This Obsession of Mine (Raine Series #5) (11 page)

Joey

Wakin’ up the next mornin’ was a bitch. I wasn’t quite sure how much Glenn and I had actually consumed, but it had to have been a mass quantity, I knew that much by how hard my head was poundin’. I only hope Glenn was feelin’ it as much as I was. I rolled across the bed tryin’ to reach for my phone when it went clatterin’ to the ground. I was just hopin’ my mom didn’t hear it.

I was scramblin’ out of bed to grab it when my bedroom door squeaked open. “Hey bro, you awake?”

I looked up at him from the scorpion type position I was in, “Nope, totally still sleepin’. Are you some kind of stupid? And how the hell are you so damn chipper after everything we drank?”

“Been up since seven drinkin’ a shit ton of water. You should try it.” Glenn wound up and jumped onto my bed as hard as possible, and completely on purpose.

“Dick!” I punched at him, missin’ every time, and by the time I was done tryin’, I was all wrapped up in my comforter. Glenn found this absolutely hilarious, grabbin’ onto two ends and tyin’ me in a pretzel. I was shoutin’ as loud as I could with a mouth full of blanket when I heard my door open. I popped my head out and Glenn and I both went silent as our mom looked in.

“Really you two? Get downstairs now.”

As soon as she closed the door it was back to boyish behavior and me tryin’ to escape my big brother’s torment. About twenty minutes later we came boundin’ down the stairs to a death glare I was all too familiar with. “Mornin’ Ma.” I tugged my shirt down as I hit the bottom step, practically tripping over Glenn’s foot that he shoved out in front of me. “Real mature,
Glenda
.” I laughed as I ran around the kitchen counter tryin’ to avoid him.

“BOYS! SIT!” My mother’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard, causin’ us to instantly do what was asked of us.

“Geez Mom, all you had to do was ask.” I laughed.

“Joey Green, shut your mouth.” Her finger was centimeters away from my face, and that’s when I knew she was serious.

I put my hands up in mock surrender, “Sorry. God.”

“Both of you listen up. Your father and I are divorcing. Now I know this may come as a shock, but-“

“Not really.” Glenn answered.

“I second that.” I chimed in.

“Wait! What? What do you mean?”

“Ma, you’ve been miserable since…well…my whole life actually.”

“Longer than that. Given that I’m four years older.” Glenn smacked my hand out from under my chin.

“Jesus! Can’t you two stop being such children for one second?”

“No, then we would end up as miserable as you and Dad.” I didn’t think I’d regret it, but the minute the words came out of my mouth, I did.

“Well then, I guess this is good-bye.”

I stood and reached out for my mom’s arm, “Wait, you’re leavin’?”

“Yes of course. Your father makes all the money, and this is his house. And why do you care? I’m miserable to be around apparently.”

“Ma, come on, I didn’t mean it like that.” I reached out for her again, but she pulled her arm away as she started to head upstairs.

“Mom, come back and talk to us. Please?”

“I have things to do, Glenn. I’ll chat with you boys tonight at dinner.” And with that she disappeared behind her bedroom door.

“Dude, I can’t believe Mom and Dad are gettin’ divorced. I always thought they should, but I never thought they’d actually do it. Shit! What time is it?”

“Like noon. Why?”

“I’ll be back in just a bit.” I grabbed my jacket as I went runnin’ out the door, but then suddenly remembered that I didn’t have a car here. I poked my head back inside just as Glenn was tossin’ his truck keys at me.

“Be nice to her, and be back before four.”

“Thanks, bro.”

It was an odd feelin’ drivin’ through town. There were far too many memories floodin’ back that I would rather forget, my
wife
bein’ one of them. It was still hard to believe sometimes that it had been almost three years since I graduated and vowed to leave this place. Who would’ve thought I would actually accomplish it. I turned into the Abernathy Police Station a few minutes later, and was genuinely shocked at how busy it was here. Who would’ve thought there was so much crime in tiny Abernathy.

I walked up to the lady at the desk, glancin’ around to see if there was anyone else I could talk to. “Hey, I’m here to see a Detective Sanders.”

“Just one second.”

Literally a second later, a man about six two, two hundred and twenty pounds, give or take a few came saunterin’ out from behind an old rickety desk. “Joey Green?”

“Yes, Sir.” I held out my hand for him to shake it, but he just motioned for me to follow him instead. “Alrighty then.”

“Please take a seat, Mr. Green. Like I said on the phone, I need to talk to you about some information we’ve obtained about your wife, Tanya.”

“I’m a bit confused, Detective Sanders. What kind of information could you have about her that I don’t already know?” I laughed out loud, but I was secretly freakin’ out on the inside.

“Mainly about the man that your wife shot, and then covered up.”

I instantly started chokin’ as my throat instantly went dry, “I’m sorry…what was that?”

“Look Mr. Green, I’m not gonna jerk ya around. Honestly, I just need to close this shit case so I can retire with my full pension. Now were you or were you not present when the incident occurred?”

“I…well…that…um…” I continued to talk in incoherent sentences when the man that my
wife
supposedly murdered came walkin’ through the back office and right towards me. I pushed back out of my seat, practically jumpin’ right out of my own skin. “What the fuck?”

“Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that he’s still alive? Mr. Green meet Mr. Keets.”

“Pleasure to meet you?”

“I bet it is, given the fact that you don’t have to live like dead man.”

“Look, I’m real sorry about that, but she told me it was self-defense. You should have heard the stories she told about you. Trust me, I would do anything to not have to be married to that crazy bitch.”

“Would you now? Well that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” Detective Sanders sat me back down, and explained more than I would’ve liked to know about Tanya, far more.

I walked out of the station about two hours later with a renewed sense of life, I guess. As far as I was concerned I just had to play the part, and I would be rid of Tanya forever. Man, this was gonna blow. As I made my way up the driveway to the
Haunted Mansion
I realized that my life was so far off course that I wasn’t sure I was ever goin’ to be able to get it back. All I knew was this year couldn’t be over with soon enough.

When I walked through the door no one was to be seen, and the house was eerily quiet. “Hello?” Where could everyone have gone? Glenn didn’t even have a vehicle for cryin’ out loud. I reached in the front pocket of my jeans to call Glenn. Of course there was no answer. As far as I knew he was off with his wife somewhere. The phone beeped to alert me to leave a message, but there wasn’t really much I could say. How was I supposed to explain to my brother over voicemail my wife was some crazy whack job who decided to off a guy for a little bit of cash. 
Definitely
the worst Christmas ever.

~~~
A few hours passed and I guess I fell asleep on the couch because I woke up to Glenn coming to the front door like a bull in a China shop. “ Nothing like waking up your brother from a long winters nap.”  I thought the little Christmas pun would put him in the spirit. Boy was I wrong.

“What the hell is up with your sister Cami?”

“Uh dude, I don’t think I’d go around callin’ your wife my sister like that. It sounds a little weird, not gonna lie.”

“I had her come pick me up so we could do some last minute Christmas shopping, and all of a sudden, she freaks out on me. Starts sayin’ I’m a horrible husband for leavin’ back out on tour after the first of the year, and that I should care more about her feelings.”

“Stop me if I’m wrong here, but didn’t your wife just battle and beat cancer?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Wouldn’t you do anything for her?”

“Yeah Jo, what’s your point?”

“Is the tour that important? I mean, it’s not like y’all are young bucks. Maybe you should stay home and actually be with your wife while she’s healthy, and
not
sick.”

“I know man, but Madison and the guys would kill me. I already had to put off this tour because she was sick, and now that she’s better, I figured it was cool.”

“Did you ever ask her what she thought?”

“Well…no not really.”

“Seems to me like maybe you should. Maybe she just wants to be asked, and not told what you’re doin’.”

“Jesus Jo, when did you get all relationship knowledgeable and shit?”

“What can I say, that’s just me.” We both laughed, but abruptly stopped when our mom entered the room.

“Don’t stop laughing on my account. How are my boys doing?”

“Ma, are you feelin’ okay?” She was lookin’ a little haggard, for our mom at least, and she didn’t seem all high and mighty for once.

“Oh I’m great.” She replied in a sing-song voice. “I was just out getting some lunch with the girls, oh and then we got these amazing brownies from Sheila’s new boyfriend. They were delightful. Mmmmhmmm.”

Glenn and I started bustin’ up laughin’ as we realized what exactly was in those brownies that Sheila’s boyfriend gave them. “Hey Ma, have you ever smoked pot before?”

“Oh my, no never. Well, guess what was in those “brownies”.”

“Oh my god, are you serious?” She slowly started freakin’ out as Glenn and I tried to stop ourselves from fallin’ on the floor in laughter. “Joey Green, you stop that right this instant. This is
not
funny.”

“You are right, Mom. It is hysterical.”

“Glenn!” She was tryin’ so hard to keep a straight face, but within seconds, she was laughin’ right along with the both of us.

Before I knew it, the three of us were on the kitchen floor still laughin’ and eating practically everything in the fridge and cupboards. Okay, Mom was eatin’ most of the stuff, but Glenn and I didn’t want her to feel bad so we joined in. “Ma, if I would’ve known you were this much fun, I would’ve gotten ya high years ago.”

“Oh, Jo.” She suddenly stopped laughing and took a very serious tone, “Joey, I just want to say how sorry I am that I’ve always treated you and your brother so differently. I guess after your brother, I just really wanted a girl and when we found out you were a boy, I was disappointed, and I guess I’ve been taking that disappointment out on you ever since.”

I had always known what she was tellin’ me right now, but I never in a million years thought that she would admit it to me. In that moment I respected her more than I disliked her. I leaned forward and pulled her into a giant hug, holdin’ her close to me until she finally gave in and hugged me back. I was pretty sure it was the first time she had hugged me in almost fifteen years. “I love ya, Ma.”

“Oh, Joey. I love you too, so much.” She squeezed me tighter, and then I felt Glenn’s arms wrap around the both of us.

“I love this you guys.” The three of us were laughing and cryin’ all at the same time when we heard a clearing of someone’s throat comin’ from behind us.