The Caller
1295 Words
Adelaide
I barely get through the door when Antoine walks up to me with a handset of one of the house phones, smiling. "Addy, your husband is on the phone."
Those few words have the power to stop me dead in my tracks and knock the air right out of my lungs.
For what feels like several seconds, I just stare at Antoine like he's announced the death of a family member. What spurs me to reach for the handset is Everett sidestepping me with a few short words to Antoine that I don't catch and disappearing down the hall, presumably to his room.
"Thanks, Antoine," I murmur before following the same path Everett took. Instead of going straight like he is, I shut myself inside the nearest empty room.
Then, I press my phone to my ear and let my emotions wash over me freely. "You asshole. What did I say to you?"
"Honey, that's no way to answer the phone," he says in a scolding tone, but there's a playfulness beneath it that wasn't there during the entirety of our marriage. "I was worried about you. If you'd answered the text messages I sent you, I wouldn't have felt the need to call."
Disgust rolls in my stomach and I press my closed fist to my forehead. "What part of 'I want a divorce' do you not understand, Rick? I'm not going to answer your texts because we have nothing else to talk about. From now on, we communicate through lawyers and that's final!"
Rick laughs. It's cold and mocking, and right now, my body's covered in goosebumps. Even my scalp is crawling. "Addy, you know as well as I do that this isn't how things are going to work out."
"Yeah? And why's that?" I grit out.
He lets out a sigh and I hear something creak. It sounds like an office chair. "Is this how you want to go about it? Fine. Play your little games, Addy, and I'll play mine. You're nothing without me. Do you understand? Nothing."
Rick hangs up before I can say another word. I have the urge to fling the handset across the room, but what good will that do?
I give myself a few moments to calm down, then open the door to give the phone back to Antoine. He's in the living room, where I left him, and smiles as he takes it from me. "Is everything alright, Addy?"
"Yes, Antoine." I force a smile. "Just fine."
"Your grandmother would like to speak to you. She's in her bedroom."
I don't know why, but my heart drops to my stomach and I have a terrible feeling. I walk to her room, and every step I take just adds to the tension growing inside of me.
Why does she want to talk to me at this hour when, technically, she should be asleep?
Her room is just down the hall from mine. I clear my throat before knocking, and she immediately tells me to come in.
I find her in bed, dressed in a pale pink silk nightgown with lace trimmings. Smiling at me, she pats the side of her bed and says, "Come, Addy."
"Is everything okay, Granny?"
"You're the one who's going to answer that question," she claims, still smiling. "I want you to sit here and explain to me why your husband keeps calling every half an hour. What's going on?"
Her question makes me feel nauseous, mostly because I know I'm trapped now. I'll have to explain what's going on to her or she'll get offended that I lied to her later on.
"Oh, Granny," I sigh, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I didn't want to tell you now. I was hoping to wait until after your birthday."
"It's just a day, Addy. There's no reason why you have to spare me. What happened?"
Tears rush to my eyes as I tell her what happened. Saying the words out loud makes the whole situation sound so surreal.
After I'm done, Granny stays quiet for a long time. I shake my head and wipe the tears on my cheeks with the back of my hand. "I don't understand what he means when he says that I know how this will end. It's like he's not taking my demand for a divorce seriously at all."
"That man is cruel, Addy," she finally says in a low voice.
"I know. You always told me you didn't like him. I...I didn't listen once."
"Don't blame yourself. You were a young woman in love, blind to all his faults. He's the one who wronged you, Addy, and you don't know how sorry I am that you're going through this. Come closer so I can hold you."
Rest my head against Granny's bosom and she strokes my hair. "We're going to find a solution. Don't worry. In a few months, you'll be free from that monstrous man."
"I hope so, Granny," I claim. "I know it might sound like I'm just doing this because I'm hurt, but I don't want him anymore. I felt my love for him die as soon as I walked into Raquelle's apartment."
"I can tell by the look in your eyes that you mean it, Addy. Hell, I knew from the second you walked through the door tonight that something was amiss. That girl...how could she do this to you? You were friends for so many years."
I shrug. "I guess she feels like I ruined her happiness by marrying him. Oh. Granny. If I could turn back time, I'd do everything differently."
Granny looks at me intently for the longest time as I try to get control of my emotions. When I meet her gaze, she smiles at me thinly. "It'll all be better soon, my dear. You'll see. You've had a long day. You mentioned it, but I didn't know just how long it would end up being. Why don't you get some rest?"
I sniffle and nod, then kiss her good night before heading out.
Just as I open the door, I almost bump into Hannah.
"Oh!" she exclaims before laughing loudly and touching her chest. "I didn't see you there, my dear. I thought Ophelia might be al...Are you alright?"
"Yes, just fine," I reply, sniffling. The smile on my face doesn't feel at all genuine, but it's all I have right now. "Good night."
I head to my room, where I lock the door before slowly undressing to get ready for bed. Rick's words return to me and make me feel even more sick.
God, what an animal. I can't believe I ever loved him.
Nothing feels worse than knowing that I wasted my time for so many years, waiting for a crumb of his attention. It's ironic to think that I have it now, but I don't want it anymore.
After getting cleaned up and washing my face, I turn the lights off and move to sit on the edge of my bed. The curtain then catches my eye, and I have this sudden urge to see the garden.
But then I remember what I saw earlier today and decide against it. What if I see something else I shouldn't be seeing?
With this thought comes the memory of Everett practically standing up for me when I had that thing with Jacques. I don't know, now that I'm thinking about it, I find it strange that he would do that and then ignore me completely afterward. He didn't say another word to me in the club, or even on the ride home.
Maybe I'm looking too much into things.
I just need to sleep. Tomorrow, everything will be clearer.
Or so I hope.
- Writer
