Dealing with Jessie Pt. 05

He got there early, Ms. Calligari was already there. They both ordered sandwiches and unsweetened iced tea. Gary had several questions, and wasted no time.

"Ms. Calligari," he began, "Why did you ask to see me?"

She replied, "You must know your wife has been under a great deal of pressure at work."

He answered, "I know she's made some mistakes."

"Not that," she said, "There're other things."

"Like what," he asked?

She briefly paused, then started, "It's a man's world Gary, and in our office that goes in spades. Some of the men, only a few, a very few in fact, make demands that in normal circumstances would never be tolerated," she hesitated, saw no reaction and went on, "if it were forty years ago that small sampling of men would've been much larger, and there would've been considerable bragging around the water cooler, but it's not forty years ago so the self-important vainglory is largely kept hidden. It's still there though."

Gary pressed her, "Just what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about trading favors for business opportunity."

Gary had about had it. He pushed back his chair, "Either tell me why I'm here, or I'm gone."

Ms. Calligari put her iced tea down and held up a hand, "I know you and your wife have been having difficulties. I also know she's been treating you terribly. What you don't know is the immense pressure she's been under at work. I don't know what their motives are, but a few, a very few older partners have had second thoughts about inviting her in as a partner."

"So what are you saying," he asked?

"She and I have talked, briefly. As Jessie sees it her situation is desperate."

"So what are you trying to say? I wish you would just spit it out," Gary pleaded.

Ms. Calligari spat it out, "Your wife is caught in two approach-avoidance conflicts; she loves you, but she's unhappy with your behavior, she wants her career, but she hates the non-professional demands some partners are placing on her," she paused and added; "there's more..."

Gary interrupted, "I got the first conflict; she loves me, but she's dissatisfied with what I do. Now help me here, what's the deal with the second conflict?"

Ms. Calligari told him, "She wants to work, but some of the partners want sexual favors and so far I don't know if she's submitted."

He asked, "Did you deal with this second conflict?"

"Yes I did," she replied, "and yes to my great regret I did submit. It nearly cost me my marriage. But this isn't about me, it's about Jessie."

"You said there's more," he asked?

"Yes, there's more. You mustn't give up hope. Even if she succumbs to their blandishments and their veiled threats she's still your wife, she believes in you, and she wants to undo what she's done."

"You mean our divorce," He frowningly muttered.

"Perhaps, but that's not all," she added.

"There's more," Gary asked?

"Yes" she said, "but you've got to give this time. Not all the older partners are in the same camp. Jessie met with failure, but the inferential taunts, the vilification has been excessive. I say all the obloquy shouldn't have been laid at her doorstep." She shrugged, "Only one or two of the partners even suspect the... you know."

"The sex," he said.

"The abuse," she replied.

"So what happens next," he asked?

"Only time will tell," she said. There was a pregnant pause, and then she added, "You have to hang on Mr. McGowan."

She had to be joking; hang on to what? Gary took a sip of tea, "Ms. Calligari Jessie and I will be meeting in a few days. We'll be closing out our marriage. So you see, other than our girls, and our ability, as remote as it seems, to be civil to one another, there's nothing there."

Ms. Calligari pushed back her chair and stood up, "Just try to be patient Mr. McGowan. The night might seem long and dark, but the sun still comes up every morning. Who knows what tomorrow might bring? I'll be in touch." She smiled and walked away.

