Page 2 of Irredeemable

“You’re a fucking bitch.” His eyes darken, a flush working up his chest as his anger heightens.

Knowing that is my clue that it’s about to turn nasty, I inch towards the door. “And? I wasn’t the one who made vows to someone else. Why would I ever want to be with you?”

I don’t know what he throws at me when I give him my back. It hits me in the shoulder, but I shake it off and scurry through the door. Glancing around, I make sure his wife is nowhere to be seen as I make my way across the lot. Thankfully, my trailer is not close to his, and it will give me time to get the fuck out of dodge. I can hear the crashing noises behind me as he destroys his trailer.

Pausing halfway across the lot, I place my hand over my back pocket to see if someone is really calling me or if I have one of those annoying phantom vibrates. When it continues, I groan at the caller ID. Any satisfaction I had of the quick rump in the sheets evaporates.

I tuck between two trailers parked to my right, leaning across the cool metal to try to hide from view. People were inherently nosy when you were on a phone call, taking advantage of that person’s distraction.

“Yes, Mother?” I spit out the word with as much disgust as I can, but she misses it as usual.

“Birdie!” she says excitedly, and I flinch, my teeth grinding at the term of endearment. I slink deeper into the shadows and away from the lingering film crew.

“I told you never to call me that,” I hiss.

My mother is silent for a moment, and I hear a sniffle. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’ll try to remember next time. I just miss hearing it, you know?”

I bite my tongue till I can taste the metallic bitterness of blood. My fingers hurt with how hard I’m clenching my phone, I can practically hear the glass cracking. “No, I don’t miss hearing it or him. He was a fucking cheating bastard. How can you even grieve him?”

She sighs. “You don’t understand. He was my husband and your father… He always came home to me.”

I kick at the brick holding the trailer up, uncaring if it got dislodged. Unfortunately, the thin thread of my sneakers wasn’t a match against the small pillar. Taking a deep breath, I push thoughts of my father away. “What did you want?”

“A mother can’t just call her daughter up and ask how she’s doing?”

“A mother, sure. The jury is still out on whether you are one or not. And before you get all dramatic, tell me what you want, or I will hang up and put you on do not disturb for three days.”

She sniffles loudly again, expressing howhurtshe is by my words. “The rent is due by the end of the week, and the lawyer is still unwilling to change the date of the estate checks.”

“Okay?” I drop my head back, not ready to have the same monthly fight about money. “But you get the check eventually, so the money should be there. Telling me that the check comes after rent, but you never seem to have enough for the next month is fucking stupid.”

A gargled sob breaks out, and I groan. “I can’t get a job, Samantha. I’ve never had one. He took care of everything. What am I supposed to do?”

“I’ll take care of it. I always do, don’t I?”

“Oh! Thank-”

I hang up, not wanting to hear her insincere apologies. The only type of appreciation she ever shows. Banging my head against the trailer a few times, I swallow the lump in my throat and soothe away the ache in my chest. This is why I worked as hard as I did. No one could take away or claim my success. This was all on me. I never have nor will I ever need a man for any part of my life.

Tanner

Thedullconversationhasme wanting to smash the wine glass and slit my throat with a broken shard. I take another gulp of the bitter alcohol, glancing over at the other occupants of the country club’s patio. Boring, lackluster, and so meticulously unoriginal.

“Whatever you would prefer, Mrs. Daniels. I have an open schedule.” My girlfriend’s sweet voice pierces my inner mulling, her pale pink nails draping onto my arm. I look at her, the shiny white smile pasted on her lightly makeup face. She is so beautiful that it makes me sick. Like genuinely sick. When I had chosen Madeline to be my stand-in, I hadn’t realized that the well-mannered and put-together woman was not a facade. She is too kind, too shy, too… everything I am not nor want to be.

But what’s done is done. I couldn’t take it back after word got to my parents, they wereoverjoyedI had caught the attention of Madeline Waldorf.

“What’s going on?” I ask, setting the empty glass down.

My father sighs, adjusting the lapels of his jacket as he waves for the waitress to refill our drinks.

“Your family’s charity gala. Your mother asked for my assistance to help organize it over the next month," Madeline preens. It is an honor to be asked that. Women always compete for my mother’s attention over the coveted spot.

Swallowing down my distaste for the misplaced gesture, I tilt my head innocently. “I wasn’t aware that was something you wanted to waste your time on.”

Madeline’s shoulders slump slightly, and her smile flickers. “It’s not a waste of time at all. Mrs.Daniels–”

My mother’s hand waves her off. “Ignore him, Madeline. I’m honored to have your help and enthusiastic about your suggestions so far.”

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