“As gorgeous as they may be, Mr. Timber needs to receive the message.” I pushed an enormous bouquet away with the push of the front door. “He needs to work much harder than this.”
“Not fair.” Faith stomped inside.
The noise of a truck with squealing tires caught my attention, and I spun around. A delivery man got out and opened up the back of his vehicle, revealing tons of flowers. I instructed him to deliver all the carnations meant for my front porch to the house next door.
FORTY-ONE
Grovel for Forgiveness
Noelle
Days had gone by, and Jack had been relentless in his pursuit of forgiveness. The flowers I had delivered back to him didn’t end his determination to win us back, and he had boxes of chocolates sent to my workplace—hundreds of them. I ignored his gesture and instructed the delivery man to gift them to the local food pantry instead.
Jack didn’t stop there. He sent a band to my doorstep, singing holiday tunes to remind me of the time we went caroling together for charity. The fond memory had sparked a flame, but the light quickly fizzled out when I saw him on his front lawn with Chip.
Jack had waited to see if he had broken down the walls I had built back up, and I slammed my front door to send him an obvious message. I wouldn’t accept his lousy, bullshit apologies. He had to do better, but the groveling only got worse.
Jack hired a landscaping company to plow out my driveway every morning. I had to ensure my car remained parked in my driveway twenty-four-seven. I had to take a damn taxi to work!
When Jack caught on to my change of habit, he hired a personal limousine driver who begged to drive me wherever I needed to go. I guess Mr. Timber, the big mean boss, hadordered the chauffeur to take me wherever I wanted to go or else he wouldn’t have a job.
I felt terrible for the poor driver and had him drive Faith to school instead, and she thought the idea was cool. Her peers loved the limousine, and they got daily tours with free chocolate in the early morning hours. The teachers hated the sugar fix because the kids were hyper for class, and Jack ended up receiving a phone call.
Jack wouldn’t take no for an answer, and now my doorbell rang, but I contemplated whether I should answer.What would he send this time?Thousands of dollars for me to take a goddamn shopping spree? I’d donate all the money to the nearest charity.
“I got it, Mommy!” Faith hollered as she ran down the stairs and beat me to the front door. “Pizza!”
Pizza?
I didn’t order a pizza. The delivery driver had the wrong address. Christ, another issue to deal with.
“I didn’t get a pizza...” I walked toward the door and sniffed the delicious aroma in the air. “I have fish thawing in the fridge.”
“Mom! It’s pineapple pizza in the shape of a heart!” Faith exclaimed beside me as she placed her hands over her heart. “That’s so romantic.”
“What? Don’t be ridicu—” I gasped when the delivery guy showed me.
There was an extra-large pizza in the shape of a heart with pineapples on top.
“You have got to be shitting me?” I sighed out loud.
“Mommy. Don’t swear,” Faith scolded me.
“I’m sorry.” I winced.
“I shit you not.” The delivery man pointed at Jack’s house. “The guy next door paid me a ton of money for you to accept the pizza. Please don’t make me take it back or else my boss will kill me.”
Goddamn it, Jack Timber! Why are you torturing me?
I couldn’t let this young delivery kid get in trouble.Christ.This was unfair!
“You too, pizza delivery boy. Swearing is bad.” Faith glared at him and pointed her finger. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
My God. Faith sounded like me. She listened to me. I must be doing something right.
“Okay, kid. I’m sorry.” He thrust the pizza box at me. “Gotta run.”
“Hey! Wait! No!” I hollered out the front door and watched the pizza guy get into his car. “I don’t even like pineapple on my pizza!”
