Maggie's Turn

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  Kyle frowned. “Not really. Just hung out with Ashley and a couple of the guys.”

  “So how is school going?” Andrew asked.

  Kyle shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

  Andrew sighed. Getting Kyle to talk to him was like pulling teeth. “So what are you majoring in at school? I talked to Russ down at the pub tonight, and he said his son was majoring in business.”

  “I haven’t declared a major. I’m just doing my general education right now. I haven’t found anything that interests me yet.”

  Andrew grinned. “Well, maybe you should try a business or communications major like your dad.”

  Kyle shook his head. “I don’t think so, Dad. I’m not really into that stuff.” He started backing away toward his bedroom. “I need to get some homework done before tomorrow. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Andrew took a step toward Kyle. “It’s after nine and you don’t have your homework done yet? You really should come home earlier at night so you can work on it. You spend too much time at the motorcycle shop and hanging out with friends. You need to concentrate on your schoolwork.”

  “Dad,” Kyle said, making it clear by his tone that he didn’t want to talk about it.

  Andrew realized this probably wasn’t the best time, but he hardly ever saw his son and he wasn’t going to be put off. “Listen, Kyle. You need to think about your future more and do better in school. Sure, cycles are a lot of fun, but there’s no future there.” When Kyle only stared at him, Andrew grew irritated. “I don’t understand why you don’t like college. I loved going to college, and your mom did, too. I’m sure she’d agree with me that you need to have a good education.”

  “Like you know what Mom thinks,” Kyle said softly.

  Andrew’s brow furrowed. “What did you say?”

  “Forget it, Dad. I’m tired, and I have homework to do. Good night.” Kyle turned and headed into his bedroom.

  “Fine,” Andrew said curtly. “But I want you to come home earlier at night and spend more time on your homework and less time messing around town.”

  Kyle didn’t answer him. He just quietly closed his door against Andrew’s words.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Andrew’s mood hadn’t improved much the next morning. He tried talking to Kyle again, but all he got were grunts in return, so he gave up. Spoiled kid. He headed out to his car. He doesn’t appreciate anything.

  The day was sunny, and the trees that lined the neighborhood streets were beginning to turn vibrant yellows and reds, but Andrew didn’t notice any of it. He was too angry. Like you know what Mom thinks, Kyle had said last night. What had he meant by that? Did Kyle know what happened between him and Maggie? Did Maggie tell him? That thought really infuriated him. What happened between him and Maggie was their business, and there was no reason to bring the kids into it.

  Since he didn’t have to drive Kaia to school, he headed directly to the office and started work early. It felt good, working before the office became busy and noisy. He had his own office, since he was the lead advertising associate and needed the privacy to talk to clients. But that didn’t stop the noise from filtering in as the rest of the staff talked to customers on the phone or people grouped, gossiping in the hallways. Today, he was able to complete a load of work by coming in that extra hour early.

  A little after noon, the bookkeeper came in and dropped off the daily deposit for the bank. Andrew had been taking the deposit to the bank every day for years. Since he usually left the office to talk to clients, it saved a trip for the bookkeeper, so he didn’t mind doing it.

  He’d had a productive morning, and it felt good. As he slipped on his suit jacket and headed out to his car, his thoughts turned once more to Maggie. He decided it was time to stop being so defensive and to just talk things out with her. He didn’t want to fight anymore. He wanted to get past everything that had happened between them and move forward. Tonight, when he got home, he’d call her to talk about their future. He hoped the conversation would end with her deciding to come home.

  Andrew headed into the bank and dropped off the deposit with one of the tellers. He had been banking here his entire life, since he was ten years old and had saved money by mowing lawns and shoveling snow for neighbors, so he knew almost everyone who worked here. He’d either gone to school with them, or he knew them through his parents. He even knew some of the young tellers because Kyle had gone to school with them. He waved and smiled at employees as he walked past them toward the door to leave.

