Friendly Skies Read online

  Seattle winters, on the other hand, were simply wet and dark. It’s so wet that you felt it in your bones. The normally lush, colorful Pacific NW was bathed in shades of gray in the winter. Gray rain, gray Sound, gray streets, gray sky. It’s not terribly cold, which at first was such a relief from Chicago. No need for anything heavier than a raincoat during Seattle winters. But then something strange happened after Judy had been in Seattle a few years: she started to miss the snow and biting cold. One winter she and her best friend, Dani, decided to take ski lessons and explore the Cascades to fill the void of the harsh winters.

  The payoff, though, was that springtime was gorgeous in Seattle. Everything came to life again in the spring. The gray gave way to the colors that filled in the landscape. The Sound and the sky begin to take on their deep, Crayola hues, and the smells of the ocean and flowers fill the air. Winter might be awful, but spring made up for it. Sometimes, though, it took a long time for spring to arrive.

  She put the key in the lock to open the door of the condo she shared with Greg. She wasn’t sure what to expect. She figured he would be moved out, but what that meant, she didn’t know.

  She pushed the door open and looked around in shock. Their condo was not just empty of Greg, but devoid of almost everything they had compiled in their five years of marriage. The TV was gone, the living room furniture, the books and bookshelves. He left a few books on the floor that were hers, but he had taken almost all of them for himself. The living room was empty.

  She wandered into the kitchen and found that he left most of the kitchen things. The pots and pans, flatware and dishes seemed to all be accounted for. That was ironic. Greg was the only one of them who had any interest in cooking. The pantry had been cleaned out, though—he had taken their groceries. And of course, he’d taken the wine and liquor they’d had.

  She left the kitchen and walked into their bedroom. He left the bed, thankfully, so she would have a place to sleep tonight. But otherwise, it was all gone. The nightstands, the paintings, their dressers—all gone. He left her clothes piled on the bed, and he left her hanging clothes in the closet, but the rest was gone. Unbelievable.

  Judy suddenly remembered her laptop. Shit—he wouldn’t take that, would he? She had work projects on there, as well as her personal things. She ran into their small den trying not to freak out. She sighed out loud when she saw her laptop sitting on the floor. Jesus. It was sitting on the floor because Greg had taken the desk and the bookshelves and the chair from this room as well. He left the photos of her family, and their wedding photos that had been framed and hung in this room. She grabbed her laptop and took it into the kitchen where at least there was the kitchen island and a couple of bar stools. It’s a damn miracle he didn’t take those—they weren’t bolted down, after all.

  She was pissed. What gave him the right to take everything? Didn’t normal people divide this stuff up? The furniture was nice furniture, not cheap, and Judy had picked it out! The TV was new. They should have gone through the books together. It wasn’t fair at all. None of this was her fault, yet here she was dealing with the consequences of Greg’s asinine behavior.

  She sighed. It was just stuff. She didn't need a bunch of reminders of the marriage they’d had, or maybe hadn't had. She wasn’t tethered to that stuff and she didn’t want to be. Mostly what she felt was tired. She knew right then, as she looked around the mostly empty condo, they would sell this place and get on with their lives. She didn't want to live here anymore.

  Judy booted up the laptop and checked their bank accounts online. Greg had not emptied their joint accounts, which was the one saving grace. He had taken some cash out, but there was still some money there. Judy would have to go to the bank as soon as possible and open her own account.

  She logged into her email accounts. Today was Thursday and she’d be back in the office tomorrow. Back to reality, so she might as well see what’s coming her way. She checked personal email first—she knew that work email would be overflowing. Among the more mundane emails; bills, newsletters, etc., there was an email from Greg:

  Judy - I just wanted to say again I’m sorry for the way things have worked out. I wanted to talk to you about Claire weeks ago, but it never seemed the right time between your work schedule and my work schedule. I’m sorry for hurting you; you’ve been a great friend and I hope we can remain friends. Let me know if you’d like to talk.

  Love,

  Greg

  Was he kidding her with this? Unbelievable. This email had all the markings of a person who had no self-awareness or was just so incredibly narcissistic that he thought an email apology would smooth over the affair he’d been having, his betrayal and the fact that he led her to believe they could work things out, all the while planning to ask for a divorce when she was far away from friends, family, and any sort of support system. Not to mention taking everything they owned with him.

  Had he always been this way and she just didn’t see it? She had always known he had a tendency toward narcissism because he was a writer. It’s that whole tortured-artist mentality, and the idea that no one saw the world quite the way you did. But she brushed it off as a harmless personality quirk, telling herself that his heart was good, and that was what mattered. When he seemed overly selfish, she would remind herself that she loved and admired his creative spark, and it was one of the things that drew her to him.

  Maybe, though, this was a little more than a personality quirk and an example of a person with weak character and a questionable moral compass.

  This from the girl who couldn’t help herself and had an affair of her own on Catalina Island. Shit. Didn’t that make her the pot calling the kettle black? Oh well. No sense in dwelling on it. It was done, and besides, her heart was too busy breaking every time she thought of Jason. She knew it sounded crazy but she wished he were with her right now, this minute, even though she was taking inventory of her shitty failed marriage.

