“I better get back to work. What did your boss say about missing today?” He had called her job and was told she was out sick.
“Nothing. But I can’t stay out forever, so I’m going to have to figure things out fast. Just pray my mechanic has good news for me, in a way I can afford.”
“I will, Mandy. Take care. Call me later if you want to talk.”
“Okay. Have a nice day at work. Thanks for calling and checking on me.”
“Bye, Mandy.” As always, Ray hated hanging up the phone. He loved talking to her. He wished he were in the position to help her more, even financially, but at this point there was just no way to explain it. He sighed and put his head in his hands. His attorney appointment was in a few days. He hadn’t told her yet because he wasn’t sure he could actually go through with it. As much as he wanted to end the marriage, he hadn’t been alone in so long, he just wouldn’t know how to do it. One step at a time, he thought. That was going to be his motto from now on…one step at a time.
‘~~~
“Amanda? It’s Ernie. I have finished going over your car with a fine toothed comb.” Ernie Owens was from Tennessee and had the accent to prove it. Amanda loved listening to it, and had a real problem with mimicking him after too long.
“So is it good news, Ernie, or bad news?” She crossed her fingers. She told herself not to react too much either way.
“Honey, I’m afraid it’s bad news. It looks like your engine block has cracked. You’re gonna have to replace it sweetheart.”
She wanted to vomit. “How much will that cost me Ernie?”
“Honey, I think I can bring it down to about $2500, cash.” Ernie felt bad for this little lady. But he also had a job to do and a family to support. His hands were tied.
“I don’t have that kind of money! Can’t you just fix it?”
“It just doesn’t work that way. I promise you if I could, I would. It’s cracked, plain and simple. That’s why the green fluid was coming out of the muffler, it was from the crack. I’m so sorry, honey. What do you want me to do? I can fix it right away and have it ready in a few days, if that’s what you want. I could start right after receiving your payment, in full.”
“You’ll just have to wait on that,” drawled Amanda. “I’m going to have to see what plan of action I’m going to take and then I will call you back.”
“Okay, darlin’. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
She hung up the phone and burst into tears. She wasn’t going to be able to come up with that kind of money. No how, no way. She laughed at the thought of coming up with a plan of action. As of this moment, she had none. Wait, yes she did. She was going back to bed. She crawled under the covers and cried herself to sleep.
~~~
Everybody was up bright and early the next morning to take the bus to wherever they were going. Unlike the kids, Amanda never rode the bus, so she felt slightly challenged. She decided to just get on, and ride in the direction of her job. It was a straight shot down the road, how could she go wrong?
She called Ray that morning to tell him of her predicament. He had been very sympathetic, even a little worried at the thought of her getting on the unfamiliar bus. But from miles away, the most he could offer her was his sympathy.
“It shouldn’t be so bad. Lots of people do it every day.”
“That’s true, Ray. I’m sure it’ll be fine once I get more familiar with it, and hopefully it will be a short term thing.” Amanda said this with more confidence than she felt. She had come up with no ideas on how to come up with the money to fix her car. Her very large car payment was due next week, and she was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. The salary of a medical assistant was barely enough to cover the necessities, barring any complications. This was a major complication.
“Well Ray, I better hit the pavement. Wish me luck!”
“Be careful, Mandy. Good luck.”
Walking to the bus stop was no big deal. That was easy. Finding the right bus was no problem. Finding her job…now that was a different story. The bus went straight then veered off to the right. Amanda tried not to panic. She figured it would take a few side routes then get back on the main path. She didn’t recognize any of the streets she was on, so getting off the bus was not an option. Everyone seemed to know each other on this bus. They talked back and forth about the previous evenings, or their jobs. They drank coffee and shared donuts. She definitely felt out of place.
She asked the bus driver about her destination and if they were headed back to the main road.
“Nope we don’t get back on 22 Street. You’ll have to get off at the next stop and walk over, about a half mile.”
