Page 67 of Letters From Victor

“Of course you can keep it up,” Edith said, patting my hand. “You’ve already come this far.”

I sighed deeply, sinking into the slats of the bench. “It’s just so hard, Edie. Reading his letters, hearing his voice in my head… It makes me miss him even more. I want to be with himnow, not in some distant future.”

Edith pulled a silver cigarette case from her handbag, tapped one loose, and nestled it between two fingers before striking a match. She inhaled deeply, the ember flaring, then exhaled a slow plume of smoke that curled in the breeze. “The future isn’t that distant, Babs. Two months will fly by.”

I watched Frankie loop around an enormous oak tree, his cheeks flushed with excitement. “And that’s just the beginning. Then I have to leave Frank and start my own divorce.”

“He still doesn’t know?”

I shook my head, waving away the ribbon of smoke drifting toward me.

Edith took another languid drag and tilted her head back, contemplating the sky through blissful, almost-closed eyelids. “Why not just leave Frank now? Why wait if you’re so sure?”

“Victor’s lawyer says any hint of scandal could wreck his divorce case. It will make everything look like collusion,” I said,my voice tinged with the frustration that had been building for weeks.

Edith raised an eyebrow, her hazel eyes piercing through the smoke. “So that’s what worries you—Victor’s divorce?”

I hesitated, watching Frankie attempt to navigate a small hill. His bike teetered dangerously before he put his feet down to steady himself. The park buzzed with life—children playing, birdsong, and the distant hum of afternoon traffic.

“It’s all connected,” I said finally. “If Victor can’t get free, then…”

“Then you’re stuck waiting even longer,” Edith finished for me with a sigh.

Frankie pedaled back toward us, his little chest heaving with exertion and triumph. “Mommy, Auntie, did you see me? I goed so fast!”

I ruffled his sweat-dampened hair and kissed his forehead. “You were wonderful, sweetheart. Just like a real racer.”

Edith handed Frankie a bottle of soda pop she’d been carrying in her handbag. He grabbed it like a prospector who’d just struck gold.

“Are you keeping him tonight?” I ribbed. “Seems fair since you’re getting him hopped up on sugar.”

Edith shrugged. “I’m more than happy to if you need the evening to take care of things.” She was hedging, and I knew I wouldn’t want to hear whatever was coming next.

I stretched my legs out in front of me, crossing them at the ankles, and leaned back into the bench, trying to prepare myself for whatever bombshell Edith was about to drop. The jacaranda blossoms above us rustled in the breeze, their perfume mingling with the acrid tinge of Edith’s cigarette.

“Babs,” she started, flicking the ash from her cigarette. “Have you thought about getting a Nevada divorce? You could bypass the California courts altogether.”

I sat up straight, my muscles tensing. “A Nevada divorce? You mean running off to Reno like some starlet in a scandal?”

“It’s not as dramatic as all that,” Edith said, rolling her eyes. “People do it all the time. You’d only have to live there for six weeks to establish residency. It’s quicker. Cleaner.”

I shook my head. “No good. First off, Frank would have to agree—not likely. And second, even if by some miracle he agrees, we could never afford to take off for six weeks.”

“Mother could cover it.”

A nervous laugh escaped my lips. “She’d never. Not for me.”

“You might be surprised. She recently floated Frank the money to pay off some massive debt he owed.”

My jaw dropped. “Shewhat?” I cleared the rasp from my throat. “Why would she do that for Frank?”

I sank back into the bench, my thoughts spinning like a whirlpool. The warm breeze that had seemed so soothing now pricked at my skin like tiny needles. The scent of blooming flowers turned cloying, almost suffocating.

“Victor wondered how he managed to pay it off so quickly,” I murmured, half to myself.

Edith’s eyes sharpened. “What does Victor have to do with it?”

“Frank borrowed a large sum from Victor a while back to pay off some gambling debts—before I knew Victor. When he had trouble making the payments late last year, Victor was understanding—more than he needed to be. Then, out of nowhere, Frank came up with the full amount a couple of months ago and paid Victor off in one go.” I exhaled, shaking my head. “I think he did it to get me to quit working at Victor’s firm, but…”

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