"Veronica!"
Veronica turned her head at the sound of her name being called. Parked at the edge of the lot and leaning with his back against his car was Jason, his hands in his jacket pockets. He was looking directly at Veronica. She blinked back at him.
Jason was here. She blinked again to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but he remained where he was. He raised his eyebrows and she realized that she was stopped mid-step in the middle of the parking lot. She mentally shook herself and, glancing around, began walking towards Jason.
Her heart hammered in her chest. How long had he been waiting? Was he actually on the walk but she just didn't notice him? Why was he here? Was he still mad at her?
She walked up to him and stopped about 3 feet away, not sure if she should go any closer. He didn't move, didn't take his hands out of his pockets. He had a cigarette burning in his mouth, the trail of smoke lazily streaming up into the air.
"Jason," she breathed, looking into his eyes. He was looking back at her, his expression hard to read. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, only looked at her. Then he jerked his head in the direction of the park.
"How was the walk?" he asked.
Veronica blinked again. "Fine," she responded.
"I'm sorry I missed it," he said. "It's a beautiful day."
"Me too," Veronica said.
Jason kept on looking at her, not speaking, his expression still unreadable. Finally he lifted a hand and took the cigarette from his mouth, flicking it off to the side. He cast his eyes downward and breathed a sigh.
"So Veronica, I've been doing some thinking," he said. "I've been thinking about ... the last time we were together, when we were at the bluffs. And I've been thinking that ... maybe the way that I reacted wasn't exactly how I should have reacted."
He looked up at her but she didn't say anything. He kept going.
"I'm not ... I'm not used to being with someone who makes me feel the way I do when I'm with you," he said. "The women I usually get involved with … they don't mean that much to me, and I don't mean that much to them either. And that's the way I had always known things. And that's what I was planning on doing when you and I first got together. I saw you and thought to myself, 'Hey, here's a hot woman who looks like she's bored with her life. Maybe I can get laid and show her a good time.'"
Veronica inhaled through her nose and exhaled, but still she didn't say anything. Jason cast his eyes down to the ground again and kept talking.
"And that's basically what I expected to happen: we would hook up once, maybe twice, and never see each other again. After the night at the water tower I wasn't planning on coming back to this walking group anyways. But something made me come back. You made me come back. I ... wanted to see you again, and so I did.
"And then we started spending time together, Veronica, and the more we did the more I realized that I enjoyed being time with you. That's never happened to me before. Whenever I'm with someone for too long, or I feel like a girl's getting too clingy, I cut and I run. I skip town. But I didn't do that with you. I even gave you my phone number, which I haven't done with anyone before, ever."
Jason took a deep breath in and let it out, squinting in the sunlight. Veronica watched him as he spoke, still keeping her distance.
"And then, a couple of days ago when we were at the bluffs," he went on, "you started asking me about my past. And about my ... my scars. And I haven't told anyone about my scars before, okay? It's not just you. They're not ... it's not a nice story, Veronica. It's a part of my life that I'd rather not remember. But when you asked me about them, instead of closing off, for the first time I actually wanted to talk about them. I wanted to tell you, and open up to you. I wanted you to be the first to know what happened to me.
"And that scared me, a lot. It made me think that I might open up to someone and just be thrown in the gutter again, that you might leave me and I would be stuck on my own, just like before. So I freaked out. I got scared and I wanted to get away from everything that was happening. From you. And so I told you to leave.
"And to tell you the truth, as I was driving away, all I could think about was packing up my stuff again and leaving for a new town, somewhere to start it all over again. But when I got home and I stopped for a second I could … smell you, on my clothes. And it made me not want to leave anymore. It made me want to be with you, and hold you.
"I'm tired of changing lives over and over again, Veronica. I'm tired of running away from things when they get too real. I don't want to leave this place. And least of all, I don't want to leave you."
Jason lifted his eyes and Veronica saw that they were glistening, rimmed with red. He sniffed and blinked, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
"I'm sorry I acted that way to you, Veronica," he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just ... scared."
Veronica took a step towards him and he stiffened up. She paused for a moment before taking another, so she was right in front of him, their bodies almost touching. Taking a deep breath, Veronica lifted her arms and wrapped them around Jason's body. She held him in her arms and felt his body slowly relax as he lowered his head into her shoulder. He raised his arms and put them around her in turn, pulling them closer together.
Veronica nuzzled her head into Jason's shoulder and felt his body softly convulse against hers. She squeezed him tighter, his face digging deeper into her shoulder as he cried silently against her. Veronica held him, not moving, not saying anything while he let himself go.
When the convulsions had slowed down Jason pulled back a little, sniffing wetly, keeping his head downcast. Veronica looked up into his face, and she could see shiny streaks down below his eyes.
"Hey," she whispered to him, and he slowly raised his head to look at her. She smiled and he gave a watery smile back. "It's okay," she whispered. "It's okay."
Jason sniffed and Veronica leaned forward, kissing him. He kissed her back, the two holding one another in a lover's embrace. She felt her feet rise up off the ground and in her heart knew that everything was going to be okay.
Suddenly, behind her, a car door slammed.
