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“Thank you for telling me, Deacon. I’ll see you later on at the dance,” I reply before hanging up the phone. Deacon is married to the biggest gossip in town, Edna. So I’m not surprised that I am hearing this from one of them, especially given the source of the rumor. Their son, Greyson, is the only lawyer in town, and I thought he was my friend, but I guess not. I get client confidentiality, but a heads-up would have been nice, especially since his mother is going around telling the whole fucking town my business. The business that has me unable or unwilling to fuck my wife. I was just finishing up after an AA meeting, which isn’t so anonymous in this town, when my desk phone rang. I was about to head out to the dance in order to be with Lavinia, but now I’m pissed… and hurt. I’m so damn hurt it’s hard to breathe.
Lavinia is trying to fucking leave me. And she’s being pretty vocal as to how she’ll accomplish that. I’m not thinking straight as I leave my office and then the church. I’m sure as shit not thinking straight as I barrel past people who are on the sidewalk, minding their own business. I always forget how many people live in Hollow’s Hollow until the town puts on an event. Then everyone crawls out of the woodwork.
“Hey, Pastor Reed,” Robbie, one of the kids in the youth group, says as I walk past him. I grunt in response, but I can only think about getting to Lavinia. I am not above begging her to stay with me. I love her; I’m in love with her, for God’s sake. I follow the sound of the country music that’s blaring from down the street. The square is empty right now, but I know that will change as dusk falls. Inside the town hall, I scan the room. First, I see Rachel sitting at a table by herself. I note that she looks sad, but I don’t have time to figure that shit out right now. Jasper and Sadie are dancing. Miriam is serving food. The only ones I don’t see are Ada and Hannah or their husbands. I also don’t see Lavinia. Until I do. Immediately my rage reaches Hulk status.
And what the fuck do you know? She’s dancing with Carter fucking Sutton. I’m the one who fucking taught her how to dance, and now she’s dancing with him, with one fucking foot out the door? I don’t fucking think so. I want to kill this motherfucker. Every day for weeks, every time I see him, he’s with my wife. I’ve seen the way he looks at her, but he can’t have her. She’s mine, and I won’t give her up without a fight.
This is why I am running toward them, creating a scene of epic small-town proportions as I do so. I can hear the group of old biddies to my right talking loudly. When I get closer to the dancing pair, I can hear Lavinia laughing. What kind of caveman shit is going on in my head that I only want her laughing at my jokes, hanging onto my every word?
I reach them and step into their space. I grab Lavinia and spin her to me, shoving her behind me.
“Alton? What’s wrong? Is Kelly okay? I haven’t seen her in a while…” she trails off as I cock my fist back and slam it into Carter’s jaw.
“What the fuck, Alton?” Carter shouts, squaring up.
“Fuck you, Carter,” I say, punching him in the nose, the eye, anywhere I can fucking reach. He gets some good hits in, but I’m enraged, and they don’t phase me.
“Alton! Stop it. What’s the matter with you?” Lavinia cries out from behind me. I chance a look at her, and she’s crying. My heart clenches in my chest, but she’s probably only crying because I’m kicking her boyfriend’s ass. Carter uses that opportunity to clip my jaw. I lunge at him, wrapping my arms around his waist and taking him down to the ground, where I punch his ribs, his face, anywhere I can reach really.
“Remember the Tenth Commandment, asshole? Don’t fucking covet my wife again. Get your own fucking wife,” I shout at him before turning away from him. I grab Lavinia’s hand and drag her out of the town hall to the stares of abject horror from those gathered. I’m going to have to issue a town-wide apology during my sermon on Sunday, assuming anyone comes to church. I can’t worry about that right now. I have to save my marriage. It means more to me than anything in this world and I’ll do anything to make sure she stays mine.
“Alton?” Lavinia asks, practically running to keep up with my long stride as I walk down the sidewalk toward the church. She trips and I slow down a little bit in order to keep her from falling. She sure is clumsy. It’s a-fucking-dorable.