Gary followed her with his eyes as she walked out the door. What was that about? He looked down at the table. Shit, she'd left him the check!

~~~V~~~

Ms. Calligari's remarks only added to Gary's concern. Jessie had failed, she'd become a partner in name only. Flag Day, the official termination of their marriage had arrived, and Jessie couldn't have been more vulnerable. He doubted if Jessie would appear at the final write, but he intended to be there. He met his lawyer outside the conference room, and they went in. Jessie was there, but she was alone. He wondered where her lawyer was.

They sat at table, him and his lawyer on one side, Jessie alone on the opposite, the court appointed representative at the head.

The adjudicator, a middle aged woman, opened, "We're here to bring an eighteen year marriage to an end. Does anyone have anything to say?" She looked at Gary.

He glumly nodded, "I think it's time."

She looked at Jessie, "You're without counsel I see. It shouldn't matter. Is there anything you'd like to say before we proceed?"

Jessie looked at the court appointed representative and murmured, "I think we should wait. I mean defer," She looked up at her husband, then back to the adjudicator, "just until the end of the summer. Our oldest daughter has college. Our middle daughter has issues. I think..."

Gary interrupted, "Jessie I thought everything had been worked out."

She was clearly nervous, twisting her hands, leaning forward inelegantly, she'd lost her color, she looked frightened, "I think for the sake of the children that..."

The court representative looked at her watch, and with some asperity said, "This matter was supposed to be closed. Reconciliation, counseling had been taken off the table."

Gary held up a hand and gave the court appointed person a gravelly voice, "You're being a little harsh. Let's hear what Jessie has to say."

Jessie interjected, "I don't want reconciliation or counseling I just want..." Then Jessie got her "lawyer face" on, "Thank you Gary," and she started again, "I think for the sake of the children it would be helpful if we maintained the status quo. I'll allow my estranged partner to continue as a live in handyman during the course of the summer. Then after we've seen the girls settled for the fall, we can bring this matter up again."

The counselor, Gary supposed that's what she was, sat there in disbelief. Gary couldn't make sense of Jessie either, he averred, "Jessie we can continue with the current arrangement at your house and still be divorced."

"No," she said, "you'll stay in the house, you'll remain my husband, and you'll carry out the agreed upon responsibilities until after Labor Day."

The court appointee asserted, "I wasn't informed of any 'arrangements'."

Jessie explained the terms of their pre-Dorothy party agreement. The counselor seemed to understand. She looked at Gary and asked, "You have no issue with a delay in the divorce?"

He shrugged, "I can't think of anything."

Jessie stood up, "There, then that's finished." She looked at Gary, "You'll stay as we agreed until the end of summer in late September. Then we'll revisit the divorce."

Did he just hear her push the separation date back from Labor Day to the end of September?

The court person, again glancing at her wristwatch said, "I'll see the arrangements agreed to here are documented and put in place."

Without looking at anyone Jessie pushed in her chair and left.

Gary sat there and wondered what had just happened. It occurred to him Jessie might be trying to make a comeback at work, and a divorce at the current moment could interfere. Was she still playing her crazy

games? It seemed like it. Maybe it had something to do with what Ms. Calligari had said? He thanked the court person, shook hands with his lawyer, and followed Jessie out the door.

Their no divorce no reconciliation no counseling decision occurred June Fourteenth. That Saturday, while he was checking the oil in the lawnmower Jessie came outside and summoned him over to have a seat at a table beside the pool. Like the servant she believed he was he meekly followed her over, "Yes Jessie," he said.

'Her Imperiousness' sat in her chair all very prim and proper and said, "Of course you'll have to terminate whatever relationship you think you have with that woman from where you work."

He wasn't surprised but made a pretense of it anyway, "I do?"

"Yes of course," she said, "you'll be much too busy here. I have many more duties for you once the girl's rooms are completed."

To keep from laughing at her he turned his head away.

She cajoled, "Gary you must pay attention when I'm talking to you."

"I think I'll get a beer. You want one," he asked?

She turned up her pretty nose, "No nonsense Gary. You must listen to me."

It was too incredible, "Jessie we agreed to delay the official end of our marriage, but we both know it's over. The girls are fine, and if I feel like I want to date other women that's really none of your business."

