Chapter 12
Shirley Gazarra called Carol to tell her about the video. "What video?" Carol asked.
"Oh my God. You have to see it. I had no idea that Helen was a huge bitch," Shirley said.
"I'm too tired to watch it tonight. Joey's sick, and I didn't sleep much last night. I promise to watch it in the morning. Thanks for telling me, Shirley," Carol replied.
"No problem, Carol. Call me after you watch it. You won't get any spoilers from me. Kiss Joey from me." Carol said goodbye and dragged her tired ass to bed.
In the morning, Carol watched the video Joe received in his email inbox. It got marked as high importance. She couldn't believe what she heard spewing from Helen Plum's mouth. Angie Morelli liked to think Helen was the ideal mother for a role model. "It would be a cold day in hell if I ever think Mrs. Plum was a decent mom. Who would treat their child that way?" Carol said out loud.
"Treat what child which way?" Joe asked, walking into the room.
"Oh, nothing," Carol replied, closing the email. She made a mental note to transfer it to her email account and delete it from Joe's computer. "How was work?" Carol noticed Joe showered recently but wore the clothes from the day before.
"Is Joey feeling better?" Joe asked. He leaned into Carol to kiss her. Her nose twitched from the scent of the floral perfume. It was the scent, Sweet Pea, from Bath and Body Works. She found that scent nauseating. Floral scents made her nose itch. The woman he spent the night with must have been swimming in the stuff.
"Are you going to change?"
"Oh, yeah. I've got to get out of these stinky clothes and take a shower," Joe said. Carol watched her lying, cheating husband go up the stairs to their bedroom. While Joe was showering and Joey was sleeping, Carol sent the email to her account and deleted the record from Joe's computer. She went upstairs to check on Joey before running to the pharmacy up the road.
Carol approached the prescription window to ask for something for Joey. "My son got sick, and he refuses to eat. Do you have a product to replace his electrolytes?" Carol asked the woman named Tabitha.
"Sure. I'll come around the counter to show you," Tabitha replied. Carol stood close to Tabitha to sniff her hair. Tabitha's hair smelled of coconuts, and her perfume was Sweet Pea. "How old is your son?"
She suppressed her gag reflex to reply, "One and his name is Joseph Morelli Jr. If you ever screw my husband again, I will cut of your breasts and shove them up your ass."
Tabitha jumped back. "I'm sorry, I didn't know he was married," Tabitha lied.
"I find it interesting that you would say such shit. The Burg rumour said you specialize in married men and give Joyce Barnhardt a run for her money," Carol sweetly stated. "I may be Burg, but I do not tolerate a lying, cheating husband."
"But how did you know?" Tabitha asked, her face pale from fear.
Carol snatched the infant electrolyte replacement drink from Tabitha's hand. "Thank you for buying this for me, Tabitha. I really appreciate your generosity," Carol said as she walked past the cashier. Carol left Tabitha to figure out how she knew about her and Joe.
"Did you want to pay for the electrolytes now or later, Tabbie?" Susan asked.
"I'll take care of it now." Tabitha opened her phone app to pay for the item Joe's wife took. "She knew I slept with Joe," Tabitha whispered.
Susan rubbed her nose. "You're wearing too much perfume. I bet she smelled your mark on her husband. Did he shower at your house?" Susan asked. When Tabitha nodded, Susan said, "Carol can't use scented products. It irritates her nose. You made a lot of mistakes. Why do you have to screw married men? There's more than enough single men in town."
Tabitha got annoyed with Susan and went back to her place at the prescription window. She blocked, then deleted Joe's number from her phone. His wife was the type to carry through with her threats.
Mary Lou watched the video when it arrived last night and again in the morning while the children were in class. She called Stephanie's cellphone number, but it still was not connected. When Helen got her classified as dead, the mobile company deactivated her account. She looked up the Rangeman phone number to call her best friend. "Thank you for calling Rangeman. How may I redirect your call?" the sexy voice asked.
She fanned herself and said, "It's Mary Lou Stankovic. May I speak to Stephanie if she'd take my call."
"One moment, ma'am. I'll ask Mrs. Manoso," Binkie said. He could tell Mary Lou was affected by his voice. Smiling, he called Ranger's apartment. "Stephanie, Mary Lou Stankovic is on line four requesting to speak to you."
"Transfer the call, Binkie. Thank you," Stephanie excitedly replied. "Hey, Lou." Stephanie put the call on speakerphone for everyone to hear.
"Oh my god. I'm so glad to hear your voice. I missed you so much, Stephanie. Everyone in the Burg is talking about the video. Helen was a total bitch to you. I hope your dad kicks her to the curb," Mary Lou gushed, talking a mile a minute. Stephanie smiled as she listened to the Burg gossip.
Helen was getting talked about in the Burg. She went to the Tasty Pastry to pick up donuts, but they refused to serve her. "And Christie said she could take her money to Donuts Time Cafe. Then Gino at Giovichinni's Meat Market told her to shop somewhere else," Mary Lou added.
