Lucky Number Thirteen...

PART THIRTEEN

“There must be something that can be done?” I asked DeGeas in his office two days later.

“Sure there is,” he replied with his feet up on the desk, his nose healing nicely. “At this point they want you to repeat the class.”

“I can’t go back to Exeter for just one class!” I said trying and sort of failing not to scream. “Or pay for it even if I could!”

“Nor do they really expect you to, but I asked a few friends that still have a finger in over there and apparently word got out about your… state, and they are being all New England about it.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” said DeGeas with anger in his voice at the situation. “They want to make an example out of you, to show other girls what the consequences of premarital sex entails. Teaching the lesson to guys I figure they think is a lost cause.”

“Can they do that?”

“They can’t fail you for being pregnant, but they can certainly fail you for not finishing the work which they have done. And they can also refuse to make some sort of special compromise for you. For a namby pampy elitist bastion of the upper classes they seem to make a point of showing to the world that they can’t be influenced by wealth or position. LaQuisha and Lupita drop out of high school because of pregnancy and are not given the help they need why should a rich white girl from a proud family get special treatment?”

“This is ridiculous! That they can hold my future ransom over one piece of paper. I can do the work, ten TIMES the work but I just need the chance. There has to be something they want? Are they trying to extort me for the cost of some donation?”

“Possibly, I’m checking but that takes time.”

“Which I don’t have!”

“It’s not the worst thing in the world Je… Katherine, to take some time off of school to have a baby.” He said trying to sooth me. “Which reminds me, about your health insurance situation, i’ve read the relevant laws and those people who attend the service academies are members of the military just like those that are in the warzones, which means their spouses can claim benefits as dependents. I took the liberty of gathering the paperwork and if you and your husband will just--”

“No,” I interrupted him harshly.

“Jessi… damnit, KATHERINE! Why not?”

“The navy frowns upon married midshipmen it would end Thomas’s career. We intend to keep it a secret for now.”

“And how do you intend to do that! Particularly when you start showing? This is the government we are talking about. There are public records you know.”

“There is no reason for the Navy to find out unless they are told; they have already investigated Thomas… and me… before we were admitted. And there is no reason to look again until Thomas applies for a security clearance and that is years away. Thomas MUST succeed at the Academy and be given every chance to do so otherwise… otherwise this was almost all for nothing. The mortgages will cover the health costs with enough left over for a while.”

“I’m going to say something Katherine, and I’m going to stand over here where there is plenty of desk between you and me while I say it, but that sounds like a complete scumbag move, how could he do that to you?”

“It was my decision,” I said sternly as I looked away from him just in time to prevent him from seeing my eyes.

DeGeas got up from his desk and gathered from his pocket a handkerchief handing it to me gently.

“If you wish to cry Mrs. Ryan,” he said softly. “I will not be offended.”

“Crying is for children Mr. DeGeas,” I said as I forcefully took the offered linen. “And I haven’t been one of those in some time.

“I have a suggestion if I may,” he continued as he went back to his desk to retrieve a file and hand it to me. “Which may be the solution to several of our problems… Nebraska is still your state of residence, we have a quaint little law on the books where students are offered coverage out of a state backed insurance pool even for preexisting conditions such as yours. It’s in the states best interest to prevent the spread of diseases and such, with all those young bodies pressed so closely together. You still have to pay a premium, and a high one at that, but coverage is extended, they cannot deny you and it will pay the way for your baby.”

“You want me to go back and finish high school here in Nebraska?”

“Not necessarily, we have different requirements than back east, could be all those extra honors classes you took has you well taken care of. But at any rate, the insurance pool is only available to students at the state universities. We get you into UNO this semester even if it’s just one class and you save yourself a fortune when the baby comes.”

“So what you are saying is,” I smiled wickedly. “It would be cheaper for me to pay for a college education than to be an unemployed, uninsured, high school dropout?”

“Yes,” he replied and couldn’t help grinning himself.

“That’s some state you have here councilor.”

