THE GREAT SHOCK – CHAPTER 1

Elle sat on the floor where she had landed with a thud after Butch had slammed her there with his fist in her chest. His last words reverberated in her head.

“You are a—” She couldn’t even say it out loud. Tears flowing, she bowed her head wishing she could just fade away.

After a while she looked up and realized it had gotten dark outside. She pulled herself to a standing position and stretched out her cramped muscles. In the bathroom, she splashed water on her face and looked at her reflection. “Yeesh,” she said, “I look like I was left out in the rain!” Two little rivulets of black mascara trickled down, dropped off her chin and landed on to her shirt.

“Well?” she said to the reflection. “Are you going to stand here feeling sorry for yourself? Or are you going to change your ways?”

“Going to the kitchen right now to have a drink,” she answered herself out loud.

Fridge door open, she stared unseeingly while those last words of Butch’s slashed through her mind.

“Shut up.” That’s what she should have said to him. “Shut the hell up. I am so sick of you. And get out of my house.” That’s what she should have said. Ignoring the tequila, she grabbed a diet soda and slammed the door shut.

“Tomorrow I change the locks and pack up all his stuff and take it to Goodwill… or the dumpster.” She smiled, enjoying the idea of the dumpster.

Soda in hand, she stood in the doorway of the bedroom she had shared with him for 10 years.

“Crap,” she said out loud. “I am not going to cry!!!!” The tears flowed. She slapped them away off her face, turned with a vengeance and marched back down the hall to the kitchen for trash bags.

In the bedroom she yanked open drawers and stuffed trash bags full. Then the closet. Then the floor. All the time, muttering to herself. “He was such a slob! Empty cigarette packs, empty whisky bottles and candle wax everywhere. Toys! Yes, TOYS! Stupid man. He was a child in a man’s body! Including the tantrums!! Big baby. Blew every cent of his money—and mine! On candles, booze, and toys. I maxed out my credit cards buying him clothing and necessities so he could spend his money on junk!! Gahhh!!!!” She glanced at the clock. 2:00 AM. She wasn’t tired. She was too angry.

Down on the floor, on her hands and knees, on his side of the bed picking up candy wrappers, dirty dishes, magazines, stubs of burned candles, and more of the same in the night stand. “Oh, yay, his check book.” Balance – who knows? He never paid any attention. He used his debit card until it was declined.

Her back aching, she sat up and leaned against the wall. Drawers in the nightstand were empty. Dare she look under the bed? She lifted the edge of the comforter with her bare foot. She chuckled, thinking something would pop out and bite her. Not surprised, she viewed the dust bunnies, and more candy wrappers, a few coins, a comb, some underwear, a couple of books, another check book… Curious, she leaned forward. Why was there a check book under the bed? She reached in and pulled it out. Not a check book. A book. A black book. She laughed. Yup, that’s what she’s always wanted to see. Her boyfriend’s black book. Gee, only one???? Well? Might as well learn something.

How delicious!!!

She sat back against the wall again, trash bag on her lap, and began to read. It was his usual scraggly handwriting.

As she read, her eyes widened and her heartbeat soared to warp speed. This was no ordinary black book!! Her head felt like it might spin around and fly off.

“So this is what he’s been doing while I am at work! No wonder the house is such a mess all the time!!” Her voice was high and squeaky after being up all night.

This was devastation. This was … What was it? She couldn’t think. Suddenly she was cold. Her teeth began to chatter. She pulled the comforter off the bed and wrapped up in it. She sat there on the floor like a mummy beside the bed and wondered what to do.

The warm rays of sunshine on her face finally woke her up. She opened her eyes and looked around. Why was she on the floor? Why was there no feeling in her legs? Oh. The trash bag. She attempted to stand up. Her head hurt. Her eyes felt like raw hamburger.

She looked around for her phone. Something caught her eye. She turned her head and stared at something sticking out from between the mattress and box spring. More candy wrappers? An empty twinkie packet? No. Something green. She reached out and pulled on it. Out came a big wad of cash? Really? She reached in and pulled out more. And then more. And then more. “ Holy Cow!” she croaked.

She painfully pulled herself to a standing position. She didn’t realize how long she’d been on the floor. Now she really needed coffee.

She stood at the window in the kitchen. The hot coffee felt good going down. “Nectar of the gods”, she always said. She set her coffee cup on the counter and dialed a number.

“George, Oh good, you’re up. Oh, you’re not? Oh, so sorry. But now that you’re up, I need to see you this morning. It’s important. Thanks. I owe you. I really promise. Ok see you at ten.”

She cried a little bit in the shower, but she was determined not to give him the benefit of any more tears. She dried her hair, did her face, located a clean pair of black jeans to put on, added a yellow knit top and white jeweled flip flops, grabbed her bag and was out the door by 9:30.

George met her in the lobby and took her back to his office. He parked her in one of the two overstuffed chairs and sat across from her at his desk.

“Is this an attorney thing or a friend thing?” He smiled at her trying to get her to smile back. She didn’t smile. Just pulled the black book out of her purse and handed it to him. He leaned back in his chair and opened it. His eyes widened and his chair hit the wall and bounced him forward against his desk.

“Where on God’s green earth did you get this?”

“Under the bed,” she said dryly. “Where else?”

“Do you know how long it’s been under there?”

She sighed. “No idea… days…? weeks…? months…? “

He leaned closer to her. “Do you know what you have here?”

“No. I mean, I’m not sure. Sort of. No. Not really. It just looks bad.”

“It IS bad!” he shrieked.

“Shut up! Do you want your staff to hear you??”

“Sorry. Lost my head. You know, don’t you, that I shouldn’t see this? I am an officer of the court! I can’t know this stuff!!” His voice began to crescendo.

She waved her arms at him. “Shut up,” she whispered tersely. “Can you at least get me another restraining order?”

“Again.  Jeez. Yes. Let’s do that right now.” He dug around in his drawer for the paperwork. “And you cannot tell a living soul about this!”

The look she gave him told him he was an idiot. “Don’t worry. Who would I tell??? Are you nuts? And George, there’s more.”

She handed him a big manila envelope. When he looked inside, he seemed a bit pale. “Where did THIS come from?”

“Between the mattress and the box springs on HIS side of the bed.”

“Did you count it?”

“Twenty thousand dollars.”

He gently laid the envelope down on his desk. They both stared at it.

The phone rang and they both jumped.