Chapter 17:
"Was that Vince?" He asked and my heart beat sped up.
"Yeah."
"What was he doing here so early?" He said as a loaded question.
"He helped me bring you into the bed."
"Oh,"
I fixed Eyeball a great breakfast that morning when he came out of the bedroom. Maybe I was feeling guilty.
"Uh- morning Eyeball," I said as he sat down in the kitchen.
"I don't feel so good,"
"Well that's what happens when you get drunk baby cakes,"
"No shit."
"Um, so did you have fun last night?"
"Yeah." He said with a raised brow, sipping some coffee.
"That's good, what'd ya do?"
"Why do you care?"
"I-I don't." Man, I know he knows something's up. I'm acting so weird. Okay, just cool it Jess!
"Are you feeling okay yourself?"
"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"Uh huh, well maybe you should take a break or something. Maybe you're over- working your little head. Leave the kids with Chris and go hang out with Vince or something,"
"Vince? Why Vince?" I said quickly.
"Because he's right next door." He said, looking at me as if I was insane. No arguments here.
"Oh, well, I don't want to hang out with Vince."
"Okay, then do something else."
"Without Vince?"
"Yeah, sure, if that's what you want. Is something going on with Vince?"
"Something? Going on? With Vince? N-No, why ever do you say that?"
"Right." He drank the rest of his coffee and got his car keys.
"I'll be back later hun, and get some rest or something." He said and gave me a quick kiss goodbye. I stood on the stoop and watched him drive away. I looked over to see Vince standing on his porch, looking at me. I felt uncomfortable and went over.
"Vince," I started, but he wouldn't listen. He just went inside sourly and slammed the door. Not that I could blame him, I mean, I hadn't been too great to him.
Chris came over later that day, and I wanted to tell him EVERYTHING! I just needed to talk to someone! Anyone! Except Gordie. It's funny, I always pretend like I don't care what anyone thinks, but when it comes to my own cousin, I hide my life. No one else's opinion means more to me than Gordie's.
"How were the kids?" I asked him.
"They're a handful, I'll give you that," I felt like crying right then and there and telling Chris everything. Could I do that? He doesn't deserve to be dragged into my whole mess. He had said one sentence to me and I already felt like breaking down. I looked it too. My hair was insanely thrown up into a careless bun and I looked like hell. I shook the coffee cup in my hands as I tried to sip the hot fluid.
"Jess, are you okay?" He said, genuinely worried, and right there, I just had to crack.
"Oh Chris, I'm a horrible, horrible person!" I said, practically throwing down my cup of coffee and started to cry.
"Why? What happened?" He said, putting his arm around me.
"Oh Chris, I just can't take it anymore! Ever since I married Eyeball, he's been hitting me non-stop,"
"What?"
"That's why I went to the hospital. And Ace raped me, and then just last night I fucking slept with Vince! I can't take it anymore!"
"Jess,"
"Oh Chris, you can't tell anyone okay? Especially Gordie. If he knew all this stuff he'd disown me! I just had to tell someone! I don't know what to do anymore."
"Jess, I have to tell Gordie."
"No please, please, I'm begging you."
"But,"
"His opinion means more to me then anything, I don't want him thinking I'm a screw up. Please."
"Well, I've got to do something about Eyeball."
"Don't,"
"I'm not going to do nothing like everyone else. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."
"Chris, no,"
"Jess, don't worry about it. I'll handle it okay? Trust me."
"Um," Was all I could think to say with tearful eyes.
"I'll take care of everything. I'll see you later." He said, pulling on his jacket and giving me a kiss on the cheek. I was worried about what Chris might do. A minute later, when I placed Melanie and Jason down for a nap, Vince charged into the house, and I caught my breath.
"Vince," I started.
"Shut up Jessie, now you listen to me," He said, upset and angry all at the same time. "You go around, acting like the things you do don't effect anyone, but they do. You effect more people in deeper ways than you could ever dream about!" I was practically speechless.
"You know what else?!?" He started again. "You are terrible at making decisions. Why can't you just make up your mind? You latch yourself onto something from your past that no longer exists looking for love. Well here it is. It's not familiar and it's not like the others, but now you've come to another crossroad. Which road are you going to take? I think I have the answer before you act before you think. You'll wonder about it, come back to me, and I'll think we'll be together, but then you'll crush my heart all to tag along with Eyeball. You'll give me one last kiss, and we'll never bring it up again. You'll be stuck with Eyeball in this situation forever. That's how you've always done things. If you ever feel like going down that other road for once, give me a call." Vince said, and walked out of my house.
The rest of the day, I worked in sort of a daze. I came home to see Eyeball all excited, but I wasn't in the mood for it.
"No, no, no. Don't get into bed." He said, pulling me from my comfort.
"Eyeball, I've had a long day,"
"Come on, get dressed, throw on some of that fancy make-up you like."
"What are you doing?" I said lazily, as Eyeball picked out a lacey black dress of mine.
"I'm taking you out,"
"Now?"
"No, tomorrow. Yeah, now. Hurry up!" He said leaving the room. What had gotten into him?
