The Pearl of the of Sea

Chapter 19

Steve and Michelle are both having dinner at the River Rock. The River Rock is a restaurant that faces the Manasquan River and adjacent to the restaurant is the Route 70 Bridge. Inside the restaurant is a bar and several tables next to the bar. It has wooden floors and big windows that look out at the river with a balcony. Steve picks up his fork and looks over at Michelle who is picking stuff out of her nachos, "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking the olives out, I don't like olives."
"Why didn't you just ask for no olives then?"
Michelle shrugs her shoulders, "I don't know when I get nachos at the bar they usually don't put olives in it." She then takes a bit out of the first nacho, "I don't mean to be nosy, but why did you hit your wife?"
Steve puts his fork down, "I only hit her once and I feel disgusted at myself for it. See I never told Neenah why I did it because I didn't want her to know the truth about her mom. The reason I slapped her, which I'll admit was wrong of me was because." Steve gets teary-eyed, "Was because she said that she regretted not aborting her and that it was her fault she got postpartum depression. She said she was angry that I wouldn't let her have an abortion. The doctor told her to get one because the baby would cause major health problems for her, but I didn't want her to kill the child we created together. Maybe I was wrong for forcing her to go through with the pregnancy, but to be honest, when Neenah was born I thought she was the most beautiful baby girl I ever saw. I remember the first time I held her my heart melted, I was so happy, and to think anyone would regret having this wonderful miracle angered me greatly."
"Wow, I felt the same when I had Jeffery, I always hated kids until he came into my life."
"Yeah, I remember you before you had Jeffery, you were one of those crazy childfree people."
"I know, but I still respect childfree people, not all of them hate kids, some absolutely love kids, they just don't have the patients or desire for them."
"Yeah, I guess so, I never really been childfree, I always wanted kids." Steve then goes back to eating his food, then he puts down his fork, "Hey, Michelle, since I opened about the mother of my children, whatever happened to your son's father?"
Michelle puts her food down and sighs, "He, was not a good man, that's all I have to say about him, he was evil and abusive." She slams her fist on the table, "I mean that psychic I saw said I would be married to a good guy and we would travel a lot. Funny enough, Nick Noble who is the principal of Brick Memorial was a teacher at the time, fit the description she gave me, but he claimed he was quite happy being single and instead of winding up with him, I was..." Michelle shakes her head, "Never mind!" she goes back to eating her nachos.
"Life doesn't always go the way we want, I surely learned that the hard way." Steve places his hand on Michelle's hand, "My wife at the time was a wonderful woman until addiction destroyed her. I really did love her, but the drugs turned her into a monster. I'm just grateful that I was blessed with two beautiful children, even if they don't love me."
Michelle forces a smile, "I wonder how the kids are doing at that dance."
Back at the dance Tom is in the bathroom rinsing his face off at the sink. The bathroom has white walls with brown tiles and beat up stalls with graffiti on them. He then rolls over to a long mirror and looks at his reflection of himself sitting in his wheelchair, "Why did you do this to me, God? I wish I could walk again." He then sees a pocket knife on the floor so he rolls over to it and bends over to pick it up, but he has trouble reaching it, "Damn it!" he then sits back and cries, "I can't even kill myself!" he then rolls out of the bathroom having trouble opening the door, but he manages to get out. The boys' bathroom by the gym faces the girls' locker room and doors leading out to the back of the school.
Annemarie is standing over by the bathroom, "You were in there for almost an hour, what's wrong Tom?"
Tom looks up at her, "I want to go home."
"Wait, they didn't even announce the homecoming king or queen yet!"
"I already know that Angela and Jesse will win."
"I thought you liked me instead of Angela?"
Tom sighs, "I really don't know, I'm just confused. I thought I was over her, but then I saw her kissing Jesse and it reminded me how he's better looking than me and he's more athletic. I'm just an ugly loser in a wheelchair and he's perfect!"
Annemarie puts her hand on his shoulder, "No, Tom you are perfect, sure Jesse may be good-looking and athletic, but you have something he'll never have: a good heart and great friends."
"I know, but Angela will never love me and I think I still have feelings for her."
"I don't think you have feelings for her. I think it's that seeing her with Jesse reminds you of how she dumped you because you became disabled and poor, so you feel like you're useless when in fact you have become a better person than you ever were."
Tom then grabs her hand, "I guess you're right, thank you." He then smiles and kisses her hand, "Come on let's go back in there and dance."
Back at the River Rock Michelle and Steve are laughing hysterically. They're finished eating and now they're having a couple of drinks. Steve gulps his beer, "That's so funny, I can't believe your son wore your sports bra!"
Michelle takes a sip of her sangria, "Yeah, one of the kids told him that his man boobs were so big that he needed a sports bra so he wore mine to school. I don't know how he got it on, but I had to throw it out because it was all stretched out. I have to admit my Jeffery does and says some pretty crazy things. Sometimes he gets me in trouble, but I still love him more than anything."
"Well at least he loves you, my daughter hates me." He then puts his beer down, "You know, I never really apologized for what I did to you in high school."
"You don't really have to, I mean we graduated over 20 years ago."
Steve shakes his head and touches Michelle's hand, "No, no, no, I should have treated you better. I was wrong to make fun of you."
Michelle smiles, "Yeah, but I did draw comics of you and everyone then teased you about them. Also, let's not forget the chants they made too."
Steve reaches over the table and touches Michelle's hand, "Maybe it's the beer talking, but I should have married you instead of Mandy. She was nothing but a money-hungry bitch, who only cared about herself and no one else. She used to be nice! Stupid doctors need to stop giving out opioids!"
Michelle leans over and kisses him, "We should head home before the kids get back from the dance."
Steve turns around, "Check please!"