sent me. She could support me if Ken didn’t believe me.
***Lainey***
I couldn’t believe what happened. I was feeding Isabella breakfast, when Ken burst into the kitchen holding a condom wrapper.
“What the hell is this, Lainey?” he shouted, scaring our daughter.
I looked at him surprised and said, “I have no idea. Where did you find that?” I couldn’t imagine how it got in the house.
“Under the bed, next to my nightstand.”
“You think it’s mine?” I gasped.
“Who the hell else could it be?” he shouted louder.
“Maybe it’s Joe’s?” I guessed.
“You know that can’t be. He hasn’t been alone in the house since he got here. And why would he and Mel do it in our bed?”
I shook my head. “Maybe, my parents? Or…”
“Just stop it, Lainey. Stop lying! Who’s the guy? Who’s the guy that you threw your family away for?”
I flinched back and started sobbing. “There’s no one else. Only you, you have to believe that.”
His eyes were more intense and angrier than I’d ever seen. “Tell me who he is.”
I jumped up ran to him, but he pushed me away.
“Forget it, slut. Don’t tell me who he is because I’ll be in prison for killing him. You’ll hear from my attorney.”
He rushed to the garage and was in the car before I could stop him. I banged on the hood as he backed away, I screamed and begged him not to leave. He ignored me. I was about to fall to my knees when a large arm grabbed me and kept me from going down.
“Are you okay?” Joe asked.
I could barely think, let alone speak coherently. “He left me.”
He led me into the house and sat me next to a fussy Isabella. I pulled her from her booster seat and rocked her; messy shirt and all.
“What happened,” he asked.
I nodded towards the condom wrapper on the table. “Please tell me that’s yours.”
He shook his head negatively. I saw the sincerity in his eyes and believed him. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. Where the hell did the condom wrapper come from?
“Joe, can you please put her in her playpen for me. I need to call my mom.”
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
***
After speaking to my mom, I went to my daughter and held her. I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t figure out why the stupid condom wrapper was in my room, let alone in my house at all. We didn’t use them and the growing baby in my belly was proof of that. Ken didn’t know I was pregnant yet. It was only confirmed a few days before Thanksgiving.