Amanda resisted the urge to burst out crying. She was already over an hour late for work. Mariah was going to have a cow. She waited for her stop, got off and commenced walking. She felt like a spoiled brat. Lots of people don’t have cars, she told herself. They have to ride the bus wherever they go every day. This was temporary so get over it. She walked as fast as she could towards her office. It was a nice breezy morning, so she tried to enjoy the weather and scenery. She was failing miserably.
Finally she arrived to work. It was 9:45. She went straight into Mariah’s office.
“Oh my God,” cried Mariah, “where have you been? We have been worried sick. I tried and tried to call you, and no one answered, not even the kids. Amanda, it’s not like you not to call. What happened?”
Amanda gave in to her urge to cry. She told Mariah the whole unhappy tale, starting with the divorce, the car breaking, $2500, and ending with the bus ride from hell.
“I don’t know exactly what is happening to my life Mariah, but right now it sucks. It’s more than I can handle. I’m sorry I’m letting my personal life affect my job.” She put her face in her hands and continued crying. She felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders with no help in sight.
Mariah felt so sorry for her. She wished she had the money to give her, but that was a lot of money. She would just have to be compassionate for now, and try to understand her situation, even when it interfered with her job. She was a good employee and she was definitely worth waiting this out.
“Don’t worry, things will work out. You know the old saying, behind every dark cloud…”
Amanda looked at Mariah and started crying all over again.
~~~
After trying everything she could think of, Amanda decided enough was enough. She couldn’t afford to fix it, nor pay the car payment. She called the bank. After much negotiation, (or a lot of no help whatsoever) they were going to pick up the car at Ernie’s. Her car was gone forever.
Ray waited for everyone to go to bed before turning on the web. He desperately wanted to talk to Amanda. Tomorrow was his big day at the attorneys. He was so nervous. He didn’t know what to expect and the anticipation along with the uncertainty of it all was making him crazy. He would feel better after talking to Amanda.
Ray hung out in the chat rooms waiting for her to appear. He clicked on 40s4fun to see if she might go in there first. He watched all the people laughing and talking. It was hard for him to believe he had met Amanda on here. What was he thinking? People don’t really do this do they? Ray’s instant message box came on…it was Mandy40.
“Hey there Ray, been waiting long?”
“Not too long, just a few minutes? How are you Mandy?”
“Fair to middlin’.”
“Guess what? Tomorrow I go see the lawyer. I’m so nervous yet excited at the same time. I don’t know what it’s going to bring, but I hope to get all my questions answered. I’ll then know where I stand in all this. What do you think?”
“I think it’s great if you’re sure this is what you want. It’s a big step.” Amanda didn’t want to encourage him one way or another. This had to be Ray’s decision and his alone.
“Thanks, Mandy. I’m going to need it. Carrie has been crazier than usual. I think she suspects something. I know she’s been going through my stuff
and reading my email. I had to change my password. I hope she isn’t having me followed; now that may present a problem, LOL” Ray laughed at this, but deep down knew Carrie was capable of it.
She wished she had some words of encouragement for Ray, but tonight she just didn’t have it in her. She decided to change the subject.
She told Ray all about her bus ride. She changed some things to lighten the mood, and wrote it in a comical way. She described the people on the bus, and made up silly things they said or did. Not only did they forget their woes for the moment, it made Ray feel better about her riding the bus. She made it sound like it was the time of her life.
“Mandy, I would do anything to be able to kiss you right now.”
Amanda smiled, “Well I do know the feeling. I wonder a lot about that. A good kisser is very important to me. Are you one?”
“Hmm…I think so. I’ve never actually kissed myself, but have been told I had a good set of lips. I guess you won’t know until you try it, Mandy.”
“As far as I know…my lips aren’t long enough to reach Maine. But if they were, I could think of a lot of different places that they could cover.”
