Objects in the Mirror

* * * * * *

Dale

The quiet of my cell gave me time to think. But for the life of me I couldn't understand why Bryan had walked up on me. My actions were, of course, totally wrong. I regret hurting Bryan, but not that much. I guess my mind is twisted. I see Bryan as two people. I see the boy that I grew up with, who was almost like a brother to me. And then I see the slick, smiling asshole who wanted to share my wife with me. He was the one I wanted to knock the fuck out of. So when he came towards me, anger just took over. I haven't been in a fight since I was a teenager.

As much as my actions had shocked me, the emotions behind them puzzled me more. What reason did I have for going off on Bryan? Was it simply anger at his betrayal or did I still harbor feelings for Alex? I wondered sometimes where she was and what she was doing. We're they still together? Or had he cast her aside, the way he did everything else when he was tired of it or found something shinier?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the cell door opening. I saw Johnny Walker, our town Sheriff, and one of his deputies, Greg Bennett. Johnny is an old friend of mine and Greg is my son in law. Both had puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Dale why are you in here?" asked Walker. "There's a hell of a lot of confusion going on here."

"I hit Bryan," I said.

"No shit," said Walker. "I heard you shattered his jaw and knocked him off of his feet with one punch. I also heard that he hit the back of his head on the concrete and they were worried about a concussion." He had a twinkle in his eye when he said it. There had never been any warm feelings between Johnny and Bryan.

"So I turned myself in," I said.

"And caused me a hell of a lot of problems," he said. "I have all kinds of people calling the office and calling the Mayor to find out why you were arrested. Everyone in the whole damned town knows that asshole was the one your wife ran off with. A little bit of anger in a situation like that, is probably justified. I can't say that I wouldn't have taken a poke at the bastard myself if I'd seen him first, and he didn't run off with my Lulu. Besides, you're not a flight risk, so I see no point in locking you up over the holiday weekend. Go home to that little redheaded spitfire of yours."

"John, I'd love to nothing more than that," I said. "But I don't need to cause you any problems. Bryan has always been a shit starter. I don't want him going out and getting a lawyer and coming after you for letting me go."

He shook his head. "See, that was always the difference between the two of you. Dale, you always looked at how things affected other people. But Bryan only cared about himself. Maybe this time he gets a taste of what he deserves. But I wouldn't worry too much about me. First off, there haven't been any charges filed. And secondly there probably won't be for two reasons. The first is because...look Dale there's no easy way for me to tell you this so I'm just going to come out and say it. Don't hit me because I didn't start it, I'm just the messenger. Alex called and..." My gut twisted itself into knots just hearing her name. Johnny noticed and he waited until I was calm enough for him to go on.

"She left her phone number," he said. "I think she wants to offer you some kind of deal. As your friend, I'd say call her and listen to what she wants to say. Consider it some kind of penance. But don't worry if it's just Bryan trying to run some of his snake oil. The Mayor wants me to run the two of them out of town as soon as Bryan can get up. The nurse at the hospital assures me that by Sunday or the following day, he'll be released. Since Monday is the holiday, he won't be able to do anything at the courthouse anyway. But like I said, the Mayor wants the two of them out of town on moral grounds. This is a small town and we take morality pretty seriously. We also take care of our own."

A few moments later, I walked out of the cell and started walking back to the fairgrounds. Before I'd gone a block, I heard the rumble of a powerful car engine. A few seconds later my Mustang pulled up alongside of me. Anne was hugging me, seemingly before the car had come to a complete stop. She left my door open and the car in the middle of the street.

As we got back into the car she held my hand, which made it really difficult for me to shift gears but I understood. She was feeling a little scared by everything that had happened and didn't want to let go of me for a second. We drove home and she kissed me and then leapt into action, getting everything for Karen and Greg's visit.

I pulled out my iPhone and called the number Johnny had given me. Her voice didn't have the same vibrancy that it always had when we were together but the timber was the same.

"Hello," she said.

"What do you and the asshole, want, Alexandra?" I asked.

