Chapter 2

The next day, I woke up to the sound of grass being cut. My parents neighbor, Mr. Klundershmit always cut his grass on Sunday's before he went to church. He was a nice guy. His wife had left him years ago for the guy who cut their grass before but now he did it. Maybe he thought that if he cut the grass, she'd come back.

I got up from my bed and put on a pair of shorts and a shirt and decided to go for a walk. It was early and not too many people were out in the neighborhood. Eventually, I ended up at the Getty 8 blocks away from my house. I bought myself a bag of chocolate covered mini doughnuts and started eating them on the way back home. I was starving from last night's drinking binge and hungry for comfort after my betrayal yesterday.

"Judith!" A voice said.

I turned around to see a familiar face.

"Catherine, hey how are you," I said between bites of doughnut.

"I'm doing fine." She said.

We'd been friends since middle school when we were paired up on a project about alligators. She really got into the animals and I got into the argument that we should save them from condo developers.

It was nice.

"I heard about what happened yesterday," She said.

"Oh you weren't there to see it?"

"No I got called away to an emergency birthing situation up in Ft. Lauderdale so I caught the late flight down here to Melbourne."

"Oh," I said.

"That's good though. You missed um…"

I reached the bag of doughnuts and stuffed one down my throat.

"Qte de orasion," I said through bites.

"I'm sure I did." She said.

"Look I know this is a difficult time for you but you should come by my parents' house tonight,"

"Why?" I said after taking a large gulp.

"Well, I'm house sitting for my parents. They're off on another cruise for a month so it's just me and Rick. He'd love to meet you,"

"Who?"

"Rick my husband. You'll love him. We eloped over Christmas so now I'm bringing him here to meet people. He's a Petroleum Engineer from Galveston but you'd never know it from his accent,"

"Huh, I see, well I don't know," I responded.

"And your mother won't be there," She said adding to her previously made points.

"I'll be there,"

For the rest of the day I did everything I could to ensure that I would be able to leave the next day with some form of dignity. Even though I was in my 30's, I was still eager to please my parents, at least sober. I inventoried presents and wrote thank you cards for the dozens of toasters, blenders, mixers, towels, and various pieces of South Hampton by Charlotte Moss China that I had received.

"Make sure you pack them in newspaper," My Mom said I loaded up my car with my Dad. We rolled our eyes as we put the already newspaper and bubble wrapped China in the back of my grey Ford Escape.

"Sure you don't want me to kill him?" My Dad asked.

"Dad I can't have you go to jail. You're too old and I've already done that. It's not a very nice place," I said laughing.

By the time dinner came around, I was ready to leave and head over to Catherine's house to cool off and relax and get away from my mom. I had showered and changed into a flowery yellow sundress and pulled my black hair into a pony tail. I forced a smile on my face to look presentable when really I wanted to buy another bag of doughnuts and continue to stuff my face with them.

I grabbed a bottle of Sparkling Cider that one of my college friends sent me as a joke wedding present and put it in my purse. . It wasn't going to be drunken by me and my husband or would have been husband, but at least it be drunken by a husband and wife.

"Where are you going? I thought you were going to eat with us?" My mom asked.

"I'm going down the street to Catherine's," I said.

"What are you 12 again?"

"No mom, I'm 32 and she invited me over this morning."

"This morning?" My mom asked.

"How did she find you this morning,"

No matter how old I got it seemed like my mom never got the hint that I wasn't 12 anymore. Quizzing me on where I went, who I was with. She was a flight attendant and missed out on me and Eve growing up. And was now semi-trying to make up for it. My dad saw everything: first tooth falling, first crush, first dance, ect. Once she retired, she realized that she had missed me and Eve growing up. Eve stayed in town so they could easily relive to days long past, me not so much. Yale was a plane ride away and Jacksonville wasn't around the block.

"Let her go already." Dad interjected.

"She needs a little break before she goes back up north to Jacksonville. Let her go hang out with her friends,"

"Thanks dad," I said.

"Good night,"

I quickly grabbed my keys from the front hall, ran out of the house, started my car, and drove to Catherine's.