Page 47 of Due At The Same Time
“Well, that explains that strange gasoline smell I noticed while I was doing my crossword puzzle on the couch,” Harold said. “I saw Astrid out there with a gas can. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I don’t understand women very well, thoughtit was some new TikTok thing. Perhaps I shouldn’t have gone to sleep.”
“Perhapsnot!” Ambrose groaned. “You’re going to give me aheart attack.”
And not only had Astrid burned her whole house down, but she’d apparently emptied out Ambrose’s checking account as well.
“You can stay with me for a few weeks,” I said after the firefighters had put out the fire and all that was left was a pile of smoking rubble. “Until you find a new place and can get your money back.”
“I—” he began.
“There’s more than enough room for you and Julian and Harold,” I said.
My ex-father-in-law looked up from where he was patting the little bear ears of Julian’s little fleecy jumpsuit.
“I think I’ll camp out in the backyard. I’ve always wanted to go camping but Millicent said it was not for people in our tax bracket.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” I told Harold. “You disreputable old bastard.”
He grinned at me. “I’m feeling quite young again. There’s so many things I want to do in my retirement that I haven’t gotten to yet. Like buy a farm out in the country and raise chickens. And it’s not looking like Millicent is going to forgive me.”
Never had a man been so happy at the prospect of being divorced.
Once we had been advised to contact the police if we saw Astrid, we all went inside and I ordered a massive amount of veggie sushi from the fanciest and nicest place in town.
“I’ll keep a record of what I owe you,” Ambrose said earnestly, his face smeared with grimy soot. “Hopefully I can get this situation straightened out with my bank soon.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I shrugged. “Finn is filthy rich. I have way more money than I know what to do with.”
I saw him swallow hard and nod at me.
“When you talk to him tell—him that I appreciate you letting me stay here.”
“Finn and I aren’t together,” I said, a bit more sharply than I expected. “I can do what I want.”
“But he’d do anything to keep you,” Ambrose said. “I know the feeling.”
I turned away. I wasn’t going to give him any hope, but there were tears in my eyes that I didn’t know how to explain.
As each week of my pregnancy progressed, I grew rounder and rounder, and my baby more and more active in my belly, thumping my bladder with vigorous karate kicks and jabs. My feet had not been seen in some time.
There was no word from Astrid. The police had not been able to find her.
Now there were a few things always true about my ex-husband. He was stubborn, earnest, and a hard worker. He had the semester off now that Julian was born, and he never once asked me for help.
He did all his laundry, the baby’s laundry, and even my laundry. He changed every diaper, made every bottle, was up with Julian’s slightest cry.
When I offered to help, he handed Julian to me and told me to just kick up my feet and relax and snuggle the baby while he ran loads of laundry, vacuumed, or braised pork chops.
And I had to reluctantly note that Ambrose had been serious about turning over a new leaf. He had completely changed in how he treated his father. Instead of contempt or disdain, he now treated Harold with kindness and respect, was interested in his father’s opinion and hobbies.
Harold was very happy to hold baby Julian and discuss the crossword puzzle with him, but said if Ambrose were to take over the more active parts of parenting his little brother, it would be ideal for his own hip replacement.
Unfortunately, the longer I was in a confined space with Ambrose the more a certain problem appeared. It surely meant nothing. It was just that how good he was at domestic work and how loving he was with his little brother did not mix well with third trimester hormones.
And I wascrawlingwith third trimester hormones.
I resisted them when Ambrose insisted on doing a full Sagittarius star chart.
I resisted them when Ambrose came with me to get the winter herb seeds for my garden.
