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My boss smiled wide like me. “I get it, man. I do,” he assured me. “They’re very special women, these Brentwood bombshells.”
We both barked out laughs at the term, and that release of tension felt really good. Exactly what I needed to screw my head back on straight.
Elijah leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb of his office. “Those two are pretty tight. I’d say of all her sisters, Agatha is the one Hannah talks about and relates to the most. I guess their closeness in age has something to do with it, but I think their personalities are similar too.”
I listened and cataloged every scrap of history or inside scoop he offered. It was a regular conversation. I wasn’t grilling him for details, but I knew very little about my wife, and knowledge was power, no matter the situation.
Apparently, he wasn’t done with his thought track. After thinking for a few beats, he continued. “So I wonder why she hasn’t called Hannah and told her about this agreement.” He waved his hand through the air, maybe trying to come up with an appropriate tag for what we were planning. “You know, whatever you want to call it? A yearlong trial?” His voice rose at the end of the statement, turning it into a question.
“Why put a label on it, you know? When you do that, expectations associated with the term in a generic sense will weigh us down. I want to just live every day and see where life together takes us.”
“You’re a brave man. I’ll say that,” he said while running his hand through his hair.
“How am I any braver than you? Or any other guy who commits to a woman by marriage? I’m just curious what you mean,” I added when I heard how confrontational my words sounded.
“Dude…” He grinned. “You’re doing it ass-backward, that’s why. Normally you get to know the woman, ensure you’re compatible and all that.” Another wave of his hand punctuated the comment.
“Well, I’m not going to pretend we weren’t completely irresponsible and foolish for doing what we did, but I was raised in a strict Catholic house. Marriage is permanent. It’s a vow you make in front of and to God. It’s not just undone the next day.” He was thoughtful while I explained the primary and initial reason I decided to make the marriage work.
“On top of all that old-school stuff, I like her. A lot. I was really bored dating these days, you know?”
He nodded thoughtfully. I was on a roll anyway, so even if he checked out of the conversation completely, I’d finish my thought.
“She is the first girl to really intrigue me in a long time. There’s so much more to her than that loud, disrespectful mouth.”
And why was I grinning like an idiot again? Those weren’t traits of a girl you’d take home to your uptight, God-fearing parents.
“As far as her confiding in her sister, I’m sure she will if she hasn’t already. We just made the decision late last night. Today, of course, things became a little more complicated, but?—”
Elijah interrupted with a raised hand. “What happened? How much more complicated do you mean?” He attempted to laugh through the questions, but the sound that came out was awkward and forced.
I thought for a moment. How much did I want to tell him? If Agatha hadn’t spoken to her sister by the time he got home, surely he would tell her the latest. That’s what I would do with my wife at least.
Fuck it. I needed a sounding board too. God knew it wouldn’t be my sister or any of the coworkers I had from this place.
“Agatha was fired this morning. She’s moving in with me tonight. I’m going there after I leave here.” I looked at my watch and jolted out of my chair. “Right now, as a matter of fact. Perfect timing.”
Maybe if I looked really busy now, he wouldn’t ask follow-up questions, and I could get on my way across town.
His loud laugh startled me, so I stopped shuffling the papers on my desk to check on his well-being.
“You okay, man?”
“Shit, my brother. You’re not kidding about things getting more complicated. No offense, but how are two of you going to live on your paycheck?” he asked, eyebrows hiked high near his hairline.
From anyone else, the question would’ve been rude and intrusive. But he knew what my take-home pay was, and he was also a lifelong Angeleno. It didn’t take a math genius to understand the shortfall between my earnings and expenses.
“You know what the leading cause of divorce is?” Banks asked.
I crossed my arms over my chest and answered, “Meddling employers?”
“Ha! You’re funny. It’s money, man. No surprise, right?”
“Not at all.” I had a hundred memories of my parents bickering about each other’s spending habits and how to stretch every dollar my father brought home.
The situation had me feeling defensive, though, so I added, “She’s going to get another job. I’m pretty sure she has a college education.” Just admitting that out loud made me wince. Confessing how little I knew about my own wife was embarrassing.
In the future, I’d have to measure my thoughts before blurting them out. We were going to be under the scrutiny of everyone who cared about us. Family, friends, and what do you know? Even bosses. The peanut gallery would be full of advice on how to make our relationship work. Whether we invited the input or not, we had to gear up for a heap of it.
