Rene Gutteridge - Listen

“I don’t know what the report was about. Honestly I don’t really care. The thing is-the thing you’ve never understood-is that Frank loves you and will never stop loving you. He does crazy things because of his love for you. And his love has been tested in a variety of different ways. It’s still holding.”

“Don’t you dare bring up the affair.”

“I didn’t say a word about it.”

“A lot of people blame me for that. But nobody knows what it was like. Frank was not an easy person to live with.”

“I can only imagine.”

Angela kept her eyes locked on Damien’s, stepping forward. “I’ve put up with a lot from that man, but he’s crossed the line now. And I’m not talking about the ridiculous missing person report he filed on me.”

“Okay…” The muscles in his shoulders began seizing up. He didn’t like talking about Frank, not in this way, where all his vulnerabilities and shortcomings were exposed. That tended to happen a lot when Angela was involved, but Damien never questioned it to Frank. Daresay a bad word about Angela, and that was the permanent end to the friendship.

Again, she stepped forward, backing him toward his front door. Not only was he drowning in the scent of jasmine, but he was also now suffocating from lack of personal space. He had nowhere to go. He blinked rapidly as if a fly buzzed near his face.

“And I know something,” Angela said, her voice lowering again. “I know that you don’t like to hear that Frank isn’t the perfect guy. Nobody likes to hear that. But you have to hear this.”

“First of all, I know Frank’s not perfect. None of us are. Nobody ever said Frank was perfect.”

“That’s the thing that always got under my skin,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “Despite the immense personal failings of this guy, nobody was more liked than Frank Merret. The guy has the social skills and the self-awareness of a baboon, yet most people think the world of him.”

“That’s because he’s a good guy. Something you could never see about him. Despite all his flaws, at the end of the day, he’d do anything for anybody. And he’d do more than anything, above and beyond, for you.”

It seemed whatever words Angela was about to speak halted at the tip of her tongue. She stared at her feet for a moment, her fingers twisting around her lips and her chin, scratching her skin as if she were attempting to fend off whatever it was she thought she needed to say.

She finally looked up, a half-baked resolve set in her eyes. She didn’t look directly at Damien. Her gaze shifted to the left to the point that Damien wanted to lean over into her line of sight. “I’m seeing someone,” she said.

“All right. What does that have to do with me?”

“We’re getting serious. Very serious.”

“Good for you. You’re afraid this is going to upset Frank? He’s been down this road a time or ten.”

Angela scowled. “You’re painting me like I’m a… Maybe this was a mistake. I came over because I figured Kay wouldn’t answer the phone if she saw it was me calling.” She took a few steps back.

Damien drew in a big breath that probably sounded like a heavy sigh, at least judging from the sour expression on her face. “I’m just saying that Frank cares for you and whatever he may or may not be doing all stems from his feelings for you.”

“Does that include listening to my private conversations?” Angela folded her arms.

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s listening to me. Listening to my private conversations.”

Damien shook his head, still not understanding.

“There’s a Web site called-”

“Listen to Yourself.”

“He told you!”

“He told me about it, but Frank’s not the one doing this.”

“Oh, really? Already defending him.”

“What makes you think it’s Frank?”

“Because a conversation I had with the man I’m seeing was posted on there.” Suddenly the harshness in her voice was gone.

“I know about this Web site. Lots and lots of conversations from the town have been recorded and posted.”

“Yes, well, the only one that matters to me is mine.”

“So what does this have to do with Frank?”

“I caught him. He was behind the house near the sidewalk, peeking over the fence, on the same day that I had that conversation.”

“You don’t have a fence.”

Angela bit her lip. “It wasn’t at my apartment. I was with the man I’m seeing. At his house. Frank must’ve followed me there. And I don’t know how he listened to what was being said, but what’s on that Web site-” she covered her mouth for a moment as if the words were too hard to say-“is exactly what I said.” A tear dripped down her cheek, desperation blowing through a cloud of what looked like shame. “And now I’m afraid.”

“Afraid?”

“Of Frank. I’m afraid of what he might do. The conversation is about Frank.”

“Let me assure you: Frank is not behind this Web site. But even if he was, why are you afraid? Frank would never hurt you in any way, besides possibly being a very big annoyance in your life. He’s harmless.”

“Sometimes harmless people who have been harmed become harmful.” Something in her voice made Damien realize this wasn’t an act. She was fearful.

“I’ll talk to him,” Damien said.

“He listens to you.”

“Yeah. He listens. Rarely does he obey, though.” Damien offered a conciliatory smile. “Don’t worry, okay?”

“I’m not worried. I’m contacting my attorney. And if he does it again, any of it, I’m going to sue him. You can mention that if you want.” Angela marched down the steps of the porch, all the way down the sidewalk and to her car, where she flung open the door, got in, and peeled out.

“All I’m saying is that you need to watch yourself around that woman. I know Frank can’t see a thing wrong with her, but I’m telling you, she’s no good.” Kay furiously scrubbed a pan she held over the sink.

Damien had barely walked in the door. “With your history with Angela… I’m not sure you’re the best person to judge the situation.”

Kay shot him a harsh but agreeing look.

“Trust me. You have nothing to worry about. The day I smelled her was the day I became a hater of all things jasmine. Thanks for using personal scent self-control.”

“What’d she want?”

Damien chose his words carefully. If Frank was involved with this, he didn’t want things getting around. “Frank filed a missing person report. Turns out she was just over at her new boyfriend’s.”

“Shocking.”

“I think I better go visit Frank tonight, though. You okay with that?”

“Oh, sure. Leave me alone with two kids that hate my guts.”

Damien moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “They don’t hate you. They just hate life right now.”

“Why? They have a perfectly good life.”

“Teenagers never think they have a perfectly good life. That is, until they get out on their own and nobody’s making them pork chops and doing their laundry.” He pecked her on the cheek. “Don’t let it get you down. We knew this day was coming.”

“If we can get through this year without Jenna beating somebody to a bloody pulp, I’ll count that as a success. I thought boys were supposed to be the ones duking it out on the playground.”

Damien walked upstairs to Hunter’s room and gave a hearty knock without flinging the door open this time. His heart couldn’t take another awkward moment.

“Come in.”

Even with the invitation, he opened the door slowly. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hey, Dad.” He didn’t look up from the computer. His fingers were flying over the keyboard.