Starting Over

Chapter 14- Leaving Home

Today is the first day I haven’t taken the kids to school since Bridget’s accident right before Thanksgiving. But today was a little different. She had a meeting with Mr. Johnson, the principal and her boss at BGA, so she took the Kenzie and Bo to school and Tate at Momma’s. I got a later start than normal. I guess I calculated my time wrong, but I finally make it to the studio. I was still early, even though it felt late.

On my way home, I drove slowly. Well, slower than normal anyways. I was completely relaxed. When I finally got to the house that was shot all to hell, Bridget’s truck was backed up to the front door.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked out loud as if someone could hear me.

I parked my truck and ran in the house. Kenzie was sitting on the couch watching TV like nothing was wrong, but I could hear Bridget upstairs. I ran up the staircase and followed the sounds I was hearing. Bridget was crying, like sobbing uncontrollably, crying. I walked into her room and she was throwing her clothes into boxes. What was she doing? Leaving?

“What’s going on?” I asked standing from the door in shock.

“I’m going home,” Bridget told me as she continued to pack.

“You are home,” I said as I started to walk towards her, “What’s wrong?”

“Everything,” she said.

She still hadn’t looked up at me. Tears were streaming down her face. I tried to pull her into my arms and she pushed me away.

“Bridget, talk to me,” I yelled while grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop.

“I was fired this morning. I’m going home. Now, let me go,” Bridget exclaimed.

I let her go, “Why were you fired?” I asked.

“Because I’m a home-wrecking whore!” Bridget yelled at me.

“They can’t fire you because of something some magazine said,” I told her.

“But they can if parents are calling in asking why there is a teacher having a relationship with the parent of a student. Even though Bo isn’t my student it doesn’t matter to them. It don’t matter that I’m the only mom he knows. It don’t matter that this isn’t really scandalous. All they see is what the media prints,” Bridget explained to me, “It’s a private school Luke. They don’t have the same rules others do. If it don’t fit in their model, they get rid of it. I evidently don’t fit into their model anymore.”

Bridget was so upset. I really couldn’t say I have ever seen her as upset as she was. But where is she going?

“Where are you going?” I asked her, “You are home.”

“Luke, I need to get away for a while. I’m going home to Kentucky. I’ll help you find a nanny to help around here and I’ll take the boys any time you want, but Luke, I have to get the hell away from here for a while,” Bridget told me, “I need room to breathe after all of this. I need people who know me and won’t judge me on what someone writes on the damn internet.”

“Bridget, you can’t leave,” I tried persuading her, “You can’t leave the boys. Or me. Dammit, Bridget, we love you! Don’t that mean anything to you?”

“And I love ya’ll too, but Luke I have to get away or I’m going to go crazy. I can’t go anywhere around town without someone making a rude comment or looking at me like I’m the devil. I can’t handle this right now,” Bridget said to me, “Us isn’t going to work if I can’t come to terms with my life being so public. And I can’t come to terms with anything while everyone is staring me down like I have the plague.”