  There were no other emails worth reading. Nothing from Jason, though she didn’t expect much. She wished they had made a deal to contact each other at a certain time, but they hadn’t. She didn’t know if she should wait for him or if she should contact him. The need to see him was overpowering emotionally and physically, she could hardly think of anything else. But then, it was only fair to sort out her personal life before dragging him into it. It was one thing for him to be in it while on Catalina Island, where they indulged in a little escapism, but back in the cold, hard light of day (or as it was in Seattle, the cold, hard, semi-darkness of spring), maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.

  Judy unpacked her bags and sorted her clothes to do laundry. She said a silent thank you to the universe for the fact that Greg hadn’t taken the washer and dryer. She heard the phone ring and glanced at it, it was her mom. She watched while the call went to voicemail. Almost immediately after her mom called, the phone rang again and it was Dani. She went to her bedroom and laid down on the bed.

  She knew her mom was just checking in, wondering how the trip to Catalina went, but Judy had not told her the real reason for the trip, so she didn’t want to answer and get into the explanations and recriminations. Dani knew about the reason for the trip and undoubtedly wanted to know how things went. Judy just wasn’t ready to analyze the awfulness of her marriage failing, and she was definitely not ready to share the wonder of Jason. She wanted him all to herself for just a little while longer.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “SO SERIOUSLY, SPILL,” DANI said when she and Judy were finally catching up the Saturday after getting back from Catalina.

  Dani was a force of nature. She had been Judy’s best friend since shortly after Judy arrived in Seattle, the fresh-faced 22-year-old that she was. Judy had been looking for a place to live close to downtown, as well as for a job in marketing, spending most of her time in coffee shops scouring the want-ads. One day, while she was particularly absorbed in the classifieds, Dani walked up to her table.

  “What are you doing?”

>   “Uh, what?” Judy had responded, looking up at her. “I’m reading the paper.”

  “No, you are not,” Dani said. “You are looking for a place to live and feverishly looking for a job. I’m shocked I haven’t seen you ask the clerk here if they are hiring.”

  Dani stood there, all 5’8” of her, hands on hips with long auburn hair cascading over her shoulders in wild waves.

  “Uh, so? Is that a problem? Wait, are they hiring here?” Judy looked around for a help-wanted sign.

  Dani laughed. “No, they aren’t. But I might be able to help you solve at least one of your problems. My name is Dani Lawrence.” She held out her hand, Judy shook it, and she sat down at Judy’s table.

  “I’m Judy Stephens.”

  “Hi Judy. So here’s the deal. I am a law student at U-Dub. I have a great place in Capitol Hill, two-bedroom, great location, off-street parking. But I can’t afford the rent on my own while I’m in school full-time. I’ve seen you here off and on over the last several weeks and you look like you are looking for an apartment and a job. I’m hoping you aren’t a serial killer or just plain crazy, and I’m trusting my instincts on that.”

  Then she sized Judy up again, looked at the notepad where Judy had taken a few notes, and peered into the coffee cup. “At least you drink real coffee, not any of these skinny-soy-mocha-extra-shot-latte-frappe things.”

  Judy was impressed by Dani’s direct, take-charge style. She didn’t think anyone had been so direct with her even in Chicago. It was refreshing and slightly intimidating. Judy had inwardly shrugged; Dani might be a crazy person, but her options were limited. The rental market in Seattle was and remained terrible.

  “I think I’d like to see the place first,” Judy replied.

  From that point on, they were like sisters. Dani had grown up in Brooklyn, New York, as the middle child of a cop and a teacher. She had two older brothers and two younger brothers, all of whom were now part of NYPD. She ended up in Seattle on a scholarship to UW’s law school, after having graduated Columbia magna cum laude with a double major in history and finance. She had over-achiever written all over her.

  When they met, Dani had been in her second year of law school. They weathered all the storms of their early 20s together. Judy helped Dani get through the end of law school and the bar exam, and Dani helped Judy try to deal with the endless supply of misogynistic pigs who ended up in advertising. Together they suffered through each other’s professional pitfalls and errant boyfriends, experienced the club scene and trying to learn to ski. They encouraged each other to be better and make their way in Seattle. They both fell in love with their adopted city and never looked back.

  By the time Judy made the trek back to University of Chicago for her 5-year alumni gathering, she was in grad school and Dani was dating a partner in her law firm. It was a turning point in both of their lives. They still shared that tiny 2-bedroom in Cap Hill, but they were both trying to figure out how to have the conversation about living separately. They could both finally afford it, and they were both ready, but they were thick as thieves and had a hard time bringing the subject up to each other for fear of hurting each other’s feelings.

  In the end, Judy provided the convenient excuse they needed to take the next step. When she came back from that alumni gathering and told Dani she’d reconnected with this guy from college, Greg, Dani then raised the issue of maybe having separate places. She had said, “You never know, Judy, Greg might be the one, and surely you would like to be able to figure that out without me in the background.”

  Judy knew that what she wasn’t saying was that she wanted to be able to figure out if the partner in her firm was the right guy for her, and it’s hard to do that with Judy in the background. It was okay, they both just wanted each other to be happy. So, they ended up getting apartments in the same building in Belltown. It was a good first step.

