Free One Week (HaleStorm) by Elisabeth Staab

been in such a hurry to leave and so had she. Whatever his call had been about, he’d left looking like someone she wouldn’t want to piss-off.
    When Elise exited the bathroom and went to the living room to fire up her laptop, she remembered she hadn’t called her mother back in awhile. Talking to her mother always filled her with a mix of fear and dread, but the strange turn of events with Michael had left her jittery and wide-awake so she might as well check-in.
    The phone rang enough times Elise thought it would go to voicemail, so without fail she started thinking up all the horrendous things that could be happening at that very moment. Sure, her mother could simply be asleep, or she could be on the other line fighting again with Elise’s stepfather. Or worse, Victor could have come to visit. Worse still, her mother could have finally taken that plunge—
    “Hello?”
    Elise squeezed the phone harder than she should’ve and let out a relieved sigh. “Mom?”
    “Hey. Sorry. I fell asleep in front of the television again.”
    Sleeping. See? She was sleeping. Why do you always go worst-case scenario? Because she’s done it before. “Sorry to call so late, mom. Busy project.”
    “Yeah, I figured. Called your apartment. Jeff seemed worried.”
    “Jeff knows where to find me if there’s an emergency. What’s going on, Mom? You sound upset.”
    “I think Victor wants a divorce.”
    Elise looked up to the ceiling. She pulled the phone away from her face before breathing something that was a cross between a frustrated growl and a whoop of triumph. She’d never liked Victor and her mother was struggling with her mental health far worse than usual since that man had arrived on the scene. Her mom would be better off, but in the short term this would cost her —and Elise. Not to mention how much it sucked that Elise had been right.
    “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said when she put the phone back against her face.
    Sniffles and sobs came through the line. “I don’t know what happened. I thought he understood the distance was hard.”
    “Well, sometimes we think we understand things, but we really don’t. I’m sure he tried, but maybe this is for the best.” Or maybe he’s just a dick. I tried to tell you marrying a guy you met on the Internet was a bad idea. Elise’s mom and stepfather lived two thousand miles away from each other. Victor had understandably refused to move to stay near his young children, and Elise’s mother had difficulty finding new employment where he was.
    “I don’t know what I’m going to do now. I helped him financially, I was working on moving to be with him, but it was hard to find a job. I thought he got it.”
    Anger welled inside of Elise. There had been a showdown with Victor. She’d made it clear that her mother’s mental health couldn’t handle him stringing her along, and that was exactly what he’d done. Her fists clenched and released. She wanted to fly to Seattle and wring the man’s fat neck. “Mom.” Elise’s hand trembled. She sat on the couch and gripped one hand with the other, holding the phone even tighter in an effort to maintain control. Her feet shuffled through the soft cream carpet at her feet, too nervous to be still. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve had bad breakups too. You’ll move on. Maybe you’ll meet someone who isn’t already married this time.”
    Elise winced at her own words. Victor had lived with another woman when he started seeing her mom. It wasn’t the same as her and Michael, but it was close enough to make her squirm.
    “But you’re young,” her mother said. “I’m old. I have...” Sniffle. Cough. Sneeze. “...I have a shitty job I hate, and now my husband doesn’t want me.”
    He was an asshole and he used you. Elise smacked a hand against her forehead. “Listen, mom, I know it doesn’t feel like it right this minute but it really will get better. These things always do.” There was a knock at the door. She rose from