As she drove, she couldn’t stop smiling. Amber didn’t care if she caught cold; she had to tell Janie what had happened.
***
“Oh my God!” Janie let out a scream, and then quickly muffled it, with a cupped hand over her mouth. The two women sat on Janie’s bed to talk, which was within earshot of where her sick daughter rested.
“I know! I didn’t know how to react, so I got out of there as fast as possible, but not before I made a complete fool of myself. I tripped over my words ... and the bench.” She lifted her pants leg to show Janie the red mark on her shin.
“Girl, you should have gone for it. I told you I would watch the kids.”
“I can’t. I’m married. That would make me no better than Drake if I did.” Amber resented that truth, especially after her husband had all but confessed that he had cheated on her just a few nights before.
Janie probed for more details. “Did he smell delicious?”
Amber barely allowed her friend to finish her question. “How can a man have such an alluring scent after a workout like that? It’s like sweat mixed with vanilla or something.” Both women burst out laughing.
“It’s called pheromones, honey. It’s the come hither scent that exists when a man and woman are attracted to one another.” Janie smiled and winked at her friend.
“You know, we have to find another yoga place now. I can’t show my face there again. I would be mortified. Besides, now that I know how he feels about me, I won’t be able to focus.”
Janie sighed and stuck out her lip. The two women talked for a little while longer, then Janie’s daughter awoke from her nap, and called out for mommy. Amber could see that Janie really wanted to stay and hear more details about her friend and the ‘hot yoga guy’, but her motherly duties always took precedence.
Amber gave her an easy out. “It’s getting late. I’ve got to go feed the kids. Call you later.”
They exchanged hugs, and Amber loaded her kids into the car. She wanted to get them to bed at a decent hour, so she grabbed two Happy Meals on the way home.
As soon as they walked through the door, she gave them dinner and put them to bed. Then, she locked herself in the bathroom for a private moment … and a cold shower.
***
As usual, Drake came in after Amber had gone to bed, though she only pretended to be asleep. Without so much as even a goodnight kiss from her husband, she lay in bed thinking about all the events that had transpired that day. She caressed her neck and ran her fingers down the length of her arm as she thought about how Paul had done the same just hours before.
Her mind wrestled with her heart about what she needed to do, versus what she wanted to do. She hadn’t known Paul very long, and wasn’t even certain she had real feelings for him—well not the loving kind anyway. It was more of an animal hunger that made her mouth water. She licked her lips, like a dog vying for a morsel of steak to be dropped to the floor during dinner. Oh God. Had it really been that long since she’d had sex?
It wasn’t like her to have lustful thoughts about other men. Drake was the only man she desired, but she couldn’t remember the last time he made her feel as wanted as Paul did. Amber finally slowed her mind, and drifted off to sleep. Scattered images of her kids, and the life she’d built with Drake, played out like an 8mm motion film. One in which Paul had begun to make frequent appearances.
Chapter Ten
The Best Laid Plans
The alarm sounded for the umpteenth time. Drake darted out of bed and dressed furiously. He would be late, and that wouldn’t look good for his first day of probation, which he hadn’t yet mentioned to Amber.
Drake kissed his kids on the forehead, and stroked his wife’s hair with a soft touch. As she slept, his eyes lingered on her face, almost as if he might never see her again. Then he grabbed his keys and headed to work.
***
Amber waited for him to pull out of the drive before she got up to dress. Coupled with the events that had transpired with Paul, and the inappropriate dream she had just awoken from, Amber knew what had to be done.
She figured on at least ten hours, maybe more with traffic, to get some things done. Her plan was to have as much as possible packed before the kids awoke.
Amber worked efficiently as she sifted through the closet she shared with Drake. Occasionally, her momentum was slowed when she caught a whiff of his natural scent on one of his shirts. Not all of them reeked of his indiscretions with other women.
She pressed her face to it, closed her eyes, and breathed in the memories. Once it had taken all the self-control she could muster, to not rip his shirt off and slather his chest with kisses every time their eyes met.
Amber let out a deep, longing sigh. It would never be like that again, and she had to do what was right for her and the kids. What would he say, or do, when he realized they were gone? No matter, she wasn’t changing her mind.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the pitter-patter of little feet, and cereal boxes being ripped open, so she made her way into the kitchen to greet the children.
“Good morning, sleepyheads. Are you guys ready for a road trip today?”
The kids sat at the table with sleep-filled eyes, as they barely chewed their cereal. Amber studied their little faces, and wondered how Drake didn’t want to be with them every minute possible. He used to be addicted to the kids. Everything the Woods did, they did as a family. In fact, Amber was often jealous of the time he spent with them over alone time with her.
Suddenly, she realized that she had just described Janie and Brad’s relationship—almost platonic. Perhaps that was where everything went wrong? Wow, she and Janie had more in common than she’d thought. Amber sighed when she realized how much she was going to miss her friend.
When breakfast was over, the kitchen cleaned, and everything was put away, she sent the kids to their rooms to gather some things for the trip, as she headed back to hers. She had already done all the laundry for the week, which made it easier.
Just an hour later, everything was done. She could send for the rest later, if needed. The plan was just to go away for a few days to clear her head anyway.
