Marriage Matters

Sixty-two

Chloe was spraying down the mats at Tiny Tumblers with a mint-scented disinfectant, when the owner walked in. Tall and lanky, Albert wore his thinning gray hair in a comb-over. He always walked around with a bewildered expression on his face, as though surprised to find himself working with children.

“Excuse me, sir.” Chloe got to her feet. “We’re closed for the day. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Albert squinted at her, confused. “Chloe, it’s—”

“Albert, I’m just teasing you.”

Walking over to him, Chloe set the bottle of disinfectant on the cash register counter. She dropped the dirty paper towels in the bright red wastepaper basket. “So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?”

Albert lived out in Lake Forest and rarely made in-town visits.

“Ah, well, I’ve come here with some rather unfortunate news,” he said. “Have a seat.”

Worried, Chloe perched on one of the blue chairs in the waiting area. “What happened?” She hoped it wasn’t one of the kids. Asher had been out with the flu for a week. Maybe it had turned into something more serious.

Albert fidgeted with the latch on his briefcase. “You’ve been with Tiny Tumblers for a long time. But, Chloe, this is a family establishment. It’s come to my attention that you have started a rather inappropriate relationship with one of our clients.”

Chloe’s eyes widened, then she laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. It’s not anything scandalous.” Holding up her left hand, she said, “Albert, we’re getting married. I would have liked to invite you to the wedding but thanks to my grandmother, the guest list was pretty packed already.”

“Congratulations.” He pursed his lips. “But please do not be coy.”

“Coy?” She was totally confused.

“Your relationship started here.” He pointed at the blue and red mats. “At Tiny Tumblers.”

Chloe felt a tiny prickle of concern. “I didn’t meet him here. We knew each other before and . . .” Realizing this was irrelevant, she cut to the chase. “What’s this all about?”

Albert let out a hearty sigh. “You signed a code of ethics when you took this job. Having an affair with one of the parents is unacceptable.”

“It wasn’t an affair,” she said. “We’re getting married.”

“Nonetheless, we’re going to have to let you go.” He handed her a plain white envelope. The type of envelope that her checks had always arrived in. “I’m sorry.”

Chloe was stunned. “What? But . . . ”

He took advantage of this moment to get to his feet and usher her to the door.

“Don’t look so surprised.” Albert collected her coat and purse and handed them to her. “You have to understand, this sets a bad example with the other parents. Considering you are planning to work with children, that may be something for you to keep in mind as you move toward the future.” He waved around his hands as if trying to shoo her away. “Good luck.”

Chloe trudged out of the building. Quickly, he shut and locked the door behind him.

Left out in the cold, she stared at the big picture window in shock. She could see Albert striding around the room, finishing up the tasks she had expected to do. She felt a wave of confusion and then, as the realization of what had just happened really hit her, a wave of despair.

Fumbling through her purse, she picked up her phone and called Geoff. “I got fired.” She almost choked on the words. “I’m, like, totally stunned right now.”

After telling him the story, there was a lengthy pause. Finally, he said, “Chloe, it’s for the best. You’ll have that internship to handle, which is going to take up all of your time. Plus, you’ll have Mary Beth. You already know she’s a full-time job. Tacking that onto your current responsibilities, while trying to hold down a part-time job . . .” He sighed, as if the thought was too much for him to handle.

“But I loved my job,” Chloe said. Tiny flakes of snow melted across her phone and smeared down the face like tears. “I loved the kids. These were happy kids, without problems and bad things happening to them and . . . it helped pay for school and my rent and I liked it. I liked being there.”

She stared at the building, distressed to see that Albert had pulled down the shades on the front window. So much for a last longing look inside.

“Chloe.” There was a smile in Geoff’s voice. “You’re not going to pay rent anymore. You’ll be living with me.”

The thought of packing up her cozy apartment and moving downtown suddenly seemed exhausting. She wanted to stay where she was. For everything to stay the same.

“Are you still there?” Geoff sounded concerned.

“Yeah. I’m just upset,” she said. “He acted like I’d done something horrible, but we’re getting married. It’s not like I’m, like, going on dates with the par—”

“Chloe, I have a patient coming in right now.” Geoff’s tone was gentle. “But tonight, we’ll celebrate this. Mary Beth will be so excited to hear that she’ll get to see you more.”

Chloe snorted. “But will Mary Beth be excited to hear that she’s never, and I mean ever, going back to Tiny Tumblers? Even if it’s the last place left to play on earth?”

Geoff laughed. “Spoken like a true ex-employee. Hang in there, I’ll see you tonight.”

“Wait.” She shook her head. “I can’t do anything tonight. I have to go to my apartment. I have no clean clothes, the place is a wreck and I just . . . I just need to put my life back together.”

“That’s fine,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After they hung up, Chloe gave Tiny Tumblers one last look. She had walked in and out of that door so many times in the past few years. It was impossible to count all the hours she’d spent there. Chloe’s gaze shifted to the garden next door, where she and Geoff had shared their first date. It seemed like just yesterday that the sun had been shining down and the flowers were in full bloom. Today, the trees were bare and the ground was covered in dirty snow.

It was hard to believe everything could change so quickly.