Crimson Intervention

Pointing back to the bedroom, Amanda addressed me "Can we talk? In private?"

Once the door was shut, in a quiet voice "We had a good marriage didn't we?"

"Naively, I thought so. Did you retrieve your phone so you could keep in touch with your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend. I was stupid, alright. Here, look at what he sent and how I responded."

Amanda picked up her phone, unlocked it, and showed me the texts.

From Nick 'Sorry you changed your mind. Hawaii is so romantic. I think we could have made up lots of lost time. Call me sometime.'

'We WOULD NOT have made up any time. I was going to the beauty pageant. Nothing more. I never want to hear from you again.'

I checked the phone log. A single call to her boss's work phone number is all I found. The only recent texts were to me and to respond to Nick. Maybe there is hope for us.

"This might just be a ploy to keep me off guard. You've obviously been keeping in touch with him. If you really cared about our marriage then you would have told me about him contacting you. Unless, of course, it was you who contacted him. Where's the calls and texts setting this up?"

"Without thinking, I deleted them. I'm so mad at myself. I just wanted it all to go away. Now that you are asking, I realize I should have shared those with you too. I'm sorry. I don't have boyfriends. I don't have lovers. He contacted me. I screwed up, alright? I'm sorry. Please don't leave me."

I wasn't sure how to respond. I gave Amanda her phone back.

With pleading eyes "Are you going to sleep in our bedroom tonight?"

"No. We need some time away from each other. The level of disrespect you showed me isn't something I'm going to get over quickly."

That brought tears and constant repetition of "I'm sorry!"

Did I mention that my girls were smart? Let me put an asterisk next to that statement. They printed out several ads for people wanting clowns for children's birthday parties. I'd never seen Amanda so mad after they slid them under her door.

Bursting out of the bedroom "Ladies, I'm still your mother, and I can make your life a living hell. BACK OFF!"

The shocked look, on both Carla and Mandy's faces, told me they got the message.

Amanda came out later in the afternoon and started making dinner. Carla and Mandy disappeared into their shared bathroom. I chuckled when I saw them reappear. They used makeup to give themselves a raccoon look.

Staying out of sight from Amanda, while she cooked in the kitchen, Mandy raised her voice "Hey Mom, you know how people support someone who has chemo and loses their hair? You know, shaving their own hair off. What do you think?"

My raccoon daughters stood in the kitchen door. The look on Amanda's face went from shock, to anger, and then to laughter. The group hug smeared the kid's makeup.

Maybe there is hope for us.

+ + + +

Epilogue:

Amanda couldn't get more time off, so she resigned. It was a month before she felt confident enough to go out in public, without looking like a makeup coated monster. Her replacement, at her previous job, didn't work out, so she rejoined that company. We're back to paying off loans and building up savings.

After two marriage counseling sessions, I moved back home. Amanda suggested that she personally needed some additional individual counseling. Little by little my thoughts and opinions mattered again. It's going to take some time, but I think we're going to make it.

The results of the national contest were available on the internet. Although I think that Amanda is a babe, the five finalists were something else. Let's just say that there are some very strategically enhanced mothers out there. Carla and Mandy whispered to me that Amanda wouldn't have been a finalist. Even they could see the difference.

Paybacks can be a bitch. Mandy had promised a really shy boy that she would go to homecoming with him. It happened weeks before homecoming and she forgot it. As she prepared to leave with her alternate choice, Amanda poured a glass of molasses over her head. It ruined her hairdo, make-up, and gown.

"MOM!"

"Haven't you learned a thing from my fiasco? If you give your word, KEEP IT!"

Mandy cried nonstop all weekend. We all kept our distance. Carla knows her time is coming, and she's very concerned.

The new hall carpet and laminate flooring in the kitchen look great. I'm still debating whether I should give Amanda that stuffed raccoon I bought for Christmas.