"Was that Vince?" He asked and my heart beat sped up.
"Yeah."
"What was he doing here so early?" He said as a loaded question.
"He helped me bring you into the bed."
"Oh,"
I fixed Eyeball a great breakfast that morning when he came out of the bedroom. Maybe I was feeling guilty.
"Uh- morning Eyeball," I said as he sat down in the kitchen.
"I don't feel so good,"
"Well that's what happens when you get drunk baby cakes,"
"No shit."
"Um, so did you have fun last night?"
"Yeah." He said with a raised brow, sipping some coffee.
"That's good, what'd ya do?"
"Why do you care?"
"I-I don't." Man, I know he knows something's up. I'm acting so weird. Okay, just cool it Jess!
"Are you feeling okay yourself?"
"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"Uh huh, well maybe you should take a break or something. Maybe you're over- working your little head. Leave the kids with Chris and go hang out with Vince or something,"
"Vince? Why Vince?" I said quickly.
"Because he's right next door." He said, looking at me as if I was insane. No arguments here.
"Oh, well, I don't want to hang out with Vince."
"Okay, then do something else."
"Without Vince?"
"Yeah, sure, if that's what you want. Is something going on with Vince?"
"Something? Going on? With Vince? N-No, why ever do you say that?"
"Right." He drank the rest of his coffee and got his car keys.
"I'll be back later hun, and get some rest or something." He said and gave me a quick kiss goodbye. I stood on the stoop and watched him drive away. I looked over to see Vince standing on his porch, looking at me. I felt uncomfortable and went over.
"Vince," I started, but he wouldn't listen. He just went inside sourly and slammed the door. Not that I could blame him, I mean, I hadn't been too great to him.
Chris came over later that day, and I wanted to tell him EVERYTHING! I just needed to talk to someone! Anyone! Except Gordie. It's funny, I always pretend like I don't care what anyone thinks, but when it comes to my own cousin, I hide my life. No one else's opinion means more to me than Gordie's.
"How were the kids?" I asked him.
"They're a handful, I'll give you that," I felt like crying right then and there and telling Chris everything. Could I do that? He doesn't deserve to be dragged into my whole mess. He had said one sentence to me and I already felt like breaking down. I looked it too. My hair was insanely thrown up into a careless bun and I looked like hell. I shook the coffee cup in my hands as I tried to sip the hot fluid.
"Jess, are you okay?" He said, genuinely worried, and right there, I just had to crack.
"Oh Chris, I'm a horrible, horrible person!" I said, practically throwing down my cup of coffee and started to cry.
"Why? What happened?" He said, putting his arm around me.
"Oh Chris, I just can't take it anymore! Ever since I married Eyeball, he's been hitting me non-stop,"
"What?"
"That's why I went to the hospital. And Ace raped me, and then just last night I fucking slept with Vince! I can't take it anymore!"
"Jess,"
"Oh Chris, you can't tell anyone okay? Especially Gordie. If he knew all this stuff he'd disown me! I just had to tell someone! I don't know what to do anymore."
"Jess, I have to tell Gordie."
"No please, please, I'm begging you."
"But,"
"His opinion means more to me then anything, I don't want him thinking I'm a screw up. Please."
"Well, I've got to do something about Eyeball."
"Don't,"
"I'm not going to do nothing like everyone else. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."
"Chris, no,"
"Jess, don't worry about it. I'll handle it okay? Trust me."
"Um," Was all I could think to say with tearful eyes.
"I'll take care of everything. I'll see you later." He said, pulling on his jacket and giving me a kiss on the cheek. I was worried about what Chris might do. A minute later, when I placed Melanie and Jason down for a nap, Vince charged into the house, and I caught my breath.
"Vince," I started.
"Shut up Jessie, now you listen to me," He said, upset and angry all at the same time. "You go around, acting like the things you do don't effect anyone, but they do. You effect more people in deeper ways than you could ever dream about!" I was practically speechless.
"You know what else?!?" He started again. "You are terrible at making decisions. Why can't you just make up your mind? You latch yourself onto something from your past that no longer exists looking for love. Well here it is. It's not familiar and it's not like the others, but now you've come to another crossroad. Which road are you going to take? I think I have the answer before you act before you think. You'll wonder about it, come back to me, and I'll think we'll be together, but then you'll crush my heart all to tag along with Eyeball. You'll give me one last kiss, and we'll never bring it up again. You'll be stuck with Eyeball in this situation forever. That's how you've always done things. If you ever feel like going down that other road for once, give me a call." Vince said, and walked out of my house.
The rest of the day, I worked in sort of a daze. I came home to see Eyeball all excited, but I wasn't in the mood for it.
"No, no, no. Don't get into bed." He said, pulling me from my comfort.
"Eyeball, I've had a long day,"
"Come on, get dressed, throw on some of that fancy make-up you like."
"What are you doing?" I said lazily, as Eyeball picked out a lacey black dress of mine.
"I'm taking you out,"
"Now?"
"No, tomorrow. Yeah, now. Hurry up!" He said leaving the room. What had gotten into him?