Trish and I talked for a bit more, before exchanging “I love you” and ending the call.
I checked the “find my phone” app and punched in Trish’s information. I’m not sure where Trish was, but her phone was in Falmouth, MA on the western end of Cape Cod. “Fuck”, I thought. Trish’s long time neighbor and friend, Nick Flaherty, had a family home in Falmouth. We’d been invited there a number of times.
Looking through my contact information, I found Sue Flaherty’s cell phone number.
I called and after Sue answered, I said, “Hi Sue. It’s Chris Harrington.”
“Chris? Chris Harrington! What a nice surprise! How are the wedding plans, coming along? Nick and I can’t wait to be there!”
I responded, “To be honest, I’m not sure how the plans are coming.”
Sue laughed and said, “That’s a typical male response!”
“Hey Sue,” I asked. “What are the chances that Nick is traveling this weekend?”
“What an odd question. Nick hardly ever has to travel over a weekend, but he is away this weekend. What’s this about?” Sue asked with a little concern in her voice.
“Before I answer, let me ask you, do you have a ‘find your phone’ app on your phone?”
Sue let out an involuntary sob and in a near whisper she said, “Not again.”
A minute later, she continued, “He’s supposed to be in Philadelphia. But the tracker shows that he’s at his family’s cottage.”
With a sad sigh, I said, “I’m sorry Sue. Nick and Trish are together.”
Sue quietly cried for a number of minutes. “This isn’t the first time,” she admitted. “I’m going to call the son of a bitch and tell him not to come home.”
“Can I ask you a favor, Sue?” When she didn’t answer, I continued, “Trish isn’t due home until Sunday afternoon.”
“It’s the same with Nick.”
I asked, “Let’s put off our confrontation until tomorrow night. In the meantime, I’m going to change the locks on my condominium door and take half the wedding money from a shared joint account. I’ll be able to pack all her clothes and other personal items and put the bags in the driveway.”
“You’re right Chris. I’ll do the same thing.”
“Please text or call, if you need someone to talk to. I’m sorry I had to call you.”
Sue was crying again and between sobs said, “It’s not your fault, Chris.”
My last call was to Billy Jones, a friend and neighbor. He answered, “What’s up, Topher?”
“I need some help, Billy. Are you around tomorrow morning?”
“My only plans are to sleep until noon, but Sally will have me up at 7:00. What can I do for you?”
“Is there a chance that you can change the lock on my front door and the door coming in from the garage? And if you could change the code on the garage door opener, I’d appreciate it.”
There was a moment of silence, before Billy said, “Mother fucker! Is the wedding off?”
“Unless I’m missing something big, Trish and I are dead and buried.”
“You got it Topher. I’ll head to Lowes, first thing in the morning and have everything changed by late morning. Does that work?”
“You bet it does Billy. Thanks.”
Feeling twenty years older, I trudged back into Toby’s and walked to the bar. I was looking through the mirror at a reflection of my sisters-in law and their husbands, as Michael handed me back my bourbon. Their appetizers were being cleared by the server.
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