“Six so far, but he wants me to have another one. I just can’t do it, Jeremy. I can’t go through anymore.” As I talk, Marcus’ words from last night play in my head.
‘You will have a tubal ligation. You know I would never want you to ruin your perfect body with a child.’
A pregnancy scare had changed everything. Two days late and he was already planning an abortion. Luckily, my period came the next morning but that only changed the procedure he wanted me to have from an abortion to a tubal ligation. Even though I do not want a child with Marcus, one day I do want children. I want a child with a man I love.
Jeremy shakes his head again, before finally placing the picture on the table. “Okay, he thought you looked like his dead wife; he’s a crazy bastard. That’s nothing new.”
He goes quiet for a moment then says in a harsh voice. “What I want to know is why the hell did you marry the asshole? More importantly, why would you stay married to him?”
I struggle to tell him everything, hating to relive it all. “Mom was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease a few days after my eighteenth birthday.”
His face goes hard again as he balls his hands into fists. “You don’t have to remind me of that, I know Mom is sick. Dad and I are the ones that takes care of her, remember. You’re the one that thinks she’s too fuckin’ good to lend a hand.”
I close my eyes, blocking out the pain his words cause. “I take care of her; I’ve given up everything to take care of her.”
“Bullshit! You can’t even take the time to stop by and see her. She’s on dialysis, every damn day, and you don’t even stop by and check on her. Obviously, you don’t give a shit if she lives or dies.”
My eyes fly open as anger erases the pain. “Don’t ever tell me that I don’t care about Mom. I married a man twenty-seven years older than me; I am with someone I despise, just to take care of her.”
Tension flies off him in waves, as he shifts in his seat. “What are you talking about?”
I motion towards the picture then back at myself. “I took her place, just so Mom would be taken care of. If I hadn’t married Marcus, he would have fired Dad.”
He shakes his head, completely confused. “Why would he do that?”
“Dad had been missing a lot of work, taking Mom back and forth to the doctors. I helped when I could, but you know Mom, she didn’t want me to be worried about her.” I explain to Jeremy.
He nods, knowing that even now Mom does her best to never complain. “What does that have to do with this conversation?”
“Marcus said that Dad’s attendance record was enough to fire him.”
Jeremy tilts his head, lost in thought for a second. “Why would he talk to you about Dad’s work? Mom said you didn’t even know the man, before you were married.”
Other than a brief meeting at the picnic, one that I still can’t remember, I only saw my husband once more before we were married. It was the day before our wedding; it was the day I gave up my life for my mom’s.
“One day Dad took off work to go with mom to her doctor’s appointment. I was getting things packed to go to college, so I stayed home to finish packing. Marcus showed up at the door right after Mom and Dad left.”
Anger is evident on his face as he asks, “Why the hell was he there when Dad was gone?”
“Me, he was there for me.” I mumble out before going on. “He told me that I would marry him or mom would lose her health benefits.”
My brother sits up, anger coursing through him. “He did what?”
I go on to explain how Marcus, a man that I didn’t know, had played God with my mother’s life. “He owns Easton Fabrication. He is Dad’s boss.”
“I know that.” He huffs out, clearly frustrated.
I run my finger over the rim of my glass, trying to focus my nervous energy on something safe. “If Dad got fired, he would lose his insurance. They wouldn’t have the money for Mom’s medical bills.”
“Fuck.” He mumbles, letting my words sink in. “But I still don’t know why in the hell he would tell you about that shit. He shouldn’t have said anything to you. Why not talk to Dad?”
“It wasn’t about Dad.” I reach across the table to grab his hand, needing to touch the brother that once loved me with all his heart. “Jeremy, he wanted a replacement for his dead wife. He used Mom’s illness to ensure he got one.”
Brothers for Life
Bowie
I slam into Domino again and groan fuck into her neck, when my phone starts to ring for the third time. “Shit, babe. It could be Cash; we have chapel in a few hours. He probably needs me.”