* * * * * *

Alex

His voice was almost the same as I remembered it. But the tone was different. Even as my heart grew wings upon hearing that voice, my mind realized what the difference in the tone was. In fact, the tone wasn't different at all. It was just one that had never been directed at me.

Dale was using the tone that we all reserve for times when we're dealing with difficult or tedious people that we'd really prefer not to speak to.

"How are you Dale?" I asked. I really wanted to know how serious things with Anne were. But I didn't dare ask.

"Alexandra, I only called you to find out what you and Bryan want, not to make pleasantries," he said.

"Dale, it's not what I want," I told him. "This is all Bryan. He wants to offer you a deal to prevent him from pressing charges." I was becoming afraid. I didn't want him to blame this on me and be less willing to talk to me.

He snorted. I know my husband. From the way he reacted, I knew that he didn't need any deals from us. "What's the deal?" he asked.

"A talk," I said. "It's the real reason I came back to town in the first place. He was supposed to be asking you to sit down and talk to me, not getting into a fistfight with you. All I wanted was just to sit down for a few minutes. That's all. And while we talk Dale can talk to Anne and...."

"Annie is off of the table," he hissed. "If that bastard ever looks at her I'll hit him even harder. I'd rather go to jail than have him say hello to her." I was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice.

"I don't need any deals from Bryan but to get this over with once and for all I'll offer you one. Let's do this the way it started. The way our marriage ended. The way things always were. The three of us will sit down and talk together before you guys leave town. Take it or leave it."

"But I have no idea when Bryan and I are leaving town," I said. "It could be weeks. I don't want to wait that long."

"We're having Karen and Greg over for a barbecue, this evening," he said. "Tomorrow is the big town picnic. Monday is the actual holiday. I guess that's supposed to be a family time even though they're still going to be celebrating it in town. If things go well this afternoon I'm sure Annie and Karen will probably get us together Monday too. But how about if the three of us get together Monday morning before you two leave?"

"Dale, Honey, I can't speak for Bryan, but I was kind of planning on, or at least hoping to stay," I said.

He snorted again. "Do you want the meeting or not?" he asked.

"We'll take it," I said, knowing that Bryan would be pissed about not getting a chance at Anne. "Dale is there any chance that I could come over and see Karen?"

"Alexandra, if Karen wants to see you, it's fine with me. But as far as coming over to my house today...that's not going to happen," he said. "So, I'll see you at 9 a.m. Monday morning in Bryan's hospital room. Or we'll meet at the bandstand in the park if he's released sooner.

Then he hung up. If I had envisioned a chance for us to talk and try to rekindle what we used to have, it hadn't happened. He seemed to be holding onto some anger towards both Bryan and me. A tear slowly rolled down my cheek as I realized that my plans might not happen.

"That went well," said Bryan from his bed. Over the last few hours the pain in his jaw had receded to the point where just moving his head didn't hurt him. Of course it could be the fact that he was on IV painkillers too. At any rate he could talk through his teeth although his jaws would stay wired shut for the next six weeks.

"So, when is my little redheaded Goddess coming?" he asked.

"She's not," I said flatly. "Dale's exact words were that he'd hit you even harder if you so much as looked at her." I saw a tinge of fear in his eyes when I told him that.

"We are getting the meeting, kind of," I said. "But the meeting will be the three of us."

"That really does make sense," he said. "It's kind of poetic. Like closing the circle, or starting the circle all over. If I know Dale, he's going to keep her out of things while we discuss the two of you getting back together. Remember the way he used to hide his new toys while he tried to trade with me to get one of his old ones back?" I smiled when I remembered that.

"But if that's true why does he still seem to be so angry?" I asked.

"Ooh that's a good sign," he said from between his teeth. "It means he still feels strong emotions about you. He wants you back. Think about it. If he was truly happy with red, he wouldn't give a damn about what happened with you and me anymore. He wouldn't be angry enough to take a poke at me. I see a threesome in our future."

"I don't think so Bryan," I told him. "I want to believe you about Dale wanting me back, but even so, he's really too straight-laced for anything kinky. I just wish I didn't have to wait two days to talk to him and I wish he'd let me go over to the house."

