Significant Others by Marilyn Baron Read Free Book Online

Aquarium, called the Rosy Wrasse. Apparently, wrasses all begin life as females, but dominant females eventually change sex and become male. Barbara Palladino was a dominant female, but Donny was devoted to her. And she adored him. I knew the real reason she traveled with my brother was because she wanted to keep her family close and she couldn’t stand being away from him. I could have learned a lesson from Barbara. She was as busy as I was yet somehow she managed to create a stable marriage and a happy home, a home her husband was anxious to return to. Beneath all that brashness, maybe the barracuda was really just a guppy.
    “How did you find out?” the Barracuda/Rosy Wrasse/Guppy asked quietly.
    I proceeded to tell them about the Thanksgiving pictures.
    “I also know of at least one overnight trip they took together,” I noted.
    “Good.” Barbara nodded.
    “Barb, how can you say that?” Donny protested
    “It means he’s sloppy. Most men are so arrogant they never think they’ll get caught, so they make stupid mistakes. Women, on the other hand, wives and mothers, will do anything in their power to believe their husbands have not been unfaithful. Do you have any proof besides the photos?”
    “Well, a few weeks ago he told me he was going to a firm retreat in New York. When I mentioned it to Vicky, whose husband is a partner at Marc’s law firm, she told me the firm retreat was in California. So I know he was lying. I called the office and Trisha wasn’t there either.”
    Do you have any other evidence?”
    “Evidence?”
    “Yes, you need to go through his credit card receipts, look through his pockets, his wallet, his desk, even his dirty laundry, to learn all you can about his dirty dealings. Find any suspicious-looking bills for extravagant dinners, out-of-the-way hotels, personal gifts, things like that.”
    “I think I should move out of the house,” I said. “I can’t stand the thought of being around him, knowing he’s cheating with another woman. And now Hannah isn’t coming home for Christmas break. She’s going with her friend’s parents to their time-share in Aruba. I know it’s because she senses the tension between us.”
    “Moving out would be a mistake,” Barbara advised. “Georgia is an equitable distribution state, which means that all marital property acquired during the marriage is subject to division. You own half that house and you need to stand your ground, no matter how uncomfortable things become. You have to act like nothing’s happened, so he doesn’t become suspicious. If he tries to sweet talk you into bed, make excuses; you have a headache, it’s your time of the month. Lock the bedroom door if you have to.”
    “Barbara, my time of the month has pretty much come and gone, and the point is he’s not interested in sleeping with me anymore. If I wanted him to sleep with me, I’d have to lock him in the bedroom.” I wiped the tears away from my face with the back of my hand. I hated being weak, but it hurt every time I thought about Trisha and Marc, Trisha under Marc, Trisha on top of Marc, or any combination thereof.
    As if he could read my mind, and we were so close that most times he could, Donny shifted uncomfortably in his seat and offered me his napkin.
    “It’s okay to cry, sis,” Donny said.
    Barbara was unperturbed and she smelled blood. Maybe she was more shark than barracuda. Same distinction.
    “Hannah’s almost twenty-one, isn’t she, so there won’t be a custody issue. We’ll make sure he continues to pay for her education, any major expenses, her wedding, things like that.”
    “Her wedding?” I asked blankly. My daughter was not even close to getting married, and the thought of Hannah walking down the aisle without Marc being part of the festivities made me sick. Or maybe it was the calamari churning around in my stomach.
    “I want custody of the Gold Wing,” I said, lifting my chin, trying not to break out into tears