Page 28 of The Regrettable Mistake

It did not work.

By the time I made it to the toilet, and pulled my soaked jeans down, there was barely a tinkle of urine left to expel from my body. I groaned. As if I hadn’t faced enough humiliation lately. I hadn’t peed my pants since the incident in first grade where my brother also peed his pants in solidarity so kids would stop making fun of me. I’d been known as Stephan-pee for all of five minutes before Stevie-pee was crowned the latest “pee pot” of the classroom.

“Don’t worry, Stephan-pee, I’ll mop the floor while you finish up.”

“Asshole,” I muttered. “Go get me some yoga pants or something.”

“Fine but I’m not going through your underwear drawer. I don’t need to see what you wear down there.

“Okay, but when I’m commando under my yoga pants, you’re still technically seeing what I’m wearing down there, idiot!”

“Ugh!” He yelled back. “Fine, but never ask me to do this again.”

“What if I go into labor and need you to pack me a bag?”

“I suggest you get your hospital bag pre-packed soon and tell me where it is. Keep one in your car and one by the door just in case or something.”

“You’re ridiculous!” I yelled at my brother.

“Yeah, well you peed your pants!”

I rolled my eyes and marveled at how childish we could still be. At the same time, I was thankful for it because it was the first time in months that I felt normal and not bogged down by all the stress.

Later that evening, Hutch, Ollie, and Caleb all showed up within minutes of one another. Stevie brought them all back to the dining room where I was seated. Part of me ached to lay eyes on my husband, who I hadn’t seen or heard from in about two weeks. The other part of me couldn’t stand to look at him. He was the same person but recent events and revelations changed how I saw him now. It made him look different to me in a weird way that defied explanation. The phenomena of seeing both the man I had loved for years and the stranger his actions turned him into was disconcerting to me.

“Steph,” Ollie called out when I failed to acknowledge his presence. “Are you doing okay?”

“You might already know the answer to that question if you bothered to check on your wife and kid – you know, the family you claim to still want despite your disappearing act.”

“Whoa! If this was a set up, so you could get Ollie here to lay into him, I’ll take my client and we’ll leave. I was told this was an emergency situation. Ollie has been trying to save his company from the fallout of all the negative press.”

“At least he gets the luxury to try, even though his own actions caused the problem,” Steve yelled at Caleb. “My sister lost her job. She’s a pregnant, single mother with no income, medical expenses, bills to pay, and a kid to feed. Thanks to her husband cheating so publicly and allowing his side piece to drag her through the mud, my sister has no job prospects at all and too much stress considering her condition.”

“What does he mean? You lost your job?” Ollie asked.

“I am technically on forced, unpaid leave because it is a security hazard to have me on campus. I’m not even allowed to drop off and pick up Denmark. Steve or your mom have to do it for me.”

Ollie glanced at everyone in the room completely floored by the news. “Why am I just now hearing about this?”

“First I’m hearing it too, man.” Caleb glared at Hutch who raised his hands in surrender.

“We’re working on dealing with the school thing. I didn’t know Ollie hadn’t been in touch, failed to offer financial support of any kind – including for his son – or that Steph’s car is financed and she has payments to make. That is a violation of the prenup that needs to be dealt with immediately.”

“What the fuck?” Ollie roared. “How in the hell do you have a car payment? Did you get something new?”

I would not cry. “Two years ago. I asked you to help me go pick out a car when my old one broke down. You were too busy.”

“Okay, but why did you finance it?”

I stared at my husband like he was stupid. “I’m a teacher. I don’t make enough money to flat out buy a vehicle with cash.”

“You could have used the joint account, Steph.”

My laughter was met with blank stares all around the table. “I tried to pay the electric bill with your account three years ago, after we got married, and they refused to allow it because my name wasn’t on the checks. So, rather than continue to be embarrassed, and treated like a thief again, I always paid everything myself or had to take a loan for things like my car.”

“So, you’ve been paying the utilities out of your own paycheck alone all this time?” Hutch asked. I nodded my head. “How do you pay for groceries for the family? Denmark’s clothes and school supplies?” Hutch fired the questions off to me rapidly.

“I pay for everything with my account.” I turned my glare on my brother for making me go through yet another mortifying conversation. “That’s why my savings isn’t sufficient to carry me through my pregnancy without a job. There isn’t much of it to work with, especially with mounting medical bills and impending expenses for the baby.” I glanced around at all the men who were gaping at me like they never heard of a woman who paid the bills before. Then I added on, “Everything would have been fine if I had been able to work until my due date.”

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