She, the Kingdom (She #1)(4)
The elevator opened, and I made my way to the office, grabbing an empty copy paper box and setting it on my desk.
“Oh no,” Phillip said. “I heard the rumors, but you’d be the last person I’d think would lose her job. That means none of us are safe. I’m so sorry, Morgan.”
“It’s just administration,” I assured him. I took a breath and relaxed my shoulders. “Ellen will be taking over for the time being. She’s going to do a great job,” I said, smiling at her. I filled the box with seven years of picture frames and personal items while everyone crowded in my office, sniffing and saying their goodbyes. I hugged all of them, and then picked up my box.
“Good luck, everyone.” I pressed my lips together, trying not to cry. Margaret, Ashley, Peggy, Brad, and Dan—all varying ages, from all walks of life, and who had been part of the finance department family for varying lengths of time, were all tearing up. “I’m going to miss you. Please keep in touch.”
“This is so unfair,” Peggy said, dabbing her nose with a tissue that always stayed tucked in her watch. Her purple, tightly permed hair didn’t move as she shook her head. She and her husband, Bob, had been friends with my parents since grade school. That was the social model of Kills Cross, Kansas, our dusty, sleepy little town just southwest of Wichita. No one moved away, and if they did, it wasn’t for very long. My dad had just retired from the fire department, and Mom was a retired teacher. They were both looking for another income to get them through until they were too old to work, barely getting by just like everyone else. Peggy’s eyes reflected the worry I knew my parents would feel when I told them.
“Please don’t tell Mom and Dad,” I said to her.
She nodded, knowing the reason for my request.
Murmurings of agreements and farewells filled the office while I walked out to the main entrance, and then to my parking space where my tan Ford Taurus sat. Our relationship had lasted longer than my marriage. The tire treads were bare. I’d been putting off getting a new set to pay for Hannah’s baseball jersey, and for Josh’s soccer cleats. Now I hoped they would last until I found a new job.
I took a deep breath when I sat in the driver’s seat, feeling the hot summer air fill my lungs. The summer sun had baked the inside of my car for four hours, and when I twisted the ignition, stifling, stuffy air blew from the vents, making the dust motes scurry in the small space. Josh and Hannah liked to listen to Top 40, so I wasn’t sure why the radio was tuned to a blues station, but the song playing matched my mood, so I left it and let the man wail through the speakers. I drove the ten minutes home, squeezing the steering wheel as if it were a life line.
The moment I pulled into the drive and parked the car, my cell phone rang. The tone was a donkey braying—I’d set it the day my divorce was final—telling me it was Nick.
“Hey,” I said with a sigh.
“Bad day?” Nick asked. “Maybe this is a bad time to call.”
“No,” I said, looking down at my gray slacks. I picked a few pieces of fuzz off my thigh. “How are the kids?”
“They’re good, they’re good…”
I closed my eyes. “Just say it.”
“I was wondering if I could owe you for this month’s child support.”
“You owe me for December. And March. You keep getting further behind, Nick.”
“I know, but… I’m really strapped this month, Morgan. I’ve been trying to keep the kids busy, and it’s… it’s expensive. I can get caught up when my tax refund comes in. It should be here any day now.”
“I know,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “It’s just that…” I hesitated. Even if I wanted to tell Nick that I’d been laid off—and I didn’t—it wouldn’t change anything. “Fine. You can pay me when you get your taxes.”
“Thanks, Morgan. You really are the best.”
“You mean second best. I mean… you wouldn’t have cheated on the best, so that squarely puts me at second.”
Nick breathed out a heavy sigh. “I’ve told you a hundred times, Morg. It just happened. If I could take it back, I would.”
“Which time?” I asked.
Nick didn’t say anything for several seconds. “I’ve uh… I’ve gotta go. Thanks again.”
“Nick, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’ve just had a really bad day,” I said, already embarrassed. We’d been divorced for over a year, and I didn’t want him to think I was still angry. I was, but not at him. When his eighteen-year-old girlfriend had told me about their affair, I had been relieved. I was angry and hurt and afraid over losing my job, and Nick was the easiest target.
We hung up, and I sat my cell phone on my lap, covered my face with my hands and sobbed. With no child support and no pay check, I was in worse shape financially than I’d originally thought. I had no Plan B, nothing to fall back on. Back-to-school was just around the corner, and the kids were counting on me for new clothes and school supplies. I hit the steering wheel with the heel of my hand, and then grabbed it with both hands, letting my cries fill the car.
Chapter Two
The round table in our dining room only had three chairs left. Two were broken the night Nick left. For the most part, I’d tried to erase anything in the house that reminded me of him, except for the pictures in the kids’ rooms. They loved their dad, but they loved not hearing us fight, too.