Page 5 of Two Wrongs

Liam always mumbles when he lies. I used to think it was adorable. A sign he’d never lie to me, because he was so bad at it. I guess he’s gotten better with practice, but he’s thrown off by being caught.

“I don’t believe you. But you’re right, who she is isn’t important. It wasn’t her who was supposed to be faithful to me. You were my family.” My voice wavers, and I clamp my mouth shut. Liam does not get my tears. He will get nothing from me ever again.

“I’m still your family, Wren.”

I shake my head. “I need you to leave, Liam. I’ve got a life to move on with. Please let me do it.”

“I’m not going to let you go.”

“You didn’t,” I say. “You threw me away. There’s a difference. I’m just choosing to stay gone.”

Carl walks in, ending whatever argument Liam was going to make next. “I’ll see you later,” he promises and finally walks out the door.

* * *

The day crawls by,as they usually do. At lunch I go and open a bank account in my own name and deposit my check. During my break I call on some ads for homes for rent and set up an appointment for after I get off work.

Dolores is an old lady who has been a customer of Carl’s for decades. Her late husband invested in real estate, thinking the town would grow. It never did take off the way he hoped, but the rental properties he left her supplement her social security and provide her with a comfortable life. Her home is the largest in town, and even has a mother-in-law cottage on her property.

She offers me her elbow as we walk around her white farmhouse. In the rear, in the middle of one of the best landscaped yards in town, is a small home. There’s a covered porch, shutters, and flowers planted around the foundation. The buttery yellow paint adds to the cheery appeal, and I’m instantly in love with the place. Which makes my heart sink, because on my salary there’s no way I’ll be able to afford to rent it.

Dolores sees the look on my face and pats my hand. “Don’t get that look on your face dear. I’m sure that husband of yours and you make enough to rent it.”

The tears I’ve so valiantly fought for days spill over. Through hiccuping sobs I give her the abbreviated version of why I’m renting on my own.

She straightens as much as she can to her four-foot-ten inch height. “Well, we can’t have you homeless or thinking of leaving town. Unless you decide to go to school. I suppose that would be okay. You’re still young. That would be a choice, but if you stay, we won’t let that man get you back because of not having nowhere else to go. I was friends with your grandma, and she’d whoop my fanny if I left you to fend for yourself.”

“I’m confused. What are you saying?” I ask her. I never knew my grandmother, but the part of me that is tired of being alone in the world relishes discovering this thin familial connection.

“Well, dearie. I’m old, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. If you wouldn’t mind running the occasional errand for me. Like getting my groceries when you get your own and picking up my meds I’d say I can rent the place to you for five hundred a month. Of course utilities and internet are included.”

I blink. “Are you sure? This place is beautiful. You could probably ask at least twice that amount.”

She nods her silvery head. “I’m positive dear. It gets lonely around here. My grandkids are grown now, and they don’t come around as much as I’d like. My kids are all enjoying empty nests and traveling around the world. It would be mighty fine to have a bit of company from time to time. Not that you have to entertain me, but I certainly wouldn’t be put out by it. If you’d like, I can teach you some of the recipes your grandma taught your mom. She and I used to cook together for the soldiers who were stationed in town. We had a little restaurant near the base. Of course both have long since closed up.”

I smile at her as she rambles. One thing about Dolores is she takes a long path to get to her point, but her mind is still sharp. She always gets to it, and I don’t mind taking the scenic route from time to time. “You don’t know how much that would mean to me.”

“Would you like to see the place before you decide?”

“Of course I want to see it, but I already know I’m going to take it. This feels like home, and I haven’t had that in a long time now.”

Her answering smile is sad. “I understand that more than you know. My Benjamin was the center of my world, and when he died this place felt so hollow. Love has a way of turning four walls into a home, and when it’s gone all you’re left with is a building.”

Another tear slips free. “That’s hauntingly beautiful.”

Her gnarled hand reaches for the knob and opens the bright white door. Inside is as cheery as the outside. A cream and yellow striped couch faces the window. There’s some side tables in a gray washed wood. The pine floors are a warm honey, and the rest is brightened by white walls and cabinets. The kitchen counter in the open plan room is a light gray and white granite. It’s the home I’d have designed for myself when Liam and I first married. Having it alone is bittersweet, but somehow also gratifying.

She sees the look on my face and nods. “The best revenge is living well. My Ben and I had a great marriage. I won’t pretend to understand what you’re dealing with in that respect, but my oldest daughter Jessy went through a nasty divorce from her first husband. The family rallied around her and helped her thrive, and now I’ll do it for you. You, dearie, will live well. You’re a Parker. That’s some strong stock if I ever met any. And when you get to feeling down, remember there are still men like your daddy around.”

I look to the ceiling and blink several times. I’ve already cried more around her than I have since the first couple months I felt Liam pulling away from me. She pats my arm again. “I don’t mean to make you cry. Let’s get you settled in.”

I freeze in place. In all the excitement of finding a place, I forgot one major detail. “I have a cat. A kitten actually. Is that going to be a problem?”

“What is the kitten’s name?” she asks me.

“She doesn’t have one. Honestly, I wasn’t sure Liam was going to let me keep her.”

Dolores makes a tsk sound. “Never, ever, stay with a man when you have to use the words ‘let’. As my granddaughter would say, you are a grown ass woman.”

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