Carol's Patch Job Ch. 05

"Of course you realize that you will never have him again or grow old with him."

Janice was confused, hadn't Carol arranged all this, to get her parents back together? Janice's eyes still followed Jim.

He walked back to a table and a younger woman got up to greet him. Janice was shocked to see, that it was her old therapist, Michelle Ward. Why, she was only thirty-five or six and Jim was six or seven years older. Michelle took one of the glasses from Jim and gave him a short but passionate kiss on the lips. Jim reached down with his free hand and gently placed it over her belly. She was obviously, at least four months pregnant. Jim and Michelle exchanged looks full of love.

Janice looked at Carol with puzzlement and fury on her face. "What the hell is going on?"

"It has been very hard on me, keeping those two or should I say three a secret. But Steve and Lisa, have been a big help too. Both you and Daddy got in the habit of using us to relay messages. We just encouraged the practice."

"You remember Michelle, or Shelly as she likes to be called, don't you? She became quite intrigued with Daddy, after all your sessions together. But she would never have done anything. I don't know, if you ever noticed but she was the author, of two of those books I bought so long ago, about pleasing your man."

"I met with her myself, after your separation. I needed a recommendation for a therapist for Daddy. It was nothing too serious but he was so hurt and confused. Especially when he found out, about your adultery. Don't look so shocked. Don't you think, that with your sudden separation, that he would wonder. We told you, that we would lie by omission but if he ever asked. Well he did wonder and he did ask.

When I met Michelle, I saw the look of interest in her eyes. Remember how I told you, I would find a new wife for Daddy? You left him with a broken heart, it was my job to patch it. She was young, pretty, wealthy and she had written such marvelous books. I immediately classified her as a prospect. So I resolved to become her friend in order to get her to meet Daddy. I also had Uncle Ben's connivance in the matter. Later she told me, she had made the same decision at the same time. She had always wanted to meet the subject of both Uncle Ben's and your stories."

"She found a therapist in the same building, so she could accidentally meet him, from time to time."

"Well she obviously liked what she saw and she went after him, like a wolf going after a lamb. He had no chance. They were married in May, and it was a lovely wedding. Didn't you get your invitation? Oh, I've got it right here in my purse, better late than never. You sent Daddy such a lovely letter declining, and I've got that here too. You really should read both."

"So now I'm going to be a big sister again, and Lisa is even more thrilled. I think she wants to be in the delivery room and I think Michelle is going to let her. She's calling it a family bonding experience."

"I love you Mother but like I said, I had to balance the books for Daddy. You cheated on him, took him for granted and were flirting with everyman in sight, when you started your new job. You forgot about him, you forgot about us, again!"

"Your family, all of us even Daddy, still love you Momma."

Janice barely heard Carol's last statement. She was locked in misery, she guessed Scrooge really hadn't learned his or her lesson. Her beautiful, elegant condo was now becoming that small, dingy, sour apartment she had imagined years ago. She could see the old harridan cackling away on her ratty old couch. Dressed in old finery. She was so.......

Carol was pulling on her hands. "Momma, Momma we love you. You will never be alone!"

The End

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Author's Rants;

It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be your standard. Wife gets conned into cheating, husband finds out, wife crawls back, they make kissy face and the end. I swear it was radiation from my new desk lamp, that was changing my keystrokes. Janice wasn't supposed to be such a selfish bitch. That dumb scene, where Danny was confronted. The was supposed to be played straight, where he never saw the con, and Danny was supposed to be a big asshole. The keystrokes changed, I tell you. I hope you liked it. I'm not sure I do. This is the last time I buy a light bulb, with a gamma radiation warning on it. Do I look green to you?