Caroline in Richard's Mother's Womb

Chapter 2

Julia heard a knock on the door. "A la Madonna! Who could that be? My Reechard wouldn't knock, he has a key. Whoever it is, I hope they won't be long. Reechard is about to come home, and between him working days, and me working evenings at Remo's, we have little enough time together as it is! It's almost as bad as when he was working for Caroline. Oh, quella donna arginato!" she thought as she moved toward the door.

When she opened the door, she was nonplussed. "Charlie?! What are you doing here? And who is that?" Julia asked as she indicated Whitney. "And why did you bring that here?" she gestured to Caroline, in a bitterly poisonous tone.

"Caroline needs a place to crash, she's sick. C'mon now, you can't have that much against her" pleaded Charlie.

"She's sick? Hah! É puzzare bevuto! She's drunk out her mind is more like it! I have good reason to hate that damned woman Charlie, as do you. Her drinking has ruined not only her life, but everyone's around her – mine, yours Charlie, Del's, and my poor husband's, who has to work all day at a job that he hates. And not only that…" Julia ranted, getting more and more excited as her tirade continued "… let me show you something." Julia moved towards a stack of canvases in a corner of the tiny apartment. Charlie and Whit took advantage of the fact that Julia moved away from the door, and brought Caroline in and lowered her to the floor, after which Whitney quickly left. Charlie quickly rolled over to Julia, trying to divert her attention from the fact that Caroline was now in the apartment.

"Do you see these paintings?" Julia inquired as she lifted them up one by one to show Charlie. Caroline was the subject of each and every one. "I know he still has feelings for her. That's why I forbade him to see that drunkard anymore after their… their cartoon work ended. But I know his feelings for her will fade with time, I just must have patience. Besides, Reechard is so upset by his painting job, the only way he can calm down is to paint when he comes home. That's why I allow him to paint this." The last word was spoken in an especially harsh and venomous tone.

"Richard has a job as a painter? I'd have thought he would love that!" a confused Charlie replied.

Just then, Richard entered, wearing his customary black overcoat – but also paint-splattered work clothes and a silly looking white painter's cap.

"Not a painting painter – a house painter" explained Julia.

"Oh" said Charlie, as he turned to see Richard, and was embarrassed for him.

"Charlie!" exclaimed a surprised Richard, quickly taking off his cap "What are you doing here?" Just then he looked down. "Caroline? Is that you, Caroline?" Richard bent down and carefully turned Caroline over, so she was lying face up. Because of her shallow breathing, Richard at first feared she was dead. Ironically, she was lying in the exact spot of the chalk outline that was in the apartment when Richard had first moved in. He bent over so his ear was close to her face, and gave a sigh of relief when he heard her breathing.

Julia's face became a mask of anger and hatred. Charlie turned from Richard, to Julia, and back to Richard again, and decided to beat a hasty retreat. "Okie dokie, I think I'll just get back to work now. Bye Richard, Julia. Great to see you again."

The tension was building. Both Richard and Julia knew a big, BIG fight was coming. Richard started "Julia, I know what you're going to say."

"Do you? You can swear in Italian now? Reechard!!! Look at your paintings! Every night, as soon as I leave for work at Remo's, in your mind you have an affair with this woman as you paint!"

"Julia…" Richard started to deny it.

"DON'T… even try. I try to be a good wife, I try to be patient, I try to be understanding. Look at all I give up for you. I could be in Italy with my trust fund, living la dolce vita. Instead, I work in a bar, and I live in this place. But this is too much. Do you not think that it hurts me to see that you paint this woman, night after night? But do you not see, the woman you paint does not exist? Look at her…" Julia said, pointing to Caroline, "…she is a drunk."

"Julia!" Richard objected, appalled that Julia had said that with Caroline in the room.

"Bah! She cannot hear a word we say, she is dead to the world." As she tenderly stroked his face, Julia tried to convince Richard. "Amore mio, listen to me. I know what is in your heart, I'm Italian. You felt something for this woman once, she felt something for you. You moved on, you got married, she did not. That is why she and Trevor broke up. He is a good man, you know." Richard nodded. "She felt alone, she got drunk, she got in an accident, while in the hospital, she got hooked on uh… what do you call the killers of pain?"

"Morphine" Richard interjected.

Julia continued "Yes, when she gets out, to get over the morphine, she starts to drink. And drink… and drink… and drink, and drink, and drink. You feel responsible. But Reechard, you are not responsible. She is a big girl, she is responsible for herself."

Downcast, Richard replied "But she feels sad and alone because of me."

"Carisimo, her problem now is not that she drinks because she is sad and alone. Her problem now is that she drinks to be drinking."

"She needs help" Richard weakly objected.

"Fine! She needs help! We call the hospital, the ambulance she comes, they take her away. But YOU do not go!" Julia commanded.

"She needs me" Richard objected, staring at Caroline.

"She does not need you. She does not love you. She loves the bottle, that is the love of her life. She will do anything for her love."

"She needs me" Richard repeated.

"She does not need you. She needs to break with the bottle. And you cannot do that for her. Until she does it for herself, she will take, and take, and take, and take, and take from anyone willing to give, until they are sucked dry. Amore mio, I can't – I won't watch that happen to you."

"Julia, what are you saying?" Richard asked.

"Unless you promise me that we wash our hands of this woman, then our marriage is over. You must choose Reechard. Let me call, have someone take her away. Then we go to Remo's. I tend bar, you eat, we talk. We forget about this woman."

Julia went to pick up the phone, but when her hand reached the handle, Richard put his hand atop hers, and firmly said "Don't."

"Reechard…!" Julia replied, startled. She became angry "Fine! I will go Remo's, call the airlines for a ticket to Italy, quit, pick up my last paycheck, and leave."

"What about your things?" Richard questioned.

"Burn all my clothes. I want no memories of my life in this sewer! Papa will release my trust fund, I will start my new life with a whole new wardrobe. You call yourself a man? I will live the life I deserve, something you could never give me" she said with disdain. She looked deeply into his eyes one last time, and despite her harsh words, it was more with sadness than with anger. Julia turned and walked out the door, and out of his life.