door.
“Don’t get too close!” Holly hissed urgently. “What
if they open the door?”
Levi shot her a look. “Then we just go on downstairs
like we were walking by the door—which you were doing until you
stopped.”
“….I have to ask when I want to buy you a gift? I
just wanted to surprise you!” Levi’s dad’s voice rose at the end of
the sentence.
Shifting her wet bundle to her hip, Holly couldn’t
help creeping closer. She knew the fight was pretty much
inevitable—and she’d hoped that they’d see this marriage was too
hasty to work—but she didn’t like her mom being upset.
The voices inside the bedroom grew more
indistinct.
“I think they’re in the bathroom,” Holly whispered to
Levi, creeping to stop right next to him outside the door. He
nodded, not saying anything and they went back to listening.
“I don’t care whether—“
Holly and Levi jumped back from the door as her
mother’s voice sounded clearly without warning on the other side of
the door.
“--we had a good time or not. It makes no sense to go
on another cruise so quickly. We have to build a life on dry land.
We need to watch our money carefully!”
“If this marriage is going to work,” Michael said
angrily, “I have to be able to spend my money without checking with
you first!”
Beside her, Levi nodded his agreement, making an
okay-so-that’s-true face at Holly.
“But it’s not just your money anymore, Michael,”
Audrey shot back in a voice that was growing more angry with every
minute. “When we got married, our funds became our money, to
some degree. I just think it would have been good if you’d thought
a little more about this.”
“You mean check with you like I’m a school
boy? I haven’t asked a woman’s permission for the last thirty years
and I’m not about to start now!”
They were roaring at each other, clearly audible
through the door and Holly began feeling even more uncomfortable
about standing there while the older couple fought.
“Maybe we should go,” she hissed at Levi.
“What? And miss the show?” He whispered back, his
face was sardonic. “Don’t you want to see what happens next?”
Before she could answer, his father’s loud, angry
voice was heard again. “Do you want to look over my bills, Audrey?
Check the balances on my credit cards?”
“Maybe I should!”
Holly hadn’t heard that note in her mother’s voice
since before her dad died. Even though she’d been young when he
fell sick, she had memories of the two of them arguing.
“How are we going to make this a family, if you just
haul off and spend thousands of dollars without talking to me
first?” Her mother sounded as if she were trying to be calm, but
losing the battle.
“Audrey,” The angry note in Michael’s voice was clear
through the door, “I am a grown man. I don’t need you or anyone
else telling me how to spend my money.”
“Apparently, you do!”
Holly exchanged a look with Levi. Maybe they didn’t
need to do anything. The marriage appeared to be falling apart even
before she expected.
“I guess you don’t want to go on another holiday with
me,” Michael raged in huffy tones. “Maybe you’d rather go with your
friends. Save your money for another singles cruise!”
“Don’t be silly—“
“I’m just a silly, foolish old guy from your past.
Well, I beg your pardon! I thought we were building a life
together—“
“We are!”
“—but apparently you never meant to join your life
with mine! You just went through that ceremony, planning to keep
living your single life! Well, I’m not going to let any woman keep
me on a leash!”
“Michael, wait a minute—I never said I wanted
that.”
“You probably regret the whole thing!”
“Michael--!”
Holly jumped back from the door just in time, but
Levi’s father didn’t even seem to notice, slamming the bedroom door
behind him and storming down the hall without even casting her a
look.
Glancing over to Levi,
“Don’t get too close!” Holly hissed urgently. “What
if they open the door?”
Levi shot her a look. “Then we just go on downstairs
like we were walking by the door—which you were doing until you
stopped.”
“….I have to ask when I want to buy you a gift? I
just wanted to surprise you!” Levi’s dad’s voice rose at the end of
the sentence.
Shifting her wet bundle to her hip, Holly couldn’t
help creeping closer. She knew the fight was pretty much
inevitable—and she’d hoped that they’d see this marriage was too
hasty to work—but she didn’t like her mom being upset.
The voices inside the bedroom grew more
indistinct.
“I think they’re in the bathroom,” Holly whispered to
Levi, creeping to stop right next to him outside the door. He
nodded, not saying anything and they went back to listening.
“I don’t care whether—“
Holly and Levi jumped back from the door as her
mother’s voice sounded clearly without warning on the other side of
the door.
“--we had a good time or not. It makes no sense to go
on another cruise so quickly. We have to build a life on dry land.
We need to watch our money carefully!”
“If this marriage is going to work,” Michael said
angrily, “I have to be able to spend my money without checking with
you first!”
Beside her, Levi nodded his agreement, making an
okay-so-that’s-true face at Holly.
“But it’s not just your money anymore, Michael,”
Audrey shot back in a voice that was growing more angry with every
minute. “When we got married, our funds became our money, to
some degree. I just think it would have been good if you’d thought
a little more about this.”
“You mean check with you like I’m a school
boy? I haven’t asked a woman’s permission for the last thirty years
and I’m not about to start now!”
They were roaring at each other, clearly audible
through the door and Holly began feeling even more uncomfortable
about standing there while the older couple fought.
“Maybe we should go,” she hissed at Levi.
“What? And miss the show?” He whispered back, his
face was sardonic. “Don’t you want to see what happens next?”
Before she could answer, his father’s loud, angry
voice was heard again. “Do you want to look over my bills, Audrey?
Check the balances on my credit cards?”
“Maybe I should!”
Holly hadn’t heard that note in her mother’s voice
since before her dad died. Even though she’d been young when he
fell sick, she had memories of the two of them arguing.
“How are we going to make this a family, if you just
haul off and spend thousands of dollars without talking to me
first?” Her mother sounded as if she were trying to be calm, but
losing the battle.
“Audrey,” The angry note in Michael’s voice was clear
through the door, “I am a grown man. I don’t need you or anyone
else telling me how to spend my money.”
“Apparently, you do!”
Holly exchanged a look with Levi. Maybe they didn’t
need to do anything. The marriage appeared to be falling apart even
before she expected.
“I guess you don’t want to go on another holiday with
me,” Michael raged in huffy tones. “Maybe you’d rather go with your
friends. Save your money for another singles cruise!”
“Don’t be silly—“
“I’m just a silly, foolish old guy from your past.
Well, I beg your pardon! I thought we were building a life
together—“
“We are!”
“—but apparently you never meant to join your life
with mine! You just went through that ceremony, planning to keep
living your single life! Well, I’m not going to let any woman keep
me on a leash!”
“Michael, wait a minute—I never said I wanted
that.”
“You probably regret the whole thing!”
“Michael--!”
Holly jumped back from the door just in time, but
Levi’s father didn’t even seem to notice, slamming the bedroom door
behind him and storming down the hall without even casting her a
look.
Glancing over to Levi,
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