Ray blushed. How should he respond to this? Besides for physically that is. He decided to follow her lead. “Well, if my lips were long enough, I would gently place them in all your secret places. Do you have secret places Mandy? If you do, I want to know all about them.”
“Of course I do, Ray. I’ll be happy to show you. I’m pointing to them right now…see?”
Ray laughed, “Could you give me a little more of a clue?”
“It’s soft and silky…it would feel great against your lips…”
“You’re killing me, Mandy…”
“Mmmmm…..”
“Ray!”
Ray was jolted out his trance by the sound of Carrie’s voice from the top of the stairs. He pushed ‘back’ and got out of the ‘window’ where he was talking to Amanda. “What?” He turned his attention to an angry looking Carrie.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention! What are you doing? Are you talking to that floozy of yours? The one who keeps you posted on all her routines?”
“No, just killing time here. Is there something you needed?” Ray wanted to change that subject as fast as he could. But it wasn’t going to be as easy as that.
“Do you still talk to her, Ray?” Is that what you do all night on that stupid computer? Talk about sex to lonely women?” Carrie was livid. She had seen the look on Ray’s face. It was obvious he wasn’t shopping on EBay. She was going to get to the bottom of this, once and for all.
“Carrie you’re being ridiculous! I don’t appreciate you coming down here and accusing me of things. Now is there something you wanted, or did you just come down here to harass me?” Ray could feel the tension mounting. He knew an explosion was about to occur.
Amanda, on the other hand, was blaming herself for the sudden departure. Had she been too forward? Had she embarrassed Ray? She couldn’t imagine him leaving like that, without a word. What was that all about? She had never gathered that he was uptight when it came to intimate stuff. She only said she wanted to kiss him. She smiled at the thought. She did want to kiss him. She wanted to see him, face to face. She wanted to watch his lips move when he talked. She wanted to see his facial expressions. Actually, she would be happy just seeing what he looked like.
Speaking of which, she had the pictures she was going to send him, all scanned and ready for action. She had asked Hilary’s husband Josh, to set it up and email them to her, which he had. She wasn’t too happy with them, but they would have to do. She decided to send them immediately, before she chickened out. She clicked on it and hit ‘forward’ on her email.
She wrote him a note, gearing him for disappointment.
Ray,
Here are the pictures of me I have been promising you. I’m not sure what you have been imagining in your head, but try not to be too disappointed when you open it. I might have been exaggerating when I said I looked like Betty Boop. I hope to hear from you soon.
Also, I don’t understand why you left so suddenly tonight. If I offended you in any way, please accept my apologies.
Love, Mandy
She clicked ‘send’ before she had time to think about it. For her, this was a big step. She would be so nervous until she heard from Ray again…if she ever did.
~~~
Ray was sitting on the couch watching TV. Carrie had made such a big deal about being online; he had shut off the computer. He was mortified at the thought of leaving Amanda hanging like that, but he’d had no other choice.
Carrie was convinced he was up to no good. He really didn’t know what to say to her since her worse fear was an actual reality. Although he wasn’t having this sordid affair, like Carrie insisted, after all, how would you even do that online? No, what Carrie’s real worse fear was that he had feelings for someone on the net, which he did. He wasn’t totally convinced that this made him a bad person…after all his marriage was at the brink of ending. Only thing was, Carrie didn’t know it. If he had any balls, he would come right out and tell her his intentions. But he wanted to weigh out his options first. He wanted to make sure this was the best possible solution for him and the kids, with as little trauma as possible. First step would be tomorrow at Michael Mahoney’s office. He better get to sleep. He lay down and closed his eyes, his thoughts on the better life he soon hoped to have.
Carrie lay in bed and again, wondered what Ray was up to. She just knew he was up to no good. They hadn’t gotten along in so long she really did know that she had no right to question anything. Of course, he was still her husband. But she also knew it was in name only. Besides for that horrible week at the shore, they hadn’t slept together in years. They hadn’t been intimate in almost that long. What else could she expect? Ray was a man with normal needs after all. The problem was Carrie was undecided on whether or not she wanted to save her marriage. She didn’t think really think there was anything left to save. But still, that did not give Ray the right to be flirting online. After all, she was no fool and was not going to be made a fool of. She was going to put a stop to this, once and for all.
