No ‘Moore’ Mess- Chapter One (Serial Version)
Chapter One- Mary (Moore) Neeley Loves Jackie Neeley
“Woman! I forgot my key. Open the G-D door before I kick it in!”
Jackie and Mary Neeley had been together for years, but their once happy marriage was no more. Jackie’s early return from the local unemployment office surprised her wife. Mary ran to the door, and a second later she unlocked it.
“Sorry about that. I was taking a nap.”
“Well, thank you. It’s great to get into my home.”
“Our home.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Just forget it.”
“That’s better.”
Mary bustled about the little kitchen. She threw a burned grilled cheese sandwich and stale BBQ-flavored potato chips on a green paper plate. Nobody feared her culinary skills. She blamed her mother. The woman could not cook a lick.
“What’s this crap?”
“Most people call it dinner.”
“And my alcohol?”
“Is that really necessary every day?”
“I’m not going to ask twice.”
Mary whirled around on the nasty, old linoleum floor and opened the fridge. She grabbed a cold, cheap bottle of Chilean wine and sat it on the old card table. Mary’s beverage selection didn’t impress Jackie.
“What’s this crap?”
“Sorry, it was on sale at Little K. I just thought — ”
“You just thought? Lord God, Almighty, Mary Neeley just thought. Well that’s a first.”
“Just shut up and drink it.”
Jackie guzzled it like a college freshman sorority girl. She kept drinking until she passed out on the floor of her tiny living room. Blood dripped from her nose from the effects of her binge. Long ago, she was a woman of intellect and drive, but that great woman was no more.
Jackie was a highly regarded executive at a famous internet startup in her younger days. She went early to her office every morning, but Jackie had a dark secret. She drank every day after work and all day on her off days.
Jackie liked drinking in college, but she never had the money to do it often. This changed for her once she got a good-paying job. She went out for dinner since she could not cook. Jackie drank alone every evening at a local beatnik-style coffee-house.
The Daily Grind was a locally-owned community gathering place. The upscale joint featured cage-free egg specialties, house squeezed juices, fresh meats, seasonal vegetables and delectable desserts. The daily happy hour always drew a great crowd, including Jackie.
It was a single glass of expensive red wine and some roast beef on fresh rye for her every evening. She loved chatting up the pretty waitress who worked there. Jackie rose up the company ladder and met more people.
Those folks loved to drink. She rarely got drunk. It was no more than two glasses and back home for her. Jackie’s professional life became difficult. She looked for ways to keep her mind off her growing work problems.
Jackie found several companions, and she spent her free time with them. She was at the bar drinking wine every evening after work. Alcohol was a religion to Jackie as the months passed.
A co-worker who often wanted to go drinking always joked, “It’s not alcoholism if you are drinking with your friends, right?”
“That’s right, Piper. Yo! Bartender, another round. On me!”
“Now you’re talking. Thanks, Jackie!”
The economic bubble soon burst, and it took down startups like her company. Several of Jackie’s co-workers left or got fired. Jackie remained employed, but the stress of the company’s restructuring got the best of her. She was on the road much of the time.
The company’s downsizing had one positive effect for her health. Jackie stopped going to the bar. A 30 percent reduction in her salary made sure she could no longer go out every night. Jackie despised being in her hotel room late at night. Her lack of money meant she drank alone until she passed out.
Despite her dependence on alcohol, Jackie was an excellent employee. She went to work every single day. Jackie worked at a high level, and she drank after work at an even higher one. Her existence went on like that for the better part of two years. Jackie knew her drinking was out of control.
She woke up naked in the hotel hallway after a Saturday night binge. It was fortunate the hotel staff decided not to call the police. Jackie greased the manager’s palm with a hundred dollar bill to make sure he didn’t bother to involve the local authorities.
“That’s it for me. When I go home, I will lay off the sauce. I swear.”
She never stopped. Mary turned a blind eye to Jackie’s constant drinking. Alcohol was the reason they met. Mary was working as a waitress at a local bar. Drinking was a hobby to her too. Everyone from her mother to her third cousin secretly drank like fish. Alcohol was in her DNA.
Mary was the youngest of three sisters. Her older sisters Bertha and Helen were teenagers by the time she was born. She was a shock to her parents, Pastor Andrew and Roberta. Pastor Andrew was not pleased to be a father for the third time.
“You sure, Roberta? You’re a bit old to be having another one. Don’t you think?”
“I’m certain. I went to the doctor last week.”
