“I don’t know. You don’t want to be intimate with me. You’re nervous and on edge all the time. You’re snapping at me and Liz. And oh, yeah, you’re a thief.”
That took me aback. “Excuse me?”
“You’re lying to me. I’ve been with you long enough to know when something is going on with you, and something is definitely going on. Because everything else aside, now you’re stealing money.”
“What are you talking about?” I repeated, only because it was the only thing I could think of to say.
He slammed a piece of paper on the table. “Liz’s college money. Five thousand dollars is missing. Where is it?”
“Wh-wh-what are you talking about?”
“What do you think I’m talking about? I checked Liz’s account.”
“Why would you do that?” I asked, stalling as my mind raced, trying to come up with a response. “You don’t do that until the first of the month.”
“Is that what you were counting on? What? You’d planned to put the money back by then?”
I fought back tears. I couldn’t take the drama. It seemed my life lately was one lie after another. I had to come clean—now!
“Greg, I have something to tell you . . .” I began.
“Oh, my God. You are having an affair!”
“Greg, would you just let me—”
“You dirty, filthy slut!” He rose out of his chair and grabbed me by both arms. His sudden aggression completely caught me off guard. “Is that why you stole Liz’s money, to give to your broke boyfriend?” His grip tightened around my arms as he shook me.
“Owww, you’re hurting me!” I was shocked beyond belief. In all our years of marriage, Greg had never put his hands on me. “Let me go.”
“How could you do this to me!” he screamed. He caught himself, though, because he released me and pushed me roughly toward the wall.
I wanted to explain, tell him he was wrong, but I was so stunned, and he was so enraged, I couldn’t get the words out.
“So, I guess this is payback?” he snapped. “You’ve been waiting all this time to pay me back?”
“Greg . . .” I finally managed to find my voice.
“I guess we’re even now. You had your little fling.” He took a deep breath, stood like he was pulling himself together, then added, “Tell your boyfriend I want my daughter’s money back in her account on the first.” He spun around and stormed out the room.
I knew that I needed to go after him. Convince him that there was no boyfriend and do what I had initially planned to do: come clean.
But with the way he’d just reacted—over an imaginary man he didn’t know—telling him the truth would send him over an edge we would both regret.
41
Paula
MAYBE I’D FOUND MY CALLING—event planning—because I was having a ball trying to plan my best friend’s birthday party. After all that she had done, I really wanted it to be a night that she would always remember.
Greg must have been super busy because I’d been calling him the last three days and hadn’t been able to reach him. I didn’t want to step on his toes or plan something he’d already taken care of. That’s why I kept trying, and finally he picked up.
“Hey,” I said. “It’s Paula.”
“Hey, Paula,” he replied.
He sounded groggy and out of it.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m cool,” he said, although he sure sounded stressed out.
“Well, I know you said you were still having Felise’s party, and since it’s coming up quickly, we might need to finalize some things.”
“Ah, yeah,” he stammered. The tone of his voice was almost drugged, like he was taking medication.
“Greg, are you sure you’re okay? You don’t sound yourself.”
“Nah, I just got a lot going on,” he responded.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. The last time we’d talked he had been worried about his marriage. I hoped that wasn’t holding him back now.
“It’s work stuff, just work stuff,” he said unconvincingly.
“Well, um, do you still want to do the party?”
A beat, then, “To be honest, Paula, my mind isn’t in the right place to be planning a party.”
I was a little shocked to hear that, especially because both of us had shelled out time and money. “I thought you said you already paid for the place.”
“I did,” he replied. “It’s just . . . the planning. I’m not in the right frame of mind.”
I relaxed. “Well, if the planning is an issue, don’t worry about a thing. I got it.”