She looked surprised then hurt, "Gary," she exclaimed!

Time to pour it on, "Jessie I know you've taken some hits at work. My guess is you want to keep up the pretense of a marriage until you've got your feet back on the ground. For the sake of the girls I'm good with that. But I imagine sooner or later you'll bring an end to this sham, and then you'll agree to finally shut down this dead marriage."

She jumped up from her chair, gave her husband a most defiant look and exclaimed, "You idiot! You don't know anything!" She turned and sped from the pool.

He called after her, "I know you were sleeping around behind my back even before last December. I know you sold what was supposed to be just mine so you could get ahead. I know while you played the whore you lost all respect for me!"

He watched. She stopped. She turned around and stared at him. Then little fists flying she came at him like a crazed hyena, "You dumb son-of-a-bitch! You don't know anything!"

He caught her and wrapped his arms around her before she could land a punch. She tried to kick him in the groin, but he blocked that too. He growled in her ear, "It's true. You played the whore to get the partnership. You betrayed me. You betrayed our children, and you betrayed yourself. Why don't you just face it so we can all move on?"

At first she wilted, then he felt her stiffen. She pushed him away, and fled into the house. Later that night he sat in the living room and again listened to her cry. The girls passed in and out and heard her too. Katy stopped once. Looked at her dad and said, "Dad, you have four children you have to take care of now."

He sighed, "Don't I know it." As Katy walked away he reflected on what she said. He knew he could leave anytime. He told himself he stayed for the girls, but he also knew that was a lie. Like Robert De Nero with Sharon Stone in "Casino" Jessie was weak, but she was too deeply under his skin and he wasn't quite ready to give up.

June faded away. The fourth came and went. He and Carolyn said good bye; she couldn't give up mom, and he couldn't abandon Jessie. The days got hot and humid, the nights got worse. August arrived and, other than more humidity and thundershowers it was still the same old thing.

He papered and painted. He pressured washed sidewalks and siding, cleaned the pool, reseeded the lawn, and spread weed killer. Melanie got a car of her own. He remembered Jessie had been overbearing when choosing Dorothy's car, but when he tried to interest her in Melanie's she was indifferent.

There were a few changes. Jessie was home more; she still stayed in the den and seldom ate with the girls, and her demeanor was still abrasive, especially toward him. Then, about mid-August, Jessie landed on everyone. It was a sultry buggy Thursday night. Only the girls and he, no boyfriends, were out by the pool when she came out. She was wearing a two piece bathing suit; was it to be her first time in the pool with the family? No, she took a seat and said very loudly and distinctly, "I have two announcements to make."

Gary put down his beer. Katy was in the water and stopped what she was doing. Melanie and Dorothy sat up.

Jessie announced, "I'm turning in my resignation at the firm; I've decided to launch a new career."

No one said anything.

After a fretful two minutes Jessie said, "Isn't anybody going to say something?"

Katy answered, "No," and dove back in the water.

Melanie asked, "What about the money?"

"Whatever," was the only thing out of Dorothy's mouth.

Gary asked, "You're going to quit?"

She looked him in the eye and said, "I hate it there. I never liked it. I'm glad I decided."

He added, "You won't be working? I can't pay for this house. What's this new career thing anyway?"

She put her hands on her tummy, and cast her eyes over everyone; then she looked at her husband "Back in June at Dorothy's party when they drugged you I think I knew then. I wasn't happy being a lawyer. I remembered before when I was young and you got me pregnant I wanted to become a writer. That's what I'm going to do, become a great writer."

The girls stopped what they were doing again. They looked numb. Gary said, "What, now I'm supposed to open my arms, say I love you, and that everything's going to be all right? That I'll pay for everything. I'll sell my house and move in here and take care of the girls and you while you embark on a new career?

She held her head up defiantly, "Yes."

"Are you crazy," he asked?

"No, not at all," she said, "After all you seduced me when I was barely eighteen. You got me pregnant so I wouldn't leave you. I had to give up everything for you. Yes, you'll have to sell that piddling little shoe box you bought out in the country. You'll have to move back, take care of the girls, and take care of me too. I mean I'll have to go back to college and everything."