“How did this happen?”
“You should know. You were there.”
Mary was born six months later. Pastor Andrew never put effort into parenting. Roberta played father and mother, but her age made it hard. There were times Roberta didn’t have it in her to be there for a difficult child, like Mary.
It was a constant struggle to control Mary’s poor behavior. Mary was an extremely spoiled child. Roberta found it easier to buy Mary’s obedience.
“Here’s a dollar. If you’ll just be a good girl, mommy will get that dolly you’ve been wanting. Just be a good girl, honey. Please, for mommy, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you, mommy. I’ll be good. I promise.”
This approach didn’t keep Mary in line. She spent her school days in the principal’s office. The detention hall monitor knew more about Mary’s life than her parents did. Mary felt lonely as a child, and she craved affection.
These feelings grew as Mary entered her teenage years. She sought the comfort of men, especially older ones. Roberta cautioned Mary about the perils of playing around with the boys but not the girls.
“You’d be wise to keep those clothes of yours on at night, Mary. Trust me. Nothing. And I mean nothing good comes of that for a girl.”
Mary heeded most of Roberta’s warnings. Still, Mary found herself getting groped by any number of boys and even a few girls most weekends. They were only after her body. Mary knew it, but she convinced herself it was okay.
“It’s better than being alone.”
In the bliss of feeling loved, Mary found satisfaction albeit devoid of any real emotions. That is until she met Donna. Mary fell in love for the first time in her young life.
Donna Carpenter was a 21 year-old college student. She met Mary at the old stone quarry. It was the hangout spot for the local youths. The old stone quarry was just a big hole in the ground.
The area was dark, and it was the perfect spot for young, virile teens to find trouble. Donna met Mary there one late Saturday night. She was looking for more than conversation.
“Name’s Donna. And you pretty thing? You got a name?”
“Mary Moore.”
Donna was a sexy-looking woman from the local college. She stood 6’2” tall. She had dark brown hair, and her breasts made the other girls jealous. She was easy on the eyes, especially on Mary’s beautiful brown-colored ones.
The pair spent hours talking by a small bonfire as they drank cheap, American beer. The night was coming to an end when Donna made her move. She was a smooth operator. This was not her first attempt to get lucky with a local girl.
“Mary, it’s getting late. I guess we should be getting on to someplace else.”
“I should go home. It’s pretty late.”
“You know, we could get a motel. There’s one just down the road.”
Mary was not a whore, but it was late. The extra can of cheap beer she drank put her in no rush to return to her house. As it was, she was 30 minutes late for curfew. Pastor Andrew was in a lather as he waited up for her to return. Her angry father and the inevitable fight with him would have to wait.
“All right, Donna, let’s go.”
Donna’s good looks and mature charm took Mary’s heart by storm. She knew she should go home, but her hormones won out. The horny pair went at it all night long. It would not be the last time.
Mary and Donna met out there at the same old, rodent-infested motel every weekend after the first time. She came home only to change her clothes and grab something free to eat. Roberta knew something was going on with Mary, but it was easier for her to offer junk food than be a real parent.
“Honey, I bought some doughnuts at the bakery. Strawberry. Your favorite.”
It was Roberta’s go-to response with Mary’s two older sisters, Bertha and Helen. Considering those results, Roberta was not going to win mother-of-the-year. Mary never partook of her mother’s fat-filled diversions. She had no interest in becoming a whale like Roberta.
“Ain’t no way I’m ending up — ”
“Like me?”
“Yes, I don’t want that for my life.”
That cut deep at Roberta, but it was the truth. Mary had dreams of wandering the world. She fantasized of residing abroad with someone special. There were a million places to go in the world, and she wanted to see them. Mary had no confidence in her ability to succeed in the world without someone in her life.
She saw Donna as a way out of that hick town. She spoke of taking her away, but her plans were never thought out. Still, Donna was quite the saleswoman.
“We can leave today. Hop right in this little red car and go. The big world is out there waiting for us.”
Mary knew better. She had heard the stories of Roberta and her older sisters falling into difficult relationships. There was no way she was going to end up like them. She made that crystal clear to Donna.
“Go where? What about money? A plan? You have to give me more than dreams, Donna.”
“Let’s live in the moment.”
“I’ll join you as soon as you show me how we can afford it. Dreams don’t pay bills in my experience.”
They had the same discussion numerous times over the next two years. The next spring Donna graduated from college. Mary figured a marriage proposal from Donna was coming. It was, but it didn’t come for her.