  From the corner of his eye, Andrew saw Charlie Larson, one of the bank’s loan officers, hurrying toward him with a folder in his hand. Andrew sighed and slowed down, wondering what Charlie wanted.

  “Hey, Andrew. I’m glad I caught up with you. Figured you were here to sign the loan papers,” Charlie said, looking up at Andrew with a smile.

  Andrew frowned. “What loan papers?”

  “For Maggie’s new car. She said she’d come in and sign the papers when she came home, but I figured you might as well since you’re here. Can’t say I wasn’t surprised when Maggie called from Tahoe saying she was changing over the loan, but I can’t blame her. This car’s a beaut.” Charlie opened the folder and handed Andrew a picture of the red Mustang convertible that Maggie had purchased. “The car dealer sent me this photo and the car stats for the paperwork. Of course I’m sure you’ve already seen it, but you can’t look at a car that fabulous too much, eh, Andrew?”

  As Andrew stared at the photo of the cherry-red Mustang convertible, it was all he could do not to let his mouth drop open in shock. He looked up to see Charlie still smiling at him, his eyes crinkled behind his big glasses. Andrew collected himself as best he could, not wanting Charlie to realize that he knew nothing about his wife’s purchase.

  “You’re right, Charlie. It’s a beautiful car. I was so busy at work today, I almost forgot about it. You know, I have to get back to the office. Do you mind if we sign those papers later this week?”

  “No problem at all,” Charlie said, closing up the folder. “I’m not worried. I know you and Maggie are good for it. Besides, she’s just replacing the loan on the van for the Mustang, so the money has already been approved.” Charlie looked at Andrew curiously. “You know, I didn’t expect to see you here today. Figured you were in Tahoe with Maggie.”

  Andrew looked up from the car picture and saw Charlie’s eyes sparkle with anticipation. He could tell that, like everyone else in this small town, Charlie wanted a juicy bit of gossip to spread around. “Maggie’s on her way to see her cousin in Seattle,” Andrew lied as casually as he could. “She’s been wanting a car like this for a long time, so when she saw it, we both agreed it would be fun to buy.” Oh, God. When is all this craziness going to end?

  “Well, it was a smart purchase. That car suits Maggie better than that mom van. Hope she enjoys it.”

  Andrew just nodded, wondering what Charlie meant by that. Geez, does he have a crush on Maggie, too? What was wrong with the men in this town? He started to walk away when he realized he still had the picture of the Mustang in his hand.

  “Mind if I keep this photo?” he asked Charlie. “You know, to show the kids.”

  “Sure, no problem. Catch you later.”

  Andrew stepped outside into the sunny day and just stood there, dazed. A Mustang convertible? A red Mustang convertible? What the hell was Maggie thinking?

  Maggie woke up early the next morning and headed out to take a few more pictures around San Francisco before driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and connecting with Highway 1 along the coast. Eventually, she’d have to head inland to Interstate 5 for a quicker route to Seattle. But for now, she wanted to enjoy the calming view of the ocean, the small seaside towns, and the feel of the salty air on her cheeks as she rode the winding curves with the top down.

  Oh, how she missed the ocean. Living far north in the middle of t
he country, she always forgot how soothing ocean views were until she was back here on the West Coast. Before she married Andrew, he had made it clear he wanted to go home, back to Woodroe, to live, work, and raise a family. At the time, Maggie hadn’t minded. Being a child of a navy serviceman, she’d moved often and had lived all over the United States. She didn’t mind moving to Minnesota, as long as she and Andrew were together. But even after all these years, when she was here by the ocean, feeling the breeze and taking in the beauty of the cliffs, beaches, and frothy water, she felt more at home than she ever did in Minnesota.

  Maggie stopped several times to take photos along the way. She took one of an elderly woman who was selling fresh fruit and vegetables at a roadside stand, with the cliffs and ocean as a backdrop. She stopped again to take a picture of a run-down gas station, with old rusted pumps and an antique 7UP clock in the dusty window. Maggie loved capturing these slice-of-life photos that showed America as it was and as it still is.

