Post by CarpentersFan2003 on Jan 14, 2004 19:54:00 GMT -5
Chapter Six.
The next morning Karen awoke in her bedroom of her condo. She glanced at the alarm clock and was jolted in to full wakefulness. It was after eleven. She reached for her phone and called her maids house.
“ Olla, Rosie here.”
“ Rosie. I need you to get over here on the double. I want to have my condo cleaned. I will be staying here for the next few weeks.”
“ Se, I will be there in twenty minutes. Bye.”
Rosie Lopez was an immigrant to the States from her home country of El Salvador. Karen and Tom had hired her just after their wedding in 1980. After weeks of teaching from Karen and Tom she’d managed to learn rudimentary English. In the two years that Rosie was employed she still had a strong accent but she was able to understand the instructions that Karen left for her. Rosie just turned twenty-nine in October and had a four-year-old son Pedro Jr. and a seven-year-old daughter Marcella. Her husband Pedro Sr. had left her just after their son was born.
Karen had met them about five months after hiring Rosie when the babysitter had cancelled. Both children where well mannered and very grateful to Karen for employing their mother. When the kids where at the condo they and their mother kept up a steady steam of Spanish and Rosie had taught Karen a few primary phases in her mother tongue. Pedro and Marcella had giggled when Karen tried to say ‘ Hello, how are you?” to them in Spanish, much to Rosie’s panic. Karen had laughed it off good-naturedly. Rosie had become a trusted friend.
Karen hung up the phone, sat up and slipped on her slippers. She grabbed her robe and put it on and tied it. Crossing the bedroom to her bathroom she was startled to hear the shower running. Karen stopped dead in her tracks. She frantically looked for something she could use as a weapon. She grabbed a can of hair spray, with her finger on the sprayer, and held it at arms length, she slowly pushed the door open.
There was someone in the shower. Clothes where scattered about on the floor. Karen looked at the shower and could make out a tall form through the opaqueness of the glass. Without thinking she crossed the small room and tore open the shower door. There naked stood her soon to be ex-husband.
“ Tom! What the hell are you doing in my house?!” Karen yelped.
Tom turned around to face Karen not bothering to even try to cover himself. She’d seen it all before.
“ I still have a key. I thought you where staying at your parents house. I came back here to shower and get a bite to eat. Could you hand me a towel?” Tom smiled as he turned off the water.
Karen was so bewildered that she actually did as she was told. She turned slightly and reached for and then handed Tom one of the plush terry cloth towels on the rack. Only then did she snap out of her astonishment and walk out of the bathroom. She sat on the bed and waited for Tom to exit the bathroom. Karen was awe stuck at his audacity at coming back to her condo.
A moment later Tom appeared casually drying his hair with another towel. The one she’d given him was wrapped around his waist.
“ Listen I’m really sorry I didn’t know that you’d be here Karen. I figured that your mother wouldn’t let you out of her sight. I honestly didn’t give any thought to coming here.” He crossed to the closet and stepped inside. One of the things that Karen had done during the remodeling of her condo was have a large walk-in closet installed in the master bedroom. When Tom returned he was in a fresh pair of silk boxers and was holding one of his suits.
“ ‘ Didn’t give any thought to coming here.’ Tom this is my condo. It’s my name on the deed. I know that I gave you a key and that you have clothes in my closet.” Karen said. She then looked up at Tom and in an icy tone added.
“ I want your key back this moment. I will send your things to where ever it is your staying. I was out on a date last night. Can you imagine my date’s confusion if I’d brought him up for a drink and to talk? What if he stayed the night?! God! I want you out of here! You understand me. OUT!”
“ Karen can’t we talk this out for a minute or two…” Tom started to say. He really felt that if the two of them had the chance to have a civil conversation they might be able to smooth out some of the bumps.
“ Either you get dressed and get out in the next five minutes or I’m calling the police. It’s your choice.” Karen said with all the venom of a rattlesnake. “ I want a divorce.”
“ This is going to cost you! Plenty.” Tom narrowed his eyes at Karen. He felt a flush of anger creeping up his neck and into his face. “ I’m going to bleed you dry.”
