Certainly Sensible (2 page)

Sharlene winced. “Well, of course, it’s a real business, but Caroline is a grown woman! You’re not doing her any favors by coddling her with that allowance. As it is, she has no incentive to look elsewhere, and she’ll eventually regret putting her career on hold.”

Daniel tightened his jaw but didn’t respond. Instead, he loosened his tie and growled at the sedan’s driver as she honked loudly.

Sharlene checked her seatbelt, making sure it was securely fastened as Daniel spun the car out of the roundabout. “I think you’ve done enough for those girls, and you have no reason to feel guilty about getting on with your own life.”

Daniel shook his head. “Susan doesn’t even have a full-time job, never has had one. Even if she did, teachers don’t make much money, and part-time substitute teachers make even less.”

Sharlene dug in her heels. “So she’ll just have to exert herself! It’s time Susan stood on her own two feet and quit depending on you. I—we’ve waited three long years to get married, only to have your ex-wife continue to live in
our
estate. Honestly, Daniel, our future as a couple and our place in Belford society is at stake if Susan and your daughters don’t move…uh, get on with their lives.”

“Maybe we should give them more time,” Daniel suggested as he hit the gas pedal and speeded up to just over the limit, “to adjust.”

“They’ve had plenty of time, darling. I don’t think the judge meant for you to support your daughters into old age. For heaven’s sake, Daniel, they won’t be destitute! Four women should be able to live comfortably on much less than you’ve provided up till now.”

Daniel drove in silence for a while. “I suppose it’s time we all moved on.”

Sharlene turned her head so Daniel wouldn’t see her gleeful smile when she realized Daniel had finally agreed with her. Instead she pouted in mock sympathy. “Look how much you’ve had to sacrifice, darling, living by yourself in that apartment, instead of in your own home.”

Daniel threw his head back and laughed, and then winked at her. “I live in a three-thousand square foot penthouse, Sharlene. And I’ve hardly been alone all this time.”

Sharlene fought to control her temper. “You know what I mean. You’ve been a martyr long enough. We had to run off to Vegas to get married on the sly so you wouldn’t upset the girls.”

“You’re in the middle of planning your brother’s wedding,” Daniel retorted, “and you said you didn’t have time for anything else. I thought I was doing you a favor by taking you to Las Vegas.”

“Well, then, the least you owe me is a decent standard of living.” Daniel raised an eyebrow but looked straight ahead at the road. Sharlene folded her arms. She didn’t want to keep having this same argument with him. “It’s
your
house, Daniel, and you’re entitled to live in it!”

“I told Susan what you wanted, so that’s the end of it.” Daniel turned his attention to the traffic in front of him as he waited to make a left turn onto Meridian Street.

Sharlene smiled smugly and let Daniel drive the rest of the way home in silence.

****

Susan finally pulled herself off the bed and went into the master bathroom.
I told Megan I was going to soak in the
tub, and that’s what I intend to do
. She turned on the warm water, reached across the tub for the bubbling bath salts, turned on the Jacuzzi jets, and stepped into the oversized tub. Susan’s whole body felt like one big, twisted nerve. Her neck was tight, her back ached, and she found it difficult to even step into the tub. Once in, she relaxed into the bubbles and leaned her head back on a folded plush towel, hoping to alleviate the pounding migraine.

This is
what I get for marrying such an ambitious man when I was
only twenty-two.
Daniel always knew exactly what he wanted to do—Human Resources Management—and immediately after college graduation set about seeking just the right job with growth potential. He found it, not in their home state of Oklahoma but in Belford, Indiana, at the headquarters of a large health maintenance organization. They moved away from friends and family, and his career launched into high gear before Susan could catch her breath.

Career!
Susan snapped out of her reverie as her heart raced.
How am I going to support my daughters? I need a job! But how will I ever convince a school in Indiana to hire a middle-aged woman with no real teaching experience?

She sank back into her tub in despair. A moment later she pulled herself back up and fumbled around on the floor next to the bathtub, searching for her phone. She found it, dried her hand off, and pushed a button on speed dial.