“Mary, I’ve got something to tell you. It’s big news.”
Mary filled with excitement. Her liberation from her parents, the hick town, and her empty life was at hand. She looked at Donna and sweetly smiled. Donna’s shoulders slumped as she let out a small sigh.
“I’ve found someone. We’re getting married. I’m so sorry to tell you like this.”
Mary was crushed. She pleaded with Donna for an hour to reconsider her decision, but it was all for naught. Mary went all in to get the young woman, but Donna was unmoved by Mary’s tear-filled pleas.
“What about us? Our future?”
“There is no us. We have no future together.”
“Why? What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing. I need someone who pushes me. A partner who drives me to be more in my life.”
“And I don’t?”
“No, you don’t. I’m sorry. You just don’t.”
“What about us?”
“I’m sorry, Mary, but again there is no us.”
It was not Mary’s fault. She learned later Donna’s real name was Stephanie Goodman. She was the daughter of Dr. Michael Goodman. Her father gave her the nickname ‘Doc Donna’ as a girl.
The well-known doctor hoped it would inspire his “lazy, good for nothing” kid to follow in his footsteps. Alas, it didn’t. ‘Doc Donna’ was as close as Stephanie got to being a real physician.
This disappointed Dr. Goodman, but he discovered a backup plan for his daughter’s future in one Alexander McVicker. He was a charming, young man from a well-regarded family. Dr. Goodman pushed for the pair to get married, and Donna agreed.
Donna could have refused, but she didn’t. Dr. Goodman threatened to cut off Donna from her trust fund, and Donna caved. Soon, she was cheating on Mary with Alexander.
Donna felt guilty about the illicit affair. She almost ended it. Donna was going to tell Alexander they were over until she called him one evening with some big news.
“I’m pregnant.”
“Seriously?”
“With twins.”
The news left Alexander speechless. Alexander’s father was not without words. Mr. McVicker insisted his son get married, “quick, fast, and in a hurry,” and he and Donna did. It was six months before Donna broke the news of her transgressions to Mary.
Donna spent months having her cherry cake and eating it too. She left Mary heartbroken and stuck in her little hick town. Mary took the last of her savings and moved out. She got a black eye from her father as a parting gift.
Mary could have stayed with Pastor Andrew and Roberta, but she and her bruised face were done with her family. Mary moved in with a high school friend. The next week Mary got a job as a waitress in a local sports bar.
Times were tough. It was a fortunate stroke of luck when a drunk and horny Jackie took a liking to her in that bar. Mary made the most of her opportunity. She felt this was her last chance to not be alone.
“What do you want, good looking?”
Mary did her best to attract the young woman. Her charm was something Jackie could not resist in her drunken state. She was looking for more than a beer from Mary.
“I’ll start with steak and a side of you for dessert, baby.”
“I’ll see what I can do for you, honey.”
“About the steak or you?”
“Both. If you’re lucky.”
Mary finally found her way out of her hick town with a quick wink and a sexy smirk. They were perfect for each other. Jackie asked Mary to move into her apartment a week later.
Things were going fine until Mary pulled Jackie aside one Sunday afternoon. She was hungover, and Mary was furious. The pair planned to go see Mary’s parents. She was eager to show Pastor Andrew she found a good partner even if he disapproved, but Jackie was in no condition to go anywhere.
“Alcohol or me? Which is more important to you?”
Jackie stopped cold. She had no good answers for Mary, but it didn’t stop her from trying to find one.
“You don’t — I don’t — You see — I live on the road. It gets lonesome. You know?”
Mary left the apartment. Jackie ran behind Mary to catch her before she left, but the love of her life was gone. Jackie turned to alcohol to ease her pain. She rushed to the local state liquor store. It was a second home to her.
The store staff called her “The president of Wine-ville.” It was a well-earned moniker. She hated it, but Jackie didn’t care. She wanted to get alcohol and get hammered.
Jackie bought the biggest bottle of discount hooch the store offered, and she raced to her apartment. Her cell phone beeped, and Jackie pulled it from her pocket. Jackie froze as she read the message.
“Alcohol or me? Last chance.”
The wine fell to the floor. Jackie’s haggard reflection mocked her in the vanity mirror. She picked up the unbroken bottle. Jackie set it on the kitchen table. Her choice was clear.
“You.”
That god-awful tasting red wine sat unopened on a yellow card table for a year. Jackie stayed sober for months, and she married Mary the next year. Life was great, but three years later their relationship was a mess.
