Nights Like This

Chapter 52

Sunday night Metty rested in her room at June's, exhausted after a long but prosperous day at PizzaFeast. She added up her tips for the day. Over $100. Hmmm. I could use new clothes for student teaching. Seaside Thrift, here I come.

She was reading the volume of Almurian poetry when June, looking frightened, came in, holding her cell phone.

"Grandma? Is something wrong?"

June shook her head.

"What happened?"

She heard Sylvia's voice squawking from the phone. She reached for it and held it to her ear.

"Hello? Mom, what's happened?"

Sylvia sobbed so loudly Metty couldn't understand her.

"Mom?"

Sylvia stopped sobbing long enough to say, "Bryan left me. He took Bryany. My baby." She began sobbing again.

"Mom? What happened?"

"He left me for that woman."

"What woman?"

"Alice Johnson. He married her on, on New Year's Eve." The wailing continued.

Metty was too shocked to answer for a moment. "But she's married!"

"Russ moved to Florida. Their divorce was final last month."

"Bryan and Alice got married?"

"Friday night. That's the dinner, dinner, he was going to, was his wedding. Bryany was there. My baby."

"How'd you find out?"

"Your Aunt Beulah goes to the same church as Alice Johnson. Or is it Alice Larson now? She saw the notice in the church bulletin and called me."

Metty took a deep breath, forcing herself to be calm. "I'm coming there. Have you called Cathy?"

"No, no, just Mom."

Metty handed the phone back to June. "Talk to her. I'm going there. I'll call Cathy and Ben."

*

Sylvia was sitting on the sofa, sobbing, quieting, and sobbing again, when Metty walked in. Metty sat down and hugged her. Sylvia wept for a few minutes. She stopped crying and said, "He's gone. What will I do?"

"Did you love Bryan that much? I never heard him say he loved you." Metty pushed Sylvia's hair off her face.

Sylvia went quiet. "We had Bryany. I thought he'd stay for her. He took her! My baby." She wiped her eyes.

"Mom, if he married Alice Johnson, he's gone. He doesn't have access to your bank account, does he?"

Sylvia looked frightened. "He wouldn't take that money, would he? That's to pay bills. The insurance payment is due."

"Can you check online?"

"No, I don't know how. Bryan did all the online stuff."

Metty sighed. Despite the sour relief of Bryan being out of their lives, despite her mother's sorrow, he could make his absence painful, especially over money, for a long time.

"We'll go to the bank tomorrow. You have your debit card, right?"

Sylvia nodded, watching Metty anxiously.

"He couldn't have taken all his things, right?"

Sylvia looked around. "The computer stuff we got him for Christmas is gone. He said he wanted to use it for work."