"It sounds like Helen can't shop at any of the Burg shops," Stephanie stated, barely suppressing her laughter.
"Nope. Everyone heard her complain about you over the years, but to suggest she wished you were dead was crossing the line. Oh, I called your cell number, and the number didn't get reassigned yet. If you want your old number back, you should reconnect your phone," Mary Lou finished.
"Thanks for catching up with me. I'm taking Grandma Mazur to Pino's for lunch at noon. Ranger and Julie will be with me. Ask Eddie and the gang to show up. I would like you to meet my friend April. You two would get along. Oh, it won't hurt for Morelli to join the party. I can't wait to see his reaction," Stephanie said, grinning.
"Ooh, that's diabolical. Shirley called me earlier. Carol, Joe's wife, watched the video. She was outraged by Helen's reaction to you being alive. Carol told Shirley that she deleted the email from Joe's inbox. Joe probably doesn't know you're alive. I've got to go, Steph. Someone keeps trying to get through. I'll see you at noon. Love you," Mary Lou said before hanging up.
Lester, Tank, Bobby and Julie had their fists shoved into their mouth to prevent Mary Lou from hearing them laugh. April's mouth was dropped open, her eyes wide open in horror. Ranger was shaking from silent laughter. Stephanie returned the phone on the cradle and burst into laughter.
"The nerve of those people," Helen complained, stomping into the house and slamming the door. "I couldn't buy anything in the Burg. Nobody would let me shop. Why me? Why does everyone have to be so rude? They wouldn't even tell me why I got banned from their establishments."
"Maybe you shouldn't have asked why your dead daughter couldn't stay dead. It sounds like you wished she wasn't alive," Edna said.
"I never said that!" Helen yelled.
Edna clicked rewind on the video and started to play where Helen asked, "Why can't my dead daughter stay dead?"
"Sounds that way to me too," Edna said. "The version of Helen in the video is not the child I raised. I don't know where I went wrong or when you changed, but I don't like the woman you have become. I'm disappointed in you, Helen. Stephanie's old apartment is available to rent."
"What does that mean and where are you going?" Helen asked. "I'll make us meatloaf sandwiches."
"No thank you. I'm having lunch with my granddaughter," Edna said. "Oh. I'm moving out. Goodbye, Helen. Call me when you stop acting like a horse's behind." Helen watched her mother leave the house, softly closing the door behind her. She looked out the living room window to watch Ranger help Edna into the back seat of his expensive SUV.
Helen sat at the table and put her head into her hands. She barely had time to think about what happened when Valerie entered the house, screaming, "How could you, mother?"
"Where are Lisa and Bert?" Helen asked.
"With grandma Kloughn. Angie and Mary Alice asked me why you got angry that Stephanie was alive," Valerie yelled. "They got the video last night in an email."
"Why do Angie and Mary Alice have email accounts. They are too young for that nonsense," Helen said, dismissing Valerie's concern.
"Mom, I'm not going to let you distract me. I watched the video. You are a horrible woman. I'm happy that Stephanie is alive, and I can't wait to see her," Valerie said. "Why me? Why do I have a mother that wishes her daughter stayed dead? I'm embarrassed to be your daughter."
"Are you staying for lunch?" Helen asked, hoping Valerie would let her explain.
"No, mother. I will not eat another meal with you until you start treating people better. You are mean to Mary Alice, and I will not tolerate it for another minute. Call me when you stop focussing on how everything makes you look. Goodbye, mother," Valerie said before leaving the house.
"Hey, Frank. Have you seen the video?" Joe Juniak asked.
"Nope. I saw it live," Frank said, grinning.
Juniak laughed and asked, "You didn't think to stop Helen?"
Frank raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever known Helen to stop when asked?"
"Never. Helen doesn't think before she speaks either. She certainly hung herself with her choice of words. Word in the Burg says she got banned from all of the shops," Joe explained.
"Serves her right," Frank laughed. "If she doesn't realize her mistake, I'm afraid it's over for us. I love her, but I love my pumpkin more."
"I know you do, Frank. You never gave up on believing she was alive. How is my goddaughter?" Juniak asked.
"Great. Stephanie looks healthy and fit. Stephanie married Carlos Manoso," Frank replied.
"It's about time he pulled his head from his ass. I guess the alternative got him straightened around," Joe laughed.
They talked about Stephanie and the trauma she suffered. Joe got more details from Frank. He always knew Stephanie was a tough, resilient woman. Recovering from the trauma she endured, stronger and more confident, was a miracle.
"I heard Morelli's wife deleted the video. Would you like to join me for lunch at Pino's? I promise you'll enjoy the show," Frank wondered.
"Sure. Let's see our girl in action." Frank and Joe walked the few blocks to Pino's, correctly assuming the parking spots were full. They entered the diner after Stephanie entered with her crew.