“We try,” he acknowledged with a nod.

“A state school… in NEBRASKA!” I said chagrinned.

“It’s no great dishonor Katherine, you father went to UNL and both it and UNO have fine engineering programs, the rival of any expensive private school. You said you were interested in that?”

“I did, but all that presupposes that I can even get admitted minus my Phillips Exeter diploma, have you sorted THAT out lawyer DeGeas?”

“Happens,” he said smiling ear to ear. “I know a man.”

[***][***][***]

Dr. Nickolas Barelos was a slightly younger, haired version of my principle lawyer. They were not brothers, all appearances aside, but instead cousins a couple of different ways apparently. Barelos was the Dean of the College of Arts and Science. Which wasn’t the engineering school but he had plenty enough juice to get me in to the university proper.

“I can’t believe they turned you down,” said Barelos looking at my records. “Some universities just don’t deserve to live. About three different ways they could have given you a waiver and you wouldn’t have even had to pay them off. I mean have you looked at this thing.” He said indicating my, that is Jessica’s, transcript.

“Very briefly,” I replied. Which he took as a joke.

“Ha ha, yeah. We’ll get you in don’t worry. Easiest way is just have you take the GED which I’m sure you can pass no problem.”

“The GED?” I asked insulted.

“Yeah, we offer the test once a week but I can kick a few people in the butt and get them to proctor your exam this afternoon if you want. With no time for test prep it should cut down on any accusation of favoritism when you knock it out of the park. That is, unless you think you can’t hack it?”

“I can pass the GED!! It’s just, isn’t that the test they give, you know…”

“Happens I do know, the single largest category of people who take the GED are women who were not able to finish high school due to pregnancy. It’s not just for recovering drug addicts and convicted prisoners you know.” Barelos said scolding me with his gaze.

“Point taken.” I admitted reluctantly.

“It may not have much glory but it has even less shame. There have been plenty of fine scholars who came into college through the back door if you’re feeling snooty you can just show them up by making the dean’s list your first try. I won’t mind I assure you.” He smiled at me encouragingly.

“And the situation is better than you think,” he continued looking at the file. “All these advance placement classes and I see you took THOSE tests and passes as well. Do you realize that you are going to enter my school as a sophomore?”

“I am?” I asked surprised.

“It’s been a while since an old fuzzy studies professor took math but I think I have added this up right. 36 credit hours, which satisfy quite a bit of your general education requirements for any degree you eventually choose. AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Calc 1 and 2, AP Chemistry. AP Government, AP French, AP English, AP Lit, AP Art History, AP European History, and AP Music Theory. Haven’t you ever added them up?”

“Um no, it was never really that important, the Naval Academy makes everyone do four years, cow or countess. The AP courses were only just a way of taking the toughest classes for preparation. I likely would have skipped taking the placement tests but Exeter made us all go.”

“Hmm,” he said grunting at that information.

“So you will take all those hours? I remember when I was reading the Georgetown packet they allowed a maximum of six?”

“Well, never let it be said that I made disparaging remarks about my colleagues , so if you will shut that door behind you I will just say that it is in the best interests of a state school to produce as many educated and credentialed adults as possible, as QUICKLY as possible. The better to turn them into high taxpaying citizens so they can be out there ‘makin us our money!’” he said with a terrible slang accent and a snap of his fingers. “To use a phrase I heard some of my urban students use recently to describe a business relationship between a young lady and her employer.” He finished with a sinful expression and a lean toward me for emphasis. “It is however in the best interests of private universities to… well…charge tuition.”

“And the University of Nebraska at Omaha doesn’t?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh heavens no, all the market will bear! We’re not communists. But you’ll find us Nebraska peasants will revolt if it got much higher than $140 a credit hour which means you can have your degree for about 1/6th the price in maybe half the time.”

“Half? I asked astounded.

