Chapter 17

Charlie sat on the couch, thinking and praying.  Jenny was doing so well without him. 

While living with him, she'd been exposed to a horrible cult, nearly raped again, deprived of her medication, and nearly killed as a result.  Charlie's dad had been very clear: terrible things ensued when a bipolar person was taken off their medication. 

He wanted her back, but was it fair to even ask?  He'd given her a lot of pain and drama.  He'd ignored her, working to excess. 

"I'm your other woman" she told him bitterly one night.  "Your job is your wife."   He sighed.  He'd even taken away her cat. 

Baby Girl meowed and clawed her way up the side of the couch, purring loudly.  Charlie smiled as her bright green eye locked onto him.  He slid over to make room for her, hearing a crinkle behind a pillow.  He investigated, pulling out a bag of cat treats. 

He recognized them.  The good stuff, grain free, with probiotics.  He fed Baby Girl a few, mentally vowing to buy Jenny another bag.  They played their favorite game "Hide and go Treat" -  he moved the treat around until she "caught" and ate it. 

Jenny was a good mom.  The litter boxes were clean, food abundant, fresh clean water, and she stocked high-end cat treats.  Princess was a sweetheart, loving and pampered.  He recalled her laying a soft paw on his face at a bad point in his migraine. 

If only she could have had kids, he thought.  It had really mattered to them both.  She'd even had that operation, the one that had gone so wrong. 

"Problems with the autoclave" they'd said.  "You'll have to come in for blood tests"  In addition to agonizing pain,  and losing all hope, she'd had to worry about disease.  It just wasn't fair.  He sighed again. 

He'd lost a good friend not long ago, and Charlie had decided that life was something to be lived.  He loved his wife, he wanted to live with her.  Kids, in the end, were irrelevant as long as he could wake up to Jenny. 

Speaking of, the door banged.  Charlie checked his watch.  10:20. 

Jenny walked into the room, her face somber.  "I just got fired."