Note: Whoo-hoo! Chapter Ten! Sorry this one took a while, guys. But I've been thinking... Isn't this turning into some sort of soap opera? All the drama, the suspense, the fish! But I'll shut up now. Enjoy.

Chapter Ten: Fish, Cats, and Bad Vibes

I sat down in the library, glancing about nervously. To be honest, it was my first time ever going there. Farming had occupied me so much that when Maria's library had opened, I hadn't given it more than a glance. The room was empty save for Maria, Ray, and myself. It was an awkward feeling, I guess. I wasn't sure I liked it.

"I want to know all about your little marriage problem," Maria told us calmly.

Ray and I exchanged hesitant glances.

"I suppose I'll go first," Ray mumbled. "Well, everything started out fine. The first time I realized there was a problem was the evening before we found out Harley was pregnant."

Maria nodded encouragingly.

"She started yelling at me out of the blue, saying something about hating me and my fish," Ray continued.

"WHAT!" I protested. "It wasn't out of the blue! I'd been fed up for awhile—!"

"Harley," Maria chided me with a cluck of her tongue. "It's not your turn yet."

"Anyway, then I was worried about her, so we took her to the clinic and found out she was pregnant," Ray began again, giving me an annoyed glance. "Then she started acting even weirder."

"How so?" Maria questioned intently.

"Well…Harley wasn't very happy. I mean, I was excited. We were having a baby for crying out loud! But the more I celebrated, the more upset Harley became. When Jamie decided to host a baby shower, I thought it was very kind of him. But Harley didn't feel the same way." Ray sighed and looked at Maria imploringly.

"Can I talk yet?" I asked in exasperation.

"Patience, Harley," Maria reminded me gently. "Just relax and wait."

Ray started talking again.

"Well, it turned out Jamie was Harley's ex—"

"SHUT UP, RAY!" I shouted, clamping my hand over his mouth. "She doesn't need to know that!"

"Harley, I'm sensing some bad vibes coming from you," Maria stated.

"There are no bad vibes," I hissed at her. "No offense, Mary—"

"Maria."

"Whatever. I barely know you, and quite frankly, I don't want you to know my personal life," I snapped.

"I think someone needs to open up," Maria suggested sweetly. "Are there things in your life that you regret or are embarrassed about?"

"Don't take it personally. Harley freaks out periodically," Ray explained.

"I do not!" I screamed. "And stop telling her things she doesn't need to know!"

"But she's a therapist," Ray protested.

"Therapist?! She's a psycho librarian with no life, Ray!" I shouted.

"Just calm down," Maria instructed me. "I think I'm beginning to see what's wrong with this picture."

"What's wrong?" I challenged.

"You're always blaming other people, Harley. Yelling at them, insulting them, it's all a way of protecting something. Something you've hidden for a long time. So go ahead. Share your secret."

Maria and Ray looked at me expectantly.

Secret? What were they talking about? Just look at fish-face Ray and you'll see that I'm not the one with a problem! Who did she think she was, telling me how I am and am not feeling? I know exactly how I feel!

"Maria," I started.

"Yes?" she replied pleasantly.

"I want you to take your psycho analysis and jump off a cliff."

She pursed her lips and looked as if she was about to say something, but didn't. Didn't she ever talk back? Didn't she ever defend herself? Her calm demeanor was really starting to scare me.

"Let's try a new tactic," she suggested brightly. Maria brought out a few sheets of paper and grinned. "This is the picture game."

"Isn't there a fancier name for that?" I remarked dryly.

"Of course there is. I just, uh, don't feel like saying it," she adlibbed quickly.

Yeah, right. I want to see this woman's degree in psychology.

"So anyway, you look at the picture on the paper and say the first thing that comes to mind. Ready?" We nodded and I stifled a yawn. This was lame.

The paper had a circle on it with two triangles sticking up on the side.

"A cat," I said instantly.

"Oh, I know! It's a fish!" Ray exclaimed.

"What an original choice, Ray!" Maria congratulated him with a smile. "A fish symbolizes flexibility, someone who can just…go with the flow, you could say?" She chuckled politely at her own joke. Did she make these up while she sat alone in her library all these hours? Ugh.

"A cat, on the other hand…" Maria turned to me with her plastic smile. "They're awfully aloof, not very affectionate towards people, aren't they?"

"Hey, how come Ray's fish gets positive feedback, but my cat makes me seem like some depressed loner?" I protested. "Isn't this supposed to be an enlightening experience?"

"I'm trying to help you see deep inside your soul, Harley," Maria assured me, still calm, still smiling.

"Are you saying my soul is a CAT?" I accused her angrily.

"Not at all. But maybe you see things differently than Ray does," Maria responded nonchalantly.

"So what if I do? Maybe he needs to think out of the fish tank!" I shouted.

"Out of…the fish tank?" Ray repeated.

