In Another Life V

Chapter 7

Harley spent the rest of the day in Jack's company, and she couldn't have been happier. Later that evening, Jack's phone suddenly rang, and his smile fell when he saw that it was Jeannie. "Uh...excuse me for a second," he said, going over to a corner and answering it. "Hello? Hi, sweet...well, I dunno, probably in another hour or two. Why? Uh huh. Well, I'm still at Sal's working. Of course I am. Why do you think...baby, I told you...baby, don't be like that, please...how much have you been drinking?"

Harley suddenly heard a shriek from the other end, and then a torrent of loud, incomprehensible abuse shot through the phone, causing Jack to hold it away from his ear. "Baby, please...calm down, it was just a question! Baby...baby, please stop shouting. Baby...look, I'll be home as soon as I can. Yeah. Yeah, of course we can...try again tonight. Baby, you don't know that...yeah, sweetheart. Yeah. Ok. See you soon. I love..."

Harley heard the phone click off. Jack sighed, staring at it for a moment and then turning back to Harley. "Sorry, she's...kinda in a bad mood," he murmured. "Still angry about last night. You gonna be ok if I head off?"

"Of course," she replied.

He nodded. "You were...warm enough and everything last night, huh? I can pop out and get some blankets if you need 'em."

"No, you head home," she said. "She sounds like she needs you."

"Yeah," he sighed. "She needs me to try to give her a baby again. Which I can't. So I don't even know why we're still trying."

He stuffed his phone angrily back into his pocket, taking a deep breath. "Sorry, I...don't wanna burden you with my problems."

"No, I don't mind," said Harley hastily. "You two...are having trouble conceiving?"

He nodded. "My fault, probably," he muttered. "At least Jeannie thinks so. But I think it's for the best that we can't. Kids deserve a happy home, y'know? And we ain't got a very happy home."

"I'm sorry," said Harley, sincerely. "I really am. I wish there was something I could do to help."

He shrugged. "I'm sure she'll get over it in time. And who knows? Maybe tonight will be our lucky night."

He headed for the door. "I...wish you didn't have to go," said Harley suddenly, before she could help herself.

"Yeah. Me too," he murmured.

"Then...stay," she stammered. "Just for a little while longer. I mean...she's already angry. What harm can it do?"

He waited by the door for a few moments, and then pulled his hand away from it and turned back toward Harley. "All right," he said, sitting down next to her. He lit a cigarette and smoked in silence.

"I...hope you'll never know what it's like to be a complete disappointment to someone you love," he murmured at last. "To feel like everything you do is wrong. To feel like an utter failure in their eyes. To see...the eyes you'd do anything to fill with happiness glare at you in hatred. It's...almost unbearable."

He exhaled a cloud of smoke slowly. "I...ain't an emotional guy at the best of times," he murmured. "But when I'm with Jeannie lately I just feel...like she's stabbing me in the heart repeatedly. And it's almost impossible just to take that calmly. But I do. I do."

"Have you thought about marriage counseling?" asked Harley.

He laughed. "We don't really believe in shrinks, toots. No offense," he said. "Anyway, Jeannie would never accept that anything about our unhappiness is her fault. She's a very proud woman. And she's probably right. Most of it is...my fault."