Chapter 11
Lonely Road
"Stephanie?"
Someone taps at the window and Stephanie recognizes the familiar voice. She looks up and sees through tears Lula's smiling worried face. She hasn't seen Lula for weeks. They chat on phones every once in awhile, talking aimlessly about kids, pets, and other everyday stuff. Lula and Tank got married four years ago. A year later they adopted a child and named him after Tank's Grandpa George. They now live in a newly developed nice and safe neighborhood; their house is HUGE and has a fenced in backyard. At the beginning Lula had to take allergy shots for cats on a regular basis, and then one day she just woke up and stopped being allergic to cats. Up to today, nobody is really sure what happened, so everyone just categorizes it as a medical miracle. The last time they talked, Lula told her they were thinking about adding a little girl to their big happy family, and Stephanie felt so happy for her friend. Lula is currently sporting a Michelle Obama hairdo. Nicki Minaj pink, of course. She has quit her job at the bonds office and is now a full-time mom, and motherhood becomes her. Tank is a good husband. Little George loves cats and adores his Daddy, and who knows Tank is also such a great cook.
"Is there something wrong, White Girl?" Lula's voice is gentle and full of concern. "What are you doing here by yourself at this hour?"
Stephanie takes a ragged breath and tries to smiles as she thinks of the adventures the two of them shared, but there's no way she can hide her tears. She wants to keep all her problems to herself. But she also wants to have a shoulder to cry on. Tank and Lula had a small intimate wedding. The ceremony was lovely and the food and music were great. Stephanie knows most of the guests. It's the first time she saw Ranger and Rozie together. They looked so perfect together that her heart shattered a little bit more. She always thought Ranger would stay single forever. She always thought there wouldn't be anyone else like her in Ranger's life. Rozie's younger and smarter than she is. Rozie's also prettier and a better bounty hunter. And Ranger actually laughed softly at her joke. Stephanie had to turn her face away quickly before her tears escaped. She went to the wedding alone. She and Joe were going through yet another rough patch at that time, and all the anger, sorrow, regrets and stress were choking her. She nearly broke apart when she saw the sympathy and understanding in Connie's eyes.
Connie still remains single. She has gone through several boyfriends and decides it's better to be single and happy. And of all her families, friends and acquaintances, Connie's the one who understands Stephanie's dilemma the most. She knows Joe and the Morellis well. Too well.
"Joe didn't come home last night. He cheated on me. I smelled her perfume when he came back in the morning." The words blurt out on their own. Stephanie suddenly feels tired and fragile. She's hurting. She's stupid and pathetic. She's crying and bleeding inside. She should have known a long time ago. She should have foreseen this day. But instead she chose to build her life upon impractical dreams and false expectations. She gave in. She caved. Now her worst nightmare has come true. She got what she deserves. She's married with two kids. Her in-laws are a nasty handful. She has just gotten cheated on. She's unhappy with herself and everything in her life. She needs to run away from all of this or she will die of this unbearable pain. "I want a divorce."
"Oh my God! That cheating rat bastard!" Lula screeches in fury and holds Stephanie's hand tightly. "I'm so gonna kill him with my own hands! I'll kick his hairy ass!"
"I want a divorce." Stephanie hears herself saying amid broken sobs as Lula hugs her through the car window. She wants to get her life back. She wants to get her smile and happiness back. She wants to get herself back. She misses her friends. She misses her old life. She misses all the fun she used to have. But most of all, she misses Ranger and his almost smile. She knows she's a mother now. She has responsibilities to her children. She needs to protect them and take the best care of them. But she can't keep on living like this. Not anymore. "I want a divorce."