Mrs. Wrong Last Name

Chapter Twenty-eight

Where to start...

"So I've been talking to the General," she said.

He laughed. "I think you are skipping ahead a bit."

He was right. "Gosh I don't know where to start," she said.

They both laughed, nervously. He started to squeeze her then let up when she winced some. Her wrists were very bruised from the zip tie, her shoulders were bruised from the way she was laying (and maybe from the way she was placed there because she seriously doubted he did it with care) and she just felt beat up in general from the whole experience. The back of her head was throbbing, but the meds The Husband had already given her were helping that to recede some.

And The Husband was a calming presence to her and always had been. He looked at her and offered, "So then just start at the beginning and let me know all of it."

So she did. She started with moving to South Carolina pregnant. El Jefe supported her financially and sent security. The big kid was born, and she was allowed to go back to school and work a couple smaller jobs. El Jefe checked in weekly with her. He was sick to death with what had happened to her in direct violation of his orders.

"I can never tell you I am sorry enough," he said. "Never."

"Forget about that now, it's water under the bridge. Do you remember telling me that I was your prodigy?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "That you hated to lose me?"

He tightened his arm around her. "Yes. Yes of course I remember."

"And then I was just out in the Carolinas, going to college and working at pizza places and playing with the baby at night. I, I just didn't think my life would go that way."

"None of us did," he said. "When I met you at 15, you were really something. Then at 18, 19, 20... you just got more confident and could have the whole world. I knew it. And you knew it. And then... I can't even talk about it with you. I just can't. But I did try my very best to provide for you, for the kid... I didn't know what else to do but to get you away and out from here. I am a man that always knew what to do and I just didn't."

She listened and cried silently, and knew everything he had every done for her had been out of love. She had known that all along.

He continued, "And I didn't want to insult your intelligence or break your spirit, your will. I didn't want to take care of you. You didn't need taking care of. The real you didn't. But after what happened, I just didn't know if I would ever see that side of you again. And it killed me. And so I wanted to stay away and let you sink or swim and find your legs again. But I just couldn't. I couldn't let you sink."

"So then you started to come to see me. And as a byproduct started to see the kid. And she loved you. She immediately loved you! And you loved her. And I knew I had to do something. I may not have loved myself enough at that time to want to do anything for me, but I sure as heck loved her. More than life itself. I would move mountains or die trying for her. And I couldn't let her lose you. So I just decided I couldn't let that happen. And when I set my mind to something, it's done." She trailed off.

He thought for just a minute and then loosened his grip. "So what are you saying? What exactly did you do, wife?"

"Well, where to start. I guess the first thing I did was that I asked the General to exile you," she said.

He removed his arm completely and she wondered what his reaction was going to be. He grabbed her by both shoulders and physically turned her body to face his. Then he said, "You exiled me?" he was expressionless.