"What the fuck is this!?" a familiar voice shouted.
Veronica's eyes burst open. She pulled away from Jason immediately, spinning around. There was Greg standing in front of his car, stopped in the middle of the parking lot. His face was livid as he looked at the two people in front of him.
"Greg!" Veronica called out. She sensed Jason stepping to the side but didn't look around. "What- what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Greg repeated, still yelling. Some people in the parking lot were turning their heads to look. "There was a call at my office last night. Someone left a message, some woman named Nancy. Said that I would be able to find my wife Veronica with another man if I came to this park today at one-thirty. Well, here I am, and here you are. So perhaps you could explain to me just what the fuck is going on?"
"She doesn't have to explain anything to you," Veronica heard from behind her.
She turned to look at Jason. His eyes were dry now and his jawline was set. He stared at Greg with something resembling hatred on his face. She'd never seen this side of him before. It scared her.
"Oh, you must be the guy my wife is fucking on the side," Greg said, turning his attention to Jason. He took a step forward and so did Jason, past Veronica. She saw his hands clench into fists.
"That's right," Jason said. "And you must be the shit heel husband who forces Veronica to make him breakfast every morning before she's allowed to eat."
Greg's eyes narrowed and he took another step forward.
"Be careful what you say to me, you piece of shit," Greg said, his voice low.
"Or what?" Jason replied, taking another step forward as well. "What are you going to do?"
Veronica's throat seemed to unstick as she finally found her voice.
"Jason, Greg, stop!" she said, but her words fell on deaf ears. Neither man looked in her direction, each keeping
his eyes on the other. They were about 4 feet away from one another.
"You don't deserve Veronica" Jason snarled. "You're a fucking bastard and you know it. You just can't stand that you've lost the best thing that ever happened to you."
"You shut your fucking mouth," Greg snapped, taking another step forward. "I didn't lose Veronica. We're still together."
"Is that so? Then why was it me she was kissing just a minute ago?"
That was too much for Greg. He let out a yell and took a swing at Jason, but was too slow. Jason moved his head back with obvious experience, letting Greg's fist take him into a turn. As Greg fumbled, Jason brought his own balled fist around and caught Greg square in the eye. Greg's head snapped back as he stumbled, his hands releasing themselves and lifting to cover his face.
"No!" Veronica screamed. People were standing and watching now, keeping a safe distance but pointing and muttering to each other all the same.
"You fucking shit!" Greg cried out and he charged at Jason. Jason side-stepped him and grabbed onto the shoulder of Greg's shirt, spinning him around. As Greg moved in a circle, Jason's fist came down again, hitting him in the face once more. There was a sickening crunch and Greg went down, his knees collapsing beneath him as his body dropped forward onto the pavement. His nose was dark and bloody now, obviously broken while one of his eyes was turning a deep hue of purple.
"Oh my God, Greg!" Veronica screamed. She ran over to Greg's crumpled frame and dropped to her knees, picking his head up as he rolled over onto his back, coughing up more blood. She held him as he bled out onto her sleeves. He looked semi-conscious, all the fight gone out of his body.
Veronica began to cry and she looked up at Jason, standing over the two of them, his hands still balled into fists. He hadn't broken a sweat but his face was red and he was breathing heavily.
"Why did you hit him?" Veronica cried. "Why did you have to do this?"
"Babe," Jason said, but Veronica began to sob and the words left his mouth.
"Just go!" she cried, tears running down her face now. "Go!"
Jason blinked, a lost look on his face as he watched Veronica cradle her beaten husband. His hands relaxed and he took a step back. Without saying anything else he turned and went quickly to his car, opening the door and getting inside. He shut the door too loudly and Veronica heard the engine roar to life. She closed her eyes and lowered her head to Greg as Jason backed out of the parking spot, switched to Drive and sped away.
Tears ran down her cheeks. She could hear Greg breathing, a wet, rattling noise close to her ears. He lifted one hand and placed it numbly on her arm. She grabbed onto the hand and held him close, her eyes still closed, and in the distance she heard the approaching sounds of police sirens.
Chapter 17
Veronica sat at the kitchen table, a steaming mug of tea in front of her. She was alone; Greg was asleep in the bedroom. It had been three days since the scene in the parking lot between Jason and Greg. Someone had called the police, who had in turn called for an ambulance, which had taken Greg to the hospital to check for a concussion. He was okay, luckily, but his nose was broken and he had to get three stitches over his right eye.
Veronica had ridden with Greg in the ambulance, holding his hand the entire way. When all was said and done it was six in the evening. They had to take a taxi back because both of their cars were still at the park. The next day Veronica called Greg's work to tell them he wasn't coming in. He slept while she took two taxi trips back to the park to pick up each car.
The days after that had been tense between the two of them. Greg stayed in bed most of the first day, with Veronica giving him Tylenol-3s and bringing his meals in on a tray. They didn't talk about what happened at the parking lot, something that Veronica was all-too thankful for.
