A Simple Case of Infidelity Pt. 04

There was a nurse there. I didn't know her. She said, "The collar bone's a clean break and that's good. She'll have to keep it immobile for a few weeks. The foot, well she's to stay off it for a few days, and then she's only to use it to bathe or when she needs to void."

People were standing all around just looking at me and my parents.

There we stood. Mom, dad, me, Victoria, and some nurse holding all this paperwork. They showed me the bill. I never knew how expensive a couple broken bones could be. I handed someone my credit card.

Mom, dad, Victoria, and I stepped back and had a talk. I guess we should have left the room. Leslie, sniffling and sobbing, was watching us.

Dad, looking past me at Leslie said, "She's too messed up to let her go home with Mrs. Bielson."

Mom agreed, "You're right Whalen. Mrs. Bielson's too old to be trying to take care of her, and I'm not in any kind of shape either."

I added, "She sure can't drive Mr. Bielson's old truck, it being a manual transmission and all. Besides she won't be driving anything for a while with her shoulder the way it is."

Victoria, always too loud and too high pitched voice, unnecessarily added the big question, "What are we going to do with her?"

Leslie sure heard that; she whined, "I'm no good to anybody. I'm just worthless and no good. I'll have to go back to Baltimore."

I looked at my parents.

They looked at me.

I looked at Victoria.

She looked at me.

I looked at Leslie. She was crying. I looked back at my dad.

Dad was looking at me and just shaking his head.

I looked at Leslie again. She was quietly crying, she whimpered, "I'll just go back."

I'd lost all patience. I yelled at her, "Shut up. Just shut up. You're not going anywhere."

She stopped crying and just looked at me.

Fuck! I mean what was I supposed to do? I couldn't send her back to that shithole she'd come from. She had no money and no place else to go. I thought, 'This couldn't be happening to me. Was I fucked or what?'

I looked at my dad and whispered, "This is so fucked up."

He took his hands and put them on my shoulders. He was smiling.

~~~.V.~~~

This is the end of part four, and brings us to another brief interregnum:

I hope you're still reading. I can imagine a lot of you think you've got everything figured out. Well don't tear your ass. If you think you know something you're probably mistaken. Part five is almost finished. Meantime please comment and vote if you're inclined.