All the electric items were turned off. Amber laid a folded letter across his pillow, with only the word ‘Drake’ written on it. She took one long look around and closed the door behind her.
***
Janie’s daughter felt much better, so Amber and the kids stopped by for one last play date, though she hadn’t told her friend that part yet. They took the kids to the park. Amber thought it might be easier to break away publicly, rather than in the comfort of her best friend’s backyard, where so many wonderful memories could easily be recounted. She had come too far to have her emotions cause a change of heart.
As the children cascaded down the slide, and reveled in the back and forth motion of the swings, Amber broke the news to her friend.
“I’m gonna miss you so much, girl.” Janie’s southern drawl really came out when she was emotional about something.
“I know; me too. But you were right. I can’t keep doing this to myself, and the kids. We deserve better. And it’s not permanent. I just need to take a break for a while and gather my thoughts.” Amber grabbed her friend’s hand.
“I’ll call you when we’re halfway there. If you don’t hear from me, it just means my cell phone battery died or something. Whatever you do, don’t tell Drake about this if he calls you. I want to get settled, and make sure the kids are distracted when we have that conversation. I don’t want him to call me on the road.”
Janie promised to keep her friend’s secret, and the two women held each other for a few minutes more, and watched the kids play. Before parting ways, Amber handed her friend a piece of paper.
“This is the address. Write me and call a lot, okay?” Tears filled her eyes.
Both women hugged, and then Amber set out for the interstate. She hoped the kids would sleep most of the way.
***
Drake sat pa
tiently in traffic, and listened to the radio. An unfinished conversation awaited him at home, and he was not looking forward to it. Despite the fact that his day had begun late and rushed, he had actually managed to get to the office on time and experienced quite a productive day. As he flipped through the radio stations, a woman’s soft, empathetic voice invaded the airways:
“I-70 has been closed down tonight until further notice due to a recent head on collision between a Honda SUV and a Ford F250 Duramax truck. All drivers and passengers, including a woman and two children, have been Life Flighted to St. Mary’s Trauma Center. No word on their condition as of yet. Stay tuned to WSB to bring you breaking news as this story develops.”
Drake heard stories of that nature all the time on his commute. He shook his head, and released a sigh of sympathy for those involved, then continued flipping through. Finally, he decided to jam out to rock songs from the Eighties. As those heart-wrenching ballads filled the atmosphere of his truck, he felt a little more confident and optimistic about the conversation he was going to have with Amber. He imagined it would end with their limbs entangled, close enough to feel the blood pulse through each other’s veins. The thought of that brought a devilish smile to his face. Something told him a great night lay ahead.
***
When Drake pulled in the driveway, he thought it odd to not see Amber’s car there. She must have stopped off at Janie’s after yoga. That gave him plenty of time.
He worked quickly as he entered the door, and didn’t even stop to put his coat away. Drake checked the microwave and stove, and found that Amber had not yet made dinner. There wasn’t enough time to cook, so he called around to a local bistro, and ordered a juicy rack of lamb with baby red potatoes, two Caesar salads, fresh brochette, and even cheesecake for dessert. Then he dialed the local 24-hour florist, and ordered three dozen purple roses. (After all, in New York City, you could have a bulldozer delivered to your door at 3am if you tried hard enough). He took down two wine glasses and a bucket to fill with ice cubes. Drake dusted off the bottle of Dom Perignon his boss had given to the couple when they had first arrived.
He found a CD and placed it in the player. A sweet, soulful voice wailed out a heartbreaking tune—something about loving someone too long to stop now. Then he sprinkled soft, purple rose petals throughout the living room, hallway, and all over the kitchen table. When it was all done, Drake stood back and admired his handiwork. Perfect.
Two hours later, the food had been delivered and had gone cold. It sat on the exquisitely garnished table untouched. Drake glanced at the clock and realized just how late it was. The big ball of fire in the sky had sunken behind the trees, and not even a trace of horizon remained visible.
He tried to call her cell a few times, as he continued to look out the window, but it went straight to voicemail each time.
“Dammit. She always forgets to charge her phone before she goes out.” His voice sounded angry and frustrated. It hadn’t been quite long enough to garner concern from him.
Drake left another, that time testy, voicemail. Then he walked toward the bathroom in pursuit of a shower, while he waited. As he sifted through the closet, he didn’t even notice that most of her clothes were missing. But when he walked by the bed, his eyes caught a glimpse of a neatly folded paper on the pillow. His heart sank into his stomach, in fear of what it meant. He read:
Dear Drake,
I’m sorry it has come to this for us. I want you to know that I have loved you from the moment we first met in that diner, though I was too proud to show it.
I tried to have it all—the career, and being a good mom and wife. You were the best father I could have ever chosen for our children, in the beginning. But lately it seems we are more of an inconvenience than a priority for you, so we are going somewhere we will be loved and appreciated. I will call you when we get there, but please give us some space for now. I need time to figure some things out and clear my head. The kids are safe, and we will call you when we arrive.
I will always love you, but I love myself and the kids too much to keep living this way. Talk with you soon.
