Cheating to Survive (Fix It or Get Out) (37 page)

Catherine developed a nutrition quiz to hand out to the employees with prizes ranging from nutrition magnets to free meals. Heather obtained Cardiac Rehab’s body fat analyzer and couldn’t wait to tell everyone their body fat percentage.

Victoria and Jacqueline decided to construct a quarterly nutrition newsletter. Their premier issue would appear in the cafeteria today. The four of them wrote one article each and then asked Cliff and Tyrell to add in their favorite healthy recipes. Jacqueline invited Victoria to write up and design the layout. It came out gorgeous.

The crowds arrived and the four of them answered questions and explained the ingredients in the lunch items. The line for the body fat analyzer blocked guests from using the microwave. By 1 o’clock they only had a few copies of the newsletter left.

Catherine helped herself to some fruit salad and the CEO of the hospital strutted in. After five minutes of surveying the cafeteria, he ordered his meal and sank into one of the booths with a copy of the newsletter. He called Jacqueline over and she eased into the seat in front of him. After fifteen minutes, they both stood and she guided him toward their booth.

Heather proceeded over to them for support and the three stood with raised eyebrows.

“Hello. I’m Guy Copher, CEO of the hospital.” He reached out to shake Catherine’s hand.

Victoria smiled when he shook her hand, but winced at Catherine as he turned towards Heather. It was the first time he had spoken to any of them in the five years he worked here.

“Jacqueline just told me about all the hard work you placed into this year’s function. The food was so colorful, so flavorful.”

“The salmon with Caribbean salsa was Tyrell’s idea. The recipe’s in the newsletter.” Heather said.

“Yes it was delicious, and the newsletter was informative. I didn’t realize how healthy eggs were. I’ve always ordered those tasteless egg whites, but I look forward to having a real omelet tomorrow.” He peered back over his shoulder. “Now who’s operating that body fat tester? I failed your nutrition quiz and I need to see how much of this I need to lose.” He grabbed his belly and walked away with Heather.

****

Catherine’s wails pierced everyone’s ears on Splash Mountain. Bentley took water from below his feet and dripped it down his mother’s back. “I’m going to kill you Bentley!”

Peter laughed and nudged Colton. Catherine shook her head. “Just wait. Emily and I will find a way to get you all back this afternoon.”

“And worse,” Emily said.

They exited the ride and Catherine tried to look angry but burst out with laughter instead. “I hate you all.”

“No you don’t, you love us.” Emily threw her arms around her mother.

Peter ogled her and motioned toward her T-shirt. Wet and practically see-through. Catherine sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t be getting ideas now, this is a family park you know.”

“We can dump them in the arcade and run off behind some bushes.” The memory of Heather and Silvatri having sex in the bushes always grossed Catherine out, but now in the center of Disney, it seemed magical.

They stopped by the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and Catherine ordered a hot fudge sundae in a waffle cone bowl.

“Some dietitian.” Bentley wrinkled his nose.

“I’m on vacation, and having fun.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

Peter dug into the sundae and fed her a spoonful. “Just wait until tonight,” he whispered. “Once the kids are asleep.” His eyebrows raised and dropped.

They’ll be up later than us, who are you kidding?”

“Then we’ll ship them off on some kid centered activity in the hotel.”

Catherine choked on a glob of hot fudge. A drizzle of it streamed down her chin.

“Slob,” Colton said.

Catherine put a dollop of ice cream on her spoon and flicked it at him.

“Hey, you’ll get us kicked out for sure,” he muttered.

“Look who’s talking, the king of getting kicked out of class.”

“It was only one time, mom, and it was Craig’s fault.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before.”

“I’m good, right mommy?” Emily asked.

“Of course. You’re good and pure and sweet just like this ice cream.”

“Oh that’s a load. You and Kelsey covered Bingo in mud over the summer and then ran off without cleaning him,” Bentley said.

“When did this happen?” Peter asked.

“Beginning of the summer. I had to hose him down.”

“He was just a puppy,” Catherine said. She eyed Emily who pursed her lips and looked away.

They returned to the hotel and their children jumped into the pool. Peter watched them while Catherine changed into her bathing suit. She glanced around the adjoining rooms at the chaos and toys, opened suitcases and towels, Mickey Mouse ears and Cinderella crowns. She wouldn’t want it any other way.

Grateful for the year Peter and her went to marriage counseling, Catherine thanked their therapist Kellie repeatedly for saving them. She attended privately counseling for herself as well.

Peter had quit his job and switched to financial planning. His job as a stockbroker was all about generating commissions and nothing to do with taking care of the clients. Now he focused on helping his clients reach their goals.

With Emily in middle school, Catherine quit the PTA and any volunteering for school activities. She enjoyed spending the time with her family instead. Their friends and neighbors looked forward to the lively Christmas party they hosted in their home every year.

Catherine threw on her indigo bikini and headed out the door. Their vacation together only beginning.

Heather
Four Years Post the Tyrant

Heather and Rori finished off the rest of the zeppoles while Laurel and Gia chatted with a group of friends. This year’s spring festival in Glasspond Park packed in thousands of participants due to the weather. Sixty-five degrees dragged everyone out of their winter blues. Heather hoped it would be this warm next Sunday for Easter. The downfall to Easter falling in March was always the weather. It’s no fun wearing flowery dresses when it was only fifty degrees.

“You have powdered sugar all over your face,” Heather said.

Rori giggled. “That’s the best part. If you don’t have powdered sugar all over your face, than you really didn’t eat a zeppole.”

“And you would know. What’s that, your seventh one?”

“They’re sooooo good.”

“Where do you put it all? What nine-year-old weighs only forty-nine pounds?” Rori licked her lips from one corner to the other and back again. “You’re licking the paint off your face.” Rori chose an orange and black cheetah this year. The sparkly paint mixed with the powdered sugar. “Gross.”

