16 Monster In Law
Anna opened one eye and smiled down at John. He lay asleep beside her, totally carefree. Anna smoothed his hair back and kissed him gently. John’s hands locked around her and he deepened the kiss with a growl.
“What a nice way to wake up.” He said softly.
“I agree,” she said with a laugh as she ran a fingernail down his chest.
“Can we just move in here?” “I don’t think that would work. Your phone has been buzzing constantly by the way. I think they know where we are.”
John sighed and ran his hands across her face loving the way the stained glass caused light to filter over her face in rainbow colors. He kissed her deeply and rolled over to answer to latest buzzing.
“I have to go take care of a problem at work, some problem with the marketing pitch for the mall account. I’m really sorry, I can say no.”
“No it’s okay, I understand.” And she really did, John’s work would never have called when he was out of the office unless it was absolutely necessary. John’s advertising agency was important to him and he needed to go in if an emergency arose. “I can go have a long bath and maybe we can have a romantic dinner out tonight?”
John rolled her under him and kissed her passionately. Anna let herself sink into it, wanting nothing more than to keep him here even though she knew he had to go.
“You are the best.” He said with a final nip as he broke the kiss.
“I know.” She said with a fake eye roll, “We should probably get dressed. I don’t think they want you coming in naked.”
“I guess not.” He laughed as they helped each other dress in between kisses. “But maybe you could be waiting for me naked when I come home?”
“You wish.” She said with a smack on his hand as she tried to put her shoe back on.
“I really do.” He growled as they walked back to the house together. He kissed her hand as he ran to the front door and grabbed his keys. “I’ll see you soon, I love you.”
. “I love you too.” She said back with a smile, realizing that for the first time in five years it didn’t hurt.
Anna quickly ran through the shower and got dressed in fresh clothes. She smiled as she walked down the stairs, hopeful for the first time. The door opened and Melissa stood in the doorway of the living room tapping her foot testily. “Can you come in here please?” Melissa asked with a frown.
Anna really didn’t want to but she had to face her sooner or later. Hopefully they were sincere about laying off her. “Sure,” Anna said with a sigh as she straightened her shoulders and walked into the room after her. She sat down on her favorite chair, an overstuffed brown wingback that she’d picked herself. She turned and looked at her expectantly.
Melissa sat across from her and folded her legs primly. She looked at her and her mouth pinched as she looked her over.
“Listen,” she said quickly as she examined her nails “My family has a long and glorious history in this area and I expected certain things when John got married. I wanted him to marry a girl from a good family. We can’t have our family polluted by inferior genes.”
“Did you just insinuate that I have polluted the family gene pool?”
“Darling, I didn’t insinuate it, I flat out said it.”
“How dare you? Didn’t you just tell John that you were going to lay off me? What happened to that?”
Melissa sighed and ran her fingers over the embroidery on the couch she sat on. She looked as if she had no time for this, or as if she were bored. “John hears what he needs to hear, we women know what managing a man looks like don’t we?”
“So you never intended to play nice? You won’t even try?”
“Why would I try for someone like you? As long as John believes that May and I will try that is enough.”
“But you lied to John!”
“Please, don’t be so dramatic a little white lie never hurt anyone.”
“It hurts everyone!” Anna wanted to hit her again, for the trouble she’d caused and the lie she’d told John. “You are a liar!”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she said with a smile “If you lied a little better you and I might actually get along.”
Anna sat back not believing her ears. She’d felt somewhere inside her that Melissa wouldn’t back down. She just felt sad for John’s sake.
“I can’t believe you, you are a heartless bitch.”
“And you are a low class tramp, but we all have our crosses to bear.”
Anna gaped as Melissa pulled out a slim black check book and clicked a pen. She began writing and pulled the check off with a flourish. She laid the paper down on the coffee table between then and sat back with a smile.
“Here’s the deal trailer trash, this check for ten million dollars is yours.”
“What are you talking about?” Anna asked in shock as she looked at the white piece of paper
“Come on don’t be so dense,” Melissa said with a sigh as she smoothed a hair into place. “You take the check and disappear, in a few months you send divorce papers and John is free.”
“Are you crazy?” Anna asked with her mouth wide open not believing the audacity of this woman.
“No dear, I just always get what I want. You sometimes have to pay extra for things you want and what I want right now is for you to take the check and divorce my son.”
Anna stared at the paper in horror hoping this was a dream. She knew that Melissa disliked her but not this much. Melissa snapped her fingers in front of Anna’s face and looked at her in irritation.
“What’s it going to be? Are you going to take the money or do we have to do this the hard way?”
