her.
“How did you say her husbands died?” I raised my eyebrows.
“I didn’t,” Thomas smirked. “And not all of them died.”
When I handed the phone back to Thomas, he smiled. “Vivian wants her
writer to come live with her and record her story before she’s taken from this world. You know you’re the perfect person to tell her story. This is your chance
for a clean slate.”
“You’re right. Tell her I’ll come,” I conceded. This is my chance to start over.
“Can you be ready in one week?” Thomas took my hand and smiled.
“I can. One week, twelve hours, three minutes. Then, I’ll be free,” I declared.
“I guess I need to tell the lawyer to rush the paperwork.”
I changed into my ‘Justice’ wardrobe. This would be the last time performing as
the best friend to my husband’s mistress. I wasn’t sure how our last encounter would end. I considered telling her who I was. Even as I entered the gym, I didn’t know what my end game would be with Ginger.
As usual, I found Ginger running on the treadmill. I did not receive the usual
perky greeting. Something was wrong. Her eyes were dark and puffy.
Stepping on the machine next to her, I said, “Hey, Ginger, how was the weekend?”
“Fine.”
One-word response? That isn’t like her. Reaching over the bar, I pushed the buttons to turn her machine to a slower pace. “Come on. Tell me what is up.”
Tears began to flow down her face. “It was horrible. He canceled on me for a
business trip and he took his wife. He ended up coming home early because she
had a psychotic meltdown and embarrassed him in front of one of his very important contacts. You wouldn’t believe what she did.”
“I wouldn’t?” I asked. Goodie, there is a story. I wonder what I did.
“She lured his business partner to a quiet corner in a nightclub where she forced herself on the poor man. Of course, he had no choice. Men’s bodies react
differently than ours. When she was caught, she jumped up on the table and stripped off all her clothes. She tried to get his business friend to have sex with her, right there and then.
“Jeremy was mortified. He had to lead her out of the club half-naked. When
they were in the cab, she tried to climb over the seat to attack the cabbie. She clawed and scratched poor Jeremy. It was horrible for him. He is devastated. She
ruined everything, and now, his business might be in trouble. He told me I might
have to give up my condo and move to a cheaper apartment. I might even have
to go back to work.”
“Oh, Ginger, that is horrible. He really should leave his wife.”
“He won’t. He feels responsible. But, J, there’s something even worse I have
to tell you.” Ginger stopped the treadmill and reached into her bag. She pulled out a manila envelope, the same kind I had seen showing all of Jeremy’s affairs.
I held my breath.
“Here, look, it’s horrible,” she cried.
Some women truly are ugly criers. I instantly felt guilty for the cruel thought.
Sliding the photos out, I forced a gasp of surprise. Flipping through another
set of pictures, I saw a different woman, and this time, the pictures had a dominatrix. One picture even had two women in it.
“See this?” she cried, holding up the photo of him being spanked with a whip. “See the newspaper on the floor? It was two weeks ago. That means he was with her recently.”
Sinking to the floor, she began to sob. “I don’t know what I should do. I’d go
back to Michigan, but I love Jeremy. I can’t leave him. I’m the only good thing
