Ted had chosen to wait around in the living room for Sally, door still open and spilling cold wet Seattle air into the house all that time. The two younger girls had been bustling around the living room and Jen’s bedroom, aware that something was wrong with Jordan however not sure exactly what.
“We’ll talk later Ted. Just go,” Sally had said calmly, surprising even herself, “I’m gonna say some things I’ll regret if you don’t.”
Ted blurted out, “I’m filing for divorce Sally.” The two were standing in front of the two girls; only Mindi pausing to look up.
She had frozen; skin turning pale and clammy; eyes moistening.
Waiting for him to say more but seeing nothing, she had choked out, “So that’s it then?”
“That’s it,” he had said and walked away into the night.
The younger girls had shed a little more light on the scenario in “Ted’s” apartment that weekend when they had asked Sally about Jordan.
“Mommy is Jordan sad because she got in trouble?” Mindi had asked splayed across the couch thumbing through a book.
“What’d’ya say honey?” Sally had had to do a double take on the question, “Was Jordan misbehaving or something?”
“Well – why’d she have to go to bed so early last night? And why was she so mean to Mommy Melissa? Did she do—” Mindi had asked innocently before being cut off.
“WHAT DID YOU CALL HER?!!?!” Sally had been caught off guard by the term of endearment for the adulteress.
“Mommy Melissa. Jordan was real naughty to her; she talked back and she didn’t obey and she wouldn’t let Mommy Melissa change her diaper…”
Sally had taken a deep breath and attempted to keep calm…closing her eyes momentarily, she placed her hands on the seat of the black leather couch beside her. That woman is not my girls’ ‘mommy’. She had no right to try to ‘change’ Jordan’s diaper. What the fuck!? Ted you bastard! Stand up for your daughter for once in your fucking life!!! She steamed as her mind turned rapidly.
“Yaw Momma – Jowden wuz reaw nawty – I luuuv momma mewissa – I luuv u momma…” Jen had chimed in trying to support her sister’s story. Although she was quite young herself, Jen too had witnessed the tension between Melissa and Jordan that weekend.
The picture had begun to clarify in Sally’s mind. Ted was trying to replace her in his own new little family system. The youngest two were far too young to see through it. Jordan, for all her confusing behavior and cycles of maturity and immaturity, could easily spot the dysfunction and clearly that had been the source of the friction.
Poor dear; she must’ve felt completely alone; totally abandoned all weekend.
Sally had stayed up most of the night praying and meditating and writing and scheming and preparing for the storm ahead.
I need to be soft and strong and confident and kind and wise and many other things through this time. This will be hard. Ted is a crafty political tactician – I need to be ready for what he will have planned.