Gia jogged over and landed with a thump beside Heather. “Ugh, if I have to hear her talk about the prom one more time I’m gonna barf.”

“In two years you’ll be doing the same thing.”

“No way. My friends and I are blowing it off and hitting the beach.”

“Oh really? This coming from a former cheerleader.”

“Oh please, that was over five years ago. We’re all gonna wear black and drive by the prom as they’re walking in and spray silly string at them.”

Heather laughed out loud almost falling out of the picnic table. “Oh, this ought to be good, I can’t wait.”

Laurel gazed up at a tall blonde boy. Was that Laurel’s boyfriend of the month? Heather’s own dating experiences were far from what she expected. After a year of divorce proceedings, she decided she wanted nothing to do with men. By the following summer, the warm glow of the sun beckoned her to venture out again.

The thrill of spontaneous sex, like she had with Silvatri, vanished and the real life of dating began. Getting to know people and thinking they were perfect only to find they were lying, just another large child, or horrible in bed, made her give it all up.

With Laurel and Gia out every weekend at high school parties and activities, she spent her weekends with Rori. But even Rori went out occasionally leaving Heather home alone on a Friday night.

Laurel strolled over chewing a giant wad of gum. Heather rolled her eyes and glanced away. “Mom, I’m going to the mall with Erin and a bunch of people, okay?”

“Just be careful driving. Will you be home by dinner?”

“I don’t know.” Laurel marched away with four others including the tall boy.

“When am I going to get a car?” Gia asked.

“When you’re old enough to drive.”

“That’s only another year or two.”

“Well, save your babysitting money and then when you’re old enough to get a real job, you can buy one.”

“No fair. Laurel got yours.”

“The Jeep was nine years old. Save all your money and you can put a pretty nice down payment on a new car.”

Gia snorted. “I’m going out with Hannah tonight. Gotta take a shower when I get home. All this dirt and dust all over me.”

“It hasn’t rained in a while.”

“I thought it rains a lot in the spring.” Gia stood up and brushed the dirt off her.

Heather and Rori snapped up and headed to the parking lot. “It does,” Rori said.” April showers bring May flowers.”

“It’s not April though.” Gia stuck her tongue out at Rori.

“Hey, don’t start. Geez, I knew you’d be the one to be the pain in the ass teenager.”

“I am not.” Gia crossed her arms and stomped away.

“Teenagers.” Rori shook her head.

“Come on. Let’s go before she has a tantrum.” Heather giggled.

Heather neared their home and Rori rolled down her window. “Hey Becca, I’m coming over, don’t leave.”

“Can you wait until I pull into the garage at least?” Heather drove up the driveway and before she could come to a full stop, the back door unlocked and Rori sprinted down the block. Gia ran out too and then jumped directly into the shower.

Heather checked the mailbox and threw her bills on the table. There were two messages on the phone that she played while opening a letter from Rori’s school.

Beep.
“Heather! It’s me, Victoria, I tried calling your cell. We just got back from our honeymoon. It was glorious. You have to travel to St Lucia. I thought ten days would be too much but you were right, it flew by. You had to see our room, the back door opened into our own private pool. We had sex in it. Oh my God, I hope your children aren’t listening. Oh Heather, I’m so sorry. Erase this! Erase this immediately. It was delightful though. I’ll tell you all about it at work Monday. Hope you didn’t miss me too much. I didn’t miss you guys at all. Just kidding. Love you, bye.”

Heather played the message one more time to hear the excitement in Victoria’s voice then erased it for good.

Beep. “
Hey, it’s Catherine. I just finished. My best time ever! Twenty-six fifteen. Twenty-six fifteen. I can’t believe it. It was a little warm to run but luckily I wore that tank top and I stayed cool. Oh and the best part was Peter was there at the finish line. He surprised me. He lied and said he had to meet a client but showed up. Alone, without the kids and we came home and well, you know, *cough* *cough*. Post-race high and then that. Wow! It was thrilling. Call me, I’ll tell you all about it. I thought you’d be home.”

Her friends were having more sex then her, and with their husbands no less. Catherine assumed she would be home? What was that supposed to mean? Single, home, alone. Catherine was right. All she needed now was a bunch of cats.

Heather threw her dusty clothes in the hamper, changed into sweats and traveled downstairs to her computer. She checked her emails and then went on Facebook. One new message and one friend request. Heather hated the new friend requests she got. It was always someone she didn’t know or some friend of a friend that saw a funny comment she wrote on someone else’s wall. That entitled you to be her friend?

She liked her measly 125 friends and enjoyed deleting people even more. She never understood the ones that had 800 friends and how they read their home page every day.

Heather popped an Oreo in her mouth and clicked on the new friend request.
Nicolo Trevisani.

Hey Heather. Hope you are good. I just joined Facebook and I’m not even sure if I’m doing this right. I only have three friends so far. My brother forced me to join. I got divorced six months ago and he told me to get on here to find old friends. The only old friend I want to talk to is you. You look beautiful in your picture. And your girls are the spitting image of you. Four beautiful girls. Hope you get this message. Love to the moon.

THE END OF BOOK ONE

Author’s Notes

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading
Cheating to Survive.
I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, I would love if you could please consider writing a review at your favorite book review site. Reviews are the best way for readers to discover great new books.

Kindle reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K87TGG4

GoodReads reviews:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21952481-cheating-to-survive--

I would also love to invite you to visit my Website at

http://christine-ardigo-author.com/

to stay in touch with me and follow my next book project.

Thank you for spending a few hours of your day with my story and its characters. I hope you had fun living in their world as much as I did, and will join me as we go back to when it all began, in
Every Five Years,
Heather and Nicolo’s love story.

Christine

About the Author