Page 9 of Jake

It wasn’t as if she was bad person. She really wasn’t. But she had standards and her standards were a priority, and she thought that everyone, her husband included, should know this about her. Like her hair and nails done a certain way. Her clothing bought from the right places. Also the address of her home, who saw it, and what sort of furniture was in it. Jake had never understood that. He would have gladly lived in a one-bedroom place with all old furniture had she not made him do what she wanted. Like that stuff he’d brought into her home.

“He’ll just have to live with disappointment. I certainly have since I married him.” Jake was just too.... Well, he was too nice. He was polite to everyone. Did everything he was supposed to in a timely manner, and when things weren’t his way or she got upset with him, he just nodded and told her he was sorry. “Like sorry is going to cut it. He never gave me flowers or diamonds. For what I’ve had to endure, I should have been drenched in lovely things.”

“Perhaps because of your spending he figured you had enough lovely things. You prevented him from doing a great many things, I’m thinking, just being the person that you are.” She stared at her daddy as he entered the room and sat in the chair by her fireplace. “I’ve come to have a conversation with you. And for once, you’re going to do as I tell you or there will be consequences.”

“I don’t think I care for your tone, Daddy. And Jake is the one that is going to have to face the consequences. I’ve been trying hard to get him to understand that I’m not going to give him a divorce.” She made her way to the closet to find the perfect pair of shoes. “I’m going out to talk to Jake. He has been doing things to my house that I just don’t care for.”

“As you’ve done to mine? What is this mess, Carol? What have you done here?” She told him it was time for a new room. “No, this one is just fine, or it was. You’re not going to do anything to this room because it no longer belongs to you.”

“What does that mean?” He told her that she was too old to be living at home. “I’m working on that, Daddy. Didn’t I just tell you that I was going to talk to Jake? He has had someone telling him that we need to divorce. I’m not going to allow that. Daddy, you should see the stuff he had coming in. Hideous.”

“Carol, he’s divorcing you and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I’ve called his father and explained it to him, but who knows what will come of that. You should move on. He has.” Carol just stared at her daddy, then asked him if he wanted her to be sad. “No. But I do think you need to come to the realization that he’s not going to take you back. And as much as I hate to say it, I think it’s for the best. For him anyway.”

“Daddy, how can you say such a thing? I married him so that I could be his wife and get all the things I wanted and deserved.” He asked her if she loved him. “What does that have to do with anything? He married me and that’s the way I wanted it. We’re going to get over this little bump in the road. I’m even going over there today to move back in. He’ll be glad to see me once I get the house back to the way it was before.”

“If you say so.” Her daddy stood up, and that was when she noticed that he was looking old. “I’ve decided that I’m going to help him leave you. I know that you don’t want to hear that, but I think you’re not right for him. You never were. I love you dearly, Carol, but that man deserves better. It’s taken me a long time to realize that, but you’re not a nice person. And I’m not going to bail you out anymore. But before you go and take the furniture over there, you might want to check the locks on his home. I think you might be surprised that he’s working on keeping you out completely. Also, your mother and I have talked it over, and you have thirty days to get your life together and out on your own. We’ll not be taking you back to raise again. You’re an adult. It’s time you start acting like one.”

After her daddy left, Carol decided that she’d have to work on getting him committed. There was something seriously wrong with her daddy. Not only was he not in his right mind about her and what she wanted, but he seemed to be thinking that she was the bad guy. Mom too. They were just too stupid to understand that she always got what she wanted.

Shaking her head at how sad it was, Carol decided that as soon as she was living in her home again, she was going to put this one on the market and look into nursing homes for her parents. Some place nice but not too expensive. She was going to need more money now to maintain two homes. Oh what the girls at the country club would think of her now, she thought. The owner of not one, but two houses.

The yard was being mowed by a service when she got to her home. There had never been a service when she was there, Jake telling her that they couldn’t afford it. Well, they could now, and she was going to make sure he knew how disappointed she was that he’d waited until now to bring someone in.

It was nice, she thought, to not just have the lawn mowed, but to have the hedges trimmed as well as pretty flowers planted along the front of the house. She didn’t care for the bland colors, but it would do for now. Going to the door, she tried to slide her key into the lock.

“Can I help you?” Carol turned to the man who spoke. He was dressed in the same outfit that the guy mowing was. “Mr. Winslow isn’t home right now. He left me in charge of the place until he returns. And he never mentioned that anyone was coming by today. Sorry.”

