Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
I read through the news clip before pressing the read more button, thinking that maybe it was a hoax or a prank. Which made no sense when you think about it because who would even bother?
The few friends I kept from my old life wouldn’t even think of doing something like this; besides, they hate Paul for what he did to me and the girls. Personally, from what I’ve seen, divorce is kind of like death to some people. They never think about their own mortality until someone close to them dies; it’s the same thing with divorce.
My divorce seemed to make some of the women in my mommy and me groups take a hard look at themselves and their own situations, and they did not like what they saw. It brought home the precarious positions some of them were in, and they wanted nothing to do with anyone who would do such a thing to their own family, let alone let that person near theirs.
On that note, I’ve had to cull the flock because some of those so-called friends, once they learned of my new marriage, seemed to think it was a good idea to try to climb the proverbial ladder by climbing my husband.
Now, I didn’t see this happen with my own two eyes, but Mo passed on the details of how one such friend was demoralized by the scathing response she got from Marcus when she tried not so subtly to test the waters.
That experience kind of opened my eyes to why people who win the lottery tend to disappear from their old lives if they have any sense. Because I didn’t marry Marcus for his money, I guess I kind of overlooked the fact that there are some women who only see dollar signs when they look at him.
‘If they knew about that monster cock of his, they’d run your ass over to get to him. Stupid. I told you, you don’t need no damn friends, especially the ones with slits. Them things is slick. And you know you can’t have any with dicks because that caveman you married would snatch your ass bald.’
Why are you so negative and grumpy?
‘Why are you so big and clumsy? Why did your man booby trap the bed so that if you move, he would know? Why is there a bell around your damn ankle?'
Okay, okay, I get it, you’re upset. But you can’t blame me.
‘Who should I blame then? Wasn’t it you that crept downstairs in the middle of the night and got caught having a pig fest that led to you crying all night about heartburn?’
I was hungry.
‘Bitch you’re always hungry, now look at you. You can’t go to the bathroom without asking, or you’ll get your ass beat.’
And you’re stuck here with me, so shut up.
‘The hell I am. I’m just sticking around for the drama because you two never disappoint.’
Hush, let me finish reading what I’m reading here.
‘What is it?’
Something about Paul being sentenced; I didn’t even know he was arrested. Where have I been under a rock?
‘No, your ass has been on house arrest for damn near seven months. Because you can’t see your own damn feet, and your husband is a little bit touched, bless his heart.’
Stop badmouthing my husband.
‘Shit, he’s so damn touchous with his bebe’s kids.’ I ignored him and carried on reading. “Thirty-five years, what the fuck? What the hell did he do kill somebody?”
Oh, my goodness, Paul was a thief? How the hell did I not know that? I felt a shiver run down my spine. Is this real? I almost wanted to go find Marcus and ask him if he’d had something to do with this, but as soon as I had the thought, it disappeared, and I felt just a tad bit ashamed of myself for even thinking it.
From what I’ve seen, he’s not the type, and Paul has proven that he’s more than capable of embezzling funds. My first thought was for the girls and how this would affect them. There’s been very little change in their life since the divorce except, of course, for the fact that their father is no longer around.
Only Gracie asked about him for a few months since she was old enough to realize that something was wrong, but Emma and Susie had adjusted pretty well to their new lives. Gracie’s coming along as well, but that could be due to the therapist Marcus had insisted she see.
Of course, Marcus can’t do anything normal, so the therapist comes here, and he or I watch them through the monitor. When I asked him why, he said when she was old enough to protect herself, she could be on her own, and he would no longer monitor her sessions if they continued.
But while she’s this young, he wouldn’t trust anyone except the two of us and, of course, Monique and Carl. I sometimes wonder about the things he’s seen in his travels that make him so distrustful of people.