got back home in the early afternoon, she noticed that the kitchen carpenter’s truck was backed up to Andy’s open garage, and Andy’s car was there, as well. The pile of Bryce’s things was gone from the front yard. She couldn’t restrain herself any longer and she went into the house through the opened garage, guided by the sound of an electric screwdriver. When the noise paused she said, “Knock, knock.”
The carpenter turned away from the shelf he was removing. “Hello,” he said.
“Hi. Bob, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Is Andy here, by chance?”
“She’s around here somewhere,” he said.
“Whew, this is messy work, isn’t it?” she said to him.
“I’m afraid it gets to be a real messy ordeal,” he confirmed, going back to his job.
Sonja wandered through the kitchen and into the house. She called out to Andy and Andy yelled, “Back here.”
In the master bedroom, Andy was folding clothes into a cardboard box. “Oh, boy,” Sonja said. “This doesn’t look good.”
“Depends on your point of view,” Andy answered. “It’s probably long overdue.”
“You’re moving him out?”
“I’m packing up his clothes. He didn’t bring much into the relationship. Bryce has always lived kind of loose—few attachments.” She gave a sigh and folded a pair of jeans into the box. “I should have considered that.”
“Does he have things like furniture?”
“Boy things—a big-screen TV, motorcycle, sound system, computer. Basics.”
“How are you holding up?”
“Hanging in there. Noel is coming over later. I’ll explain to him, but he won’t be surprised.” She looked back into the box. “Or disappointed.”
“Oh, Andy, I hate that this is happening...”
“Like I said, it’s overdue. If I’d had a brain, I wouldn’t have gotten into it to start with.”
“So what got you into it?” Sonja asked.
She shrugged. “I think it was his basic equipment. Handsome, young, funny, endowed.” She looked up from her work. “I was just so lonely by the time he came along. You know?”
Sonja shook her head sadly. “I’m going to go home and make you something for dinner, something healthy and fortifying. Plus, a plateful of chocolate cookies. Well, they’ll be carob without sugar, but it’ll get you over the hump, and carob is so soothing to the digestive tract. I’ll round up some tea that’ll calm you so you can think clearly and feel your body’s messages....”
“Thanks, I appreciate the thought, but my body is sending me the message that it wants a greasy burger and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, with a gin chaser. Or two.”
“Oh, I know that’s what you think you need,” Sonja admonished. “But that’ll just dull the senses and prolong the recovery. Trust me. And tomorrow morning, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to burn some sage and waft the essence through the house with feathers. To clear away his presence.”
“Shouldn’t you wait until he picks up his stuff?” Andy asked.
“I’ll do it again, after. Would you like something to equalize you? I could give you a massage and balance your chakras.”
“No one’s touching my chakras today, Sonja. Not even you.”
“I have some cleansing herbs, if you’d like to do a body cleansing. It can give you such a fresh feeling.”
“Doesn’t that sound terrific? The shits for twenty-four hours? No, thanks. What I’d really like to do is get his stuff out of my space.” Andy glanced at her watch. “I have a doctor’s appointment in two hours, then Noel will be over.”
Sonja’s face took on a startled expression. “Are you feeling sick?”
“No. Just a precaution,” she said. “It turns out Bryce hasn’t been faithful.”
“Oh, God! Oh, Andy! I’ll whip up a herbal drink for you!”
“Due respect, Sonja, but if Bryce left me any souvenirs that drink will probably have to be made up of antibiotics.”
Sonja actually got tears in her eyes. “I just hate him,” she hissed.
“Good,” Andy said. “That makes me feel way better than herbs. Let’s all just hate him for a while.”
Sonja opened her arms. “Let me hug you,” she said.
Andy dropped the clothing into the box and let herself be drawn into Sonja’s arms. There was something about the way she held her that almost brought tears to Andy’s eyes. Sonja’s remedies and hocus-pocus bored her to sleep, but she had a nurturing spirit underneath it all that was wholly genuine and, in fact, healing. She was small, soft and strong, gentle and comforting. Before letting go, Sonja whispered, “Is there anything I can do for you right now?”
Andy pulled back and smiled. “Nothing. Just let me finish all this. It will help, believe me.”
“I’ll be home this afternoon. Call me if you think of anything at all. If I can drive you to the doctor so you won’t be alone, I’d be happy to.”
Andy laughed softly. “Believe me, I know the drill. This is my second cheating husband and I was single a long time in between. I practically have a standing appointment.”
Sonja said goodbye to Bob as she left through the kitchen. It crossed her mind that the disaster in there was very bad for relationships, it being the rear right of the house. She had suggested to Andy that they find somewhere else to stay during renovations, but Andy blew her off.
Ordinarily an afternoon with no classes or appointments for her consulting would make Sonja anxious—it meant she wasn’t getting the word out through referrals from people whose lives had been enhanced, and that wasn’t a good feeling. But today, she needed the time for herself. Even though she hadn’t liked Bryce, she grieved for the marriage. It would upset the balance in the neighborhood. She thought about her friends. Their husbands didn’t have a great deal in common, but on those occasions they socialized as couples, the men found plenty to talk about. They would stand around in a little clot, holding a drink or beer, talk seriously about their work or politics, tell some off-color jokes, pick at their wives behind their backs like men do—pure, simple pleasure for them.
Sonja met George when she was twenty-eight, he thirty-eight. They dated for two years before marrying and would soon celebrate their tenth anniversary. She hadn’t had many relationships before George and she knew why. She was considered eccentric. But George being mature worked out so well—he was calm, consistent. He might not fully appreciate all her zealous care, but she was keeping him healthy and his home life serene. He didn’t like to argue; he liked stability and predictability, and she liked that he liked that. She could work with that.
She