  Once Maggie crossed the Oregon border, she found a quaint bed-and-breakfast to stop at for the night. She decided that tomorrow morning, she’d cross over to Interstate 5 so she could be in Seattle, at Cassie’s house, before nightfall. As she sat on the bed in her cozy room, loading the latest photos into her computer, her phone buzzed. It was Andrew. Tentatively, she answered with a soft “Hello.”

  “You bought a Mustang? A red Mustang?” Andrew bellowed.

  “Hello, Andrew. How are you? I’m fine,” Maggie said, knowing it would piss him off but not caring. How dare he just start yelling at her?

  “Don’t act smart. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? Charlie Larson at the bank couldn’t wait to corner me and tell me about it. What in the world were you thinking? You traded in our brand-new van for a useless convertible? Do you realize how senseless that is?”

  Maggie took a deep breath to hold back the anger that was building inside her. “First of all, stop yelling at me or I’ll hang up. Second, you drive a convertible sports car. Remember? And it’s much more expensive than the one I bought.”

  There was a pause before Andrew answered in a calmer voice. “That’s different. I need a car that looks good to my clients. Perception is important in my job. A nice car makes me appear successful, and people spend more on ads if I look like I know what I’m doing. But you don’t need a flashy car. You’re a mom. You need a car to drive kids and groceries around in, not a car to pick up men with.”

  Maggie laughed. “Are you kidding me? I don’t drive kids around anymore. The only person I drive around is Kaia, and I’m sure she’ll fit inside this car. And pick up men? What men, exactly, am I picking up?”

  “What about that Bobby guy you picked up in Reno? Yeah, Kaia told me you were out at a bar with him the other night. What were you thinking, picking up some random guy, going to a bar, and then telling our fourteen-year-old daughter about him?”

  “Bobby? You think I was out with some guy named Bobby?” Maggie laughed. This conversation was so ridiculous that she couldn’t help herself. “It’s Bobbi with an i—short for Roberta. I was at a hairstylist convention’s banquet with a woman I met in Reno named Roberta. Honestly, Andrew. Do you really believe I’d go out and pick up some random guy?”

  “How the hell was I supposed to know Bobbi was a woman?” Andrew sputtered. “And what am I supposed to believe anymore? You run away, then you go and trade in our minivan for a Mustang. I have no idea what you’re capable of these days.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. So I traded in the van for a cute car. I agree, that isn’t something I’d normally do, but what’s so wrong with it? After all, the loan for the Mustang is less than what we owed on the van, so I even made a little money on the trade-in. The guy at the dealership said he could sell that van in a heartbeat, so he gave me a good deal. I’ve been doing everything for everyone else for so long. What’s wrong with me having a fun car of my own for a change?”

  There was a long pause, and then Andrew asked, “How are you able to afford all this? Where is the money coming from? You can’t possibly have saved enough money from your small paychecks to go running around the country.”

  “Don’t worry, Andrew. I know how much you love your money. I wouldn’t dream of using the family money frivolously,” Maggie said. “I have actually saved some of the money from my paychecks over the years. Believe it or not, I don’t throw away money the way you think I do. And have you forgotten that I inherited money from my father, from the sale of his house?”

  “That couldn’t have been very much money, considering you had to share half with your sister,” Andrew said.

  “If you’d pay attention to what I tell you once in a while, you’d know exactly how much it was. The house sold for over four hundred thousand dollars, and the mortgage had been paid off years ago. By then, Amy knew she had cancer, so she told me to keep the money in my name. I spent almost one hundred thousand of it on her living and medical expenses that weren’t covered by insurance before she died. Other than that, I’ve only used the money for Kyle’s college expenses. So, basically, I have enough money to travel for as long as I’d like.”

  “Why didn’t I know all this?” Andrew asked, sounding stunned.

  “Because when I tried to tell you, you told me you didn’t care what I did with my little inheritance. As usual, you didn’t pay attention to what was going on.”

  “And you’ve been paying for Kyle’s college tuition? I thought we were paying that out of our savings.”