"Shit, go anyway," he said. "You know he doesn't want you around the redhead because he doesn't want to compare the two of you side by side."

"What do you mean?" I asked,

"Damn it, Alex. Were you married to him for all of those years or was I?" he asked. "Dale always makes decisions with his heart. The man is ruled by sentiment. He somehow stumbled onto a much hotter woman. She's prettier than you are and built better..."

"My tits are much bigger than hers," I said.

"And so is your gut," he quipped. "It's all about proportion. Anyway, Dale doesn't care about any of that. All he'll think about is the fact that you guys had all of those years together, you have a kid together and you're still married. Plus you were his first love. He's a sucker for that kind of shit. Once the two of you are back together, I'll help the redhead get over being dumped. And I'll still get to fuck you every once in a while. It's the best of both worlds."

"Go on, go over to the barbecue. He'll be pissed but your daughter will be happy to see you." Even as the words came out of his mouth he was falling asleep.

I took his advice. I also took his car. I drove his eight year old Chevy truck back through town until I got to our old neighborhood. I decided to stop and pick up a bottle of wine and maybe some beer, so I wouldn't just show up empty handed.

As I walked into the store that was located about three blocks from the home I'd shared with Dale and our daughter for so many years, I felt good. It was like old home week. There were so many familiar places and things that I had forgotten about that returning brought back to my mind.

I knew exactly where the beer was. And I knew that the wine display was in another part of the store. As I looked through the wine something told me to look up. When I did, I noticed several faces staring at me. I waved, but they didn't return the wave. One of the women who been looking at me went up to the counter and said something to the woman behind the counter and then left.

A few moments later, one of the boys who'd been stocking the shelves came over to me. "Can I help you find anything ma'am?" he asked.

"Nope, I just need to find the right bottle of wine," I said. He looked nervous and looked around.

"Well maybe I can help you find it FASTER," he said. He looked at me as if he was pleading. I suddenly got the message. They wanted me out of the store, ASAP.

As I deposited my items on the counter, I sighed loudly. I spoke to another boy who was working the register, as a group of women around my age just stared.

"When I lived here they were nicer to strangers," I said.

"We are nice to strangers," whispered one of the women.

"She's not a stranger," whispered another one. "She used to live near here."

"Yeah," said another. "But even when she lived here, we didn't like whores."

I paid for my drinks and ran out of the store, almost in tears. I drove the rest of the way to the house without looking at anything or anyone that I passed. Coming back to this town might be harder than I thought. But if I got Dale back, nothing those harpies could do would chase me away.

I calmed my nerves as I parked in front of the house. I parallel parked because there were already three cars none of which I recognized in the driveway. By simple deduction, I could tell who they belonged to though. The car closest to the garage, was a beautiful charcoal gray Mustang with red trim. Beyond the shadow of a doubt that had to be Dale's latest Mustang. The car was obviously some kind of special edition. It looked like it was on steroids. Tucked right in behind it was a charcoal gray Ford fusion. From the pink dance shoes hanging from the mirror, it had to be Anne's car. The last car was an older SUV.

I figured that the SUV had to be Karen and her husband's car. As I walked towards the house I could hear the sound of quiet voices talking and laughing. I noticed flats of plants that had just been bought. They weren't put in the ground yet. They were in all kinds of colors. I suspected that Anne had bought them. She was already trying to make changes to my house.

I heard my daughter's voice, laughing. I couldn't resist trying to peek through a hole on the fence to see what was going on. As I watched, I looked at two couples. A young man, who was obviously the son in law I'd never met trying to light the grill. The coals refused to light though and my daughter found it hilarious. She leaned over and hugged Anne and pointed at something that her husband couldn't see. Her father was videotaping his son in law failing at lighting the fire.

Dale looked different. He had hair and the beard was gone. He looked much younger than he had in our final days together. He and Anne were never far away from each other. They were constantly touching each other and reaching for each other.

I was watching more than two couples. I was watching a family. I was watching a family that I should have been a part of. Both my husband and my daughter seemed to have moved on with their lives without me. I'd expected to have to fight Anne for my husband, but stealing my daughter was below the belt. I angrily rang the doorbell.

