Page 52 of Second Chances

“You know why Mom made this, don’t you?” Over the glow of the tapered candles, Henry’s brother glared at her. Both brothers were tall, but where Henry was slender, George was burly, like their dad, William. George’s perfect wife, Nora, had recently graduated from some piddly college with a degree in business, which sounded completely boring to Melanie, but the family made a huge potluck picnic in the park last month to celebrate. Catherine, Henry’s mom, even asked her to make something for it. Like Melanie had the time or inclination to cook? In her opinion, George and Nora always got treated like royalty, she thought sullenly, like when they got married last year. Huge wedding, with the extended family invited, plus it seemed like everyone in town was there, too. Big whoop. Nobody had bothered to hang up streamers for her and Henry when they got married three years ago. All they’d gotten as a congratulation was a microscopic picture in the town’s newspaper. Henry put his brother on a pedestal far too often, like when George graduated from a mechanics program in Beverley. What a joke that place was. Everyone around here treated it like it was a bustling metropolis, but there were barely even ten thousand people there. Melanie thought it was stupid that George took classes to be a mechanic, yet Henry did it, no problem. Nobody threw him a party. “It’s Henry’s birthday.” George’s voice mocked her, “But I bet you knew that, right?”

Like, no duh. Of course she knew it was his birthday…it had just slipped her mind. Uncomfortable with his family’s eyes on her, she tried to defend herself. “I just…I just thought Henry and I would celebrate by ourselves later.” Judging by their nasty looks, no one believed her. Except for Henry, who squeezed her knee under the table. When the family members individually handed Henry birthday presents, the knot of dread in Melanie’s stomach grew until it was her turn. Everyone looked expectantly at her. How could she have forgotten to get him a present? Why couldn’t she remember what she’d gotten him last year? Oh, right, she’d bought him a bag of fancy coffee because he was always complaining the stuff from the grocery store didn’t sit right with him. “What? Obviously, I…just…like I said, we’re celebratin’ alone later,” she sputtered, unable to control the Panhandle accent she worked so hard to hide. “It’s back at the apartment.” Their apartment, the microscopic space above his parents’ garage. When they had moved in, Henry promised it would only be until the baby came, then they would get their own house. Only, there had been no baby. Only Melanie had been relieved when her period came a week after they were married, unlike Henry, who’d actually seemed disappointed. He reasoned that, without a baby, it made sense to continue living rent-free above the garage so they could save money. Even if he never said it, she knew he had to remember her dream of moving to California. That’s pretty much all she thought about, which was why every week she took a little money out of the bank and squirreled it away.

Stares from Henry’s family caused a wave of shame. Everyone sat there, acting as if not having a gift for him meant she didn’t love him. She did, desperately, which was why she wanted them to get the hell out of this place. He deserved better than coming home every night with oil staining his fingers. His beautiful hands should belong to a doctor, not a grease monkey. He’d make the most perfect physician, with his grace and his polite ways. Even now, blond hair smoothed to the side of his head and blue eyes sparkling with laughter, she couldn’t imagine him crawling underneath some hunk of junk like he did six days a week.

The doorbell rang then, and Nora, of all people, jumped up. Why was she rushing to get it? Her sister-in-law didn’t even live there. No, she and George were lucky to have their own house one town over, where she was sure they got plenty of privacy, away from the prying eyes of the family. On her way out of the dining room, Nora called behind her, “I forgot to mention that DD might stop by tonight.” Surely she didn’t mean the famous DD? Melanie had heard nothing but rave reviews for Nora’s best friend, whose parents were loaded, she had surmised, but not as much as Nora’s family, who owned a bunch of car dealerships. Must be nice for Nora to have those connections, because she got a job there pretty much right after graduating. Fine for her, but you wouldn’t catch Melanie working all day long in some stuffy office. Or anywhere else, really. She’d tried working at the grocery store in town, but the boss, Dirk, was a little too touchy-feely, so she’d quit after two weeks. Just as well, because with all her free time, she spent her days reading entertainment magazines to stay current with Hollywood.

Nora reentered the dining room with two of the most gorgeous people Melanie had ever seen outside of a movie screen. “Hi everyone, sorry if we’re interrupting tonight.” Melanie gulped. This couldn’t be DD. With brown eyes tilting up at the corners and glistening brown hair streaked with gold, she was stunning, and something shriveled inside Melanie as Henry tensed next to her.

