'Cause The Heart Won't Lie – 02
"I did what?" Brock's asked unbelievably.
"When we were having breakfast, you said 'honey, do you want another cup of coffee?' I thought you were asking Barbra Jean, Barbra Jean thought you were asking her too, and we were both dumbfounded when you poured me a cup and not her."
"She had a cup of orange juice, you and I each had coffee, why would you think I'd ask her if she wants another cup?" Brock argued.
"You just don't get it do you?" Reba sighed getting up, taking her suitcase to her room. Brock still couldn't understand what he did that was so wrong to make his wife and ex-wife angry.
"Dad," Cheyenne called, "You referred to mom as 'honey'. I would tear Van in a million pieces if he referred to any other woman as 'honey'."
"But I didn't mean to!"
"It's a bad slip. But I suggest you go apologize to Barbra Jean if you don't want to sleep on this couch tonight."
"Fine!" He got up and took his suitcase to his house. Meanwhile in Reba's bedroom. She was trying to tell herself how much of a moe'ron Brock was. First, he kissed her spontaneously, and then he called her 'honey'. They had been divorced for over four years now. How could he let this kind of thing slip? Reba sighed and went to take a long shower hoping to refresh up. However, when she came downstairs to prepare dinner for her family, Brock was sleeping on the couch with his luggage leaning against a chair. She bent down next to the table behind the couch and picked up a fly-swatter.
She whacked him on the head with her weapon, yelling, "What the heck are you still doing here?"
"Aoow! Aoow!" Brock jumped off the couch and began fending himself from getting continuously hit. "Hey! Do you know what that's for?"
"Yeah, to get rid of unwanted bugs. What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be over at your house?"
"Barbra Jean kicked me out! She would not accept my apology."
"And why the heck not?"
"I don't know, you're her best friend, why don't you go ahead and ask her, she might tell you."
"For the hundredth time, she's not my best friend! And it's not my job to find out. I'm the ex! Ex as in - excuse me, I don't want anything to do with it!"
"Well, you're gonna have to take me in for a while, because I'm not gonna spend money on any more hotels after we just came back from the Grand Canyon."
Reba was going to protest, Elizabeth came in the room to save the day. "Grandpa!"
"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. H how's your trip?" Van too came in the living room along with Jake.
"It was alright, Barbra Jean's still alive. Reba didn't 'accidentally' push her off the cliff. Although if she wasn't afraid of heights herself, I'm sure she would have," told, Brock.
"Did you bring me a present?" the girl asked.
"I did. I'll give it to you after dinner, okay?" She beamed and nodded. Brock then turned to Reba. "So, what's for dinner?"
Reba opened her mouth, about to chase him away, but Jake cut her off, "Cool! You're staying for dinner with us?"
"Yay!" Elizabeth yelled happily. There goes Reba's chance to say no.
"Urgg!" she groaned in frustration and defeat. She motioned to the kitchen to cook dinner for her family and an unwanted guest. Just before she finished cooking, another unwanted guest barged into her kitchen. "Hey Barbra Jean. Come looking for your husband? He's in the living room playing dominoes with the kids. Go on and take him back."
"Why am I not surprised to see him here?" The tall blond murmured, sitting on a high stool.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Reba noticed that she herself was a little jumpy around Barbara Jean, which she shouldn't be, she didn't do anything wrong, Brock did it!
"I mean, let's face it. Every time he has problem with me, he comes running to you. And for him to call you 'honey' this morning was a last straw. I can't take this anymore, Reba."
"Again, what the heck is that suppose to mean?"
"You don't know how many times he accidentally calls me by your name. I tried to tell myself that he was with you for twenty years, so it's okay if he slipped once in a while. Then he started to call me honey, maybe it's because he didn't want to slip out your name again when he calls me."
"Would you stop rambling and get to the point? It was a little slip. He didn't mean that." Reba tried to defend Brock.
"He sometimes talks in his sleep, he says your name, but I keep telling myself that he must have had an argument with you that day or something and the only chance he has to argue back is when you're not there so he argues back to you in his sleep," she still continued to mumble, completely ignoring Reba's look of unease. "But you know what? When you blacking out and I thought I was going to lose you hurt more then anything I every felt. So I now knew that I care more about you than I care about Brock. I love you more than I love Brock."
"Barbra Jean, I'm not gay, have no gayness, and I am not interested whatsoever." Reba quickly clarified.
"Would you just shut up and let me pour my heart out?"
"Would you wrap it up then? My dinner is almost ready. And take your husband home with you when you're done," said Reba taking a wooden spoon out of the utensil drawer.
"I'm gonna ask him for a divorce."
"WHAT?" Reba exclaimed. "Barbra Jean, this is insane."
"No, it's not. I'm through with him not getting over you. After you collapsed, I realized that the only reason why I'm still married to him because I don't want to lose you as his ex-wife and my best friend." She started to cry as Van and Cheyenne came into the kitchen. She glanced at Barbra Jean and glared at the wooden spoon in Reba's grip.
"Mom, did you hit her?"
"I didn't hit her!" Reba screamed at her daughter, turning her attention back to Barbra Jean. "Barbra Jean, just because he accidentally called me… well, doesn't mean he wants anything to do with me. It was an accident. He's been calling me that for twenty years, give him a break."
"What are they talking about?" Van whispered asking Cheyenne.
"Dad accidentally called mom 'honey' when they were away," she replied quietly still interested on what they had to say ignoring Van's look of fear.
Barbra Jean wiped her tears, "It's not just that. Do you know what he told the paramedic when you collapsed? He said he's your husband."
"I thought that's what I heard!" Van and Cheyenne said in unison.
Reba's bottom jaw almost hit the floor. "He said what?"
"When the ambulance arrived, the paramedic asked dad what's your relationship. Dad said he's your husband. The paramedic let him ride along with you in the ambulance."
"Are you sure he didn't say 'ex' husband?"
"At first, I thought I misheard, but apparently all of us heard it," said Van.
"Urgg! He's such a moe'ron!" Reba grunted. Barbra Jean confirmed her decision of filing for a divorce. Reba tried to calm her down and said she should sleep on it before making such a big decision that would change every one's life.
That night, in Reba's bedroom after the dinner and the kids were all in bed; Brock had occupied the couch for the night and he still had no idea what Barbra Jean wanted to do. Cheyenne asked Reba, "Mom, do you think they'll really get a divorce?"
"I don't think they would. I mean let's face it. She said that for quite some time now that she wants a divorce, and they worked things out. Well, not exactly, but they tried."
"But what if this time she meant it? I mean, first, dad said he thought he made a mistake for leaving you, then she heard dad telling the paramedic that he's your husband, then he called you honey. I mean how much can a woman take?"
"That's the price you pay for marrying an idiot!" Reba grinded her teeth.
"Mom?"
"What?"
"Do you think he still loves you?" Cheyenne's questioned made Reba's cheek flushed.
"How would I know?" Wrong answer. "I mean, I don't think so."
"Okay, let me rephrase the question then, do you still love him?" Cheyenne studied her mom's facial expression. "You still love him, don't you?"
"No!" Reba replied blushing.
"Denial"
"It's true! Why the heck would you think such thing?"
"Anger"
Reba rolled her eyes, "You know what, I'm gonna prove to you that I don't have any feelings for him anymore, by trying to fix their problem and get them back together."
"Bargaining"
"Oh shut up!"