“As many and as quickly as possible remember that, students who are in school are eating tax money not generating it. And while I am quite proud of my position at this school, I will grant you that scholastically it will likely not prove as challenging as your other choices. But that just means that instead of taking the 15 hours your contemporaries take, some of them as low as 12 or even less! You can take an 18 credit hour semester. And also instead of taking the summers off like a hippie you can get another full semester in then as well. Why if you have a little fire in your belly we can even get you in a classroom in three days!”

I got SOMETHING in my belly, that’s for sure. But never let it be said a Ryan didn’t charge hard at her goal

“How can we do that?”

“Without much more than a half a page form we can let any old high school student take up to nine credit hours before being formally admitted. As long as you can pay the way we don’t mind you getting a little jump on things. You can knock those out no problem I think before fall semester even begins why… then you will have 45 credit hours completed and start out a SECOND semester sophomore!” he said enthusiastically while he fetched a piece of paper with a calendar on it.

“We have five summer sessions at UNO.” He continued. “Internet moderated which goes all summer long from mid May to mid August. You’re too late for that. First day session, which you are also too late for, but then there is first night session June 1th through July 8th second day July 2nd through August 10th and second night July 9th through August 16th Every class is two hours a day Monday through Friday but we squeeze an entire 16 week semester into about 5. It’s a wonderful way of getting rid of those Mickey Mouse classes that we insisted every well educated Nebraskan take and pass. We hurry, and assuming that you are even willing…”

I nodded since he seemed to be waiting for my agreement.

“Well then,” he carried on. “I see no reason why a smart girl like you can’t pass her GED and start then finish her undergraduate well ahead of most people.”

“I’ll take your word for it Dr. Barelos. It just seems odd.”

“You’ve heard stories about those kids who finish college in their teens, well this is how they do it. Skip grades young, test out of prereqs, and overload on classes. Though in your case you may have to taper off when the baby is born. When are you due?

“December 5th”

“Huh,” he grunted at me. “Well that’s bad luck on your part, that’s right in the middle of finals week. But you’ll find we are willing to make any reasonable accommodation as long as you plan ahead. Speak to your professors the first week of fall semester let them know the score. They will either let you take your finals early or a few weeks into spring semester with no penalty. But don’t wait too long! It’s a courtesy we offer not a requirement. So don’t mention it to your hapless teacher on the way to the delivery room and expect anything other than an incomplete.”

“I understand.” I said nodding my head abruptly.

“There is a nursery on campus as well. From 6AM to 9PM to cover the whole range of classes. It’s heavily subsidized by your student fees but not totally. So expect a substantial bill at the end of the semester depending upon how much you use it. They are good people over there; my own son was in their care when he was younger.”

“I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.” I answered a bit taken aback.

“You need to, or were you planning on adoption?”

“NO!,” I shouted before I even realized I had.

“Well… that was rather emphatic, I apologize if I struck a nerve Bernie said you were a bit touchy on the subject.

“He would know,” I said remembering what my hormones had done to his nose.

“Keeping the baby is of course your right, and the university will help out as much as we can, but from one parent to another. The person who has to work the hardest raising the baby is not the day care worker, but the mother.”

“I do understand Dr. Barelos and I’m sure the day care situation would have been addressed eventually. It’s just I’m only a few weeks into finding out I’m pregnant I’ve been scrambling to sort things out and only recently started reading up and began my pre-natal care. POST natal care is still some months off.”

“That’s true enough, as these things go, I just wanted you to be made aware of things… so shall we give it a try?”

I thought about it for a few moments. It was far from my lifelong dream, it was even reasonably far from my latest back up plan. But If I planned it right, and didn’t lose my mind in the process I could finish and be granted my commission a year and change maybe even two full years ahead of Thomas. I finished before he does and I’d have rank and seniority on him forever, and that suited me just fine.

“Sign me up,” I said, damning me to incarceration in the Nebraska educational system.

“That’s great!” he said enthusiastically as he dug out some forms for me to sign.

“One more thing, does UNO have a NROTC program?”

“ROTC?” he asked suppressed at my question.

“Yes, before I found out about the baby and had to decline I was accepted as a midshipman at the Naval Academy. Or didn’t DeGeas tell you?”

