The Wives

Around midday I called the house as usual and got a harassed Marcy who was breathing fire down the line.

“Babe, relax now from the beginning.”

“It’s Elizabeth.” Shit.

“What did she do now?”

“I’m not sure but whatever it is is bad because Janine hasn’t stopped crying since she got off the phone with her and we can’t get her to talk.”

“Put her on the phone.” I could feel a headache coming on, this lady was going to cause me to do some shit I really didn’t want to the first reason being that she was my wife’s mother and when all was said and done Jan loved the psychotic bitch. She got on the phone sniffling and right away I was pissed. She’s thirty-one fucking years old and that bitch was still making her cry, I’m not sure which of them was more fucked up in that situation.

“Sweet girl talk to me.” She blew her nose and cleared her throat a couple times I guess she was stalling for time, which meant Elizabeth had probably hit her with some hard shit.

“Mom called…” I didn’t say anything just waited for her to go on with the rest of her story so I could decide what steps I had to take to get this burr off my ass once and for all.

“She said if I don’t take the kids and leave she’s calling the authorities and having you arrested.”

Ok my heart did a little blip at that news but nothing much, I had contingencies in place in case of something like this happening, like I said this is something I’ve known I wanted practically my whole adult life so I wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

“Is that all she said? Did she do anything yet?”

“No she said she’s giving me until day after tomorrow to decide then she’ll make her move.” I could hear the others who had obviously been listening in in the background starting to panic.

“Put me on speaker.” She did as I asked and I could hear the difference over the line.

“Hey sweethearts I want you to listen to me…you listening? I don’t want any of you worrying about this, no one is doing anything to our family, now I’ve had things in place incase of something like this but I don’t think we’re going to need it this time but just incase I’ll make sure everything is in order incase we have to leave. You all know the combination to the safe in the study all out necessary paperwork is in there, the Stream is always fueled up and waiting I would never leave our family at risk so stop worrying ok?”

I waited for their sniffled okays while I scrolled through my electronic address book. “Good now that that’s settled, Janine your mother is officially cut off, no phone contact no emails no contact of any kind if you betray me in this we’re done, she’s just up the stakes when she threatened my kids and my wives I expect you to choose your husband and your family in this instance but if you can’t …”

“Bradley Taylor don’t be an ass.” That’s my big girl, her voice sounded strong again.

“Alright I’m going to make some phone calls and then I’ll be home, don’t answer the phone unless it’s me, no one can get on the property unless you let them in so no worries there but if any of you get spooked call me right away. Anna how you holding up there baby girl?” I knew of the three of them she would be the most scared, the last time Elizabeth pulled a raid she’d called immigration, at least we thought it was her who had done it, lucky for us I’d pulled some strings and got her her papers when we first got married. She’d been here on a student visa when I met her working in the restaurant where we worked in the evenings. We were married a mere six months after meeting and I’d got her shit squared away first thing, it was only fair after all she is my wife and had I been able to wed her in the legal sense I would’ve been doing the same thing. The fact that we could never prove she was the one behind it is the only reason Elizabeth had still been allowed to keep any form of contact with her daughter but now after this latest fuckery that shit was dead.

“She’s shaking like a leaf how do you think she’s doing, this is bullshit, no offense Janine but your mom needs to mind her own fucking business I’m getting pretty tired of her making trouble, what the fuck she treated you like shit your whole life and now that you’re an adult she decides she gives a shit?”

“Marcy, not now honeybee, we can’t disintegrate I need you three to stay strong for me until I get there, once I do what I have to do and get there then everyone can fall apart but right now I need my wives to band together and be strong and look after our kids. Can you three do that for me?”