Gone Girl

Mortimer, III

Mortimer

Mortimer awoke to his room filled with sunlight, the smell of bacon wafting in from downstairs, and his wife lying next to him, sound asleep. She wasn't there when Mortimer went to bed, and he didn't notice her come in whenever she did. Usually, Bella wasn't out past 9, especially on weekdays, but for the past month, she seemed to come home later and later. Mortimer didn't mind, though. He knew people needed space. He hoped this past year was just a low point in their marriage, and that she'd be back to her old self by... Well, he didn't know how long it would take for his wife to warm up to him again. He didn't know what he did to push his love away. It couldn't be hormonal changes; Bella was only 36.

He tried to push all of that away and focused on what was before him. Not everyone could say they were in a loving marriage.

Grudgingly, Mortimer pushed himself out of bed. Even though it was only 7 AM on a Sunday, he liked to be up bright and early in the morning. His daughter, Cassandra, was an early bird as well, but his son, Alex, was nearly impossible to wake up. He decided he would let him sleep today, though.

"Hey, dad," Cassandra greeted as he walked into the kitchen, "I made breakfast." Strips of sizzling bacon, a stack of pancakes, and a jug of fresh orange juice along with a large glass of fresh grapefruit juice (Morty's favorite) sat on the counter next to the stove. He swiped the grapefruit juice and took a long swig, feeling cold and refreshing tendrils creep into his stomach. "Delicious," he murmured.

"I saw a great aloe specimen down the road today," Cassandra said, "It wasn't in anyone's yard, so I think I'll dig it up and take it to the lab tomorrow." Cassandra was studying botany at Sim State, so she noticed and was very enthusiastic about the flora of Pleasantview. She always shared with Mortimer her findings, and he was happy to hear them. He was a roboticist, but had an appreciation for all the sciences, and noticed his children sharing the same appreciation. Cassandra showed interest in flowers and such at a very young age, so it was no surprise she would major in botany once she reached college. Alexander, however, only discovered his love for astronomy after Morty took him to the local planetarium last year. Since then, he'd been saving up his allowance money for a cheap telescope and some star maps.

"Where's Mom?" Cassandra asked, pulling Mortimer from his thoughts.

"Sleeping," he replied, taking another sip of juice. She had a long night, I'm sure.

"Okay then... I guess it's just us for breakfast." Cassandra pulled two plates from the cupboard, handed one to him, and began piling pancakes and bacon onto her plate. After doing the same, Mortimer sat next to her in the dining room and began eating.

"How's Darren?" Morty asked, trying to fill the silence.

"He is how he is," Cassandra shrugged, "Still not over Darleen. I try to help him, but he still clearly loves her. I don't blame him."

"Have you ever thought about dating him?"

"Dad!" she flushed, "We're friends. Just friends."

"I know," was all Mortimer said. A blind man could see how much Darren cared for Cassandra, but apparently she is blind.

"Well..." she continued, "There is someone I'm interested in. His name is Don Lothario, he came to dinner last week with Michael and Dina and her sister. Don't you remember him?"

Mortimer remembered him, and for some reason, he didn't like him the second he saw him. There was just something about him that was unsettling to Morty. Maybe it was his name? No, Mortimer thought, that's silly. "I don't know, Cassandra. I just think Darren would be better for you; you two have so much in common. You don't even know this Don character."

"Neither do you, dad. Don and I probably click way better than me and Darren." Cassandra put her fork down. "I know he comes off as sleazy, and I noticed it too, but I just want to give it a chance. End of discussion, okay?"

"Okay."

—

Bella didn't emerge from their bedroom until almost 12:30 that afternoon. She was still wearing her red silk bed robe and her hair was thrown into a messy ponytail. She looked like she'd been on a bender.

"Morning, sunshine," Mortimer joked.

She didn't even reply with a smile; she only took the French press from the cupboard and made a fresh pot of coffee.

Mortimer sighed. He didn't know why he was trying, but he kept on anyway. "Hungover?"

She scoffed. "I only had one drink. Everybody else drank a lot, though."

"Really? Who?"

She paused for a moment. "Well, it was me, Mary-Sue, and Daniel's sister Jen." The words tumbled out in an odd way. Probably still tired, Mortimer convinced himself.

Just then, the phone rang. "I'll get it," Mortimer said, reaching for the wall phone.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Morty! Just the man I wanted to talk to." The tinny voice on the other end was Mortimer's brother in law, Michael.

"Why's that, Mike?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. You aren't busy are you?"

Morty glanced over at Bella who was putting heaps of sugar in her coffee. "No."

"Great! I'll see you when I see you." and then he hung up.

"Who was that?" Bella asked, sipping her sugary coffee.

"Michael. He wanted to see me."

Bella raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "What for?"

"No idea. I'll be back soon." With that, he grabbed his shoes and headed out the door.