  When Greg and Judy got married, they stayed in Belltown but bought a condo a few streets away from that apartment building that Dani and Judy lived in. Judy felt sadder about that move than when Dani and she decided to get separate apartments. It felt like the end of something, when it probably should have felt like the hopeful beginning of something else. Maybe she should have known then that Greg wasn’t the right one.

  “Hello Stephens—earth to Judy! Tell me what happened on Catalina Island! Was it lovely and romantic and everything you hoped it would be??” Dani brought Judy out of her reverie. Dani continued to call Judy “Stephens” even though she had taken Greg’s last name, Morehouse, when they married.

  “Uh, well, it was…interesting.” Now was as good a time as any to rip off the Band-Aid. “On day two, Greg informed me that he’s been having an affair, and that he wants a divorce. Apparently, he shacked up with a dancer and her four-year-old son.” Judy shrugged and took a sip of wine.

  “WHAT?” Dani was aghast. It was not often that something rendered Dani speechless, but there it was. “What the fuck, Judy.” Ah, not totally speechless. If all else failed, Dani could almost always find the ability to swear.

  “Yeah, I know,” Judy began. “I guess all that stuff about us working things out and re-connecting was nothing but lip service. I’m thinking that the whole time he was telling me he didn’t want to have kids, that maybe what he really meant was that he just didn’t want to have them with me.”

  Judy filled Dani in mechanically, but she wasn’t feeling it. She wasn’t feeling much of anything. She could still be in shock over the whole mess, but it was helpful to not be an emotional basket case while filling Dani in. It was easier to pretend it was happening to someone else. The weird thing was, Judy wasn’t sad because she was telling her best friend about her marriage breaking up. She was sad, but mostly, she missed Jason. This thing with Greg just needed to be over. After the events of the last week, it felt to Judy like they’d been nursing this ailing relationship for too long. Time to pull the plug.

  “I always knew you were too good for him. He’s such an asshole.” Dani was indignant and it was comforting. Judy knew Greg was an idiot, but having that confirmed meant the world of difference. It was one thing for her to know it; it was so much more validating when everyone else knew it, too. “I want to know how he told you. What exactly happened?”

  Dani was always one to ask the tough questions. This was a skill she mastered at work. She was a trial attorney for a high-profile law firm in Seattle. Her specialty was employment law, and she did not lose cases. Judy had watched her a few times in court and she was amazing. The courtroom was her turf, her home field, the place she was most comfortable.

  As a result, Dani had always had trouble separating her personal life from her work life. That partner she was dating 5 years ago? She let it go on for a few months because she fell in love with him. Then, when she finally realized that he wasn’t going to leave his wife (after repeated assurances that he would), she not only dumped him, but quit her job and moved on to the next excellent position. If the best revenge is living well, Dani had perfected it.

  “Well, we were sitting down to have our first ‘talk’ of the trip about our relationship over a couple of margaritas and he just sort of blurted it out. I think he would have told me sooner but I got airsick on the way over. Anyway, he told me about Claire, the dancer, and her son, and I left the hotel. I went for a walk, and then when I returned he was leaving. And I let him. It seemed like the right thing to do.” Judy was surprised at how calmly she told Dani all of this.

  She paused, and Dani waited for her to go on.

  “I also asked him to move out, so he was gone when I got back from Catalina on Thursday.” She took another sip of wine.

  “Oh Judy,” Dani said softly, as she grabbed Judy’s hand and squeezed it. Judy was instantly reminded of Jason and felt a pang travel through her chest. “I’m so sorry. He’s the world’s biggest asshole. I knew it.” Dani said with conviction.

  It was obvious Dani had a question on her mind. “So, if he left on the second day,
what did you do for four days on Catalina Island? Not that I blame you for staying, I would have. And probably tried to have sex with the pool boy or something,” Dani said with a wave of her hand and refilling both of their wine glasses.

  She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Judy had started to cry. Judy couldn’t begin to control it, the minute Dani asked about the rest of the trip she knew this would happen. So much for keeping tears out of it.

  Dani set their glasses down and put an arm around Judy. “I’m so sorry, Judy - what can I do?”

  Judy started to weep. The longing for Jason ripped through her like a torrent. It was all too much. It seemed silly to have these feelings about Jason. She was too emotionally vulnerable. The more she tried to be rational, the more she just felt stupid, which made her cry harder.

  Dani looked at Judy curiously. “Wait, are you upset about Greg? I mean, are you crying for him, the loss of your marriage? His lying, cheating, generally being an ass?” She looked at Judy questioningly - she knew somehow that this wasn’t about Greg.

  When Judy was calm enough to talk, she told Dani the truth. “I had a marvelous few days,” she said, simply.

  “Okay, wait a minute.” Dani said as realization washed over her. “You found a man.” She chuckled. “Was it the pool boy? Whatever. Finally. I mean, a real man. Shit, Judy, this is about another man, isn’t it?” Dani smiled. She was like a dog with a bone with her questions. But it made some part of Judy glow inside hearing her say this. Just talking about Jason made Judy feel close to him.