and patted my hand.
“No, I want to see them. It is just my mother will be…”
“Oh, honey, did I forget to say your mom was coming with them? What a scatterbrain I am. Grant always said I was the worst at surprises. Who makes such an announcement and leaves out all the details?”
Distracted, Vivian picked up the notebook I had been typing from. She
grinned as she glanced over the notes.
Not able to be irritated at her flighty behavior, I resumed our conversation.
“You talked to my mother?”
Viv’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ve been talking with Hillary for a week. She is such
a delight and has wonderful ideas on how to make the day go off with a bang. It
is going to be a holiday to be thankful for.”
Impulsively, I threw my arms around Vivian. Tears filled my eyes as I hugged her. “Viv, you’re too good to me.”
“Oh honey, it has been a blessing having you here. You brought more life to
my home than it has seen for such a long time,” she said, kissing me on the cheek. “Oh, I almost forgot. In less than a week, you will finally get to meet my baby boy. He’s flying your family here.”
“You didn’t mention he was a pilot.”
“My boy has many talents, like his mother.” Viv did a little tap dance and then removed an imaginary veil as she said, “He’s a true man of mystery. You’ll
love him. We won’t be having a Charlie Brown event in my home. Get some sleep. I’ll wake you bright and early to begin with the festivity planning.”
Instead of our usual evening chats by the fire, we called it an early night.
Vivian had big plans of baking and prepping for our Thanksgiving feast over the
next few days. She beamed as she told me, “Tomorrow, let’s go over what we’ll
do to ensure the best holiday ever for our guests.”
I smiled and nodded in agreement. Of course, it would be fantastic. Vivian had such a big heart, and she put it into everything she did. When I first moved
in, she checked on me during the night, tucking the covers around me, and even
adding another blanket on the really chilly evenings. She had such a sweet soul
that I couldn’t view her actions as weird.
For some reason, Jeremy filled my mind that night. It might have been a result of hearing Vivian talk about her exes. Even though she painted them in a
good light, many of the things they had done had made me despise them.
Through her, I began to understand how we can love parts of people while not
liking the entire package. It was difficult comparing Jeremy to the man I loved
and the man he had become. We both had changed. I wasn’t as big of a liar as he
was, though I had deceived him. I was not perfect, and I shouldn’t have pretended I was for so long.
I avoided looking at his text messages, afraid of what he had said. If I was
honest, I was more afraid of how I would respond. When I last checked, my lawyer said the papers had not been returned yet. Avoiding the issue seemed the
best way to move on, but I needed to deal with him, one day.
It might as well be right now. I sighed. Pulling out my phone, I slowly began to go through the messages from the beginning.
Jeremy: WTF, Caitlin. How long have you been planning this? Was San
Diego part of your plan? Mess up my life and dump me? When did you
become such a bitch?
Jeremy: You’re crazy if you think you’re getting a dime of my money.
Tell your lawyer, I have dirt on you, too.
Jeremy: Answer me!!!!