“Well he mentioned something but I thought… what with the baby and all?” he finished as he gestured at my abdomen.

“The baby will be weaned by the time I finish, even at your advanced schedule. And plenty of parents… even mothers, serve in the military.” I said slightly scolding the man.

“That’s true enough, I just thought, a Scott… well, none of my business what I thought. YES! We have a well respected ROTC affiliated with Offutt Air Force Base. The officer in charge is Lt. Colonel Kaspar. I can have her speak to you if you like?”

THE AIR FARCE!

“I…wouldn’t care for the Air force, is there no other option?”

“Well we have a reciprocal agreement with Creighton University our students can attend their ROTC and vice versa.”

“And theirs is Navy?”

“No, Army.”

I think I feel that symptom #1 coming on!

“Isn’t there a Navy ROTC somewhere in this godforsaken state?!”

“Well… we are rather far from the ocean,” said Barelos slightly taken aback at my outburst. “There is one in Lincoln but it would be about a 75 minute commute each way from your home. And that… may be impractical. If you are adamant in your decision to join the Navy--”

“Marines!” I corrected him harshly.

“Marines,” he has bowing his head at me. “Then the most feasible option, particularly given your pregnancy, is to complete your undergraduate degree and apply for OCS afterwards. But that would be the business of your recruiter not your university.”

“Very well Dr. Barelos and thank you for all your help. And I am sorry for my poor behavior, the last few weeks have been very… troubling for me.”

“I understand completely, there is no need to apologize to me, I quite admire the way you are handling all this and the decisions that you have made.”

“Still… thank you.”

“Anything for a Scott,” he said warmly.

[***][***][***]

Thomas had the good grace to act meek and accommodating during our phone call. And he had better keep it that way if he ever wanted to use my penis again, in anything other than his hand. He had all but crawled on his belly though my cell phones speaker by way of apology when I had told him. But I wasn’t content to let him off this easy. After all, the previous girl in this relationship never would have and I have some high standards to measure up to. But it helped when he complimented me.

“I’m sorry about forgetting to turn in the project I really am, but there was just so much going on that week…You are going to kick that schools ass.” He then said by way of distracting encouragement.

“I kind of think so too,” I agreed wholeheartedly. “But it is going to throw our social life a little monkey wrench.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But we were never going to see that much of each other anyway. Between your school and mine, you taking care of the baby and me showing upperclassmen how well I can make a bed...”

“Who says I’m going to be the only one taking care of the baby, that’s sexist! You pig. I’m gonna sick the feminists on you. Stage a protest right on the drill field, girl POWER! girl POWER!” I cheered valiantly and made gestures with my arms.

“Quiet Katie,” He said while trying to keep his own self quiet from laughing.

“But seriously, when is your first Saturday liberty, I want to visit Roxy and if you show up too I guess I’d be ok with that.”

“I don’t know, probably weekend after next. I sort of got a slight ding when I couldn’t name all the aircraft carriers fast enough for my upperclassdemon.”

“Enterprise, Nimitz, Eisenhower, Carl Vinson, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln,” I started rattling off quickly

“Those are the active ones, I know those, he meant the historic ones in order of commissioning.”

“Langley, Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger, Yorktown, Enterprise,---”

“Enough,” he tried interrupting me.

“Wasp, Hornet, Essex, Yorktown the second… or the fourth depending upon how you look at it.”

“Enough Katie! We all know you would have made a better midshipman.” And then he gasped when he realized what he had said.

“Yeah I know,” I said after only a slight hesitation “But I think you’ll do just fine, if the upperclassdemon asks you again just counter with asking him for a list of the amphibious landings in historical order. See how he likes being tripped up.”

“That’s, rather not how the situation here works Katie.”

“I know, but it kind of warms you heart to picture it doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he replied wistfully. “It kind of does… good night Katie.”

“You too.”

