WE GATHER TOGETHER by Edward L. Woodyard

We Gather Together Chapter Forty-Two

Jack Drexler stood on the front stoop of his house in a maroon ski parka and New York Yankees baseball cap, searching his pants pockets for his house key. He was already holding a small carabiner with the ignition key for his car, on which he had attached his wedding ring. He was anxious about telling Annie that he was out of a job; he had practiced in his head what he was going to say while he sat in a booth at a diner near his motel having two scrambled with bacon and whole wheat toast. Since he wasn't going into work that day, he hadn't even bothered to set the alarm in the motel room and had awakened past nine o'clock.

He had felt surprisingly good as he showered and put on a pair of wide wale corduroys and a front-zip sweater over his tee shirt. He was thankful that he had thrown up last evening on the motel bedspread, which he bundled and placed in a corner of the room for the maid service to deal with. He had thought of washing it himself in the bathtub while he showered but then thought the motel staff would have more effective ways of dealing with the situation than finding a dripping wet and heavy bedspread thrown over a curtain rod, straining the brackets supporting it and in turn threatening to dislodge it from the bathroom wall.

After getting dressed, Jack had put a $20 bill on the bedspread pile, then exited the room for the diner and the first of his three cups of coffee to make himself alert. He had taken his time at the diner, checking his cell phone for messages and ignoring a text from Michaela. He played a superhero game on an app, until a server mentioned that the diner was getting ready for the lunch crowd. He left a generous tip and drove off in his car, heading to New Fordham to confront his wife – or to be confronted by her.

Jack wasn't sure if Annie had heard his Corvette come up the driveway; he had been careful not to scrape the undercarriage of the car on the rise in the road in front of the house. He was ready for what was about to transpire, feeling clear-headed and sober now. After leaving the diner and driving a county road to get to his house, he had reviewed the previous evening in his head, concluding that there was nothing to feel guilty about today. He hadn't let booze give him permission to do something that he knew he shouldn't do. He had again slept alone and unaccompanied in his own bed at the motel.

Jack couldn't find his house key and thought it may have left it in the motel room. He rang the front doorbell. While he waited for Annie to answer, he surveyed the leaves on his front lawn. A wind the previous night had helped to clear a good portion of them off the grass, but there were still enough of them there that needed to be raked and blown into the street. He figured that Annie would remark about the leaves on the lawn as soon as she opened the door.

He saw her peek through the small leaded window in the front door. He didn't hear her unbolt the door before opening it. Annie put her thumb on the outside handle, indicating that the door had been unlocked. She stepped back to let him in. As he slid past her, taking off his baseball cap, she asked, "Got more money for me?"

He saw Kelly sitting in her pajamas on the living room rug, playing with Legos. "Hi, Kelly. I'm glad you're feeling better today."

"I am too, Daddy. Mommy said I should stay home from school."

"Can you give Daddy a hug?" he asked.

"Promise you won't get sick?"

"Promise. Pinky promise."

Kelly stood up and ran to her father, hugging him as he lifted her close to him. Annie quickly broke up the affection. "Go upstairs, Kelly, and get dressed, please. We have to leave for Grammy and Grampy's soon."

Jack put Kelly down onto the rug and kissed the top of her head. She searched for something on the floor and then ran upstairs.

Annie stared sharply at Jack. He went back to the foyer, wanting to position himself by the front door in case Annie started to lose her temper.

Then Annie wondered, "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Her question forced Jack to say what he had dreaded, "I was fired yesterday. I thought you should know."

Annie became agitated, immediately pacing the living room. She did not move toward Jack, who distanced himself from any physical reaction on her part. He clutched his Yankees baseball cap.

Annie knew she would once again have to be in charge and maintain control. She had her children to consider before anything else. They would come first in the argument which she knew would momentarily ensue. She breathed in and then exhaled. She needed a distraction so she wouldn't create a scene that Kelly might overhear upstairs. She picked up the Legos on the living room rug and put them in a basket next to the couch. On the couch, she had gathered toys and clothes in a canvas boat bag, which she would take to her parents that afternoon.

Jack watched as Annie continued to say nothing. He knew she'd respond. She went about the room picking up stray Legos and finding Kelly's stuffed bunny Chelsea under a chair.

Without looking at Jack, Annie said in a monotone, "That was yesterday, Jack. Today's a new day."

Jack saw two coloring books under a club chair, placed his baseball cap on the chair, and retrieved the coloring books, looking at Annie as he handed them to her. "I thought that maybe we could talk. Finally."

Annie took the coloring books from him and put them in the boat bag. She still would not look at him. "I'm late, Jack. I'm picking up Cara before we pick up Jason and Courtney at school. Then we're going to see my parents."

Jack was feeling her indifference and it was upsetting him. "My world just fell apart and you're racing off somewhere? Give me five minutes, Annie."

Annie could no longer restrain herself. What she was feeling about her husband was a long time coming. There were no children present, so now was as good a time as any.

"You want five minutes, Jack? Set your watch back five minutes."