Scarlet Meyers

The Girl in Blue

 It was a gloomy day as I walked down the sidewalk away from the Sacramento county courthouse. The clouds overhead teased me with rain. My hair blew in the wind, getting stuck on my red lips. I looked down at my phone to see a text message full of profanity. Smiling, I looked back up to continue walking to my gently used Silverado.

Finally, after three years of hell, I was finished with my sleaze of a man. The divorce process took a lot longer than I had thought it was going to be when I started it, but it was all worth it. I got everything from my surgeon ex-husband except the house, but I was okay with that. I got my truck, dog, clothes, bags, and a shit ton of money. See, Liam was a surgeon, so I was a little spoiled when our marriage was good. He was also an abusive drunk, and a cheating dope-head. Through my divorce suit, he got arrested and was sentenced to 90 days confinement followed by rehab, and lost his medical license. I didn't mean for any of that when I served him. It wasn't my fault that the man who served him the subpoena caught him with a needle in his arm, or that he told my lawyer about it. I didn't even ask my lawyer to mention it to the judge. It just all happened that way, and it worked in my favor.

He only got to keep the house because he had a good lawyer that fought for him to keep at least one thing that he had earned with his surgeon money. So, because of that I had to find a new place to live. I found a beautiful duplex to stay at for a while until I was ready to buy my own house again. It was right by McKinley Park, which was my little girl's favorite place to play fetch. It was a good place for me and Paisley, my golden retriever.

As I pulled up to Liam's house, as it was no longer mine, I felt a twinge of sadness. I loved this home, but I guess it was for the best. I already had a U-Haul packed up and ready to move. Backing my truck up to it, the sun started to poke through the clouds, turning this beautiful day even better. Paisley came running up to me as I got out of the car. She was my baby girl. There was no way in the world I would have let Liam keep her.

I took one final sweep of the house to make sure I had gotten everything before I grabbed the last of Paisley's things and left my key in the potted plant on the porch. We loaded up into my truck, and said goodbye to our past, closing this chapter in our lives. As I looked into my rear view mirror to see my house by the American River was getting smaller, it felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from my chest. I was free again.

Passing by the park on our way home, Paisley got excited. She barked out her window, and jumped all over the back seat.

"Easy, girl. We'll go play a little later," I told her, petting her head, reassuringly.

I noticed that my neighbor wasn't home as I pulled into the driveway. We walked in and Paisley started to investigate. The hardwood floors made me happy, and the kitchen was beautiful. It looked much better than it had when I came to look at it before. Following Paisley around the house, I began to love it more and more.

The U-Haul was unpacked and returned, and my truck was safely in the garage. I cooked up some dinner, and finished putting some clothes away before putting a movie on. It had been a long day, so I thought I'd treat myself with a large glass of Moscato and a chick flick. My eyes started to get heavy, and I turned off the TV and the rest of the lights. Paisley followed me into my room before I got the door closed behind me. I was just starting to fall asleep when I heard faint sounds coming from my neighbor. They must be home now, I thought to myself.

As I tried to fall asleep, I became more and more annoyed with the yelling that was coming from my walls. I decided to get up and go introduce myself, and make my presence known so they might keep it down. Putting on my silky blue robe, and fuzzy blue slippers, I started to leave my room when I heard a sound that I would never be able to forget.