Saving Her

Chapter 11. The Blond Man

"You told Alice that I had ownership of Betty?" FP bursted through the trailer door, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Hey, easy there, tiger... I didn't know she didn't know," Gladys responded. "You might want to keep your secrets a little more secret next time."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled.

"Daddy?" Jellybean came in and she looked nervously between the two.

"JB, Betty and Jughead went to Pop's---why don't you go hang out with them for a little while," he handed her some money.

She took it, "But are you guys going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine, baby, just go on," Gladys practically shooed.

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and she made her way out.

Once she disappeared, "You have no idea how to save face, do you?"

"Spittin' at me about what I've done in front of my kid..." she crossed her arms. "Y'think I was going to let her get away with that?"

"By throwing me under the bus?" he yelled once more. "Gladys, we didn't tell her so that she wouldn't be upset. What you did was cold."

"And keeping it from her was your better idea? Deceiving her? Look, I know you two were having an affair... I don't give a shit, FP."

He looked at her.

"Don't give me that sympathy filled, innocent face, okay? The minute I got to town, I ran into a couple of Jug's friends and they were just as surprised to see me as you were when you got home. I'm not blind or an idiot for that matter."

"I'm sorry," he assured even if that wasn't exactly true.

The truth was, he was sorry, but he also didn't love her anymore---not like he had always loved Alice so in ways, he wasn't as sorry as he sounded. They were all from the Southside with the exception of Hal, so realistically they were a crazy triangle; with FP crazy about Alice and Gladys crazy about him. It was never normal between the two marriages but that didn't stop them from committing adultery.

"Don't apologize to me because I don't care, but respect me as your wife while I'm here. You're not gonna make a fool out of me just because of Alice."

"You're right... I won't," even though he couldn't exactly promise that. "Alice means the world to me, so I want you to know that."

"What does that mean for me?" she wondered.

"It means I love you as the mother of my children... If you'd have been here, you'd know..." he paused.

"Know what?"

"Nothing," he shook his head.

"Well, now I'm intrigued so spit it out."

"It's too personal," he mentioned.

"How?"

"It's between Alice and me."

"What is it? Tell me."

"She and I had a son together in high school."

"What?" she pulled back and she crossed her arms. "Well, where is he? Who is he?"

"I've never met him... His name was Charles."

"Was?"

"There's a possibility he's dead," he took a seat and he put his hands to his face.

"Possibility? You mean, you don't know?" she actually settled enough to comfort him. "How come I'm only hearing about this now?"

"I only found out last year or so... There was an intruder posing as Charles. His name was Chic and he was a complete sociopath... Alice and Betty handled that and Alice told me that our son was dead. Chic implied that he ODd on some Jingle-Jangle, but from the kids' research, they think he was murdered by Chic."