the driveway, she had everything all figured out and was looking forward to the moment she'd be able to present Jesse with the money she'd lost.
"Dad said that he wouldn't be home for dinner," Trina said as she got out of the car and entered the house.
"Wait, what did you say?" JoAnn trailed behind her daughter. She needed to make sure she'd heard Trina correctly.
"He said that he wouldn't be home for dinner," Trina repeated.
"Did he say why? It's not like him to not come home for dinner." JoAnn was sharing a little too much worry with her daughter, but she couldn't help it.
"He didn't say why he wasn't coming, but I would appreciate it if you guys started speaking to each other again because I hate being in the middle of your argument."
"We're not in a dispute," JoAnn lied.
"Could've fooled me," Trina mumbled as she raced up the staircase.
"What did you just say?" JoAnn had become irritated and wasn't about to put up with any wisecracks from Trina.
"Nothing. Don't worry about cooking for me either. I'm not very hungry."
"Not now, but what about later?" JoAnn asked, although at that moment her main concern wasn't Trina.
"I'll eat some fruit or something," Trina said. "I just don't have an appetite."
JoAnn placed her car keys on the granite countertop and began pacing the kitchen floor nervously.
"It is so unlike Jesse to not come home. We've had plenty of arguments and disputes before, but never to the point that he stopped coming home," JoAnn said to herself. "Could he have begun an affair over this?" JoAnn began thinking about all of the Barbie bitches who she thought would leap at the chance to seduce Jesse during this shaky time in their marriage. The list was rather long. She knew for a fact that several of his young female employees at the sporting goods store would spread their legs for him in a heartbeat. Jesse was a handsome and successful man, and JoAnn had always felt if he were a man whose values weren't strong, he would be out sleeping around with scores of women.
"But Jesse is not like that." JoAnn tried to convince herself that her husband wouldn't betray her the way she'd betrayed him. Her thoughts began playing tricks on her. "The hell with it," she finally said and opened her purse. She removed her cell phone and called him. His phone just rang. Clearly he was refusing to take her call. She decided to call the store directly but then held the thought.
"No, I'm going down to the store to talk to him face-to-face," JoAnn said aloud. "Trina," she called.
"Yeah?" Trina answered.
"I'm about to run down to the sporting goods store to see your father. I'll be back in a little while. Come lock the door." JoAnn gathered up her belongings and walked back out to her car.
"I'm going to straighten this entire situation out," she said as she drove off.
CHAPTER 12
JESSE
J esse sat in his office staring out of his window at a nearby building. The image of the neighboring building's rooftop generators offered very little in the way of visual stimulation, but Jesse didn't mind. Especially not now, since he was thinking so hard about his life, what he'd accomplished and how best to approach JoAnn about ending their marriage.
Jesse's parents were working-class people. His mother was a social worker who'd worked tirelessly to help poor people advance from their impoverished conditions, but he'd followed in his father's footsteps and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago on a cross-country running scholarship, and later earned his master's degree in business administration.
Upon graduating, Jesse began working for a marketing firm building brands for sports-equipment companies. He worked on marketing campaigns for shoe manufacturers, surfboard companies and even did some work building a presence in the marketplace for an organization that made skateboards. For several years he'd earned a handsome income, but he'd always wanted his own business. After putting the idea off for what
"Dad said that he wouldn't be home for dinner," Trina said as she got out of the car and entered the house.
"Wait, what did you say?" JoAnn trailed behind her daughter. She needed to make sure she'd heard Trina correctly.
"He said that he wouldn't be home for dinner," Trina repeated.
"Did he say why? It's not like him to not come home for dinner." JoAnn was sharing a little too much worry with her daughter, but she couldn't help it.
"He didn't say why he wasn't coming, but I would appreciate it if you guys started speaking to each other again because I hate being in the middle of your argument."
"We're not in a dispute," JoAnn lied.
"Could've fooled me," Trina mumbled as she raced up the staircase.
"What did you just say?" JoAnn had become irritated and wasn't about to put up with any wisecracks from Trina.
"Nothing. Don't worry about cooking for me either. I'm not very hungry."
"Not now, but what about later?" JoAnn asked, although at that moment her main concern wasn't Trina.
"I'll eat some fruit or something," Trina said. "I just don't have an appetite."
JoAnn placed her car keys on the granite countertop and began pacing the kitchen floor nervously.
"It is so unlike Jesse to not come home. We've had plenty of arguments and disputes before, but never to the point that he stopped coming home," JoAnn said to herself. "Could he have begun an affair over this?" JoAnn began thinking about all of the Barbie bitches who she thought would leap at the chance to seduce Jesse during this shaky time in their marriage. The list was rather long. She knew for a fact that several of his young female employees at the sporting goods store would spread their legs for him in a heartbeat. Jesse was a handsome and successful man, and JoAnn had always felt if he were a man whose values weren't strong, he would be out sleeping around with scores of women.
"But Jesse is not like that." JoAnn tried to convince herself that her husband wouldn't betray her the way she'd betrayed him. Her thoughts began playing tricks on her. "The hell with it," she finally said and opened her purse. She removed her cell phone and called him. His phone just rang. Clearly he was refusing to take her call. She decided to call the store directly but then held the thought.
"No, I'm going down to the store to talk to him face-to-face," JoAnn said aloud. "Trina," she called.
"Yeah?" Trina answered.
"I'm about to run down to the sporting goods store to see your father. I'll be back in a little while. Come lock the door." JoAnn gathered up her belongings and walked back out to her car.
"I'm going to straighten this entire situation out," she said as she drove off.
CHAPTER 12
JESSE
J esse sat in his office staring out of his window at a nearby building. The image of the neighboring building's rooftop generators offered very little in the way of visual stimulation, but Jesse didn't mind. Especially not now, since he was thinking so hard about his life, what he'd accomplished and how best to approach JoAnn about ending their marriage.
Jesse's parents were working-class people. His mother was a social worker who'd worked tirelessly to help poor people advance from their impoverished conditions, but he'd followed in his father's footsteps and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago on a cross-country running scholarship, and later earned his master's degree in business administration.
Upon graduating, Jesse began working for a marketing firm building brands for sports-equipment companies. He worked on marketing campaigns for shoe manufacturers, surfboard companies and even did some work building a presence in the marketplace for an organization that made skateboards. For several years he'd earned a handsome income, but he'd always wanted his own business. After putting the idea off for what
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