Our Hope

28 - Julie

The clouds covered the sun, giving the day an ominous overcast. Julie drove her best friend's car on their return trip home from the farm. Angie had driven it on the way up and they had decided ten years ago, to always share the work. So, she did this without discussion.

The highway miles passed in the blink of an eye. She did not watch the road. Her mind was on a different place. Where was her husband really at? His excuses about work were excessive and she no longer believed him. When he was at home, they spent their time arguing about their imminent future. She flipped through her memories of their almost twenty years of marriage. Images of anniversaries, the birth of Cole, parties with Hope and her family. She wondered how it came to this point. She felt the rumble of the warning bumps on the steering wheel and heard it loud and clear. She refocused and maneuvered the car back onto the road.

"Are you sure, you don't want me to drive?" Angie asked.

"No. I've got it."

"I can't believe Mike did not meet us for Thanksgiving. He never misses holidays," Angie, said angrily.

Julie said,  "There better be a funeral to explain his absence, otherwise it's going to be his."

They turned onto their street and saw his car parked on the road, in front of their house. She pulled into his driveway and noticed the front door was open. A cute young woman with long, straight, dyed blond hair stood in the doorway. Michael handed the woman a suitcase, and she carried it past them to his car.

Julie parked the vehicle and hurried to confront them. The seat belt held her in. She felt like ripping it off but paused unbuckled it then rushed over there.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I'm moving out. I want a divorce."

"How did we go from arguing about going to you screwing your intern?" she asked, filling with rage. She gestured toward the woman that carried his suitcase. "She's half your age."

"She's my new girlfriend." He stammered. "But that's not the issue."

"Oh, I disagree with that."

The woman placed the suitcase in his dad's trunk and remained by the street.

"The problem is that Bettencourt is taking advantage of us and you don't care."

"I disagree about that too. You're being brainwashed by some young piece of ass, and you're not thinking straight."

"Brainwashed? I have seen the truth; that Dr. Bettencourt is using you as slaves and risking your lives for his benefits. I am not falling for it anymore and I refuse to allow our son to be forced to go with us."

"Did you ask him, what he thinks?" Cole, Hope, and Angie approached them. "Do you want to go?" she asked Cole.

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

Julie continued, "How dare you come here with her and threaten us? I can't force you to go. Just stay here and keep banging your new girl for all I care. But we are going without you."

Angie grabbed Cole and Hope and rerouted them into the house through the garage.

His dad flushed red with anger, thrust his finger in her face, and bellowed, "Cole is half mine and I will do everything in my power to stop him from going."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have already met with a lawyer and I have enough reason, to halt Cole from leaving. I will also sue you for full custody."

"Go to hell!"

She slammed the door in his face. She tasted the salty tears she restrained, not wanting that bastard to see her cry. Now that he was gone, she let them fall. She paced the kitchen, talking to herself. " The nerve of him. Trying to tell me that I can't take Cole." She was flooded with emotions, adrenaline, and hatred, ready to punch someone.

"Woah Jules," Angie said, "You need to relax. I haven't seen you this mad since college." She embraced her and patted her head.

Cole asked, "Can he force me to stay here?"

"Of course, not. We signed contracts about this stuff. I will need to call my... I will need to find a lawyer and find out."

"He can't be serious," said Hope, "Maybe he's bluffing."

"Look you two should not be worrying about this. Let me talk to a lawyer."

"And Dr. Bettencourt," Hope added.

"You need to worry about school. Let us worry about him," Angie said, while caressing Julie's back. It soothed her but did not fix her problems.

She had not seen that coming. It was like he was a different person.