Hi, all. This is the actual part 32. I made a note of correction under the last part.
I hope you're all doing well, and I want you to know that H&M might have some sort of contact in the near future. Hang in there!
Happy Holidays!
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(Part 32)
“Dee Dee?” Celise called as she entered the house.
“I’m in the laundry room.”
“Hi.” Celise smiled at her friend. “I’ve got good news.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve found a paying job for you.”
“Really? Where?” Dee Dee shut the washer’s lid.
“Let’s go into the living room to talk.” Celise led the way, and the two sat on the sofa. “It pays pretty well, but it’ll be a temporary job.”
“That’s fine. I’ll need maternity leave in a few months anyway.”
“Exactly.”
Dee Dee was growing more anxious. “Now tell me where it is and what I’ll be doing.”
“It’s where I work; Casteel and Associates, and you’ll be a receptionist. The current receptionist, Elisa, and her husband are moving away because of his new job.
Casteel and the rest thought they already had someone lined up for the job, but she backed out; maybe got a better offer. But who cares? This means you can have the job. Mr. Casteel wants someone the day after Elisa leaves, in two weeks. I told him about you; how you’ve worked as a secretary. He said you should come into the Personel Department as soon as possible.”
“This is great.” Dee Dee replied excitedly. “Are you sure he’s fine about my needing maternity leave so soon?”
“It’s not a problem at all. I told him that you’d need time off, and he said he would hire you in temporarily, and by the time you’re out, he will have hired someone permantly.”
“This sounds perfect.” Dee Dee beamed. “I’m so glad you told him about me. Thanks.”
“Oh, I’m just glad the job was there. I wouldn’t have wanted it to go to anyone else. The best part of it all; you’ll be just down the hall from me.” Celise said with a smile. “We’ll have lunch together.”
“Great.” Dee Dee replied unenthused. “I won’t have to worry about trying to fit in with the popular people. I can just sit with…you.”
“Yeah, you’ll just sit with me.” Celise caught on to Dee Dee’s comment. “Wait a second. Are you saying I’m not popular?”
“Well…um…” Dee Dee tried to keep a straight face.
“Yes, you are saying I’m not popular!” Celise tapped Dee Dee lightly on the head with a throw pillow. “Thanks a lot!” She laughed.
“You’re welcome!” Dee Dee laughed too. “I’m just kidding.”
“I know it. And it’s good to hear you laugh.” Celise noted.
“It feels good to laugh.” Dee Dee replied with a smile. “I hope to do a lot more of it.”
“I’m sure you will.”
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The next day, Dee Dee, along with the Grey’s and a police escort retrieved her belongings from Alex’s house. Alex was home at the time, but one of the two officers made sure to keep him in his office until Dee Dee and her friends collected her items.
Walking into the house was a moment of rememberence for Dee Dee; mostly of horrific times she spent there. As she packed up what was hers, she thought of how she happily unpacked these same items just a few months ago, with the intent of building a happy home with her husband. She sighed heavily at the many hopes she held for herself as Mrs. Turnan.
Celise stopped packing when she heard Dee Dee’s sigh. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I was just thinking of what all went on here.”
“If this is too hard, Michael and I can finish.”
“I’ll be okay.” Dee Dee began placing more items in a box. “The faster we get out of here, the better.”
“I agree.”
Michael took down the last of the boxes and put it in the car. When he turned to look toward the house, he could see Alex peering out from his office window. He stared back at Alex and mouthed: “You lousy son-of-a…” He stopped himself; feeling that Alex wasn’t worth the time it took to finish. Before he could sit behind the wheel, he saw Dee Dee and Celise exiting the house. Before they were at the end of the walkway, Alex bolted to the front door; trying to get past two officers, while spewing crude remarks about Dee Dee and her pregnancy.
“Just keep walking. Celise encouraged. “Ignore him.”
The two officers held Alex at bay, and Dee Dee never took as much as a glance in his direction.
----
Later that night, Dee Dee got a phone call from her mother who let her know she’d returned from her trip. “How’s everything? I got your message about your staying with friends. Why is that? Aren’t you and Alex completely setteled into your home now?”
