Chapter 12
True Colors
"Joe, don't make things worse." Eddie Gazarra's voice sounds tired and calm. Nobody likes to be caught in between, but he doesn't have a choice. Stephanie is not only his wife's cousin but also a very good friend of his. Divorce is never a pretty sight and things almost always end up ugly. He really doesn't want to see anyone, especially the children, get hurt. He has to help.
"I know the house is in your name. But she's still your wife and the kids need their mother. You can't just kick her out." You're the one who cheated, you bastard. Gazarra silently adds. He hasn't seen any proof but he believes Stephanie. He knows how hard she's been struggling to make things work. She wouldn't lie about this. And Joe is, well, a Morelli. They all know it's just a matter of when. He wasn't even surprised when he received Lula's call.
"Just go, okay? Find somewhere to stay and let things cool down for a couple days. You both need time to think. You will find a way to work things out." Gazarra says in his most reasonable voice. Behind him his partner, a newbie from Hoboken, keeps his silence and watches on a bit nervously. They can all hear the kids crying upstairs. Bob the Dog keeps whimpering. Stephanie is crying, too. They can also hear Lula walk around upstairs like a tigress guarding her young.
Lula has lost her fear for cops and police stations over the years. She accompanied Stephanie home and immediately intervened when Morelli lost his temper and said things that shouldn't be said. She stepped between the two of them, called 911 to report domestic violence, and then called her husband. And the two RangeMan cars arrived before Gazarra and his partner did. Now all the neighbors are watching and straining to hear and the words are out. Soon it will become a circus and things will get out of hand quickly if they are not careful. "Come on, Joe. You're scaring the children." Gazarra says as he thinks of a younger happier Stephanie.
She used to believe in love and magic. She used to smile and laugh a lot. She used to dream. She used to be happy. His wife likes her. His kids loves her. He has no idea what went wrong. It seems that something terrible and unknown has sucked her life away and drained her happiness. She's not the Stephanie he used to know. She's full of anger, full of sadness, full of frustration, and full of regrets. And he wants to make things right and help her to be happy again. He wants to see her roll her eyes and shrug it off when people make fun of her. He wants to see her stand up from where she fell. He wants to see her square her shoulders and keep going forward with her chin up. He hates to hear her cry. He hates to see her tears. He wants to punch Morelli in the face and kick him in the balls. But he has to suppress his anger and fulfill his duty as a law enforcement officer.
Joe Morelli clenches his fists and jaw and takes a deep breath. Lula appears at the bottom of the stairs with two duffel bags and drops them on the floor. Gazarra says as his young partner holds the door wild open. "Come on, Joe. Don't make things worse." JJ is still crying. People are still watching. Morelli runs a hand through his hair, picks up the bags and walks out of the door.
"I'll get someone to change the locks." Lula takes out her phone and says to no one in particular as Morelli's car pulls away. "You guys want some coffee or something to eat? I'm so hungry I can eat a whole Elephant. The kids are hungry, too."
Her cool practicalness makes Eddie Gazarra smile. "Sure, if that's not too much bother."