trying to talk him into pleading guilty. Says he should blame it all on youth and inexperience. He should ask the court for mercy. It’s still going to be a long sentence, no matter what.”
Diana had her doubts about Kurt’s naïveté. The way she understood it, he had been running with the white supremacists for several years.
“How is it my fault that he’s in trouble?”
“You broke his heart.”
“That happens. People break up. I’m not taking the blame for what happened. He was a lot more interested in this other nonsense than he was in me.”
“People break up over a lot of things,” said Mrs. Krol, “but not over what you do. Who else would have to put up with that? He was never himself after the way you treated him.”
“Oh? Then when was he himself?”
“Whore.”
“Okay, that’s three, and I’m tired of it. I was trying not to say this, but the hell with it. I think there’s more than one whore in this discussion.”
“How dare you,” said Mrs. Krol. “I have friends. Respectable gentlemen friends. They give me presents sometimes, but I don’t just let them pay me.”
“Is that smart or stupid? Anyway, you made up for it, having them around the house all the time. From what I understand, you hustle one out just in time for the next to arrive. Whatever else I do, I don’t work at home. I don’t rub anybody’s face in it.”
Mrs. Krol deflated.
“I can’t believe he would talk about me like that,” she whispered. “I could never get him to understand. His father was never going to come back, and we had to do what we could with what we had.”
“Then why can’t you understand me?” said Diana. “I’m working with what I have.”
“Kurt would have taken care of you.”
“When was he going to start? Waiting for him to finish four years of college was one thing. But once they get on the jail treadmill, they might get off it again, but you’d better not wait around for it to happen.”
“But that only happened because of you!”
Diana began to feel that she had gone too far. She looked at the other woman and saw little difference between them—twenty years of dubious experience and a heavier load of self-deception.
“He never talked about you much,” said Diana.
Great, she thought, that will make her feel better.
But she forged on, trying to undo the damage.
“This is just what I think. Maybe I’ve got it all wrong. He’d kill me if he thought I had gotten a poor opinion of you from him.”
Mrs. Krol gave her floundering the attention it deserved. She tossed her icepack onto the kitchen table. Melt water spread over the tabletop. Mrs. Krol stood up and tried to put her coat on without using her left arm. She finally had to let Diana drape the coat over her left shoulder, although she obviously hated to accept help.
She opened her mouth to speak.
“Don’t say whore,” said Diana. “And if you come after me again, I won’t let it go.”
Mrs. Krol went silently to the door, opened it, and started down the stairs.
“Have somebody look at your elbow,” said Diana.
Chapter Eleven
If Kurt ever got out of prison, maybe he and Anne-Marie could make a life together. Or not. There wouldn’t be a lot of communication going on in a partnership like that.
On the other hand, according to what some clients told Diana about their wives, lack of communication was the only thing that kept the marriage going.
She got up from the kitchen table again. This time nothing would stop her from going to the phone. Now that she had her self-flagellating mood really working, she might as well lose a client. She marched herself across the room to the phone, picked it up, and punched in numbers.
“Otto, it’s Diana.”
His silence said a lot along the lines of, “I pay you to come when I want you and disappear when I don’t. Why are you behaving like a wife?”
She talked to fill the void.
“I need a favor. There was a guy I went to high school with, name of Paul
Diana had her doubts about Kurt’s naïveté. The way she understood it, he had been running with the white supremacists for several years.
“How is it my fault that he’s in trouble?”
“You broke his heart.”
“That happens. People break up. I’m not taking the blame for what happened. He was a lot more interested in this other nonsense than he was in me.”
“People break up over a lot of things,” said Mrs. Krol, “but not over what you do. Who else would have to put up with that? He was never himself after the way you treated him.”
“Oh? Then when was he himself?”
“Whore.”
“Okay, that’s three, and I’m tired of it. I was trying not to say this, but the hell with it. I think there’s more than one whore in this discussion.”
“How dare you,” said Mrs. Krol. “I have friends. Respectable gentlemen friends. They give me presents sometimes, but I don’t just let them pay me.”
“Is that smart or stupid? Anyway, you made up for it, having them around the house all the time. From what I understand, you hustle one out just in time for the next to arrive. Whatever else I do, I don’t work at home. I don’t rub anybody’s face in it.”
Mrs. Krol deflated.
“I can’t believe he would talk about me like that,” she whispered. “I could never get him to understand. His father was never going to come back, and we had to do what we could with what we had.”
“Then why can’t you understand me?” said Diana. “I’m working with what I have.”
“Kurt would have taken care of you.”
“When was he going to start? Waiting for him to finish four years of college was one thing. But once they get on the jail treadmill, they might get off it again, but you’d better not wait around for it to happen.”
“But that only happened because of you!”
Diana began to feel that she had gone too far. She looked at the other woman and saw little difference between them—twenty years of dubious experience and a heavier load of self-deception.
“He never talked about you much,” said Diana.
Great, she thought, that will make her feel better.
But she forged on, trying to undo the damage.
“This is just what I think. Maybe I’ve got it all wrong. He’d kill me if he thought I had gotten a poor opinion of you from him.”
Mrs. Krol gave her floundering the attention it deserved. She tossed her icepack onto the kitchen table. Melt water spread over the tabletop. Mrs. Krol stood up and tried to put her coat on without using her left arm. She finally had to let Diana drape the coat over her left shoulder, although she obviously hated to accept help.
She opened her mouth to speak.
“Don’t say whore,” said Diana. “And if you come after me again, I won’t let it go.”
Mrs. Krol went silently to the door, opened it, and started down the stairs.
“Have somebody look at your elbow,” said Diana.
Chapter Eleven
If Kurt ever got out of prison, maybe he and Anne-Marie could make a life together. Or not. There wouldn’t be a lot of communication going on in a partnership like that.
On the other hand, according to what some clients told Diana about their wives, lack of communication was the only thing that kept the marriage going.
She got up from the kitchen table again. This time nothing would stop her from going to the phone. Now that she had her self-flagellating mood really working, she might as well lose a client. She marched herself across the room to the phone, picked it up, and punched in numbers.
“Otto, it’s Diana.”
His silence said a lot along the lines of, “I pay you to come when I want you and disappear when I don’t. Why are you behaving like a wife?”
She talked to fill the void.
“I need a favor. There was a guy I went to high school with, name of Paul
Similar Books