“Wake up! I’m home.”
“I’m up.”
Mary jumped off the couch. She tripped over the oak coffee table, and she fell to the floor. Jackie was quick with an insult.
“Hail Mary full of no Grace.”
“Screw you.”
Mary cleaned the table with a mold-covered sponge as she tossed the dirty paper plates in the overflowing trash can. She finished and went to her bedroom. Mary plopped on her pink and purple air mattress.
It had a slow leak that made a high-pitched squeal every time she moved. Mary pulled a joint from a red and white empty beer can. There were soon plumes of grey smoke encircling her head.
“That’s better.”
Mary sighed as she recalled the good times. Jackie years ago spent her days working at a new internet startup, and her evenings teaching computer programming classes. She was a motivated woman. Mary also worked full-time.
She was a manager on the rise for a national retail chain. Her store was in a bad part of town. The company paid employees more money, because of the potential for danger to its employees.
Mary’s extra income and hazard pay bonuses let her and Jackie enjoy a super middle-class lifestyle. The pair decided to have a baby from an anonymous sperm donor. The doctor told Mary she was pregnant a year later. They were overjoyed, but the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.
Jackie and Mary were crushed. They put on brave faces at work and in front of their friends, but it was difficult. The pair tried to get back to a normal married life. Jackie hoped this would include in the bedroom. She was eager for their sex life to resume.
The doctor said it would be some time before Mary could be ready to have sex again. The procedure to remove the fetus had unexpected complications. Jackie recognized this fact, but she had one eye on the calendar. The time came when Jackie’s hormones usurped her patience.
Jackie bought pretty red roses and expensive French wine. She put on soft R&B music. The mood was perfect, but Mary had other plans.
“Not tonight, okay?”
“Just for tonight?”
“No, never.”
“Never?”
“Ever. I just can’t. Not after — ”
“The baby?”
“Yes.”
This shocked Jackie. She remained kind and gentle. Jackie never pushed Mary for anything in the bedroom. She assumed as the months passed their sex life would return to normal, but it didn’t.
Jackie waited for another moment to rekindle their bedroom fun. Finally, she got the chance. It had been more than a year since they had been together, but tonight was special. It was Valentine’s Day. Jackie made her move.
“Let’s do it, Mary, just for old times’ sake.”
“Not tonight, Jackie.”
“But it’s Valentine’s Day, after all.”
“Not tonight. How many times do I have to tell you? No. Okay?”
“But why?”
“I don’t need it. And I don’t want it.”
“At all?”
“At all.”
It would be three years before the pair had sex, and they were done in under a minute. Jackie slept on an air mattress in the living room after that. It was at Mary’s request.
“You. O-U-T. Now.”
“But why? What did I do wrong? Please, just tell me.”
Mary never answered the question. The bedroom banishment hit Jackie hard. She cried herself to sleep on her well-worn air mattress every night for months. She was not a real wife. Jackie was Mary’s roommate, and she loathed it.
There were friends who urged Jackie to leave Mary. Her family told her to come home, but she stayed. Jackie had personal reasons for her decision.
It was hard growing up watching her mother get divorced. Jackie didn’t have the stomach to go down the same dark path. Her father was dead, and she had little relationship with her deadbeat older brother.
It was something she regretted. Jackie didn’t wish to repeat her father’s past mistakes with her beloved mother. She left that job to her worthless, ex-wife-beating, and skirt-chasing older brother, Dave.
Her mother called concerned one Sunday afternoon. Jackie had not contacted her in several months. She didn’t want to worry her, so Jackie put on a happy face for her mother.
“This is my life. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”
“All right, but I worry about you. A mother always does, you know?”
“I do.”
The sexless dynamic of her marriage haunted Jackie. She chalked it up to Mary having depression over the loss of their baby. She hinted Mary should go to the doctor.
“Might be a hormone problem.”
Jackie hoped that was all it was, but Mary was a headstrong woman. She refused to go to the clinic for a basic health check. There was no way she was telling a doctor she didn’t want to have sex with her wife. Jackie gave up pestering Mary for any bedroom action. She looked for other more personal solutions.
Internet porn worked for a time, but it was not adequate for a woman with her carnal needs. The trouble with adult videos is, “They don’t screw you back.” Jackie recognized her marriage problems went deeper than the lack of sex on a Friday night.
