“You want me to get you a coffee before the meeting?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I’m fine.”
The truth was, I wasn’t feeling fine at all. My stomach was a tangle of nerves and I felt sick – which was always how I felt right before I had to meet with Marlene. Brett was only ten years old. How the fuck was I supposed to co-parent with a woman I couldn’t stand for at least the next eight years?
Hannah and I rushed downstairs, then into a waiting Lincoln Town Car. The day was sunny and bright and Hannah took off her cardigan, rubbing her bare shoulders and smiling at me in a manner that I knew she thought was enticing.
I ignored her.
The car seemed to take forever crawling through Manhattan traffic. I tried to keep my mind on the most important thing at hand – Brett, and how Marlene and I were going to do our best to raise him without letting our shit get in the middle.
After
what seemed like an eternity, the car slowed to a stop in front of Marlene’s office building. Until the divorce, she’d been a stay at home mother…and I know she’d been angling to keep that up with alimony payments. But luckily, the judge had been on my side. While I still awarded her a hefty fee every four weeks (a fee that no doubt would have bankrolled the lifestyle of someone less greedy), Marlene had had to return to work. Now, she worked as a secretary for a fancy law firm.
I just wondered how many of the law partners she was sleeping with at once.
Hannah and I breezed inside. To my shock, Marlene was already standing in the lobby. Her flame-red hair was piled high on top of her head and her narrow face looked pinched when she saw me. She was wearing bright red lipstick.
“You’re late,” Marlene said. “I’ve been waiting here for over five minutes!”
“I’m sure that was very taxing on you,” I said dryly. “Where are we going?”
Marlene sighed heavily before turning on her heel and leading the way through a large, mostly unfurnished office. She turned a sharp left and pointed to a conference room.
“This is reserved for us,” Marlene said.
“Oh, great.” Hannah pushed past her. “Could you bring me a coffee?”
Marlene turned to me and raised her eyebrows. “Thomas, you have to be kidding me,” she said.
“Don’t worry about her,” I said. “We’re here to talk about Brett, Marlene.”
Marlene and I followed Hannah inside and I shut the door.
“Brett hasn’t been doing well at school,” I said. “He’s gotten in trouble a few times over the past week, for teasing and tormenting this little girl.” I stared right at my ex-wife. “Do you know anything about this?”
Marlene sighed. “If you’re asking whether the school has called, yes, I’m vaguely aware of something like that.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I narrowed my eyes. “You knew about this?!”
“Well, Thomas, I’m not sure what you want me to do,” Marlene said coolly. “He’s just going through a phase right now, it’ll pass.”
“He could get thrown out of that school!” I could feel my face turning red with anger but there was nothing I could do to stop myself now. “That’s the best goddamn public school in the city! I had to work so goddamned hard to get him accepted!”
Marlene shrugged.
“I’ve suggested a private school might be better for him,” Hannah simpered. “I went to private school, and I just think it’s such a better idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “Private school is off the table,” I said sharply.
“I don’t know, Thomas, maybe she’s got a point.” Marlene was picking her cuticles, she didn’t even deign to look at me as she spoke. “Maybe we should reconsider where we placed him. You know, a change could do the boy good.”
“It’s not happening,” I said firmly.
Marlene’s eyes flashed with anger. “You’re being a cheapskate,” she said. “You don’t even want to spend money on our son’s education!”
“It isn’t about that,” I said hotly. “It’s about his attitude! I don’t want to reward him for this shitty behavior. Like, oh, son – you’ve been acting out but it’s okay because Daddy is going to put you in an expensive school full of other little rich shits!”