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Anxiety crept forward from the back of his mind. That wasn’t supposed to happen when he went to his happy place. Suddenly, the buzzing got louder, and a jolt of electricity surged through his body. Sitting up in his wonderful dream world, he saw his brother with a cattle prod in his hand. Shaking his head, Ace felt the fury building in his gut. This was supposed to be his safe place. Yet, here was Jo, invading it, just like he had every other aspect of his life.
The clouds turned dark as his brother cackled maniacally, approaching him with the electronic cattle prod. As the storm gathered overhead, Ace realized the barking was getting closer. His subconscious mind knew what that meant. A chill crept up his spine and he braced himself for what was to come.Why is it that there is no getting out of a fight with the crazy bastard, even now that he’s dead?
Movement and sound converged to alert him to Sparky’s presence. Tonight, like in all his other nightmares, the poor animal presented sans his skin. Barking furiously, he acted more like his deranged brother than the pet Ace once knew and loved.
With the dark clouds circling in one direction and his brother the other, Ace knew he was in for a rough night.
~ Barbara ~
Bouncing around her new home, Barbara unpacked her things from storage. When the last of it was finished, she decided to reward herself with some light yoga and a nice long bath before heading out to teach her night class.
Flipping on her big screen TV, she unrolled her yoga mat. A few downward dogs, planks, and mighty warrior poses later, she was feeling calm and relaxed. Dropping into the Bharadvaja's Twist, she closed her eyes and began counting to ten.
The tranquil moment was broken by someone pounding on her front door. Creating a protective barrier in her mind, she tried to shut out the ugly noise. There was only one person in the entire world ballsy enough to assault her door that way, and there was no way that she was going to let him keep shattering every moment of inner peace she managed to find.
Her door rattled loudly, and David’s irritated voice called out, “Don’t ignore me, Barb. I know you’re in there because your car’s in the driveway and I hear that ridiculous yoga music you love so much, so open the damned door.”
Finally letting go of any pretense of having privacy in her own home, she came gracefully to her feet. Padding over the plush carpet, she opened the front door.
“I knew you’d come running to the door like a little lost puppy when I came calling.”
Staring at her enraged ex-husband, Barbara simmered inside at his words. “From now on, ring the doorbell. If I don’t answer in three buzzes, assume I’m otherwise occupied and just leave.”
Disgusted was the word she’d choose for his expression. “You and I need to talk.”
“No we don’t. We said it all at the divorce hearing.”
Chuffing out an ugly laugh, he replied snidely, “I didn’t get nearly enough time to have my say, and most of it is for your ears only.”
“Fine, spit it out, and then leave me alone.”
He looked taken aback for a moment but recovered almost instantly. After opening and closing his mouth a few times, he finally managed to produce words. “Don’t expect me to come running when you fall flat on your face.”
Folding her arms over her chest, she leashed her frustration in an effort to be civil. “We’re officially divorced. I don’t see why you’re still trying to run my life.”
Snorting derisively, he glared at her. “Someone needs to.”
The man could get under her skin quicker than anyone she’d ever met. Swallowing back the scathing retort that came to mind, she tried to be reasonable. “I earn a decent salary, pay my own mortgage, have car insurance in place, as well as my own health care. I wouldn’t say that I’m in danger of falling on my face.”
“I know how much first-year professors make. You, my dear, are living paycheck to paycheck. The first time your car breaks down or your HVAC craps out, you’ll be needing me.”
Stepping back and grabbing the door, Barbara decided arguing about hypotheticals was an absurd waste of time for both of them. Her patience for answering to the man she was no longer married to had come to an end as well. “I really won’t need you for anything, but thanks for playing. Bye-bye now.” Attempting to shut the door proved a fruitless endeavor, when he wedged his shiny dress shoe between the door and the frame.
“I’m not quite finished talking to you, young lady.”
Glaring at him, she intoned, “I’m almost thirty.”
“On the outside, you may be twenty-nine, but on the inside, you’re more like a seventeen year old. You’ve blown through your half of the divorce settlement, and you need to know there’s no more money where that came from.”
“Look, you pompous ass, the majority of that money went for a down payment on my house, to pay my car off, and buy furniture. That money was rightfully mine to do with as I please. I used it to make sure I never have to suffer the indignity of having you in my life again, and yet here you are.” Gosh, that whole plan to keep her cool sure didn’t last long.
His voice softened a smidge. “You can do a lot worse than a husband who just wants to take care of you.”
“I fell for that line of bull once. Don’t think for a minute I’m ignorant enough to fall for it twice.”
“Why don’t you let me come in? I haven’t had a decent cup of coffee since you left.”
“Funny, you say that now, but when we were married, all you did was complain about my coffee, my cooking, and everything else under the sun.”
