Page 91 of The Husband Diet
There was a long, heavy silence, as if he was considering my words, wondering how true they were.
I sighed. ‘You can go now. I’m busy. I have a guest for dinner.’
At that, Ira’s chest puffed out. ‘A guest? Of course – Julian Foxham. The two of you were already sleeping together, weren’t you?’
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. ‘Are you pretending to be jealous? Didn’t you once tell me there was no way a man could ever be interested in someone like me? Aren’t I too fat to attract a man, let alone a champion like Julian Foxham?’
But Ira ignored my words, struck by a bright light bulb in his deviant little mind. ‘You were sleeping with him way before I started seeing Maxine. And you even brought him here, in my own home! You should be paying me alimony!’
At that, he turned and headed for the stairs. I followed him.
‘What are you doing?’ I demanded as he strode into our –my– bedroom.
He yanked the bed away from the wall and retrieved his baseball bat, sweating and red-faced, his eyes flashing.
33
Ira and the IRS
I blinked, frozen to my spot as Warren and Maddy skidded to a halt on the landing, Warren’s face ashen.
‘Ira, put that down! You’re scaring the children!’ I hissed.
‘I just want you to listen to me, goddammit!’ he yelled. ‘I’m over a hundred thousand dollars in debt and I don’t know what to do!’
Maddy began to cry and I swiftly moved downstairs so Ira would move away from them. But to my horror, they followed, as well.
‘Get out of here, now!’ I yelled.
‘You’re paying me alimony!’ he repeated. ‘Give me the money or I swear—’
‘Dad!’ Warren said, puffing his chest out bravely, but his lips were quivering. ‘Put that bat down.Please.’
‘Warren,’ I managed. ‘Daddy isn’t going to hurt anyone, I promise.’
Ira whirled around to stare at me. ‘Of course I’m not – what do you think I am, Erica? A psycho or something?’
Looking at him wielding a baseball bat, insanity did come to mind. I stared into Ira’s eyes as I spoke to Warren. Calm but firm.
‘Warren. I need you to take your sister upstairs again. Now. Can you do that for me? Daddy and I need to talk. Please, sweetheart.’
Warren gave his father a look of hatred mixed with fear, scooped Maddy up into his strong arms and headed upstairs. After a moment, I heard a chair dragged across the floor and presumably propped up against the door knob. I breathed a silent prayer of thanks. As long as they were safe, nothing else scared me.
I bunched my fists. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing, coming into my home and scaring the kids? You left us, remember?’ I cried, fighting back the tears. ‘What the hell do you want from me now?’
‘I want you back.’
Tears were streaming down his cheeks too, and he was babbling incoherently, but I had no pity for him. In fact, I felt nothing for this man whom I’d once loved.
‘You don’t want me, Ira. Nor do you care about the children. You just want the cushy life you led in this home while you basked in the warmth of our love, without ever giving any back.’
He raised his bat, his eyes huge. ‘This is my house, too, and I’m coming back!’
‘And you’re trying to convince me by threatening us with abaseball bat?’ I spat.
‘I’m not threatening you with anything,’ he boomed. ‘I just want you back.’
‘But I don’t want you,’ I cried. ‘I don’t love you anymore. Now get out – you’re terrifying my children!’
