Justice For Juniper (Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 14

Everyone’s Feeling Bad – Part II

“My pain is caused because my husband is a cheating asshole, and my body is failing me. I know why he’s an ass, but I really wish I knew why my body doesn’t want to work.”

“Not your fault. You didn’t make your body. It was divinely created, and it is beautiful and miraculous, but it doesn’t always do what we want. Life sucks and it isn’t fair, and people can be horrible terrible beings to contend with but this,” he waved at her, “none of this is your fault.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, “thank you. don’t know, Benicio. I met you yesterday and yet I feel like we’ve known each other forever. I am grateful for your help.”

He smiled widely at her words. “Come see us when you’re done. We will leave you with your mom for the night but there is one little thing we want to talk to you about when you’re all cleaned up. Nothing bad. Don’t fret about it but something we’ll want you to know.”

“Okay.” She watched as he closed the door behind him, leaving her to get undressed for the shower. She looked at her trousers and decided they were going straight to the trash bin. She stepped into the stall and turned the water on and immediately felt the stinging pelt of the water washing away the stains on her skin. The water-tinged pink, and she choked back another sob at the visible proof of her body’s betrayal.

“Juni?” her mother’s quiet voice called into the bathroom.

She leaned backwards, “Mama.”

“Oh, my love, I’m so sorry.”

She gave her mother a sad smile, “me too, Mama.”

Her mother moved a little stool closer to the edge of the shower and shook her head, “you’re losing another baby?”

“Yes. I kind of figured it was going to happen. I was at the doctor’s office on Friday, and it just didn’t feel right. I can’t explain it.”

“The appointment Kyst missed?” her mother said with a bite to her tone.

“He told me his boss gave him a last-minute assignment he wanted to go over. He lied Mama. He was with Phineas’ wife in a coffee shop.”

“I can’t believe he would cheat but to cheat with the wife of Mr. Perez is insane.” Her mother hissed, “what was he thinking?”

“I don’t think he was thinking, Mama. I think he was excited about the prospect of having sex with someone other than his wife. I mean,” she sniffed as she got back under the running water, “he’s only ever been with me. He must have been thrilled to be presented an opportunity to try something new.”

“Bastard,” her mother huffed angrily. “I never saw it coming. I can’t believe he would do something so disgusting. If someone put a lineup of ten men in front of me and I needed to pick out the ones who would be cheaters, he would not be in my top nine, Juni. I’m in shock.”

“I’m not sure I would have believed it, if I’d not seen it for myself.”

Juniper heard her mother’s words and felt a rush of emotion at them. Her mother was her greatest champion and strongest ally. She wouldn’t let Juniper fall apart on her watch. Hearing her mother’s confidence made her lift her chin up defensively.

The sound of the bathroom door closing again and then the sound of a plastic bag shaking as her mother dug through it.

“The boy bought sixteen different boxes of pads,” Maeve snorted. “Three name brands and a store brand name. Everything from a panty liner to overnight pads I think are meant to fit giants.” Her mother opened a box and pulled out one. “These are so big, they look like the ones my mother wore in ninety fifty-five.”

“Mama!” she giggled at her mother’s words.

Her mother leaned into the shower stall, “look at it. You could drop this in an ocean and the water level was recede three inches.”

She knew her mother was trying to make her laugh, and it was working. Juniper shook her head at her antics and then her mother started giggling again.

“What is so funny now?”

“I would love to see the face of whichever one of those three boys out there who brought these in with the cozy pajamas.” Her mother held up a lacy thong. “Pretty sure this,” she held up the ginormous pad, “is not fitting in these panties. I’ll see if there is anything bigger than this otherwise you might be wearing those incontinence diaper with a pad shoved in it tonight.”

She closed her eyes as her mother marched away, her cheeks bright red at the notion of Benicio pawing through underwear for her and deciding on a thong. This day was getting stranger and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Juniper decided it was time to wrap this day up and get on with it.