[***][***][***]
I had taken my GED but it would be sometime yet before the results were generated for me. Though why I didn’t understand since it must have been easy to grade, I guess the gods of paperwork must be served. I just hoped they didn’t require a maiden sacrifice since I probably didn’t qualify, and would have put up a fight even if they did. And now instead of relatively leisure filled summer that I had sort of secretly been hoping for since I would not get to participate in plebe summer I now had to report for duty at some shcmuck of a “World Civilizations 1” class in less than 18 hours. It would be every weekday from 6pm till 8pm but after five weeks of putting up with it I would have another 3 credits and be closer to that degree.

I was still not at all pleased with the situation as you could probably tell. But the choice was a state college or holding still toward my goal while standing on my dignity and holding my nose up in the air. And really, there were worse fates, I had spent the evening researching my new school’s credentials and they were far from humble. I had been toying with the idea of getting a degree in engineering. Military Science was all well and good but by order of the President and by act of congress, because I now was a member of the distaff American race I was now barred from the combat branches. I couldn’t be an infantry officer like my father before me. And it would most likely remain that way forever, unless they wanted Chesty to rise up from his grave in Virginia and lead a holy crusade against any damn fool general who was crazy enough to try it.

But they were talking about opening up the artillery, armor, and combat engineers to women. Well I liked listening to my music and many an artilleryman had to use hearing aids by the time they were thirty. Armor I could never stand, those tank drivers refer to honest infantry like my father as “crunchies” and didn’t get why no one else thought it was funny. But the combat engineers… well, you probably haven’t heard of them. A quiet, unassuming branch in the main, but they are right up out there in the sharp end of things usually following on the heels of the first wave. They are the ones blowing up bridges so the poor bloody infantryman doesn’t get flanked and overrun, or rebuilding the same bridge the next day so the tankers can go charging off to glory. Every bit of modern military infrastructure needed to take and also to save lives, they could do, and do it yesterday, while under the most adverse conditions. And not for nothing, but look up when you have the free time someday the list of awards, decorations even all the way up the Medal of Honor. Take that number and divide it by the amount awarded to the other branches, then compare it to the ratio of engineers to the whole rest of the Marine Corps. If you want me to do the math for you it’s about twice the rate, of course, many of those were posthumous. But most of the higher awards are.

So if I wanted to be anything more than politically correct window dressing. Something politicians could point at to show how liberal and progressive they were it was the engineers for me! And I had better have a degree in it, to put me one leg up on the other women with Native American Basket Weaving Studies degrees who would also try to get in. And UNO actually had a well respected school in the engineering field, the envy of the entire region. Which of course led me to the new shock of the day, once I got formally admitted, through the back door or not. I could now expect to take classes in the SCOTT School of Architecture Engineering and Construction.

It was not named after my new father but rather HIS father, who had left behind a significant bequest in the 80’s. Not enough I guess to get the entire university named after him but enough to get one of its largest pieces for his very own. I figured it would be weird going to classes in a building whose name I shared, even if I was covering it up with my… HUSBANDS name. And I’m sure there would be professors and lecturers who had known my new family members. It seemed everyone of the half a million people in the area had heard the name Scott, but I figured I could take it. I was, until recently, planning to attend the Naval Academy and living under the permanent shadow of Lieutenant General James Ryan. Even if I lived to be a hundred and slaughtered a hundred thousand ChiComs on my way to five stars of my own I would always have been known as little jimmy’s little boy. The general’s son.

Who was now the general’s daughter… in law.

I was going to have to break that news to him sometime, but I would burn that bridge when I came to it. For now I had my first day of college ahead of me, and since an entry level history course was not going to be much of a problem for someone who learned it with his mother milk, quite literally in my case from Atilla the professor aka mom. My newest concern was rectifying a large deficiency in my maintenance program. i.e. what the hell to do with all this hair!