In reality, her biggest fear was failing. She knew if she and Ray got a divorce it would be looked at as her failure. By her family, her friends…she didn’t know if she could face that. Her parents would never let her live it down. No one got divorced in her family. She just had to stick it out…no matter how miserable she was. Or Ray was. She knew he wanted out. She just couldn’t let that happen.
~~~
Ray sat in front of Mr. Mahoney’s huge cherry oak desk. He had never seen anything so big. He felt like an ant on the other side of it. He was nervously waiting for him to enter the room. He was prepared, questions written down and in hand.
Ray looked around at the pictures on his wall. None of them looked like there was a Mrs. Mahoney. He had a couple of kids as far as he could tell. He pondered on the fact that his divorce attorney was probably divorced. He decided that this was in his favor. The main objective here was to have as simple of a divorce as possible, without being taken to the cleaners.
Michael Mahoney entered the room. He was a large man, well over six feet, with startling red hair and a spatter of freckles. He looked like an oversized Howdy Doody, but much more intimidating. Ray liked the man on sight.
“Mr. Knight, I’m sorry I’m so late, I got held up in court. Let’s get right to the crux of the matter…you want to get divorced. Tell me your tale.”
Michael always came right to the point. Time was money. He didn’t want his clients to feel he was wasting theirs.
So, Ray began the saga of his life. He told Michael everything from good to bad. Unfortunately there wasn’t much good. This went on for a good fifteen minutes or so, and then Michael broke it down for him
“Well, Mr. Knight, all I can say is…this isn’t going to be cheap. With the amount of money you make, and Mrs. Knight not working througho
ut your married life, she is going to be entitled to alimony. Plus child support for the two youngest children. State law is ex-wives who are entitled to alimony usually get it for half of what the marriage lasted. So in your case, the marriage lasted nineteen years, so she will probably get it for roughly around nine.” Michael stated all of this very matter-of-factly.
Ray visibly blanched. Nine years? He couldn’t reasonably fathom having to hand Carrie over his hard earned money after divorcing her for nine years. “But she is working now, and is capable of holding a job. Why should I take care of her even after divorcing her? I certainly don’t understand that, Mr. Mahoney.”
“Call me Michael, and I’ll call you Ray.”
Ray nodded.
“The judge will see it as a chance for her to get on her feet after living off of your income for her whole adult life. So yes, for the first few years it will be a steady stream of pretty big payments.”
Ray shook his head, “Unbelievable,” was all he could think of to say. “Well, how am I supposed to start a new life if I have to give her all my money?”
“It won’t be all your money, Ray. This is the terms you have to accept to be issued a divorce in Maine. The laws are very strict and lean towards the wife in every case. Nobody, especially the husbands, like it, but that’s just the way it is.” Michael looked intently at Ray. He had seen this defeated look many times. The look of a man desperate to get out of a miserable marriage, and finding out it was going to clearly take everything he had. It was a slap in the face when this realization was presented to them. It was not something Michael enjoyed, but it was something that needed to be said right up front. Divorce in this state was not easy, and he didn’t want his clients to fool themselves into thinking it was.
Ray was at a loss of words. He just sat there for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. He knew he was in for a tough battle. They talked a bit more, Michael answering Ray’s questions about cost, and time tables. Michael told him about the way it would work from Carrie being served with the papers, all the way to seeing the judge. There was a lot in between, like seeing a mediation counselor, taking a course on helping children through the divorce, and an array of court appointed meetings. Ray had no idea it would be so much. It was a high price to pay for his freedom. Now, he just had to decide if it was worth it.
When You Least Expect It Page 9