Amber
When he finished reading, his head dropped into his hands. Tears flowed down his face like tiny rivers in pursuit of the ocean. What had he done? Why did he wait so long? Soon, anger overcame him and the questions changed. Who the hell did she think she was, taking his kids away? How dare she?
He dried his face, gathered his composure, and tried her cell a few more times. With still no luck, he began to make other phone calls. Janie was the first person to enter his mind.
Amber’s friend played her part, just as she had been instructed. “Sorry, I haven’t seen or heard from her today, Drake.”
Drake thanked Janie and sat quietly for a few minutes, as he tried to think of anyone else he could call. He soon realized that Amber didn’t have many friends, or at least he didn’t know who they were. It hit him just how disconnected he had become with his wife. After he called the last local person he could think of, to no avail, he dialed Jill’s number.
Chapter Eleven
Mother-in-Law
Jill remained leery of her son-in-law—especially after the emotional conversations she and Amber had shared recently. Of course, no one would ever be good enough for her daughter, in her mind.
Only this time, when he called, there was an apparent concern in her voice, one he had never heard before.
“Hello?” Jill’s voice was broken and frantic. “Amber is that you?”
“Hello, Jill. No, it’s me, Drake. What’s wrong? Have you heard from Amber?”
“Oh, Drake. No, I haven’t. She was supposed to call me when she had made it halfway here.” Jill was so worried, that she forgot to keep her daughter’s secret.
Drake was furious. “What do you mean, here? There in Kansas with you?”
“We can talk about this later. Right now we need to find her. I’ve been calling her for hours now and no answer. I’m worried.”
“Okay, stay by the phone. I’m going out to look for her. Call me if you hear from her first. You have my cell number?”
“Yes, yes I have it. I will … and Drake, please call me the minute you find out something.”
“I promise.” He tried not to imagine the worst.
***
The conversation ended, and he searched for his keys, with no clue as to where to start looking. Oh God—she was on the way to her mother’s house. She would have gotten on I-70 near Virginia to head to Kansas. The phone fell from his hand.
Finally, he found the keys and ran to his truck in a fever. Immediately, he turned the station back to WSB, and headed toward I-70. He hoped that he would find her car broken down on the side of the road. A dead cell phone or stalled engine was much easier to think about than the alternative. As he drove, the announcer came over the airwaves with, “Breaking news on the I-70 accident from earlier this evening.” Drake turned it up.
“Around 5:30 this evening, a woman and her two children were riding along I-70, when a black Ford F250 hit them head on. The driver of the truck was allegedly under the influence. He has been released from St. Mary’s Trauma Center with minimal injuries and was immediately transferred to the county jail. He is being held without bail for drunken driving, with possible additional charges pending. The woman and two children are still in critical condition, and have not yet been identified. We will continue to bring you live updates as this story develops. Thank you for choosing …”
Drake turned off the radio. He sobbed and his body shook. With no time to waste, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed information.
A woman’s voice came over the line. “What listing would you like?”
“St. Mary’s Trauma Center.” His words came out faint with utter disbelief.
A few moments later, another woman’s voice spoke.
“St. Mary’s Trauma Center, how may I help you?”
“Yes, do you have an Amber Woods admitted there?” He ho
ped the answer was no.
“Are you family, sir?” the lady asked politely and slowly.
“Yes, I’m … I’m her husband.”
Husband, wow, he hadn’t really lived up to that title in a while. What kind of husband cheated on his wife, blamed her for his inability to control his demons, and practically pushed her into the hands of death? A shitty one for sure.
“Sir, sir? Are you still there?”
His mind returned to the moment. “Yes, I’m here.”
“Okay, sir, I need you to come to the hospital and speak to the doctor personally. There are a few documents you will need to sign. Do you have our address?”
Drake told her he did, and assured the lady that he was on his way. It was only about an hour’s drive, but he was determined to make it in thirty minutes or less. He wasn’t concerned about getting a ticket, or possibly sending himself to that hospital in a helicopter. For the first time in quite a while, all he could think about was getting to his wife and kids.
It would be best not to call Amber’s mother until he spoke to the doctor, and knew all the details … and the projected outcome.
All the way to the hospital, Drake did something he had not done in quite some time—he prayed.
Chapter Twelve
Dr. Who?
Drake didn’t remember if he had stopped at traffic lights or stop signs along the way. He barely had the patience for the automated glass doors, as he burst into to the hospital. An elderly woman greeted him at the front desk. She had graying hair, a few wrinkles around her eyes, covered with glasses that sat comfortably on the bridge of her nose, and sported a lipstick color that for sure went out of fashion in the Eighties.
She obviously had experience with many panic-stricken loved ones, and took control of the situation immediately. Her voice was soft and understanding, as she tried to stop him from breaking down the entrance doors to the triage area.
“Excuse me, sir. What is the patient’s name?”
Her mellow voice felt comforting, and his breath slowed long enough for him to say, “My, my wife. I’m looking for my wife. Her name is Amber, Amber Woods.” His words sounded broken.
Normally, Drake spoke in an eloquent manner. Many of his co-workers referred to him as ‘Lord of the living room.’ But in that moment, he couldn’t find that voice.