Lunch is when you’ll tell me. We’re having lunch today.” Celia was eager to know more.
“Okay, okay, okay. Come get me around noon. Let’s eat outside.”
Morbidly Entertaining
Shortly after noon, Celia and Emma found a small square table on the terrace outside the cafeteria. Celia placed her dish of sushi on the table and put the empty tray on the chair to her right. Emma set her tray on the table but didn’t remove her lunch.
“I’m all ears.” She was bursting with curiosity.
“This is for your ears only, Celia. Got it?”
“Got it. Go on.” Celia slapped the bottom of her cranberry juice and twisted off the cap.
“When Fredric and I started dating, he and his ex-wife were divorced. Freddy was five years old. He wasn’t even a year old when they split up. She married someone else about a year after the divorce was final.”
“Oh my God! Freddy! He’s your stepson!” Celia’s voice escalated to a squeal. “This is amazing! How could I have never known this about you?” Celia was stunned by the new information. “How does someone get married that soon after a divorce?” She shook her head.
“I know, it’s confusing. She’s confused too. She seems to confuse marriage for dating.”
Celia laughed. “What’s she like?”
“That’s a tough question. I’m sure when someone meets her, they think she’s nice and maybe even attractive. She puts on a good act.”
“How long was Fredric married to her?”
“About two minutes. I’ve had leg cramps that lasted longer than that marriage.”
“Get out! Seriously! How long were they married?”
“Not long. Not even two years. I think it was less than a year and a half.” Emma took a forkful from her Asian chicken and rice bowl.
“Oh my God.” Celia sipped her juice. “Oh my God.”
“She was three months pregnant when they got married. They dated about a year. She wanted to get married and Fredric wanted to break up because they fought all the time. She got pregnant and he married her. She won that battle.”
“Whoa!” Celia put her hands up with her palms facing Emma. “How old-fashioned! Who pulls that trick these days?” She put her hands down and picked up a piece of sushi with her fingers. “Keep going. You talk, and I’ll eat my lunch.” Celia popped the salmon and rice into her mouth.
“It was around 1988.”
“That wasn’t THAT long ago. Maybe the sixties or early seventies would make sense for the marriage thing, but the eighties?” Celia nodded her head, rolled her eyes, and motioned for Emma to continue.
“I think he hoped it would work out. He was young, trusting and naïve. Plus, he loves kids and was excited about becoming a father.”
“When did they get divorced?” Celia was enthralled with the story.
“She was three months pregnant when they got married. She left when the baby was ten months old. They got divorced not long after she moved out.”
“She took the kid and left?” Celia was shocked.
“Not exactly. She didn’t take Freddy with her. She left both of them. Fredric got custody. She moved in with a guy she met at work. They were married within a year. She spent time with Freddy, but he didn’t live with her and her new husband. A year before I met Fredric, she went to court and got custody. It broke Fredric’s heart—it simply devastated him. He was a single dad for close to four years.”
“What? I’m in total shock about this. How does that happen? She left her son for over three years and then gets him back?” Celia shrieked in horror.
“Sympathetic female judge? Who knows. Fredric still spent a lot of time with him, even though she got custody. Freddy usually stayed with him from Friday afternoon until Monday morning. Freddy was in daycare during the day and the new husband had a night shift. It worked out. Let’s not forget the supplemental income from the child support. She never paid him anything when he was the single parent, but when she got Freddy back, Fredric paid child support to her.”
“Unbelievable!”
Emma snickered. “See, I told you it’s not that great of a story.”
“Oh yes, it is.” Celia rolled her hands and motioned for Emma to go on with the no-longer secret information.
“That’s it. Voila. I have a miserable ex-wife and now you know.” Emma stirred the chicken, veggies, and rice and then took the fully blended mixture to her lips. “This is delicious.” She scooped another forkful.
“How come you want to keep it such a secret?”
“I don’t know.” Emma lowered her fork onto the plate. “I don’t care that Fredric’s divorced. She’s a total nut and it’s mind-boggling that Fredric could have been with someone who behaves the way she does. I’m afraid I’ll know someone who knows her, and I don’t want the association. She’s an embarrassment. Like I said, I needed to share the stories as a sanity check. Jillian made it fun to talk about. I miss her terribly.”
“You’ve done a good job keeping it out of your conversation.” Celia popped another piece of sushi into her mouth. “I’m dying to hear more.”
“Good to know.” Emma grinned. “It isn’t all that interesting, I promise you.”
“Why does she call you continuously? And why do you bother to answer when you hang up on her anyway?”
“I answer because I’m never sure it’s her. She blocks her number and it comes up Unknown, but a few of my friends have private numbers too. When Unknown displays, I can’t tell whether it’s friend or foe. And I don’t hang up on HER—she hangs up on ME.”
“Are you sure it’s her?”
“Yeah. I’ve heard people in the background say her name. A couple times she didn’t hang up properly, and she stayed connected to my voicemail. I have recorded conversations of her talking to people where she works.”
“Get out!” Celia slapped her hand on the table.
Emma’s eyes sparkled. “I’m glad you’re enjoying this, my dear. You might be sorry you know. I may need to vent to you the next time I have to be around her.” Emma took another bite of her rice bowl and then a drink of water.
“This is incredible. You have to tell me more.”
“Celia, I could keep you amused for years.”
“I’m going to look forward to this. I’m still in shock. What fun it will be to hear more detail.”
“Yeah, fun.” Emma shook her head. “The actual living it isn’t fun, but the stories are kind
