Lauren Takes Leave by Gerstenblatt, Julie (ebooks children's books free txt) 📕

Applause is dying down and I hear MC Lennyintroducing the next couple. “Hailing from Little Odessa, Queens, and BigOdessa, Russia, please give it up for stay-at-home mom Jodi Moncrieff andprofessional Arthur Murray dance instructor Rudy Cryzinski!”

“Hey, MC Lenny,” Doug calls, his voice coming from somepoint between tables eleven and twelve in the far right-hand corner of theroom. Every head turns at the outburst. “You are officially a scumbag!”

Doug finds his way to a glowing red emergency exit sign.He pushes against the secure door and disappears into the night.

The wailing of the alarm matches my growing sense ofabsolute panic.

What have I done?

And, more importantly, what am I going to do about it now?

Chapter 32

I follow my husband out into the chilly night, is what Ido.

“Lauren!” I hear Jodi call, but I can’t go back in thereand cheer for her, not while my marriage is disappearing out the back door. Ifollow Doug around to the parking lot and realize what he’s trying to do.Escape.

“Lauren!” Kat calls, running after me.

“Lauren!” Lenny calls.

“Lenny, just go back inside, will you?” I hear Kat say.“Stay out of it. Jeez.”

“Moses, don’t give the man the keys to our car!” I huff,catching up to Doug at the valet station. “He’s been…sipping kosher wine!”

“Fine, I’ll walk,” Doug says, starting out of the lot andonto a neighborhood street, hands deep in his pockets, back hunched.

“I’m coming with you,” I say. It’s hard to keep pace withhim in my new Louboutin heels. I end up taking very quick, little steps, butstill fall a few feet behind.

“Don’t,” Doug says, stopping midstride and turningabruptly toward me. “Just. Don’t.”

“But—” I begin. “I want to talk!”

“You know what? Maybe I don’t want to talk toyou right now, okay? You had plenty of time to talk to me in the last, oh,twenty-four hours or so, and you didn’t. We’ve had, like, our whole livesto talk, and you chose running away instead of telling me what’s really goingon!”

He’s yelling at me and holding back tears at the sametime.

“You lied to me, Lauren! You very quietly, verydeliberately lied by hiding the truth.”

I’m crying as his words register. This trip to Miami wasmeant as a hall pass, a get-out-of-jail-free card. But adult life is not amiddle school hallway where you can languish while cutting gym class.

“I wish I had just told you the truth.” I have snot andtears everywhere.

Doug studies my face. “But you don’t wish that you hadn’tkissed him.” It’s not a question.

What would have happened if I had not kissed Lennythe other night at the Clevelander? I might have always wondered, alwaysfantasized about him. I probably would have kept up the flirtation when we cameback to New York, letting Lenny’s attention continue to undermine my marriage.But now, with that behind me, I’m officially released from the silly spell ofpretend infidelity.

“No,” I say. “I don’t regret it.”

“Nice,” Doug spits. He starts to walk down a hill and intotown, away from me, away from the lights of the temple.

“I needed to know, Doug!” I say. “I acted completelyimmature, I understand that. And I’m not proud of what I did, but, at the sametime, I know it was sort of the right thing to do.”

“How can you say that?” he asks, still walking away.

“Because, in the end, it brought me back to you.”

He turns and faces me one more time. “That’s such twistedlogic! You had to kiss somebody else to come back to me? What are you, asenator?” We are screaming so loudly that a light comes on inside a split-levelhome; a curtain on the second floor pulls back to watch us.

“I love you, Doug. But I’m not perfect.”

“I knew that already,” he says ruefully. “You didn’t haveto go so far out of your way to prove it.”

He wipes his face with the back of his shirt and then runshis hands through his hair. He inhales a ragged breath while I wait. Then heseems to make some sort of decision.

“Go back, Lauren. Watch Jodi. I’ll be at Starbucks downthe hill. I need some time alone.”

I stand in the middle of the sleepy suburban street untilI can no longer see his silhouette under the streetlamps.

I am shaking all over by the time I get back to the BethEl parking lot. I’m not sure that I made my point clearly, but at least fornow, it seems like Doug won’t bolt.

I guess that’s the most I can hope for after being sostupid. So incredibly juvenile and stupid.

“I’ve got the keys to your car,” Kat says. “Give the wordand I’ll track Doug down for you, hit him with the vehicle, drug him withpainkillers, and keep him as your love prisoner until he forgives you.” She’sbeen waiting on the temple steps for me, but now she stands to gives me a hug.

“You’d Kathy Bates him for me? Full-on Misery?”

I pull back and squeeze her hands, tears welling up in myeyes. Kat’s ridiculously corrupt mind, coupled with her wicked sense of humor,always yanks me back from the brink.

“You know I would,” she says. “And not just because it wouldbe fun.”

We walk together back toward the temple, my body feelingtired and physically bruised. “We talked a little,” I say. “I think it will beokay. I mean, I hope,” I add, as an afterthought.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Kat says, not sounding at all sure.

The guests are just getting settled back into the ballroomafter the impromptu fire drill caused by Doug’s hasty exit. Kat and I takeseats at Jodi’s family table.

“Sorry,” I mouth to Jodi, who is coming toward me withconcern on her face.

“You okay?” she mouths back.

I shake my head in an awkward maybe-yes-maybe-no way. Shenods knowingly, then closes her eyes, rolling her neck side to side and tryingto prepare for the dance.

The voice announcing the couple this time is RabbiCantor’s. “What an exciting evening we’re having, Congregation Beth El!Luckily, the fire department’s services were not needed, and so, withoutfurther ado, we shall return to Dancing with the Stars of David!”

“Where’s Lenny?” I ask Kat.

“Gone,” she says. “Took his computer slideshow andhightailed