Bob Andrews stood on his front porch glaring down at Cathy Sanders as Cathy jammed a cigarette in her mouth and lit it. She took a long drag then glared up at Bob flicking away the ash.
"I told you Cathy he doesn't want to talk to you," Said Bob in a calm and even voice. "I also told you that June and I don't take sides and now it's a good idea for you to leave." Cathy flipped her hair and took another drag on her cigarette while glaring at Bob.
"You seem to be taking sides by letting that fucking bastard stay here" Snarled Cathy. "Do you know what that bastard did to me!" Bob took a deep breath desperate to keep his temper under control but if Cathy stayed much longer he knew he'd lose the battle.
John Sanders was Bob's oldest and closest friend having known each other since public school, high school and university. They'd been through a lot of shit together over the years and had always been close. Unlike a lot of people marriage hadn't drift them apart and they'd tried hard to keep it that way. Bob's wife June had taken to John when she first met him but Cathy, John's wife, had always been the stand offish one of the four of them. Cathy hadn't tried to overtly come between them. But at times subtle and not so subtle she'd hinted that John should dump his old friends for something "better."
It had come as a rather pleasant surprised when one day John had shown up on Bob and June's front door asking if he could use their shower. Then a couple of days later he'd shown up again. This time for a shower and a meal. The third time it finally came out, the story of what had happened to him along with the reason Cathy was standing on their front lawn.
John had been living in his car for the past six weeks after Cathy had called the police on some trumped up charge when she'd thrown him out. The police had quietly listened while John sat in the back of a police cruiser before deciding he hadn't done anything wrong. Even though Cathy had made all the trendy allegations about domestic violence and abuse. Before the police arrived she'd even tried to get John to hit her so she could stand in front of the police with a black eye and crow her story.
Fortunately one of the responding officers had been an older female officer who'd seen just a little too much of life and was smarter than the average bear. Not to mention she'd heard and seen it all before. Cathy had not done herself any favours by also going on just a little too long and just a little to forcefully with her story. She was shocked and had raised holy hell when the officers had let John collect his things warning him not to come back to the house or he would be arrested. The older officer had quietly told him to get a lawyer and to stay away her his now ex-wife because she was clearly nuts.
Cathy had also been planning this for a long time and had taken every penny out of their joint accounts along with canceling their joint credit cards. Hence leaving John to scramble with no money and no resources other than the back of his car. Fortunately he still had the presence of mind to changes his pay role deposits at work and to open a new bank account. But the financial and emotional damage was done. Now Cathy was sending a junk yard dog of a lawyer after John to take everything else.
Bob closed his eyes and counted to ten while letting his breathing slow as he taped his cell phone against his leg. God he hated women like Cathy always trying to be in charge, always trying to be the highest monkey screeching the loudest in the tree, always trying to get their way reguardless of the cost. He opened his eyes and glared at her keeping his voice as even as he could.
"Cathy, I don't care what you calm John did to you it's not my business. You can leave whatever paper work you have for him with me and I'll see that he gets it. Now get off the property and don't come back."
Cathy took another drag on her cigaret. Then flicked it into the garden and lit another. Fucking asshole, she thought. She wasn't going to let Bob stop her from hounding John into signing the financial papers she wanted him to sign. She was damn well going to destroy her ex-husband and if taking down Bob and his bitch wife June was the price so be it. She put her foot on the front step as John raised his cell phone. "I have the police on speed dial I will call them. Now get lost!" Cathy threw her cigarette into the garden.
"You haven't got the guts! Fucking bastard." Cathy glared back at Bob as she taped her toe on the bottom step. Bob smiled as his vision focused around Cathy as he decided which side he was going to come down on. Then he quietly said.
"Try me bitch."
Bob watched Cathy pull out of his driveway almost hitting the two parked cars across the street. He told the 911 operator that the trespasser had just left and no he didn't need a police officer at the house but that he would like to make a report. Yes the trespasser was known to him and he could provide details. Yes a phone call from the local police division would be fine. Then he walked back into the house letting his anger drain from him.
John Sanders sat on the couch with his face in his hands. Tears leaked around his fingers as June Andrews held him while trying to tell him that it would be ok.
"It's ok John she's gone." Said Bob as he looked at his best friend and his wife June. He went to the kitchen and came back with three beers then sat down in his chair across from the couch. "Don't plan on getting drunk that's the last thing you need right now." John picked up the beer nodded thanks and took a sip.
