CHAPTER 2
1195 Words
Katarina poured in another shot of whiskey, tightening her grip as she placed the bottle down, a bit slowly.
With one swing of the hand, she grabbed the TV Remote, changing the channel to ‘Music Central;' Don William’s “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” was on.
As she leaned back on the sofa, taking another sip, her phone buzzed.
It was on the center table, a good yard away from her.
Katarina pushed herself up slowly with one hand, the other, steadying her weight on the wall, as she staggered forward with an uneasy gait.
“Just a bit tipsy, but I'm fine,” she said repeatedly, as if trying to reassure herself.
“The amiable Mrs. Olivia Wright”, she called out giddily into her phone’s mouthpiece.
“Hi Katrina”, Olivia answered, a bit flatly.
“What new tidings do you bring?” Katarina teased. “Arnold got you a diamond necklace this time or some 6-inch Givenchy heels?”
“Oh please, Kat!”
Katarina let out a wry laugh.
“I’d give up any diamond or Givenchy to have my Arnold back right now.”
“What?”
Katarina couldn't believe her ears.
The slurring effect of alcohol on her seemed to wear off immediately.
“To have your Arnold back?” “Where did he go?” “What's happened to him?” Katarina reeled out all at once?
“Hmm,” Olivia heaved.
“So many questions, if only I had answers.”
“C'mon, Oliie! Talk to me. Are you okay? What's going on?”
“I don't know, Arnold has been behaving strangely ever since he got back from work today.”
“Strangely? In what way?”
“He was all lovey-dovey this minute as he usually is; next, a call comes in and he's all secretive with it. He had to go out of hearing reach to talk to this strange person on the phone.”
“Oh, so your husband is fine, right?” Katarina sighed.
“Fine?” Olivia quipped. “Does that sound like ‘fine’ to you?” A bit shocked at her best friend's response.
“The way you came off, I thought something must've happened to him, or at least, something worse.”
“That's not something to worry about. It's just a man's thing. Probably he met this new chick at the office today or some hot blonde with a curvy backside on his way back from work that he's just fascinated by. He'll still give you all of his love and attention, don't worry.”
“What!!?” Olivia exclaimed.
Her heartbeat had almost tripled and she placed a hand on her chest as if to keep the pounding organ from leaping out.”
“I'm just kidding,” Katarina said, laughing sarcastically.
Olivia realized she had unconsciously clenched her fist. She unclasped her hand and took several deep breaths.
“Why do you play with such a thing like that?” Olivia questioned, visibly annoyed.
“Is that anger I feel in your tone?” Katarina asked. “Oh, there goes the grave and stern Mrs. Olivia Wright, who doesn't know how to take a joke anymore.”
“If you keep making jokes like that, I might have to keep my inhaler handy all the time.” Olivia explained.
Katarina let out a loud laugh, this time longer than the last.
Olivia remained calm, listening to the guffaw, and after what seemed like forever, she continued, seemingly counting her words as she spoke.
“But this is not a laughing matter, Kat. You know the implications. I'm trying to address this issue and nip it in the bud before it escalates. It's so unusual of Arnold to behave like that.”
“Yeah, that's true”, Katarina conceded, sounding concerned.
“I understand, Ollie. Just tryna bring in some comic relief to lighten the situation.”
“Solutions first, Kat. Solutions!” an agitated Olivia demanded.
Her patience bank was running low and anxiety was quickly replacing it.
Katarina was the more experienced one. She was five years older than Olivia and had been married to Tom, her husband of seven years, until that fateful evening.
Seated in the Sitting Room of her matrimonial home, the magnificent Mansion she shared with Arnold, Olivia heard the doorbell ding.
She walked to the door with the graceful and assured steps of one who was expecting a guest.
“Hey Katie”, Olivia greeted with arms wide open.
Katarina barely budged and after a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, she managed to lean in for a side hug, her expression sullen.
“What's going on, Katie?”
Katarina kept mute, walking past a bemused Olivia who was still standing by the ajar door.
She pulled out a file containing some documents and pointed it at Olivia. “There you go!” She said, maintaining a straight face.
“What's that?” An even more bewildered Olivia questioned, not for the first time that evening.
Realizing that Olivia would not accept the file from her hands without knowing its contents, Katarina dropped them on the ottoman at the center of the large living room.
In one motion, she slumped on the plush sofa, leaned back on the headrest, heaved a sigh, “It's done!”
As if anticipating another question from a still curious Olivia, Katarina continued.
“The divorce is done! Papers all signed, sealed and delivered. Tom and I are definitely going our separate ways.”
With that, she began sobbing. Soon, the tears were flowing freely as Katarina's shoulders shook frantically, and her body quavered with each snort.
Olivia's heart melted at the sight of her best friend in distress, her eyes teary, as she sat beside Katarina on the couch, putting an arm around her.
The divorce had been coming. Olivia and Katarina both knew. There's been a long intense legal battle.
According to Tom, they had fallen out of love and it was best, they went their separate ways.
But now that it was finally here, Katarina seemingly couldn't face the reality of doing life without the man she had called hers for nearly a decade.
That was less than a year ago, and now, Olivia was the one running to her best friend for comfort.
“He might just have had a bad day at work or maybe not, I don't know. But don't give too much thought to it.” Katarina said, trying to reassure Olivia.
That was easier said than done. Olivia's overthinking had triggered and what Katarina had said earlier further heightened her fears.
“Could Arnold really have met someone new? What if what Katarina said was true?” Olivia silently wondered.
The thought of Arnold having a mistress greatly troubled her. She couldn't possibly bear the trauma of her marriage suffering a crash just when things were beginning to take off.
“The earlier I put a stop to this, the better.”
“I have to come up with a plan. I must come up with a plan.”
- Writer