If the CW network has taught me anything over the years it’s that teenage girls can be some catty bitches, if you don’t mind me mixing my animal metaphors. So I spent most of Monday morning in the library finding books on hair care. It’s a funny thing about the Dewey decimal system, it puts all the books in one subject right next to each other for ease of access but it also places books on a similar subject nearby as well. So while I was about to grab a couple of books and be done with it, my tendency for scholarship got the better of me and I picked up some titles on makeup and fashion as well. If I wanted to live long enough for Marine Corps to make my clothing decisions for me I would have to blend in with the natives and not get attacked.

I wasn’t exactly full of boundless enthusiasm on the subject of learning how to be a better girl, but I considered it my duty. Jessica was a goddess among women. And J. Katherine Scott Ryan according to the new drivers license DeGeas had helped me get, looked just like her, and she deserved to look her best. So that’s how it went my first few weeks of college. I would exercise in the morning, and then spend my days reading, a few hours of actual coursework, followed by the pregnancy books, and then my girl planning. And then class in the evening where I took as many notes as I could and tried not to correct the teacher too much.

After two weeks I was passing pretty well, both ways. It had the unintended consequence of increasing the number of boys hitting on me, but a withering glare and a wave of my ring finger sent most of them packing. I was now at the point that I could handle the simple stuff with only a few minutes effort, and the full on war paint only took a very short three hours…. I know, but DUDE, I’m a guy! My fashion sense wasn’t very original, I hadn’t deviated a bit from the pictures in the books and was miles away from discovering my own “style.” But it was pleasing to look at and I felt safe enough in my efforts to make a trip east to visit my husband over the weekend.

[***][***][***]
The Navy has made it easier on friends and family of students at Canoe U, or maybe just easier for themselves, freeing up the switchboard from all the calls of “did you get liberty yet!!!?” They published a list of those midshipmen who would be receiving a Saturday liberty from plebe summer and it was posted on the website for concerned parents to look at. And I guess now the occasional wife too. Thomas probably didn’t know himself that he had it, since it was a favored tactic of the instructors and upperclassmen to torture plebes with a pass’s likely appearance or disappearance. And it was by no means certain that it would be granted it in the end, since he could do something to cause it to be taken away but I knew my girl… guy, and he was do just about ANYTHING to excel at the academy.

Saturday liberty would only be for half a day. Noon to 12AM and they could and WOULD ding you if you were late reporting back. It wasn’t much time to get reacquainted with Thomas but we had a lot to talk about and much of it couldn’t be done over the phone so I when I saw his name was on the list for this Saturday I bought a plane ticket and didn’t even mutter a curse at the price. I flew into Regan Airport at 10AM and would fly out again on the redeye out at 9PM I wouldn’t even stay the day or get a hotel, with the accompanying bed that went with it. But if things turned out as planned and my surprise visit went well, old Rocinante’s backseat would get the workout it was intended for.

For now though, I was content with a Ford Focus rental, which I had paid out the nose for but being a represses minority, (teenager) I knew I could expect nothing better. The drive over the Potomac across DC and into Annapolis was eventful. Traffic was stopped on two occasions by motorcycle officers who were providing blocking cover for a motorcade of whatever dignitary rated such service. I tried not to let it get on my nerves too much and used the opportunity to reapply my cammo in all the strategic places.

My good looks and winning smile wasn’t going to get me past the gate without a pass. I likely could have gotten one but that would have risked Thomas being outed as a married American and also ruined my surprise visit. The nice thing about military bases is that there are a limited number of ways in and out and only one way out of the main parking lot. So I sat on a side street with a good view of the gate and got ready to surprise my husband when he left for his first day off work.

I did.

I saw Rocinante first of course, she was a bit distinctive my girl, and I had made her even more so with my modifications. Thomas was in uniform in the driver’s side and a smiled when I saw him. But then I saw also that he was not alone. There was a cute little brunette female midshipman in the passenger seat next to him…

Now I want it well understood! I did not freak out like a jealous wife at the merest hint of impropriety. I will admit that it sort of dazed me for a bit, but I quickly recovered. This was a surprise after all; he didn’t know I was coming. It was very likely he was just giving a classmate a ride into town, he was probably one of the very few midshipmen and the microscopically few underclassman that even had a car, or properly speaking, permission to park it on campus. I had to trade shamelessly on daddy’s stars to get it and most of Thomas’s classmates would not have been so fortunate in their choice of fathers. So I didn’t overreact and go into hysterics at the sight of another girl riding inside my girl next to my girl now guy.