"Thanks. I just didn't know what to do, I had nowhere to go." John took another sip as June rubbed his back.
"How long have you been living in your car?" Asked June. John sobbed and rubbed his eyes.
"Six, seven weeks. It kind all drifts together."
"Christ John you should have come here sooner." Said June. She looked at Bob who nodded.
"I. . .I. . .couldn't I. . ." John broke down crying. June and Bob looked at one another silently agreeing with a slight shrug and nod that John could stay in the back guest bed room.
"You can stay here." Said June. "The back bed room is large and private. I'm thinking that might be the best for a while till you get your head strengthened out." She looked at Bob who nodded his head and took another sip of his beer.
That was a little over a year ago and while things on the Cathy front hadn't settle down. They had settle down to tolerable level with the help of a lawyer and some counseling for John.
Bob, June, and John sat around the dining room table trying to drink their after dinner coffee while making small talk. Bob and June's son Peter was out playing with friends in the back yard, the faint babble of kids voices infiltrated through the open kitchen window.
John looked up and smiled at Bob and June as he took a sip of his coffee. He'd enjoyed the last year it had been good having a safe comfortable place to crash while his ex dragged him through the Family Courts. Cathy and her lawyer had done their best to kick the crap out of John and for the most part had been successful. Bob and June had acted as a shield and had let him vent when he needed to as his lawyer fought the war that finally ended in divorce. It wasn't a great settlement but it was a liveable liveable settlement that John could live with. Thank God Cathy and John had no children.
Mostly Bob and June kept John on an even keel while Cathy had tried to ruin him. June had also acted as a sounding board and at times held him while his world crashed around him then supported him as he rebuild it. Bob had also sat with him on many nights while they'd gotten pleasantly drunk talking over old times at university, fishing, hunting, dates, life in general and what not. Mostly Bob and June had just been there and kept things as normal as they could while the world sorted it's self out.
It was during that time that John started to notice small issues cropping up not to mention his own feelings as the time had progressed. It had started at a New Year's Eve party that one of the neighbor's had thrown. Normally John wouldn't have gone since he didn't feeling like socializing much but Bob and June had talked him into it and it had turned out to be not a bad party. It had been nice to socialize with other people and begin to feel like part of a community again.
When midnight past and everyone was getting ready to leave having just brought in the New Year and feeling no pain. John had unknowingly found himself standing under some mistletoe when June walked up behind him. She had slipped her left arm around him as she'd moved around to face him. She told him he hadn't given her a New Years Eve kiss as she'd pointed to the mistletoe with her smiling face. She was shorter than John and had to raise her arms to slip around his neck so she could pull him down to her mouth. Reluctantly he let himself be pulled though his first instinct was to run. Slowly he'd relaxed as his lips had gradually come in contact with June's.
"Time for a New Year's kiss." Whispered June. It was supposed to be a friendly kiss, a quick peck nothing grand or special, but it had lingered. Her tongue had gently touched his lips then quickly darted back. Tentatively he'd responded by crushing her body against his then he'd kissed her again. The tips of their tongues gently touching and embracing followed by a low moan from June, then parting.
What seemed like a life time had only been a few seconds as they'd nervously made parting comments like; "oh my", "sorry, my fault," "I could use a drink." They both turned and saw Bob standing in the living room holding a beer but rather than the expected shocked look on his face. He'd smiled and toasted the two of them.
After that things seemed to move to a different level between the three of them. Nothing really overt that any outsider would have noticed. Just three friendly people who happened to be living together. June had taken to making comments like; "how are my men doing today?" or "what would my men like for dinner?" Even Peter, Bob and June's son, had taken to calling John uncle John and John had started helping Peter with his homework or taking him to school. Not to mention getting involved in going to Peter's soccer games. He'd even acted as coach a couple of times when the regular soccer had been sick.
It was other more subtle things since New Years that an outsider might not have noticed that went on between the three of them. A hand lingering a little too long, a knowing smile with nothing said, the way the three of them would stand in the kitchen teasing each other or wrapping their arms around each other in a communal hug. But there had never been a repeat of that New Year's Eve kiss nor anything more forward. Only there was something that was left unsaid.
John cleared his throat and set his coffee cup down. "Guys." He cleared his throat again. "I really owe you big time for letting me stay here it's been great." He drummed his fingers on his coffee cup. "But I've been thinking I should get my own place, you know move out. Not far but I think it's time I got back on my feet."
June's cup hung in midair, Bob's eyes flashed from June to John then up to the ceiling.