There was an emotional space between Jackie and Mary since the miscarriage. They never had the best marriage despite being good together between the sheets. Still, Jackie felt there was some natural attraction between them, but whatever spark they had was gone.
Jackie accepted Mary’s sexual indifference. Mary cried anytime Jackie brought up the topic of the bedroom. Her ‘Moore’ anger got the best of her emotions, and she would not talk with Jackie for days. An unwinnable confrontation was not worth it to her.
The lack of a sex life didn’t bother her as much over time. Jackie was more concerned with what was for dinner than striking up a new conversation with her wife. That was in large part to finding a new job.
Her new traveling computer software sales job kept her on the road. It required more overtime work. There were business trips every week. After a lengthy commute home, Jackie wanted to eat, take a bath, and drink red wine by the bottle. This didn’t faze her wife.
Mary quickly finished her housewife duties for the day. She reheated Jackie’s dinner, and she got lost in a TV show while lying on the sofa. The bedroom was not a matter that came up between them; although, Jackie brought up the idea of sex from time to time. She was still a horny woman.
Mary dismissed her with an ice cold stare and a hard slap. Jackie’s arm was left red. She felt things were unbearable in her married life. Jackie reached out to other people for advice.
“You should just endure.” One female co-worker said.
“Of course, that is what happens after a miscarriage.” A drunk friend said.
“Get a girlfriend or better yet a one night stand.” Her older brother Dave said.
Jackie was not against a meaningless fling. She was not a nun, but work exhausted Jackie. There was little time or money for her to find any action. There was also her marriage to consider.
Mary said she was free to screw around as she wished, but if she found out about it their marriage was over. That was something Jackie was not prepared to risk, so she stayed faithful to her wife. She turned to alcohol in earnest to dull her feelings. Her self-confidence was at an all-time low.
Jackie felt the alcohol helped her self-esteem. She spent hundreds of dollars buying hard liquor. She maxed out every credit card she had buying booze.
It was not long before Jackie was pouring cheap, Kentucky whisky in a small metal flask before going to work. There were co-workers who knew she was drunk. They said nothing. Things continued on like that for about a year until her professional life suffered.
Jackie went from a super saleswoman to a shell of her former successful self. The manager said little to Jackie. She was the top earner the corporation had, but that would change. Jackie tripped during a critical meeting with a client. She grabbed a female executive’s ample breasts as she fell. Jackie swore it was an accident, but she knew it was not.
The oversensitive, conservative chairwoman freaked out. The woman wanted Jackie’s head on a stick. She demanded immediate action from the company to rectify the situation.
“That woman is gone today, or this contract is off. I will see you in court.”
Jackie’s company fired her for sexual harassment on the spot. She begged on her knees for her job the next day, but it was all for naught. The CEO had no intention of allowing her to remain with the company.
“Please, Mr. Bringle, it was a mistake. A misunderstanding.”
“Yes. It was a big mistake. And there was no misunderstanding.”
“But I have a wife. Bills. Please.”
“We are running a business here not a charity. You’re gone.”
“But — ”
“Good day, Ms. Neeley.”
The company settled with the chairwoman for $350,000. She had a good lawyer. Jackie didn’t. She got $57,500 to leave the company, and to keep her mouth shut about the incident.
The chairwoman had no clause in her generous settlement agreement. She wanted to destroy Jackie’s career and life. And she did.
The vengeful woman spread rumors Jackie was a sexual predator. No company would touch Jackie. It was impossible to find good work, so she took unemployment. Jackie was despondent. She turned to food.
Jackie gorged on junk food as she watched daytime soap operas. Housework and personal hygiene were not high on her list of priorities. This annoyed Mary one morning as she headed out to work.
“Can you at least tidy up around here? This place is a mess.”
“I’m busy. I’ve got — I’ve got stuff to do.”
“I see. At least take a shower, will you? I can smell you from over here.”
Jackie gave herself a good sniff. She wiped her oil-covered hands on her yellow t-shirt. Jackie let out a huge fart. She itched her crotch as she scowled at Mary.
“I’m fresh as a daisy. Shouldn’t you be getting your skanky, fat ass to work?”
“You’re one to talk, you stinky, lazy turd.”
Mary left for her morning shift. The stress of Jackie’s condition affected Mary’s work life. It was obvious to her co-workers she had a lot going on in her life. They offered her a ready-made means of escape from reality.
“Why don’t you meet us after you’re done? We’ve got a little something to help you relax, Mary.”
“You know, I don’t do that stuff.”
