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They walked up the stoop together, and Steve knocked. In less than a minute, Lola answered the door, looking down at them with a smile.

“Al, your wife is here,” she said, pushing the door open. “Come on in. We’re just having a beer.”

Beverly walked through first, and Alfonso saw her, a foot shorter than Lola, looking fragile and beautiful and scared. However, he felt no shame or remorse. Almost proud that he’d been able to attract such a gorgeous young woman, he hoped it embarrassed Beverly, that she’d feel guilty that she’d allowed herself to get older.

Then he had a hot flash. She couldn’t help aging any more than he could. Since he wasn’t a complete dog, he remembered that a gentleman stood, but he didn’t move from the couch.

While he thought such things, Beverly had similar, derogatory thoughts:Figures he’d choose a lowlife redneck like Mae Beaumont’s daughter-in-law to fuck.Looking around the cute house, it was a poor man’s house, decorated in early family life with beat-to-hell furniture and cheap artwork hung too high on the wall.

Wondering about intimate things, too, like did his breath stink when he made love to Lola, or was he more conscientious about his hygiene since he had a girlfriend. Was Lola his first? She’d think about it later, trying to do a timeline. Alfonso Casson hadn’t been a serial adulterer, to her knowledge.

“I had no idea,” she finally said, breaking the silence. “I guess you must want a divorce.”

They looked at her, waiting. She was so poised for just catching him at his mistress’s house. Was there a temper tantrum about to erupt? Finally, a little regret seeped in. He was sorry he’d disrespected her.

“We can talk about it later,” Alfonso said.

“No, that’s okay. I don’t want to see you again,” she said. “Infidelity pretty much guarantees that you’re going to pay if I’m not incorrect. You must want to be with her since here you are, and who knows for how long you’ve been doing it.”

She looked around the humble space, her turn to be amused. “You did well for yourself,” she said, this time directed at Lola. “Wealthy older guy. Anyway,Al,” using the nickname she’d never used in over thirty years, “you’re free to do what you want. I’ll talk to Jerry in the morning.”

“Jerry’s not a divorce lawyer,” Alfonso said, the first hint of fear in his voice.

“This time he is. We can kill two birds with one stone. Stevie here’s getting a divorce, too.”

“What’s this all about?” Alfonso asked, concerned.

Getting fed up with the family altercation, Lola had had enough.

“Do you mind taking this to your own home?” she asked.

Reaching for his jacket, Alfonso moved toward his family, eager to return with them and find out what was going on leaving Lola infuriated. But Beverly was through.

“No, I told you I don’t want you to come around,” Beverly said. “Stay here withLola. We’ll leave. Come on, Stevie.”

They left the house and walked quickly to the truck, leaving Alfonso standing in the doorway, his mouth hanging open.

“You did good, Mom. I’m proud of you.”

“Nothing to be proud of. It was either let him go or turn into a fishwife, and I think he was afraid that would happen.”

“What’s a fishwife?” Steve asked.

“What I am when I get angry enough to lose control and get shrill. Staying drunk all the time helped end that. But I think I’m going to walk across the street to the community center in the morning and start AA meetings.”

“Wow, Mom, you’re serious?”

“I’m serious. You were right, son. I needed to see how far down he’d sunk.”

That wasn’t exactly what Steve had hoped she would get from that encounter, but whatever worked was a good thing.

“So what are you going to do now? You can’t leave Annie when she’s pregnant, Stevie. That’s about as low as low can be.”

“Mom, I don’t love her. I don’t even know her, and I don’t want to know her, which is worse. I love Lisa. That’s my girlfriend’s name. I want to move back into the apartment. Annie can move in with one of her girlfriends, and then Dad can have our house.”

“Musical houses,” Beverly said, shaking her head. “Right before carnival, too. It’s not right, but I guess it’s okay, shake things up good, and then, hopefully, by Ash Wednesday they will calm down.”

Pulling into the driveway of the family home, Steve just wanted to get back to Annie and firm things up for their separation. But when he got there, she was gone.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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