“You’ve reached Emily Martin with Kinley Real Estate. I’m either on the phone or with a client, but if you’ll leave a message, I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”

Susan groaned in frustration. “Emily, it’s Susan, and this is an extreme emergency! You’ve got to call me back immediately!” She hung up the phone and hoped she didn’t sound too desperate, when in fact she was very desperate. She sank back into the tub and tried to relax in the bubbles.

After three daughters and twenty-one years of being Daniel’s supportive wife—managing charity events, doing volunteer work, and then finding private schools for the girls with their various talents—what did she have to show for it? A divorce, a large house she was about to be evicted from, no career, no direction in her life, and now she had to deliver the bad news to her girls. Daniel had dumped that on her, too. Caroline would be home from work soon, but Allie was still at school up in Chicago, finishing her final music exams.

The piano! What are we going to do about the piano?
They’d be forced to downsize, so wherever they moved, there would be no room to put such a large instrument.
The thought that Allison would have to give up her beloved grand piano gave Susan a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Allie’s whole life was her music, ever since she was a little girl and got one of those toy pianos for Christmas. Susan and Daniel had laughed at their little Schroeder, like in the
Peanuts
cartoon, but it turned out their middle daughter actually had talent. A few years later, Susan arranged for private piano lessons, and Allie showed signs of being a musical prodigy.
And now what will happen to
my daughter’s career ambitions?

Susan fought back tears. She wished Emily would hurry and call her back. Her friend might be able to help solve the housing problem at least.

Where are we going to live? Can I even afford a house?
Will we have to move to an apartment?

She shuddered at that thought, and as if in response to the chill, ran more hot water into the bath. The immediate future looked bleak, and Susan needed the help and advice that her best friend would certainly give her.

If I find a house, will all four of us be able to fit? And where will Megan and Allie attend school?
Why didn’t I listen to my attorney when she tried to warn me?

Susan collapsed back into the bubbles, but just as she was about to relax, her phone buzzed. She sat up and grabbed for it.

“Susan, for heaven’s sake, what’s the big emergency?”

“Oh, Emily, thank God. I’m in a panic!”

“So I gathered,” Emily said. “Do you mind telling me why?”

Susan took a deep breath. “Daniel was here.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s the worst, Em. He and Sharlene got married.”

There was a pause on Emily’s end. “And
that’s
what you’re upset about? He’s been carrying on with her for years.”

“No, it’s not about that. Well, a little, but it gets worse.”

“With Sharlene involved, I can only imagine.”

****

Caroline threw her handbag and car keys on the breakfast table, set the pizza on the kitchen cabinet, and ran up the stairs to Megan’s room. She didn’t even bother knocking, but Megan didn’t notice anyway because she had her eyes closed, listening to music on her iPad.

“Megan!” Caroline pulled the ear-buds out of her sister’s ears.

Megan sat up. “Hey! Why’d you do that? And where’s the pizza?”

Caroline took her jacket off and tossed it on her sister’s bed. “Megan, please. What’s wrong with Mom?”

Megan shrugged. “I don’t know, but Dad was here earlier, and Mom was crying when I got home from school.”

Caroline took a deep breath to ease the queasiness in her stomach. Despite her dread, she piloted Megan down the hall to their mother’s bedroom and gently knocked on the door. “Mom?” Poking her head in the door, she saw her mom lying in the middle of the king-sized bed, down comforter askew, wearing old jeans and a t-shirt, her hair still wet and uncombed from the bath. The TV was on and blaring. Susan lay on her back pretending to watch, but she was really just staring at the ceiling. Caroline grabbed the remote and turned the set off.

“Mom,” she tried again, “what did Dad say to get you so upset?” No answer. “Was it because he got married?”

Susan sat up and looked at Caroline, eyes wide with surprise.

“Yes, I know about it. Dad texted me.” Silence. “Mom, really, Sharlene’s a social-climbing snob, but she’s not worth all this drama.”

Susan grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. “I couldn’t care less about Sharlene. I care about you girls.”

Caroline sat down on the edge of the bed and patted her mother’s arm. “We know that, Mom. But what exactly did Dad say that’s got you so upset?”