Greg didn't go to work the next day either since the swelling in his face still hadn't gone down. Veronica stayed with him at home -- cleaning, making meals, shopping; just like she used to do. Still, she and Greg didn't talk much. That night they went to bed together but curled up on opposite sides, not touching one another.
Now on this third day, Saturday, Veronica had awoken next to a sleeping Greg. She slid noiselessly out of bed and went down to make herself a cup of tea. Sitting at the kitchen table, she was looking out the window, thinking.
She didn't know what to do. What had gone on in the parking lot was terrible, and she felt so bad about what happened to Greg. She had never intended for him to get hurt, emotionally or physically, and least of all by Jason. But now she felt stuck. She couldn't leave him like this, and she hadn't even heard from Jason. For all she knew, he'd done just what he said and had already moved to another town …
Veronica heard the creaking of stairs as Greg descended them. Her heart picked up in her chest. She clutched to her tea, the heat from the mug almost burning her fingers. Greg shuffled into the kitchen, not saying anything, and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. Veronica had already made a pot of coffee, knowing he would want some. He poured some into his mug, spooned some sugar in, and stirred it before coming over to the table. Veronica didn't speak as he sat down, his eyes set on the table.
She watched as he slurped some coffee and set the mug down with a sigh.
"We need to talk," he said, and he lifted his head. Veronica tried not to wince. His right eye was blotched with dark purple bruises, the sharp, dark lines of the stitches protruding out of his eyebrow. His nose was less coloured, but it was bent slightly to the side, swollen a little in size. She swallowed and nodded, keeping her gaze on his good eye.
"Veronica, I've been thinking a lot over the past few days," Greg said. "That fight that I had with ... with him ... it made me realize something that I wasn't aware of before. Something that I had never really even considered."
He blinked and Veronica saw a tear run down his right cheek. Greg grimaced and wiped it away.
"Veronica, I think you should be with that other guy."
Veronica stared at him, sure that she hadn't heard him correctly.
"W-what?" she asked.
Greg let out a breath, looking everywhere but in her eyes.
"When … when I saw the two of you together," he said, "it brought something up in me that I hadn't felt since I was a kid. It was ... jealousy. But it wasn't the kind of jealousy that happens when you see your wife choosing someone else over you. It was jealousy for someone taking something that I thought was mine. It was jealousy because … he had taken something of mine, and I wanted it back."
Veronica blinked at him.
"And when I went to go fight him," he continued, "I didn't realize it, but I was fighting because the kid in the school yard took my toy. It wasn't for you, or for love, or for the sake of this marriage. It was because I wanted my toy back, regardless of what it — or, you — felt. I wasn't … thinking of you as a person, someone who had their own stake in all of this. I was only thinking of you as something that belonged to me. And that was wrong."
Veronica didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out, so she closed it.
"And for the past few days," he continued, "lying in bed and thinking about this, I think I've realized … I think I've realized how much of a piece of shit I am. I ... I don't love you the way you should be loved, Veronica. I don't love you for who you are. I think I was only in love with you because without you, things would be harder. Even when I started cooking and helping out more, I was really only doing it because I wanted to get things back to the way they used to be.
"When I remember the way that guy looked, Veronica, I remember seeing that he was fighting for you. He was fighting because he wanted you. I was just fighting because something had been taken from me, and not even anything I deserve."
Greg lowered his eyes to his coffee. Veronica was almost speechless. She opened her mouth.
"Greg ... I had no idea," she said honestly.
He lifted his head again and looked at her. This time two tears ran down to his chin.
"I am so sorry," he said. "I've treated you like shit for so long, for years. I don't deserve you. You are so much better than that."
Veronica felt tears of her own begin to well up in her eyes. All of these years, so many of them being stuck in a marriage of routine, of boredom and unhappiness. It was strange hearing these words coming out of Greg's mouth, but at the same time it was relieving to finally find out the truth.
"Thank you," she said, her voice threatening to crack. Hot, salty liquid ran down her cheeks and she wiped it away. Greg smiled at her.
"I think … we should get a divorce," he said, struggling to keep his own voice level. "You need to be with someone who loves you for who you are. Not someone who's going to treat you like garbage."
Veronica smiled, sniffing as more tears fell from her eyes. Greg smiled again and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You should go to him, Veronica. The two of you should be together."
Veronica let out a laugh of relief.
"Thank you," she said again, grabbing Greg's hand in hers. She squeezed it and he squeezed back.
"Now go!" he said with a smile. "Go before I change my mind!"
Veronica laughed again and squeezed his hand one last time. She got up and left the kitchen, leaving Greg sitting at the table. Putting on her boots and coat, she grabbed her purse and left the house, shutting the front door behind her.
Chapter 18
Veronica got into her car and turned it on, but as she backed out of the driveway she realized that she didn't know where she was going. She turned out onto the road and started driving away, but the rush she had felt a moment ago was quickly dwindling away. She knew he did car work. And she had his phone number. She decided to try calling him to see if he was home.
Veronica pulled up to a pay phone, stopping on the side of the street and parking her car. She got out and went to the phone, pulling a quarter out of her purse. She picked up the receiver, deposited the money, and dialed the number by memory.
Perfect Strangers Page 10