“ You’re forgetting the fact that you signed a pre-nuptial agreement. You take what you brought into this marriage, nothing more.” Karen stood and placed her hands on her hips, and raised her chin up defiantly. She won this round. Tom stared at Karen in the eye for a moment, seeing the fire in them he relented by looking at the floor.
The door bell rang startling both Karen and Tom.
“ Who is that?”
“ Rosie. Hurry up and finish dressing. Leave your key on the dresser. Tom for the last time it’s over between us. Get that through your head.” Karen said as she left the room to go and let Rosie in.
Karen went to the front door and opened it. Rosie bustled in and took off her light jacket it was rather cool outside this morning, as it was overcast and threatening rain. Once that was done she gave Karen a hug.
“ I was so worried for you Karen. I had my church pray for you to get well. God must have been smiling on you in the hospital.” Rosie said once she’d let go of her boss.
“ Thank you Rosie.” Karen said and then in a whisper added. “ Tom is here. He was in the shower when I woke up.”
Rosie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she only nodded. “ I will start with the dusting here in the living room.”
“ Thank you Rosie.” Karen said.
As Rosie was getting her cleaning supplies out of the pantry along with her apron. Tom appeared fully dressed in a fresh suit. He didn’t say a word to Karen only stopped long enough to look her over. Not seeing what he wanted to see he went to the door opened it and without a goodbye he walked out.
Karen walked to the bedroom and looked on her dresser. On the top was Tom’s key and gate pass. Something else was there too, Karen stepped closer and saw it was Tom’s wedding band. She picked it up and looked at it. On the inside rim it was inscribed with the same thing that was on her own wedding band. ‘ KAC&TEB forever August 31, 1980.’
Karen opened the top drawer and put all of these items into it and closed it.
“ Karen, are you ok?” Rosie asked from the door.
“ Yes I’m fine.” Karen straightened her shoulders, turned to look at her trusted employee and clapping her hands said with forced cheerfulness. “ Come on we have some serious work ahead of us.”
The next morning Karen awoke in her bedroom of her condo. She glanced at the alarm clock and was jolted in to full wakefulness. It was after eleven. She reached for her phone and called her maids house.
“ Olla, Rosie here.”
“ Rosie. I need you to get over here on the double. I want to have my condo cleaned. I will be staying here for the next few weeks.”
“ Se, I will be there in twenty minutes. Bye.”
Rosie Lopez was an immigrant to the States from her home country of El Salvador. Karen and Tom had hired her just after their wedding in 1980. After weeks of teaching from Karen and Tom she’d managed to learn rudimentary English. In the two years that Rosie was employed she still had a strong accent but she was able to understand the instructions that Karen left for her. Rosie just turned twenty-nine in October and had a four-year-old son Pedro Jr. and a seven-year-old daughter Marcella. Her husband Pedro Sr. had left her just after their son was born.
Karen had met them about five months after hiring Rosie when the babysitter had cancelled. Both children where well mannered and very grateful to Karen for employing their mother. When the kids where at the condo they and their mother kept up a steady steam of Spanish and Rosie had taught Karen a few primary phases in her mother tongue. Pedro and Marcella had giggled when Karen tried to say ‘ Hello, how are you?” to them in Spanish, much to Rosie’s panic. Karen had laughed it off good-naturedly. Rosie had become a trusted friend.
Karen hung up the phone, sat up and slipped on her slippers. She grabbed her robe and put it on and tied it. Crossing the bedroom to her bathroom she was startled to hear the shower running. Karen stopped dead in her tracks. She frantically looked for something she could use as a weapon. She grabbed a can of hair spray, with her finger on the sprayer, and held it at arms length, she slowly pushed the door open.
There was someone in the shower. Clothes where scattered about on the floor. Karen looked at the shower and could make out a tall form through the opaqueness of the glass. Without thinking she crossed the small room and tore open the shower door. There naked stood her soon to be ex-husband.
“ Tom! What the hell are you doing in my house?!” Karen yelped.