"Out of the box, fish tank, whatever. Same difference!" I spat.

"Same difference…?" Ray mused slowly.

"Just forget it!" I sighed.

"You're getting very defensive, Harley," Maria told me soothingly. "Could it be your uncomfortable looking at yourself this way?"

"What way?"

"In a bossy, power-controlling way. If the conversation isn't going your way, you don't enjoy it." No. Freakin. Way. I couldn't believe Maria just said that to my face.

"You wanna run that by me again, bookworm?"

"I'm just saying, Ray probably needs a nurturing, intelligent woman by his side. Someone a bit more…sensitive," Maria informed me.

"So what, you think you know my own husband better than I do?" I raged. "You think I need to fit this perfect image in order to have a happy marriage? You want me to change for him?"

"Ray changed for you, didn't he?" Maria replied, crossing her legs. "Didn't you make him into a vegetarian?"

I found myself stunned speechless. Maria was quite the sneaky little rat, wasn't she?

"You know, Harley…" Ray said finally, turning to me. "I never really minded doing all this for your sake. It's just, giving up what I love the most for you is difficult. It's not easy at all. You understand, right?"

"Don't worry, Ray," Maria responded before I could reply. "I understand, even if Harley doesn't."

Don't think I didn't notice that her hand was on his.

"Maria, can I talk to you privately for a second?" I asked her, feigning politeness.

"Why, of course, Harley," was her robotic reply.

Once we were in the back of the library (and out of Ray's earshot) I turned on Maria with an angry snarl.

"What do you think you're doing?" I accused her.

"Doing?" Maria repeated innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know fishing well what I'm talking about! You're hitting on Ray," I hissed.

Maria laughed. It reminded me of one of those maniacal fits of laughter that villains always let out before they tell their brilliant scheme. And right now, robotic Maria did seem a lot like a villainess.

"Let's cut to the chase, Harley," she answered, her voice dropping all of its earlier pretenses. "Ray is a man. He needs someone who can treat him right, and you, Harley, just aren't cutting it."

"Excuse me?" I scoffed. "You think you know how to treat Ray?"

"Of course I do," she boasted. "I'm twice the woman you'll ever be, Harley. You're plain, unintelligent, and going psychotic. Everyone in the village has noticed. In fact, I'm thinking of modeling a character in my novel after you. She's the village idiot."

That did it. My fist connected with Maria's sophisticated petite face and sent her sprawling into the nearest bookshelf. Maria climbed up slowly, fingering her nose gingerly.

"Ouch…I think you broke it…" she moaned. Now it was my turn to laugh maniacally.

"Is something the matter?" Ray called to us.

"Nope, everything is fine!" I grinned back. "In fact, I think it's going pretty well."

"Why, you…" Maria faced me angrily, her emotions plainly shown on her face. I smirked. Who was the one with the negative vibes now?

"Had enough?" I taunted.

"I don't understand you," she scowled. "You want to divorce Ray, don't you? And yet, you act like a jealous vixen when another girl tries to flirt with him. How can you hate him but want him for yourself this whole time?"

Hate him? I didn't hate Ray! And who said anything about a divorce? Oh yeah…that was Jamie. But anyway, Maria did have a valid point. Why was I jealous?

No…I wasn't jealous. I couldn't be. Why should I care if Fish-man and Book-girl wanted to get together? I should be happy about it! Happy! Totally and completely happy! FISH IT ALL, I SAID I'M HAPPY!

"Do you…like him?" Maria gasped.

"Of course not!" I shouted back. "How desperate do you think I am?"

"Harley?" Oh, fish. I saw too late that Ray was behind me. Hurt welled up in his eyes and he looked at the ground. "I…I didn't know…that you wanted a divorce this much…"

"Ray, I--!"

"No, Harley, I understand," he sighed. "If you want to file a divorce, then sign. I promise, I'll stand by your decision. I don't want to be…a burden to you."

"But, Ray, this is all happening too fast!" I protested. "What about the baby? Who would get custody? Are you sure you want to--?"

"I believe I have a solution," Maria piped up. "Perhaps it would be best if you two separated for a while, got to think individually on your feelings about the matter. What do you two think?"

This was obviously some scheme of Maria's to make Ray realize he could live without me, and for me to enjoy a fishless amount of time so that I've give in to the divorce.

I wasn't falling for it.

"That is the STUPIDEST idea I've ever heard!" I replied. "I'm not leaving the farm."

"Fine," Ray spoke. "I'll camp out on my secret island for awhile."

"You have a secret island?!?" I gasped.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

And so, here I am, alone in my house, with the unsigned divorce forms on my desk. And I wonder, how the heck did I get stuck in this mess? And how am I supposed to get out of it? My future all depends on one signature…and I'm not what this future will be. For me, for Ray, and for my unborn son.

No pressure, right?