“It can’t hurt to try it once, right? You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I’m good. Thanks.”
Mary returned home. Jackie was parked on their old couch. Mary was at her wits’ end, and her erratic behavior at work got worse. The company warned Mary several times about her poor attitude.
The last straw came when Mary got her annual employee evaluation during a tense meeting with human resources. The powers that be were not amused by Mary’s recent lack of people skills. The HR manager showed her no mercy.
“We recognize all you do here at the Little K. But some of your co-workers are finding you terrible to work with these days. There have been many complaints about your poor attitude and bad language.”
“Terrible to work with?”
“Yes. You yell at your co-workers, and customers grumble about you. This is not acceptable behavior from our employees here at the Little K.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot going on at home, okay?”
“That is not our problem. We are running a business not a counseling center. You are being demoted to cashier.”
“Cashier?”
“Take it or leave it.”
Mary wanted to walk out the human resource manager’s door, but money was tight. She slouched in her chair, and Mary let out a deep sigh. She had no choice.
“Take it.”
“Good. Of course, that’s a part-time position with no benefits. We are done here. Have a great day.”
“Yes, sir.”
A young co-worker named Wendy found Mary crying on the floor of the employee bathroom. She offered Mary a second chance at escaping her troubles. Wendy pulled a slender, white joint from the rear pocket of her faded blue jeans.
The young woman masterfully twisted the back end as she lit it. Her shoulders sank, and she took a long pull from the blunt. She sat on the floor next to Mary as she puffed a few grey smoke circles from her mouth.
“Honey, I’ve got what you need.”
“But we’re at work. We can’t. I can’t.”
“Not so loud. It’s all good.”
Wendy lit a second joint. She took a good, long drag, and she passed it to Mary. They spent the next 20 minutes getting high on the dirty bathroom floor. It had been a long time since Mary felt this good. She drove home to see Jackie. Mary was horny for the first time in ages.
“You and me. Bedroom. Now!”
Jackie moved faster than she had in months. She tore off her dirty clothes. Mary put her outstretched palm to her chest.
“Ew! Shower first, you silly girl.”
Jackie washed days of dirt and grime from her body. She slapped on some cheap dollar store perfume. They went at it in the bedroom for hours. The pair was happier than they had been in a long time, but it was not meant to last. Sadly, it was only a dream.
Jackie awoke from her fantasy and fell out of her chair. She knocked four empty wine bottles and a half-eaten ham sandwich flew across the room. Jackie got to her feet. She was in rare form on this particular morning.
“Get up, woman. My breakfast ain’t gonna make itself.”
“Huh?”
“Now, woman! I’m starving to death over here.”
“Can’t you get yourself a bowl of cereal or something?”
The intense sunlight of the morning filled Mary’s bloodshot eyes as they opened. She was still wasted, but Jackie was unconcerned by her wife’s poor condition. She had food on her mind.
“Cereal? F-no! You hear me? You. Up. Now. Wifey, wifey. You cook-ie, cook-ie.”
Mary got to her feet. She stumbled in the bathroom and threw up on the toilet. She didn’t bother to clean the mess. She knew better than to keep an angry woman waiting.
“Okay, I’m coming.”
“Now.”
“Give me a damn minute, all right?”
Jackie waited in the kitchen. She was never the most patient of women. Mary ran in the kitchen. Father Time was not kind to her body. She was overweight. This was a fact her once loving wife never let her forget.
“Look, it’s freakin’ Porky Pig! Think you can get your wrinkled, old, fat ass to make something edible this fine morning?”
There were times like this Mary was swift with a biting retort. She didn’t have it in her today. Still, her wife’s cruel verbal volley didn’t go unreturned.
“Not today, moron.”
“‘Th-th-th-that’s all folks!’”
Jackie’s attempt at sarcastic humor didn’t impress Mary. She clutched a long kitchen knife in her hand as she gave Jackie a death stare. Her ‘Moore’ anger nearly got the better of her common sense.
“If you want to keep breathing, you best zip it. You get me?”
The ‘Moore’ anger was an emotional explosion that overwhelmed the members of her family, but today she controlled it. Mary put the knife back on the counter. She threw some salt on the eggs in the frying pan. Jackie knew she went too far.
“I got it. Just cook breakfast, will you?”
Jackie grabbed a toy from the table, and she put it to good use. Mary hated such things, but Jackie didn’t care. Jackie leered at her angry wife as the device reached full power.
“Hmm.”