“I’m his wife. I’ve been away on some business. But it seems that my key doesn’t work. If you’re in charge, then you must have a key. I want you to let me in now. I have things I have to get taken care of. Oh, and I will need for you and a couple of those men out there to come in the house and drag out some furniture. Jake will take care of you when he gets here.” He looked at the door then back at her. “I’m his wife, I told you. I need to get in there. I’m having my things delivered in an hour, and I need to make sure that the walls weren’t painted over or harmed while I was gone.”

“I know for a fact that the walls are in first-rate condition. There was a painting firm in yesterday and the day before. I think they redid the whole house, as a matter of fact.” She was going to murder Jake when she saw him if he’d painted over the colors she picked out. “And Mr. Winslow told me specifically that I’m not to let you in, Carol.”

“It’s Mrs. Winslow to you. I’ve not given you permission to call me by my given name. And I’ll tell Jake about this when he gets home. Open the door.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stood there. “Did you hear me? Are you stupid? I want you to open this damned door right fucking now.”

“No. I’m going to have to ask you to leave now, or I will call the police. They’ve been warned about you as well.” Carol was furious, and drew back her hand to slap the man when he spoke again. “I’m not going to allow you to get away with hitting me, if that’s where your mind is going. If you do, then I’m well within my rights to hurt you back. And I will. Also, in the event that you try and claim that I started this, I’d like to point out that there is a camera pointed right at us and it will show that you started it. So, it would behoove you to get out of here now before I call the police, as I’ve said to you once already.”

Carol was tempted to see if he would really hurt her. She knew there were no cameras pointed at them either. Jake had told her numerous times that they lived in a good neighborhood and no one would bother them. Carol also knew that she was well within her rights to slap someone who treated her this way, but she wasn’t sure that he was smart enough to know the rules. Carol looked around and saw that the other two workers, the guy with the mower and the other with trimmers of some sort, were staring at her as if they expected her to be hurt too.

“When my husband finds out how you’re treating me, he’s going to sue you and make sure that you all lose your jobs over this. He won’t tolerate this sort of treatment to his wife.” The man said nothing. “I’m going now, but not because you told me to. I have other things to do today. But you can bet that I’ll be back and you will be sorry.”

“All right.” He moved to the side and her palm itched to hit him. Wound him badly, as a matter of fact. “Don’t return, Carol. If you do, I’ll consider it trespassing and I will call the cops the moment you step out of your car. You’ve been warned.”

“We’ll just see about that.” He said nothing as she made her way to her car. Carol was trembling with anger. When Jake heard from her again, she was going to tell him how much she did not appreciate being treated this way.

On her way home she decided that she wasn’t going to call the moving firm. Let that bastard deal with them when they got there. She hoped that they’d just dump the pretty things on the front lawn and be done with it. It would be a shame for it to be messed up like that, but she figured that Jake owed her new things for the way he’d been treating her. Calling her mom, she asked her to meet her for lunch. When she turned her down, Carol decided that everyone was going to pay for their treatment of her.

~~~

Jake was looking over a file, not even sure what he was reading because his mind was so preoccupied with other crap that it took him several moments to realize that his cell phone was ringing. Pulling it out, he nearly didn’t answer since he had no idea who the number belonged to. But in the end, he said hello.

“It’s Forrest. I need your help.” Jake stood up, reaching for his jacket even as he continued. “I’m at Mercy and I’ve been hurt pretty badly, but I need for someone to come here and.... Could you just come here and sit with me? I hate to ask, but I’m…I’m having a difficult time of it right now.”

“Of course. I’m on my way.” He was telling his secretary where he was going as he headed out the door. “Are you all right? Do you need me to bring you anything? Call someone for you?”

“No. My dad hasn’t spoken to me in years. My mom died about three years ago, so I’m pretty much alone.” Jake told him he was sorry as he set up his phone on the holder to talk while he drove. “I wouldn’t have called you at all but I have to tell you, I’m a little freaked out. Someone tried to kill me last night. On the property that surrounds my complex.”

Jake paused in starting his car. “Was it Carol?” He had no idea why that would have popped into his head, but lately, and he more than likely had thought it before, he thought that Carol was off her noodle as Grandma said. “I know that she was pissed about the divorce paperwork, but there was no reason for her to try and hurt you.”

“I think it was Thomas.” Jake started the car and left the lot without asking. He wanted to, with all his heart, but it wasn’t any of his business. Forrest laughing made him feel odd again. “It’s more than over for us, but Thomas was my lover for a time. He was also a con artist. He took me for a bit, but when he tried to get into my bank account I realized just how bad it was. Does this make you not want to come here? I’d understand.”

---