No one, aside from Nora, seemed pleased by their surprise guest, and silence hung for a second or two until Catherine rose. “Of course. Nora is family, so you’re welcome here.” Her mother-in-law pulled out two chairs. “Won’t you stay for some cake and ice cream?”

DD gave a small smile. “Thanks, but we can’t stay. Mother is expecting us for a late supper.”

Her father-in-law asked, “In town for the holiday weekend, then, DD?” This family loved a holiday, and the Fourth of July was no exception.

“Yes. We’ve been so busy, with our wedding, and school, and then the baby. We haven’t been back at all. In fact, this is Nathaniel’s first time here,” she announced, drawing the handsome man forward. With deeply tanned skin and shoulder-length black hair, his eyes were the most unique shade of golden brown. In his muscled arms was an adorable infant, a replica of Nathaniel, down to her jet-black hair and golden eyes. “And my parents haven’t even met Euphemie yet.” For a moment, a pang of sympathy rose in her for DD. Yes, Melanie’s relationship with her own mother hadn’t been perfect, but the wariness she read in the other woman’s face worried her. How had DD’s parents not met their grandchild until now? Her generosity ended when DD put her hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Happy birthday, Henry,” the other woman practically sang before following Nora into the living room.

Afterwards, Henry’s deafening silence haunted her on the climb up to their apartment. During their three years together, she had, of course, heard about his infatuation with DD in high school, and how his heart had been broken by her at their senior prom. Yet Henry’s intense affection for Melanie, along with his many declarations of love, led her to believe he was over her. Tired of his silence, she snapped, “You never mentioned how beautiful DD is.” She watched him for a reaction, but he barely blinked. “Did you know she was comin’ tonight?”

“What?” He shook his blond head. “Of course not!”

“You’re sure defensive about it. You barely said anything after she got there. And now you’re actin’ all mopey and sad.” Melanie narrowed her eyes. “Do you still have feelings for her?”

“Of course not,” he sputtered. “I wasn’t thrilled she showed up tonight, either. As far as I knew, Nora hadn’t seen her since their wedding.” Henry meant DD’s wedding, of course, because even though they were best friends, DD had claimed she was too plagued with morning sickness to make it to George and Nora’s wedding last year. Melanie had been relieved to be spared meeting her then. Henry raked a hand through his hair, annoyance coming off in waves. “And what was I supposed to say? The girl I had a crush on in high school is pretty? So what?” Henry pulled her close. “You’re the one I want. The one I married. You’re the one I love.” He kissed her tenderly, but all too briefly, before going down the hall to their bedroom. After she took a shower, she joined him in the bedroom, the one place they never argued. Sliding into bed, she curled up next to him, ready for the makeup sex that always made everything better, but he was asleep.

At the Independence Day Parade the following day, she and Henry sought shade under the awning of the Clover Lake Cafe from the sweltering sun. “Henry, you know what would be nice? A twist cone from the cafe.” No response came. Usually he jumped at the chance to make her happy, but he acted as if he hadn’t heard her. “Henry,” she repeated, but still couldn’t get his attention. She followed his line of sight across the sea of bodies lining Main Street, awaiting the start of the parade, but saw nothing of interest. “Henry!” Melanie spoke sharply, frowning when he finally turned to her. “Can you run in and get me one of them twist cones I love?” She batted her eyes extra hard, hoping he would smile like he usually did when she flirted. Eventually, he did, but it didn’t broaden the cleft in his chin, so she could tell he didn’t mean it.

“Be right back,” he promised, slowly moving through the crowd.

When the parade started, she still had no ice cream, so she walked up the ramp to look into the cafe’s picture window to see what was taking him so long. They couldn’t go anywhere in this town without him getting sidetracked by someone wanting to talk cars, which always annoyed her to no end. She put her hands next to her eyes and peered in the window, but no Henry, so she turned around. From the top of the ramp, her view changed. At the intersection of Main and Wallace, there was her husband, standing next to none other than DD, holding her baby on his hip. As Melanie gaped at them, DD rubbed Henry’s upper arm, infuriating her even more. DD had her own sexy husband, so what was she doing touching hers so intimately? And why was Henry allowing it? Fuming, she stomped down the ramp. So much for being the one Henry wanted; he’d forgotten about her entirely. No wonder he didn’t stay awake for sex last night. He was probably dreaming about another woman.