“No.” Dee Dee sighed; thinking of how the conversation would go. “We’re not setteled together at all. There have been a lot of changes.”
“Like what?”
“Like…my not being with Alex anymore, to start with.”
“You’re not with Alex anymore? And that’s to start with?” Anna’s confusion and curiosity mingled within her mind. “I’m sure I’m not following you, and I hope you can make things clearer for me.”
“Alex and I have divorced, mom. I’m living with my friends, Celise and Michael, until I can find my own place.”
“What?! Why on Earth are you divorced? And what went on between you two to cause it to happen so quickly?”
“I’ll tell you if you promise to just listen, okay? This is really hard for me, and I don’t want your outbursts of comments to make it any worse.”
Anna was slightly surprised at her daughter’s instructions, but felt she could abide. “Alright. I’ll listen without interrupting.”
“Thank you.” Dee Dee heaved a sigh of courage to begin. “I have no problem with admitting that I made a mistake when I married Alex. I thought he was the man I’d spend the rest of my life with, but it turned out that he wasn’t. It’s for the best anyway, because I really didn’t know him. We wanted such different things out of life, and there was no way we could have had a happy marriage. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to light until after the wedding. He was completely immersed with everything about himself. He never wanted to divide his work-time up in order to spend time with me, and he didn’t care about any of my interests at all. He had a problem with controling his anger; lots of arguments about that. He told me before we married that we’d have children, but that was a lie. He didn’t want any. He spent more time away from home than he did at home, and…he was having an affair with a woman he’d met before we were married.”
Finally, Dee Dee allowed Anna a reply.
“I can’t believe he’s done this to you. How awful. I didn’t know a thing about him, but I didn’t imagine he could be this way. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“Thank you. But I’ll survive.” Dee Dee felt strength within herself. “Being set free of that marriage has lifted a tremendous weight from my shoulders. And I’m happier now than when I first moved to London. Michael and Celise are a great source of support, and I’m thankful to have them.”
“I’m glad you have them, too.”
“There’s more that I have to tell you.”
“I’m listening.”
“You know that Rick and I were really serious before I married Alex.”
“Of course.”
“Well…although the relationship with Rick ended, something wonderful is coming from it.”
“And that would be…? Anna carefully questioned.
“You and dad are going to be grandparents.”
“Oh, Dee Dee!” Anna gasped excitedly “You and Rick are having a baby? Oh, honey, that’s wonderful!”
“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” Dee Dee smiled at the thought. “We’re actually having twins.”
“Twins?! Oh, my, goodness! That’s fantastic!”Anna had questions, and didn’t abide by Dee Dee’s rule at this time. “You’re about five or six months, right? Are you coming back home to have the babies? Was Rick very excited when you told him?” Anna hesitated when a worrying thought came to mind. “Dee Dee, what did Alex say and do when you told him about the pregnancy?”
“Calm down, okay, mom? I’ll answer your questions, but please…”
“I’m sorry. Go ahead.”
“I’m well into my fifth month. So far, I have no plans to move back to LA anytime soon, I haven’t told Rick yet, and Alex was none too happy about the news.”
I’m sure he wasn’t. “
“At first I thought he was the father; I even told him that I’d gotten a positive result from a home pregnancy test. After a visit to the doctor’s office, I found out for sure of when I conceived.”
He didn’t do, or try to do anyting harm you or the babies, did he?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Why would you ask that?”
I was just wondering. Something like that would make some men lose it, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Are you sure you’ll be having the babies over there?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Then whenever you’re ready for me, I’ll come over to be with you.”
Dee Dee appreciated the gesture from her mother. “I’d really like that, mom. Thanks.”
“Do you have any idea of when you’ll tell Rick?”
“Not really. You know this isn’t something he wanted in his immediate future, not even one baby. Now there will be two.”
“Well, if you ever need to talk to me about that situation, I’m here. And please put a lot of thought into telling Rick. Regardless of what he said in the past, he could very well want these babies with all his heart. He may even still feel the same about you.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Dee Dee sighed. “I guess I’ll find out one day.”
Anna and her daughter spent another hour talking about Anna’s trip, and she told Dee Dee that she was excited that she would allow her to tell Paul that his daughter is expecting their first grandchildren.
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