I need more pronouns.

So I followed them, I was right too, they were heading into town. Thomas drove up to a shopping mall and didn’t even go to the lot just drove up the main entrance and pulled up next to the curb. They were only about twenty feet away from me, I had passed them and made a u-turn to illegally park in a handicap space so that I might get a good look at what was happening. And I did, much to my displeasure. I had looked up from my steering just in time to see the girl lean over and give Thomas a kiss.

Now I ALSO want it well understood. I didn’t immediately jump to conclusions; there could have been a number of harmless explanations for her doing that. Girls were after all much more affectionate than guys, and free to show their gratitude physically, what a guy might just give a grunt to, a girl would give a rib breaking hug for. I had read about it in several of my books in the last few weeks. Likely this girl was just thanking Thomas for the ride, it seemed chaste enough, certainly I didn’t see any tongue but at this distance it would be hard too. Any second the girl’s gratitude would be complete and she would get up and be on her way. I would go over and talk to Thomas and we would have a big laugh about it, likely with the girl herself when she came back out.

Any second now…

Or maybe she was putting the moves on Thomas, he was a catch and nice to look at if you went in for that sort of thing. It could be this harlot was trying to make time with the General’s son to get her foot in the door of all the opportunities netting such an obvious up and comer would bring. I guess I can’t blame her much; I used to be such a stud after all. But any second now Thomas would push her away, or maybe not push but gently remove her face from his and let her know he was married, or maybe not married but at least had a steady girl. Said girl who was watching this show with a sort of deer in the headlights look that I’m sure was a sight to see. Any second now.

ANY second now…

Ok

That was pushing it.

I had worn fucking MAKEUP for this!

Leaving the car running and the door wide open over two handicap spaces I walked over to the stopped Rocinante still with a frozen unemotional expression. I was straight in front of them and soon enough Thomas took a look through his peripheral vision at the young woman that was approaching his car and was able to identify her. He took both hands and removed the tarts face from his and fumbled with the old fashioned lock to exit the car. It took him some time, and he was able to get up out of his seat just in time for me to arrive next to him.

“Katie! It’s not what it loo- UGH!” he tried saying as kneed I him in the nuts.

I had worn those testicles for 18 years, I knew exactly where to target my knee and how devastating it would be once done. He could possibly still father children after this but he most certainly would not be doing so with me. He fell to the ground in pain and I followed it up with several kicks to the kidneys and head and I stopped only when the girl had gotten out of the car and looked to be about to interrupt.

“BACK off hussy!” I shouted at her forcefully. “This is between me and Mr. soon to be living the rest of his short life in agonizing pain ADULTERER here!”

“I’m,” she shuddered out hesitantly. “I’m calling the police!”

“Good!” I said giving another kick to Thomas by way of emphasis. “I think that’s still a crime in this state.”

“What are you talking about?” She asked me. “Who ARE you.”

Well that threw me for loop that question, because I didn’t have a good answer for her, or even myself. I had thought I had known, for 18 YEARS! I had thought I had known. And then after the recent change up I had thought I was just starting to adapt to who I was now going to be when the Earth opened up and swallowed me again. Who was I? That was a very good question and the only answer I could come up with was not Thomas’s girl, not anymore.

“When he wakes up,” I said holding out my wedding ring. “Give him this.”

“What,” she said confused as it dropped in her hand.

“He’ll understand believe me,” I said leaning over to whisper in my old car’s engine “I’m sorry Roxy, that you had to see mommy and daddy fighting, I love you baby I’ll see if I can get custody in the divorce.”

With that I got back into the Focus and drove west before the police came, it was Kentucky before I realized where I was.

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