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"You're welcome, ma'am," the operator said. "Have a wonderful day."
Veronica heard a click and hung up the receiver. 457 Parkfield Crescent. She didn't need it repeated. Anyone who'd ever watched or heard the local news before knew where Parkfield Crescent was. She got back into her car and turned it on, pulling out into the street.
~~~
Veronica drove down Aberfoyle Street, trying not to stare at any one thing for too long. She had locked the doors of her car 10 minutes ago. Outside in the streets several homeless men, their clothes frayed, looking as though they hadn't eaten in a week, were standing around a fire burning in a garbage can. They turned to follow Veronica's car as she drove past them, and when she was gone they all turned back to the fire.
Veronica was in the slum neighbourhood, the bad part of town that she and all the other well-to-do people talked about but had never been to. The buildings around her were dilapidated, the windows either broken or boarded up. Adults leaned out of the broken ones, folded blankets over the frames, staring out into the street. Dirty-looking children ran and played among the garbage, hiding and seeking in an abandoned lot that housed at least one scrap car.
Veronica turned onto Parkfield Crescent, one of the more notorious of streets in this neighbourhood. It seemed like every day that drug busts and gang wars were happening here, people getting arrested or killed. Veronica slowly past the numbered houses, all of them in a sad state. A lot of the windows had bars over them, with several of the driveways having cars that had recently been broken into.
She counted the numbers going down as she drove. 463 ... 461 ... 459 ... 457. There it was. She pulled up to the sidewalk and parked her car, turning it off and putting the keys in her purse. She stayed sitting, staring at the house. It looked as bad as the rest. Jason's home. She felt sorry for him, sorry that he couldn't be in a better place.
Jason's car was in the driveway, which hopefully meant he was home. She thought over what she was going to say, how she was going to tell him what had just happened between her and Greg. As she sat in the car thinking, the front door of his house opened. Veronica snapped out of her thoughts as she watched a woman dressed very provocatively walk out onto the front step. A second later Jason followed her, stretching his arms up into the air and yawning.
The two talked for half a minute, not aware of Veronica sitting in her car across the street. She watched their lips move soundlessly. Jason leaned forward to say something and the woman laughed, putting a hand on his chest. He laughed too, she said something else, and they wrapped their arms around one another and hugged. Veronica watched in horror as Jason planted a kiss on the woman's cheek, holding her tight as they said goodbye.
Veronica's heart dropped in her chest. Was this how important she was to Jason? That he could sleep with another woman so soon after getting into a fight with her husband? After crying on her shoulder? Veronica began to hyperventilate. She didn't want to see this anymore. She didn't want to be here. She had made a mistake and she needed to leave. Now.
She reached into her purse to grab her keys, but it slipped out of her hands and fell onto the floor by her feet. Veronica swore to herself and leaned down to grab it, but as she did her head hit the horn on the steering wheel, making it honk. She sat bolt upright and saw both Jason and his new woman looking over at her car. The woman said something and Jason shielded his eyes from the sun, trying to see more clearly.
Veronica's heart began to hammer. She leaned down, avoiding the wheel this time, and grabbed her purse. Pulling the keys out of it, she stuck them in the ignition but when she looked up again she saw Jason walking over to her.
She turned the keys but the engine wouldn't start. She tried again but only a whining noise came out. She was almost panicking now as Jason crossed to her door and approached the window. He knocked three times on the glass. Veronica let go of the key and gave up starting the car. She slumped down in her seat and reached down, rolling down the window.
Jason leaned down so he could see into the car.
"Veronica?" he asked, sounding surprised. "How did ... what are you doing here?"
Veronica sighed.
"I came to see you," she said. "But I didn't know you had another woman over. I'll leave, I'm sorry."
Jason looked over at the house where the woman was still standing there, watching the two.
"You mean Alexis?" he asked.
"Sure, Alexis, whatever."
"Alexis is my sister," Jason told her. Veronica turned to stare at him.
"What?" she asked.
"Alexis is my sister. She came over to help me with my painting."
Veronica was at a loss for words.
"Here, come on, I'll introduce you two," he said, taking a step back from the car. "But ... roll up your window first. And lock your doors."
Veronica took a second before nodding mutely and rolling up the window like he said. She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her purse, taking the keys with her. Opening the car door she got out, locked it, and shut it behind her. When she turned to face Jason they locked eyes for a moment before he spoke.
"Come on inside," he said, and he lead the way to his house. Veronica followed as they approached the woman -- Alexis -- still waiting on the front step.
"Who's this?" Alexis asked before Veronica could say anything.
"Alexis, this is Veronica. Veronica, Alexis."
Veronica held out her hand, but Jason's sister didn't take it. Instead her eyes went wide as her eyebrows raised.