  “I haven’t touched our savings. I knew my father would have wanted me to use the money for the children, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m hoping to have enough for Kyle and Kaia. But that depends on what happens to us.” Maggie was surprised as the words left her mouth. Even though their marriage problems had been brewing for a long time, it was the first time either of them had acknowledged it out loud.

  “What are you saying, Maggie?”

  Maggie sighed. “This isn’t a conversation I’m ready to have yet, especially over the phone. Let’s just give it a rest for a while. I’m tired of arguing.”

  “Then come home, Maggie, so we can talk face-to-face,” Andrew said. “You’ve had your fun, and you’ve bought your toy. It’s time for you to turn around and come home. I just want things to get back to normal again.”

  Maggie sighed. He still didn’t get it. She didn’t want to go home and “get back to normal.” She wanted things between them to change. “I can’t come home yet,” she said. “I’m not ready. We’re not ready.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Andrew asked, exasperated.

  “If I come home now, our life will just go back to the way it was before I left. But I don’t want to go back to that life. I want it to change. We need to change, Andrew. Don’t you understand that?”

  Andrew ran his hand through his hair as he paced the floor of their bedroom. “But we can’t even try to change anything if you’re not here. I know now that I should spend more time with the family and I plan to do that. I do realize how hard you work around here, and I’m willing to try to help. Just come home so we can work on our relationship and be a family again.”

  Maggie’s heart dropped. While it was nice to hear Andrew say those things, there was still the fact that their marriage was broken. “Oh, Andrew, all that is nice, but it’s not enough. We have so much more to fix.”

  “What more do you want?” Andrew asked, sounding exasperated.

  “The fact that you have to ask means you still don’t understand. Too much has happened and too much has been left unsaid for things to change between us. I’m tired of just sweeping everything under the rug and ignoring it. But that’s what you do, Andrew, instead of facing it. I can’t tell you—you have to be the one to figure out what you need to do to fix this.”

  “You know, Maggie? I’m beginning to think you just don’t want to come home,” Andrew said contemptuously. �
��You want to flit around and play and forget about your family and your responsibilities. You ended up being just like your mother after all. You walked away and left your family behind, just like she did.”

  Maggie gasped. Andrew couldn’t have hurt her any more if he had stabbed her in the heart. “How dare you compare me to my mother?” she said, her voice low and menacing. “You left us long before I ever drove away. I was the one who raised the kids while you made excuses to be at work late or volunteer all over town. I was the one to drive them to school, care for them when they were sick, take them to activities, and attend all their sporting events, school conferences, field trips, and plays. I was with our children every second of every day, taking care of their needs and yours. I didn’t abandon them, you did. Just like you abandoned me.” Maggie paused a moment, giving Andrew a chance to digest her words. “I’m driving up to Cassie’s place. Don’t bother calling me until you’re ready to apologize.” Without another word, Maggie clicked off her phone.

  Andrew knew he’d gone too far the moment the words came out of his mouth: “You ended up being just like your mother after all.” He couldn’t believe he’d said such a thing, let alone with such vehemence. He knew Maggie was a good mother. She was nothing like the woman who had left her family without so much as a good-bye. Yet there it was. He’d said it.

  Andrew groaned. Why did he keep saying things to hurt Maggie? Why couldn’t they just talk this through? He was such an articulate, organized person. He liked his life running smoothly, the way it used to. He just wanted to get everything back to the way it had been.

  “You have to be the one to figure out what you need to do to fix this,” Maggie had told him. He didn’t understand what she meant. He’d apologized for the affair. He’d stayed in the marriage. What more could he possibly do?

  “And now she’s going to her cousin’s house,” he said aloud, shaking his head. Cassie didn’t like him, and he knew it. They’d never gotten along, and he knew she really hated him now, ever since the affair. Cassie and Maggie were as close as sisters, so he was certain Maggie had told her about it. Now, her being in Cassie’s home wouldn’t bode well for him, especially since he wasn’t there to defend himself.