“Anytime,” Ralph replied as he stuck his head out the window.
Ralph’s gaze shifted to my right.
“Watch out!” he yelled as he stepped out of the SUV.
I turned to my left and was met with a whack from Clarissa’s umbrella.
“You can’t get away from me that easily!” Clarissa stammered as she yelled.
“Hey, lady, what are you doing?” Ralph interjected, standing in front of the driver’s door.
“Hey, hey, hey. Stop. That hurts,” I said as I tried to take the umbrella from her. “What the hell are you doing here, Clarissa? Weren’t we just on the phone?”
I managed to take the umbrella away from her and gave it to Ralph.
“I’ll give it back to you, ma’am, when you settle down,” Ralph said.
Clarissa glared at him. She frowned, nodded, and then turned her attention to me.
“Didn’t you hear me when I told you I was in town when we were talking on the phone? The same problem as always: you don’t listen to me,” Clarissa said, frustration clearly in her voice.
“I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind. I really need to get to this meeting.”
My son, Michael, approached us as he came out of the club entrance.
“Mom! What are you doing here?” Michael asked.
Clarissa turned around. She smiled when she saw him.
He walked over to her and embraced her.
“Why were you hitting Dad in the middle of the sidewalk?”
“Nothing to worry about, Michael,” she said quietly.
“There you go. Here’s the umbrella,” Ralph said, handing the umbrella to Michael instead of Clarissa.
“Thank you,” Michael said.
Ralph gave him a thumbs-up, then started walking back to the SUV.
“Wait, wait a minute, Ralph,” I said.
Ralph stopped, turned around, and gave me a nod.
I turned my attention back to Clarissa and Michael.
“Look, I think this has been a big misunderstanding. Clarissa, why don’t you have Ralph take you back to wherever you’re staying? I’ll call you later so we can meet tomorrow and talk things over.”
“Fine. But don’t think for a minute I’ve forgotten what we need to resolve.”
Michael stood there for a moment, thinking.
“This sounds like more trouble,” Ralph muttered.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be happy to take you wherever you need me to take you,” Ralph said louder, in a friendly tone.
“My name is Mrs. Bennett. Stop calling me ma’am.”
