The Fleece Job (Olympus Drive Chronicles)

Chapter 12: The heist Part 5

Hugh

"You said you were married?" I'm currently sitting in the woods with one of the girls (one out of two isn't bad, I think). This is currently the most relaxing part of our trip. I'm not worried. I'm sure the kids will burn the house down or something I'll have to go get them shortly.

She takes out her earpiece.

"Yes, I am," I say, frowning and doing the same. She's not looking at me though. She's autistic, or something; it's not like anybody explains anything to me ever. She's been flapping her hands basically this whole time.

"How do you know that your wife won't get sick of you and find someone better?" she asks, shrugging a little and still not looking at me.

I sigh. This is why I'm not the person who should supervise kids. "I don't—that's. Penny---let me tell you. As an expert on the subject. Somebody cheating on you---doesn't have anything to do with you. And it has everything to do with them. You are never going to be perfect but—that doesn't give someone the right to cheat on you. That's on them."

"Your wife cheated on you?" she asks, frowning harder.

"No. I'm the cheater. Not on my first wife—on my second. My current wife and I have an open relationship," I explain.

"Why did you cheat on her?"

"Because I---me----I wanted to. That's it. I'm a bad person. I wanted to. So I did. It had nothing to do with her and---everything to do with me," I sigh.

"I just don't want them to like someone better than me," she says, hanging her head a little.

"You can't---there's no way you're gonna control that. Ever. And I can't promise that someone---whoever it is you like---," I forget. I dragged one of the scrawny flamboyant ones out of her room I know "---will keep on liking you. But I can say---it's worth it while they do. There isn't a single day I don't want my Meg back, or our babies."

"They died?"

"Yeah," I say, looking off into the dark forest, "But. That doesn't mean loving them wasn't worth it. While they were mine. So the answer is: you don't. You don't know if someone is gonna cheat on you, or leave your, or die on you. None of us know, any of us. But what we all decide is, is this moment with this person worth it?"

"What if you're scared of letting them down?" she asks, looking away.

"If they're let down by you, they aren't worth it. All right?" I ask, about to pat her shoulder but no, little girl. Patting boy's shoulders after manly talks works. I don't think women like that. "Here you want some chocolate?"

"Yeah, sure," she holds out her hands, eagerly. She's a chubby thing, that's a relief. My second wife was skinny and always not wanting to eat because 'calories'. So what was I supposed to do when she was upset or whatever? Offer to throw out food? No. Apparently not. Suggest we go for a jog together while she yelled at me? No, apparently not. Disappear off to my boyfriend's house? Interestingly that was also a no.

"Which one is it you like again--? You all blend together---?" I ask, as she accepts the chocolate bar.

"Ev," she mumbles, past the food.

"Oh right, nah I think that one likes you," I say.

"Why?" she asks.

"They were drawing your initials with theirs as a joint tomb-stone-wedding-invitation-tattoo thing all over a piece of paper that belongs to me. Also they often bring you food," I say.

"Okay," she nods, then frowns, "I hear something."

"Okay, cool, we will do nothing about that because I'm afraid of you but I'm also afraid of your daddy who talks about encasing me in metal for sleeping with his sister---and she's gone," of course she takes off running towards the house. Of course she does.