Anne opened it a few minutes later and the smile fell from her face the second she saw me. She stood there not knowing what to say.

"I thought that we were going to be friends," she said slowly. "I didn't know that..."

"You didn't know that I was the woman you were trying to replace. You home wrecking bitch," I yelled.

"Mother, what the fuck is wrong with you?" screamed my daughter. "Why are you even here?" she stepped in front of Anne almost protectively.

"Why are you screaming at Anne, in her own house? She spent the entire afternoon telling me how sorry she is that things worked out this way and how nice you were."

"Karen, I just...I just saw you guys laughing and having a good time. It looked like you were...it was like you were close. Not like she was just someone your dad just met," I said.

"Mom, Anne and I have known each other for more than a year. She and I started talking on the phone as soon as she and Dad met. She's helped me through more dark places than you can even imagine. She was the one who suggested that I start taking your phone calls instead of just ignoring them. She was the one who told me that no matter what is going on with you and Daddy, you're my mother and you always will be. She told me that I needed to find room for both of you in my life. And as far as you spying on us, if you had just come to the door and asked, maybe we'd have let you in. And I got the gist of what you were trying to say. When you said we looked like we were close, you meant we looked like a family. Mom you were a part of that family, but you chose to walk away from us. You have no one to blame but yourself. You're as manipulative and selfish as Bryan is, so don't blame Anne for your mistakes, now, bye." I could tell my daughter was pissed at me.

As she started to slam the door, Anne held it. "Alex, I really didn't plan any of this," she said quietly. "There's room for both of us in Karen's life. And Dale is free to make his own choice. I just want him to be happy. I understand that you were with him for a lot of years, so if he chooses you, I'll just go away. But if he chooses me, I promise you that you'll still be welcome as a friend. I would never try to shut you out."

"Goodbye mother," said Karen closing the door.

As I walked away from the house, I couldn't help crying. When I thought about the way Anne had reacted to the way I treated her I realized that my daughter was right.

Two long days later, I was walking into the hospital when I heard a rumble. I looked up and saw Anne driving Dale's steroidal Mustang away from the hospital parking lot. She had all of that red hair tied back and she wore sunglasses. As tiny as she was, she looked at home in the big car. She shifted the gears effortlessly as though she'd had lots of practice.

I ran inside the hospital and over to the elevators. If Anne had already dropped Dale off, he might already be talking to Bryan. I didn't trust Bryan not to try to cut me out of the deal and blame me for everything that had happened, so I rushed to the room.

Unfortunately when I got to the room Dale was already sitting down in the chair next to Bryan's bed. The nurse had just delivered Bryan's breakfast. It was soup and juice. Bryan wouldn't be able to get solid food until they unwired his jaws.

I heard Bryan trying to use that persuasive tone that seemed to be so effective when he was trying to get his way. Suddenly in the middle of Bryan's pitch, Dale stood up and spit into Bryan's soup. Then he slowly picked up the glass of juice and poured it all over Bryan.

"Bryan, you're full of shit," he said. "But then you always were. I put up with it for years because I thought that we were friends. Now that I know we're not and never were, I have no reason to listen to your shit. I also heard that Johnny told you to leave town as soon as you're released. And Bryan, the next time, I see you, I won't be so nice."

He turned and walked straight to me. "You're late," he said. "It's just as well."

We took the elevator downstairs. He directed me towards a seat in one of the outdoor cafes on the hospital's first floor.

A waitress came over as soon as we sat down. He smiled at her and she returned it. "We probably not going to be here long enough to eat," he said. She turned away towards another table.

"You've got the mic," he said. His voice was a mixture of curiosity and resignation. There was a fire in his eyes that I never thought I'd see again. The objects in my mirror had come home. I had a feeling that I was very close to getting what I'd always wanted.

"I want us to be a family again," I said. "I want it more than anything. I want the three of us to start again. I love you Dale. I never knew how much until you were gone. And I know that you love me too. You've never loved anyone the way you loved me. You've loved me for most of your life. I want to be friends with Anne too. She's a nice woman. She deserves to be a part of our family. We'll find someone for her and..."