December Solstice

Chapter 6

Lenna arrived back at her house early in the afternoon. Brutus greeted her at the door with one bark and a few licks before charging into the yard to search for evidence of recent forest visitors. After changing into jeans and a sweatshirt, Lenna returned to the living room, where she kept Brutus' toys in a wooden box by the front door. Brutus liked starting his human activity by playing fetch. When he was tired of that, he was ready for the human-on-a-rope, a game that required a thick rope about ten feet long with a fist-sized knot at one end. They had about worn out the game when Micki arrived.

"Brutus!" Micki exclaimed as she exited her car. Brutus dashed toward her. The two had a special relationship. Brutus was taken with her from their first meet-'n-greet. When Micki was around, she got all of Brutus' attention. Micki knelt and hugged him as he whipped his tail.

When Micki stood up, Lenna had a good look at her sister-in-law. Her red eyes and the swollen skin under her eyes suggested the emotional storm in her heart. Lenna put her arm around her sister. The gesture collapsed Micki's defenses, and tears filled her eyes.

"I'm glad you came. You looked so tense at breakfast." She could feel Micki's body shake as she cried. Lenna hadn't seen Micki this distraught in the twenty years she had known her.

"I don't know what to do," Micki said between sobs. "I never meant to hurt him. I love him so much, but I ruined our marriage before it began."

Lenna took Micki's hand, and the two walked into the house. Brutus led the way, guiding them to the couch. Lenna sat, faced her sister, and said softly, "Now, tell me what happened."

Brutus sat next to Micki and laid his head on her knee. Micki stroked his fur as she talked.

"It's the worst thing ever," Micki said, tears streaming down her cheeks. Lenna handed her the box of tissues she kept on the end table. Micki pulled several tissues from the box and set the box next to her as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She had managed to stop sobbing, though tears still flowed. "I knew Jon would eventually find out." Micki's words seemed to slice into her heart, and she began crying again, shoulders shaking. When she could continue, she said, "Every day, I lived with that. Today it finally happened. I knew the bad news was coming. This morning, I received a text telling me Jon would find out at work. Every day I hoped it wouldn't be today. Today has arrived."

Brutus crawled onto the couch and laid his head on Micki's lap.

"Jon went to work after church. After he found out, he called me, shouting. I couldn't believe it. He's never shouted at me before. He said someone at work told him what I'd done and that we'd discuss it when he got home. But when he got home, it was worse. He was so angry, and I couldn't say anything to take away his pain." Micki buried her face in her tissues.

Lenna touched her hand and said, "I'm going to make coffee. Will you be alright for a few minutes?"

Micki shook her head and continued to sob.

"You relax on the couch, and I'll get us both a mug." Lenna put a K-Cup into the coffee maker, and within a few minutes, the smell of coffee spread through the house. When the coffee was ready, Lenna took two mugs to the living room and handed one to Micki.

"I suppose I should start at the beginning," Micki said, holding her mug in both hands. "I've always liked Jon. I mean, we have been friends forever, but how I felt about Jon was more than just a friend. We've been friends so long that I just assumed we would most likely marry and spend the rest of our lives together. When he and Hannah began dating, I just thought that it would last a while and then end. During the two years they dated, Jon and I continued to be friends, and Hannah did not seem to mind."

Micki paused and took a sip of coffee. "Last December, a mutual friend and I were discussing the likelihood that Jon and Hannah would marry when my friend—you know Donna, don't you? We talked, and she mentioned that Hannah had been seeing a man in Woodland. I doubted Jon knew that. I didn't know if it was true then, but now Hannah is with that man. Donna and I were joking around, and one thing led to another as we fiddled with our phones. Something happened. The message that broke them up went to social media. It was on Donna's account, but we both fiddled with the post. I can't blame her. Anyway, the message was sent. As soon as I noticed it had downloaded to my account as her friend, Donna deleted it from her account. But by the next morning, all our friends had seen it."