"Daddy," Stephanie said, running towards Frank and throwing her arms around his neck. "I was hoping you'd be here. Hi, Uncle Joe." She hugged her godfather.
He squeezed her tight and whispered, "I'm glad you're home."
"Me too, Uncle Joe." Stephanie tugged Joe towards the group at the back. "Uncle Joe, you remember Ranger's daughter, Julie. The cute blond sitting beside her is my friend, April. She was my nurse for the past two years and my close friend. I believe you know everyone else."
"It's nice to see you again, Julie. Thank you for taking wonderful care of my goddaughter and bringing her back home. Congratulations, Manoso. It's about time you married the girl," Joe said.
The restaurant completely went silent. Stephanie turned around to see who had arrived. "Cupcake?" Morelli asked. Joe couldn't believe his woman was alive. He felt guilty for giving up on her.
"It's Mrs. Manoso now," Stephanie said. "Do not ever call me Cupcake again, or I'll shove your balls up into your throat. You'd never get your wife, Carol, pregnant again."
"I don't love Carol. You know my heart belongs to you," Joe said.
"Expect to hear from my lawyer," Carol said from behind Joe.
"When did you get here?" Joe asked Carol.
"You walked right past me. I loved you, Joe. I'm not going to sit at home with our son, waiting for you to stop screwing women like Terry Gilman or Tabitha at the pharmacy. Goodbye, Joe. I hope you're proud of yourself," Carol said before leaving.
"Oh my god. I was not expecting that to happen," Mary Lou laughed. "This day keeps getting better."
April laughed and reached across the table to fist-bump Mary Lou. "I like you," April said as she laughed. "When I heard about Joe Morelli, I expected him to be hot and sexy. The man I just saw was not what I expected."
Mary Lou snorted. "I like you too, April," she said through her laughter.
"What did you do, Stephanie?" Joe yelled as he moved closer to her.
Stephanie shook from anger. When did everyone else's screw-ups become her fault? "Back off, Joe," Stephanie growled.
Joe made the mistake of grabbing her arm. "What are you going to do? Scream? You're useless," Joe snarled.
Stephanie kneed Joe in the crotch and pinned him to the floor. "I told you to back off, Joe. Get lost. I'm married to Ranger, and I love him," Stephanie whispered. Her tone made Joe's face pale. He was afraid of this new Stephanie. Joe picked himself up off the floor and held his balls as he left.
"Our best friend is a badass," April and Mary Lou said simultaneously. Stephanie rubbed her arm where Joe grabbed her. It was the place where it broke. It brought out the anger and frustration she had felt when Bianchi assaulted her.
She sat beside Ranger, and he encased her face in his large hands. "I'm proud of you, Babe," Ranger said before kissing her. Stephanie felt the heat go through her body. He stopped the kiss before they got too carried away.
"Is it hot in here?" Robin asked.
"Eddie!" Stephanie said as she jumped out of her seat.
"I"m happy to see you. Shirley and I missed you," Eddie said, hugging his friend. "Congratulations on your marriage to Manoso."
"Thanks, Eddie. What's new?" Stephanie asked. Stephanie noticed Eddie was more muscular than usual. She looked at her other friends and saw they looked more fit too.
"Um. Robin, Big Dog, Carl and I applied to Rangeman yesterday. We're waiting for our interview request or rejection letter," Eddie said.
Stephanie looked towards Ranger behind her. Ranger raised an eyebrow. He didn't know they applied. "We were waiting for Stephanie to return to run the background checks," Tank stated.
She hugged Robin, Big Dog and Carl, confirming they were in better physical shape than before. "Wow, Steph. You have muscles," Carl said after hugging Stephanie.
"So do you, Eddie, Robin and Big Dog. Have you guys been working out?" Stephanie asked.
"We have because we want to pass the Rangeman entrance tests," Robin replied. "I can pin Big Dog to the mats."
"I'm impressed," Stephanie responded. "Drop by Rangeman after shift today. I want to see what all of you've got."
"Awesome. Thanks, Stephanie," Robin replied for the group.
Stephanie's stomach growled. The table filled with Rangeman and her friends laughed. Ranger pulled Stephanie onto the bench beside him. He placed a few slices of pizza on her plate beside the meatball sub. "I'm not sure I could eat all of this food," Stephanie said.
"Are you sure, Steph?" April asked. "I've seen you pack away more food than that after exercising for two hours."
"Woah. Stephanie exercised for two hours straight?" Cal asked.
"You guys saw us spar last night. How do you think we got that good? I wouldn't be in great shape if Stephanie didn't whip my flabby ass into shape," April replied.
"Please, April. You were in fairly good shape before I made you run for an hour each day," Stephanie bantered.
"It was in the sand, Stephanie. Have any of you run across the beach in Honolulu? The sand is thick and slippery. I think it took me three months to run half the distance she ran," April added.