Recap:
The car ride home was just as silent as the one there. The air became heavier with each passing red light. "You sure were flirtatious tonight." Barbara jean finally broke the silence by pointing out how bold Reba had acted toward a man she had just met.
Reba shrugged her shoulders, looking at the fading lights of downtown Houston. She had no idea why she had acted the way she did. For now, she was going to blame it on the whiskey that was rushing wildly though he body.
Barbara Jean slowly pulled into her friend's driveway, turning off the headlights. "We're here." she said, nudging Reba gently.
"Thanks." Reba smiled, thanking Barbara Jean for one adventurous night. "I had fun." Barbara Jean could tell there was more to her statement, a mischievous flicker in her eye, but she was simply too exhausted to have a heart to heart conversation. "I'll see you tomorrow." She nodded, starting the car again, and driving toward her own house.
Barbara Jean walked through the front door of her own home quietly, trying not to wake anyone who may have been sleeping. However, when she opened the door, there was still the small light of a lamp shining in the living room.
"Where were you?" Brock was the first one to speak as he looked up from his spot on the couch.
"Out." was all Barbara Jean said.
"I waited in therapy for two hours for you, but you never showed up." their conversation was quiet, but each knew where it was bound to head sooner or later.
Barbara Jean shrugged, throwing her purse on a vacant chair. "Maybe next week." she said tiredly before making her way to the stairs.
"No Barbara Jean," Brock's voice stopped her on the bottom step. "If you don't want to go to therapy, just tell me and I will go down to the courthouse and get divorce papers."
"Actually," she came back quickly. "If you are looking for divorce papers, there are some in that drawer with my signature on them." she said pointing toward the table that rested behind the couch.
Brock was taken aback. "You-You really want a divorce?" he winced at the final word. He hoped he would never have to speak of the horrible circumstance that was creeping closer and closer into his reality.
Barbara Jean raised an eyebrow. "If you don't know by now, I am not going to be the one to tell you."
Brock had no idea where his wife's sudden negative attitude was coming from, but he knew it wasn't good. "What are you talking about?"
"All I want is to be a weather girl, and you won't support me." If the sun would have been shining, they surely would have been yelling. However, the time of night, their fatigue level, and the sleeping little boy upstairs caused their argument to be mumbled carelessly.
"You want a divorce because I think it is absurd that you would want to stand in front of the entire Houston population and dump water on yourself? Yes, I'm sorry; I don't know why I wouldn't support that!"
Barbara Jean stepped back into the living room. "It's not that, Brock. It's the fact that you want me to be just your wife."
"Can you blame me? My first marriage fell apart because I didn't communicate with my wife. We hardly even saw each other. If you take a job in journalism, or even as a weather girl, our schedules will separate us!"
The room fell silent as Barbara Jean tried to take in what he was saying. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to know that he was telling the truth, but she didn't. After what seemed like ages of suffocating silence, Brock spoke again.
"Look Barbara Jean," he said approaching her slowly. "I'm trying this time. I'm going to therapy. I want this to work out; but it wont work out with only one person working on our marriage." now he knew how Reba felt when he stood her up to go out drinking with his buddies. "All I'm asking is for you to try."
"I'll think about it." she replied with ice emerging in her tone as she turned away and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.
Brock sat back down, placing his hands in his head as memories flashed like a horrible thunderstorm through his mind.
"Where have you been, Brock?" a distressed Reba was sitting on the couch in her flannel pajamas and his faded Texas University t-shirt.
"I was out." he discreetly looked at the clock, which read 1:02 am. He didn't think he had stayed out that late. "What are you still doing up?"
It was obvious Reba was about to fall asleep at any moment as her eyelids drooped with fatigue. "I wanted to stay up to make sure you got home okay. You weren't at therapy tonight, so i didn't know if something had happened to you. You didn't answer any of my calls."
Brock took off his jacket and placed it on the coat rack by the door. "Yeah, well I'm fine; nothing happened to me."
Reba sighed seeing her husband retreat to the kitchen. She followed him slowly, fighting to keep her eyes open. "You could have at least called." she said, sitting down at the table. "There's food in the microwave." she noted knowing her husband was looking for the dinner that he had missed.
"Thanks." he grumbled, hoping that Reba would drop the subject. "I don't see why it is such a big deal. So i stayed out a little later than i should have. Why is it so instrumental that I call you?"
"Because I love you!" she practically cried. "I didn't want anything to happen to you." it seemed like she was having the same conversation with her husband that she had with her oldest daughter, Cheyenne, when she learned to drive. Somehow, she never thought she would need to explain herself to the one she loved, though.
Reba sat with her hands in her lap. The only noise that could be heard was the sound of the microwave heating the meal that Brock was obviously not too worried about missing. "I'm going to bed." she said quietly, not receiving so much as another glance from Brock. She wanted so badly to kiss him, for him to hold her in his arms and tell her he was sorry. She had a feeling that those days would be few and far between. Brock never showed up to therapy, and coming home late, sometimes drunk, was becoming a habit.
She slipped under the covers, hoping her dreams would give her comfort that reality could not.
XXX
Reba slipped through the front door after Barbara Jean had pulled out of the driveway, and made her way into the kitchen. She smiled seeing a batch of chocolate covered cherries next to a bowl of Halloween candy on the counter and guiltily grabbed one. Grabbing a bottle of water, she opened the cap and quickly took a drink before putting it down to check her vibrating phone.
It was a text from Craig that read "I know I just met you, but I can't wait to see you again. -Craig"
Reba smiled at the screen. She would be quick to admit that she had a fantastic time at the bar. She was excited about meeting Craig, and couldn't wait to get to know him. She quickly texted him back before turning the kitchen lights off and heading up to her bedroom. "Meet me at Cabo's tomorrow at 8. Hopefully you know how to dance. (; -Reba"
Once she was sure the message had sent, Reba turned off the lights and tucked herself into bed, anticipating the events that tomorrow evening would hold. She felt her heart flutter with excitement as she set her alarm and drifted off to sleep.
What do you think ? i know barbara jean doesnt pursue the weather girl thing until later on, but i felt that it would be appropriate in this story line. (: