Note: This is set during the summertime so school is not in session.
I Still own nothing.
Reba got home around five o'clock to find her goofy best friend sitting in her living room.
"Barbara Jean, how many times have I asked you to wait until I get home before you act like it's your home?" Reba said as she hung her coat on the coat tree.
"I know, but I couldn't wait. I really need your help."
Reba was taken aback. "You sound so serious. What going on?" She said as she sat on the couch next to Barbara Jean.
"Reba I feel like I'm the worst person in the world." Being accustomed to a smart ass comment, she paused for a moment. When no comment was made she asked, "What, no zinger?"
Reba smiled and simply replied, "I'm saving them for later. Go on."
"Well," Said Barbara Jean nervously. "You know how Brock and I have been having problems?" Reba nodded. "I'm serving him...um...he's...we're getting a divorce." She finally stuttered.
"Wow. Are you sure? What did Brock say?" She knew they had always fought, but she didn't know it was this bad.
"He doesn't know yet." She said. "I'm sure this is what we need though."
"How can you say that? Especially after all you've been through together." Reba said. She just assumed that their problems were so minor, they could just get over it.
"Reba I don't love him anymore." She said as a few tears began to show.
"What?" She whispered. That was the only word she could form. "You can't mean that." She said after she gained a bit more composure.
"I do. I realized that we were only staying together for Henry, but it's not fair to him to have parents with a loveless marriage. And it's not fair to Brock and me either." Barbara Jean said.
Reba was stunned. She had never heard Barbara Jean talk so seriously. She didn't know what to say. She understood Barbara Jean's point of view, but she also knew that Brock would be broken. How could she be there for both of her best friends when they were on opposing sides?
"I'll be here if you need anything okay?" Reba finally said. What else could she say?
"Thank you Reba." Said Barbara Jean. The women then hugged each other. "There is one more thing though. It's kind of big."
"Well you've never had a problem saying anything before. Just blurt it out like you always do." Reba said.
"I'm having an affair." She said quickly.
"What?!" Reba said as she jumped up off the couch. "With who? For how long?"
"His name is Joel. He's one of Brock's patients. I met him one day when Brock was with another patient." She tried to avoid the question of 'how long,' but Reba didn't let it go.
"Barbara Jean, how long?" She said as she calmed herself down and sat back down on the couch.
"Six months." Barbara Jean said, barely audible.
"Six months? Well what do you plan to get from this relationship?" She asked, hoping Barbara Jean would see the error in her ways and go back to Brock.
"We're getting married."
"No! You can't do that to Brock. He has shown you nothing but love and respect and you want to throw it away for a six month relationship? Why did you have to go and do this?"
"Reba, it just happened. I didn't go out looking to fall in love with someone else, but I did." Barbara Jean said. She didn't want Reba to see her as a terrible person, even though she felt like she was. "Will you still see me like you always have? I don't want you to judge me."
"Of course I will Barbara Jean, but you have to understand what you are doing here." She said. No, she didn't blame her. She blamed Brock. He should have paid more attention to his wife!
"Good. Thank you." Barbara Jean said as she gave Reba another hug. "Now, I have to go. I need to talk to Brock." And with that she was gone, leaving Reba in a state of disbelief.
After Barbara Jean left, Reba went to the kitchen and began to make supper for herself and Jake. Ever since Van and Cheyenne moved away she had been getting lonelier by the minute. I didn't help that Kyra was now living with a couple of her band mates. Once Jake was gone, what would happen to her?
She quickly decided to think of something else as she began to boil water. Instead of thinking about her future, she needed to think about the problem at hand. Brock and Barbara Jean couldn't get a divorce. How could she be having an affair? How could Brock have missed the signs? Why didn't he pay attention to her?
Questions continued to flood her mind as she put the spaghetti noodles in the pot. Just then, Jake walked into the kitchen with an overnight bag on his shoulder.
"Hey mom. Josh called and I'm sleeping over there for a few nights." He said as he tried to leave.
"Woah, wait a minute." Reba said to her son. "What happened to asking for permission?"
"Fine." He groaned as he set his bag down and turned to look at his mother. "Mom, can I stay a few nights at Josh's house? His parents said it was okay. Please?"
"Alright." She sighed. "Just make sure you call me tomorrow so we can figure out exactly how long you're going to stay."
"Thanks mom." He said as he began walking out the door.
"And be careful walking over there." She shouted out the back door after him.
She then finished making supper for one. She sat down at the table with a bottle of wine to enjoy her meal, alone. She then began to feel depressed.
She came to the conclusion that Brock would most likely come over soon. He always came to her with his problems. Usually she would be happy to help, but this particular problem hit too close to home. He did the same thing to her seven years ago that Barbara Jean was doing to him now.
Just as she was taking a sip of her wine, Brock came storming through her back door. He was livid.
"What the hell is she thinking?!" He shouted as he began pacing around in front of Reba. "I did everything for her and she goes and pulls something like this?! I thought she loved me!" He sat down at the table and put his head in his hands.
Reba had no idea what to say in a situation like this. She just began to soothingly pat his back. They stayed like that for a few minutes. She assumed he had calmed down, but he unexpectedly jumped up.
"I'm going to kill him!" He yelled, once again pacing. "I'm going to find him and kill him!"
Reba quickly stood up to stop his ranting. "Brock, listen to me." She said as she put her hands on his shoulders to stop his movement. "You need to calm down. Calm down and think about this situation rationally."
"Yeah, you're right." He said as he sat at the table. She poured him a glass of wine and joined him. He then began to speak. "What did I do that was so wrong? I didn't even know we were that unhappy." He took a long drink of his wine and topped off the glass.
"Maybe there was no way for you to know. Sometimes when you love someone that much, it's hard for you to imagine them feeling any differently about you." She said. She knew exactly how he felt. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to tell him that he should have seen this coming, that he hurt her in this exact same way. Instead, she bit her tongue and offered him comfort.
"No, it's not that. I just feel so betrayed. This is a huge slap in the face." He said while still looking at his wine glass.
"So, what are you saying?" She asked, although she already had an idea.
"I never really loved her." He said bluntly. He was too exhausted to pretend. "I only married her for Henry, you know that. I guess I just expected her to give me the same respect that I gave her." He took another drink of his wine. "Do you have anything stronger?"
"Why don't you sleep in Jake's room tonight? He's staying at Josh's for a while. Maybe some sleep will clear your head." She suggested, and stood up
"Thanks Reba." He said as he stood up with her. "You're a real friend." He hugged her. They held onto each other for what seemed like an eternity. When she pulled back she found him looking deep into her eyes. In his she saw a glimmer of hurt, but she also felt a wave in her stomach. He was staring directly into her soul. She could only imagine what her eyes were giving away.
"Goodnight Brock." She said as she looked away. She then began cleaning up the remnants of her late supper.
Brock just stood and watched her. She was so beautiful. He wasn't sure why he was thinking about this now. He just found out that his wife was having an affair! He tried to shake all thoughts from his head.
"Goodnight Reba." He said and made his way up to Jake's room. Little did he know, Reba felt their spark too.