Battling tears as the first parade float drove by, Henry appeared at her elbow, holding only a vanilla cone and not the twist she’d requested. “Sorry, they were out of chocolate.” Was that all he had to say to her? He should be telling her he was sorry for taking so long…sorry for letting DD paw at him…sorry for holding another woman’s child. She didn’t care one whit, really, about the chocolate.

Taking the cone, she turned her back on him. “Sure took you long enough,” she grumbled. “I was beginnin’ to think you ran away.”

Without meeting her eyes, he said, “I saw some old friends.”

She snorted. “Old friends? You mean your ex-girlfriend?” That got his attention, and his eyes held truths she didn’t want to see.

“What are you talking about? She’s not my ex-girlfriend!”

“Sure didn’t look that way to me, not with the way she was touchin’ you. I’d like to know what her husband thinks! Where was he, anyway?”

“Mellie, please, it wasn’t what it looked like. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to make you upset. She was waiting for Nathaniel to bring their car around and needed me to hold Euphemie for a minute. They’re going back to Spearfish today. Sounds like her parents were not only nasty to Nathaniel but also to Euphemie.” Maybe if Henry’s eyes had been on her while he was explaining this, she would have been more understanding, but his head was facing the opposite direction, where DD was getting into a busted-up station wagon. The hurt on Henry’s face told her everything she needed to know about the state of his feelings for the other woman.

After that, Henry was a different person, withdrawn in a way he’d never been. She flirted, played dumb, cajoled him, used every trick she knew to bring him to heel, but nothing earned her even the smallest smile. When she asked him outright what was wrong, he remained stubbornly silent, not even complaining when she served TV dinners two nights in a row or frozen pizza the third night. In bed, he didn’t touch her or pull her close, like he usually did, and she swore she heard him say DD’s name in his sleep once, but he denied it the next morning.

She felt poorly the following week, but knew it was because she was sick of this place, of being a nobody, of Henry’s family everywhere, of Henry not paying her the least amount of attention, and told herself that maybe it was time for a change. Time to put herself first for once. Henry clearly didn’t love her enough to leave so they could build a new life together somewhere that allowed them both to make their dreams come true. Convincing herself in the early morning dawn that she had saved enough money to make it on her own, she hauled a suitcase out from under the bed. A wave of nausea hit, and she swallowed hard against it. More nausea fought its way up her throat, and she made it to the bathroom just in time. Three more attempts at packing ended the same way, with her vomiting as if her life depended on it. Muttering into the porcelain, “Lord, please help me,” she thought about the last time she’d been this sick. A worse feeling came then, as she considered the time three years ago at the Grand Canyon. No…she couldn’t be pregnant…not now. Surely she just had a stomach bug?

Melanie slumped on the bathroom floor, tears of rage filling her eyes. She didn’t want to be stuck any longer in this one-horse town, married to a man in love with another woman, in a family where everyone hated her. Gathering up her courage, Melanie rode a bicycle down to the Clover Lake Clinic, past the drugstore, where people stood waiting to get on the bus taking them out of this hellhole. After she peed in a cup, the county health nurse took some blood while Melanie wondered about the people riding that bus—where were they going? What were their plans? If she were on it, she’d never look back, not for anyone. Before long, Melanie got the news she dreaded: pregnant, and in her second trimester. This time there was no Fleetwood Mac playing.

Unable to find the strength to ride the bike home, she was walking beside it when her father-in-law pulled up in an old pickup. William Livingston, the only member of Henry’s family who treated her with any kindness. “Mellie. What are you doing? It’s hot as blazes out here.” Hopping out of the truck, he took the bike from her limp hands. “Go on up; I’ll give you a ride back to the house.” Melanie climbed into the truck as William threw the bike in the back. “On second thought, how about some ice cream?” Instead of heading home, they drove out of town. Listening to The Beach Boys in companionable silence, she laid her head back, almost asleep when William stopped the truck.

“Where are we?”

“We’re at The Dairy Barn; this place makes the best ice cream in South Dakota. Have you never been here?” At the shake of her head, William responded with disbelief, “I can’t believe Henry hasn’t brought you here. Catie and I used to round up the kids when they were little and bring them over here on Sunday nights. The little hellions loved it—well, George and Beatrice were hellions. Henry was always quiet.” He opened his door, then came to her side. “Come on, this is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a pep in your step.”

After ordering a banana split with strawberry and chocolate ice cream, Melanie sat down at a picnic table outside the barn. On the bench across from her, William sat down. “When Catie and I first got married, we almost moved here, you know.”