Chapter 6
On Saturday morning, Mike woke up and took a shower to wake himself up. He hadn’t slept that well. Kelly’s question haunted him. It was obvious that his lack of comment about her appearance had hurt her. He did think she was beautiful. But he was also insecure. He could see his love handles, the increasing gray, and the lines from stress. She was three years younger than he was. But now, after her transformation, she could have been ten. He also knew that his distance bothered her. But he was so tired from the long hours his business required. It had been a slow starter, and Kelly had had to bear the main burden of supporting them while they waited for it to get off the ground. She encouraged him to follow his dream, and she was happy that things were going well. But as a part time consultant, she couldn’t possibly understand how all-consuming a business could be. Yes, Mike knew that she had worked hard, especially the past several weeks. But it just wasn’t the same. Not less important, just not the same.
Other things also bothered Mike. Kelly seemed to have plenty of time for other pursuits – reading, working on projects, lunches and dinners. But how many times over the past year had he had to fish through a pile of clothes to wear a pair of pants or a pair of socks a second time? And sometimes, when his days were particularly long and stressful, he longed to walk into a house without laundry baskets in the den and dishes in the sink. He tried to help, but the fact was Kelly spent a lot more time home than he did. It was hard to hide his frustration at times. He loved Kelly, and he was sure she knew that. They were just both busy. There would be time, after his business really was self-propelling, for them to reconnect and be better than ever. And a few dirty dishes wouldn’t get in the way of that when the time came.
Mike was pouring himself a cup of coffee when Kelly walked into the kitchen. The kids were already dressed, sitting in the den to watch a cartoon. Kelly stretched and yawned. Her hair was tousled, and when she stretched, her shorts and t-shirt separated and showed her stomach. Mike’s throat caught at the sight of her. How could he not have told her how beautiful she was? He knew his expression was not too far from that of a teenager looking at his first crush. However, Kelly walked through the kitchen without looking at him, so she didn’t see it.
“How are my boys this morning?” Kelly asked. They both nodded and smiled, never taking their eyes off the screen.
Kelly kissed them both and went back to the bedroom. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and put on some shorts and a t-shirt. She told Mike she was going for a run. While she was out, she thought about the previous week. It had been exhilarating. Andrew was probably right. She was getting hooked again. Of course, she wasn’t sure how Mike would feel about her going back full time, but after she received her pay and bonus for this account, she had a feeling he wouldn’t put up much of a fight. They needed the increase in money to make things less strained.
“Have a good run?” Mike asked when Kelly walked into the kitchen
“Great,” Kelly answered, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water.
“I have to go into the office for a while. Is that okay? I’ll probably need to be there until about 2:00. I’ll take care of my own lunch.”
“That’s fine. Can you wait until I shower?”
“Sure,” Mike said. He went into the den and started flipping through channels.
Kelly spent much of that day preparing for Wednesday’s presentation. She knew, however, that Mike would expect to see a difference in the house when he got home. Kelly did a couple of loads of laundry and cleaned the kitchen. She was about to start on the bathrooms when Mike called.
“Hey, Kelly, I’m at Clay’s Auto and Tire. There’s something seriously wrong with the transmission. Can you come and get me?”
“Yeah. Just let me get the boys ready, and we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As they drove away from the auto shop, Mike turned to Kelly. “They aren’t open on Sundays, and they’re about to close for the day. So that means I need to take your car to work Monday.”
“I have to go in too, Mike,” Kelly said. “How am I supposed to get to work, and how will the boys get to school?”
“I’ll take the boys,” Mike said. “Can’t you get someone to give you a ride to the office?”
“I guess so,” Kelly said, slightly irritated.