Tom turned around to face Karen not bothering to even try to cover himself. She’d seen it all before.
“ I still have a key. I thought you where staying at your parents house. I came back here to shower and get a bite to eat. Could you hand me a towel?” Tom smiled as he turned off the water.
Karen was so bewildered that she actually did as she was told. She turned slightly and reached for and then handed Tom one of the plush terry cloth towels on the rack. Only then did she snap out of her astonishment and walk out of the bathroom. She sat on the bed and waited for Tom to exit the bathroom. Karen was awe stuck at his audacity at coming back to her condo.
A moment later Tom appeared casually drying his hair with another towel. The one she’d given him was wrapped around his waist.
“ Listen I’m really sorry I didn’t know that you’d be here Karen. I figured that your mother wouldn’t let you out of her sight. I honestly didn’t give any thought to coming here.” He crossed to the closet and stepped inside. One of the things that Karen had done during the remodeling of her condo was have a large walk-in closet installed in the master bedroom. When Tom returned he was in a fresh pair of silk boxers and was holding one of his suits.
“ ‘ Didn’t give any thought to coming here.’ Tom this is my condo. It’s my name on the deed. I know that I gave you a key and that you have clothes in my closet.” Karen said. She then looked up at Tom and in an icy tone added.
“ I want your key back this moment. I will send your things to where ever it is your staying. I was out on a date last night. Can you imagine my date’s confusion if I’d brought him up for a drink and to talk? What if he stayed the night?! God! I want you out of here! You understand me. OUT!”
“ Karen can’t we talk this out for a minute or two…” Tom started to say. He really felt that if the two of them had the chance to have a civil conversation they might be able to smooth out some of the bumps.
“ Either you get dressed and get out in the next five minutes or I’m calling the police. It’s your choice.” Karen said with all the venom of a rattlesnake. “ I want a divorce.”
“ This is going to cost you! Plenty.” Tom narrowed his eyes at Karen. He felt a flush of anger creeping up his neck and into his face. “ I’m going to bleed you dry.”
“ You’re forgetting the fact that you signed a pre-nuptial agreement. You take what you brought into this marriage, nothing more.” Karen stood and placed her hands on her hips, and raised her chin up defiantly. She won this round. Tom stared at Karen in the eye for a moment, seeing the fire in them he relented by looking at the floor.
The door bell rang startling both Karen and Tom.
“ Who is that?”
“ Rosie. Hurry up and finish dressing. Leave your key on the dresser. Tom for the last time it’s over between us. Get that through your head.” Karen said as she left the room to go and let Rosie in.
Karen went to the front door and opened it. Rosie bustled in and took off her light jacket it was rather cool outside this morning, as it was overcast and threatening rain. Once that was done she gave Karen a hug.
“ I was so worried for you Karen. I had my church pray for you to get well. God must have been smiling on you in the hospital.” Rosie said once she’d let go of her boss.
“ Thank you Rosie.” Karen said and then in a whisper added. “ Tom is here. He was in the shower when I woke up.”
Rosie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she only nodded. “ I will start with the dusting here in the living room.”
“ Thank you Rosie.” Karen said.
As Rosie was getting her cleaning supplies out of the pantry along with her apron. Tom appeared fully dressed in a fresh suit. He didn’t say a word to Karen only stopped long enough to look her over. Not seeing what he wanted to see he went to the door opened it and without a goodbye he walked out.
Karen walked to the bedroom and looked on her dresser. On the top was Tom’s key and gate pass. Something else was there too, Karen stepped closer and saw it was Tom’s wedding band. She picked it up and looked at it. On the inside rim it was inscribed with the same thing that was on her own wedding band. ‘ KAC&TEB forever August 31, 1980.’
Karen opened the top drawer and put all of these items into it and closed it.
“ Karen, are you ok?” Rosie asked from the door.
“ Yes I’m fine.” Karen straightened her shoulders, turned to look at her trusted employee and clapping her hands said with forced cheerfulness. “ Come on we have some serious work ahead of us.”