Susan slowly stood to face her daughters and sighed, her shoulders slumped, “Your dad wants this house back.”

“Well, I guess that’s no surprise,” Caroline muttered.

Susan shook her head. “In one month.”

Caroline sucked in her breath, and Megan’s mouth dropped open. “One month?” Caroline’s head was swimming. “How is that even possible?”

“There’s more.”

“More?” Caroline looked over at Megan and winced.

Susan took a deep breath before blurting out the rest of it. “Your dad will no longer pay Megan’s private school tuition or Allie’s. And Caroline, your dad says it’s time you were on your own financially, so he’s cutting off your allowance.”

Megan gasped. “What? Where am I supposed to go to school?” Caroline tried to put an arm around her sister, but Megan brushed her off.

“You can finish out the school year at Willowby, but then you’ll have to go to public school next year,” Susan told her. “You and I already talked about Belford High School…”

“Mom! Public school?
You
talked about it, but I didn’t think you were serious. Anyway, I can’t! Belford High’s art department sucks!”

“Be honest, Megan,” Susan said. “You haven’t been doing very well at Willowby for the last couple of years. Except for the art classes.”

“I haven’t been in any fights for months, and my grades are…”

“Mostly Cs and Ds,” Caroline finished for her.

Megan glared at her sister before turning back to her mother. “Willowby is the only school I’ve ever gone to!”

“Yes, I know, but your dad stipulated in the divorce settlement that he would only pay the tuition if your grades and behavior improved.”

“And you’re just now remembering that?” Megan cried.

Caroline tried to stay calm despite her rising panic. “Dad can’t be serious. How does he expect us to manage a move so quickly? One month? That’s not nearly enough time to find a house, to—”

“I called Emily.”

Caroline nodded. “But even Emily can’t work miracles.”

“Why now?” Megan demanded. “After all this time?”

Caroline glanced at Megan, met her mother’s eyes, and knew the answer. “Sharlene?”

Susan nodded.

Megan glowered at both her mother and sister and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Caroline and Susan stood there in silence. Caroline tried to let their situation sink in, to absorb the reality of their predicament, but she noticed the tears in her mother’s eyes.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, but Megan?”

Then Caroline slapped her forehead. “And Allie! Mom, we’ve got to call her.”

“Absolutely not. If she fails her performance final because she’s too distracted…” Susan shook her head. “No, this bad news can wait till she comes home from school.” At that, Susan collapsed back down onto her bed, scattering pillows everywhere, turned the TV back on, and resumed staring at the ceiling.

Caroline, confused about how to help her mother and sisters, recognized the familiar churning in her stomach. “I need an antacid.” She headed down the hall to her bedroom.

Chapter Two

A week later, Susan had had a chance to regain her perspective and dignity, and had formulated a plan. She checked her look in the master bathroom’s full-length mirror, snatched up her comb for one last swipe at her short brown bob, and then did a complete turn for a final assessment. Dressed in a navy blue suit that fit snuggly on her tall, slim body, she outwardly looked like a professional woman. But inside she was a mass of insecurities.

I’m a forty-six-year-old divorcee, interviewing for my first real job.
She took a deep breath, adjusted her jacket, picked up her newly-acquired briefcase off the foot of the bed, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Megan was sitting at the breakfast table eating a bowl of cereal and reading a story in her English textbook. “What’s that, Megan? Homework?”

Megan looked up from her breakfast. “Where are you going all dressed up like that?”

“I’ve got a job interview in Indianapolis, so if you hurry I can drop you at school on my way. Unless you’d rather ride the bus?”

Megan gave her mother that
yeah-right
look and went back to eating her cereal. “Hey, Caroline, can you drive me to school?”

Susan turned around to see her oldest daughter taking some yogurt out of the refrigerator. Caroline was dressed in crisply starched jeans, an off-white linen blazer, and low-heeled sandals, her strawberry-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. “Caroline! I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You look nice, Mom.” Caroline stuffed the yogurt into her bag. “Where are you headed?”

“I have a job interview,” Susan said, nervously smoothing out her jacket.