Dorothy looked at her dad, "I think us girls ought to disappear."

Melanie added, "Yeah, let us know what happens."

Katy was grinning, "Oh dad, it'll be so great. You'll be back for good. I mean like for real. When can we buy a new sailboat?"

He saw a different look in Melanie's eyes when she jumped back in, "We can go hunting again like we used to."

He was stumped, he knew he was being overrun when Dorothy came out, "Mom and I can take classes together. I want to be an English major, and if she wants to be a writer she'll have to take more English classes."

"There see," said Jessie, "it's settled." She stepped toward the dining room door and nodded me toward the den, "Come on. I need to show you what changes I want you to make to my den."

Her den, he thought. He blurted out, "Your den. I've already bought paint. I thought it was my den, and wait a minute. I haven't agreed to anything."

Jessie swiveled about and belligerently declared, "And you'll need to go to counseling."

Counseling? Did he hear her say counseling? He would've considered counseling last winter, last December. Now she wants counseling? He exclaimed, "Now you want counseling! And just for me?"

She stood there, one arm on the doorway, the other on her left hip, "Yes, I've decided you need counseling, and by the way, I'll need more space so I'm moving back in the master bedroom. You'll have to fix up something in the cellar."

"Cellar," he yelled, "that's the family room. We use that for entertainment, entertaining your lawyer friends I might add."

She yelled right back, "We haven't entertained anybody for months, and I'll need the master bedroom. It's my bed anyway!"

He leaned back, "Girls, take Dorothy's advice, time to disappear."

Melanie laughed, "I'm going to Walmart to buy a new rifle." She raised her arms in the posture of one holding a rifle to her shoulder, "Look out Bambi Melanie's coming."

"Can I come Mel," Katy asked?

"Yes, I'd like to go too," added a laughing Dorothy. "I might buy a pistol!"

Gary laughed, "You're all too young to buy firearms." They all three burst out laughing.

While the girls packed up for Walmart Gary invited Jessie in to sit down at the kitchen table. He started another pot of coffee, and stood by the kitchen counter, "Want to start over?"

She yawned and stretched, "I decided I don't like the law. I know you wanted me to be a teacher, but I can't stand kids, and doing what you do is so beneath me I'd go insane. I've decided I needed a new career. It's not really something new, I remember I wanted to write when I was in high school, but you came along and got me pregnant."

She blithely went on, "I'll write the great American novel, a love story, a tragic story about a woman who works hard, cares for her children, and tolerates an abusive alcoholic husband. They'll want to make a movie out of it. I'll tour the country giving advice on parenting."

Gary ignored her rewrite of their history, "Oh I just came along, got you pregnant, got drunk, and started abusing you," he said.

She put her chin in her hands and smiled, "I felt sorry for you. No one wanted to date you. You were so creepy. I mean then, not as much now. None of my friends liked you, most told me you were dumb, ugly, and I hate to say it, but they all thought you were gay." She grinned, "You were such a sissy."

He felt like a fool wasting his time listening to her bullshit; none of what she said had any bearing on reality, but he decided to play along, "Then why did you go out with me, and why did you let me get in your panties?"

"Like I said," she replied, "I felt sorry for you, and about the sex I was a graduating senior, all my girlfriends were giving it up before they went off to college, so I thought I might as well too."

It occurred to him, they hadn't been living on the same planet. He said, "Don't you recall I wanted to break up with you. Remember what I said. I told you that you were suffocating me. I said I needed a break. You begged me not to leave you. That was when you almost tore all my clothes off. You cried and begged me not to leave you. You said I was all you ever wanted. You even said not to worry about birth control because you had that covered. Don't you remember any of that?"

He realized she hadn't heard a word, or if she had she hadn't paid any attention. She glanced at the coffee pot, "What happened to my Keurig? Anyway, fix me a cup of that shit you call coffee."

He poured out two coffees and handed her one. She snarled, "Cream and sugar. Remember?"

"Get it yourself," he said.

Her lower lip started to tremble. He knew he was in for a crying jag so he said, "Never mind I'll get it."

The tearful look disappeared, she said, "Come on I'll show you what I want done in the den."

Temporarily beaten Gary followed her in the den. He kept wondering, it was all so surreal.

This is the end of part five.