Free Derailed by Eve Rabi

I, a mere simpleton, gets the guy, the book, the money, and the title of first lady.”
    “Really?”
    I nod. “Really.”
    She smiles. “Well then, a wager is in order, don’t ya think?”
    My head bobs. “Agreed.”
    “Well, since he hasn’t left me for you, it means you don’t feature. But, I’ll humor you – bet you a dollar he’s not going to leave me.”
    I nod. “A dollar it is.”
    “Good. Now fuck off. The children are at my mother’s.”
    “WHY? They weren’t supposed to be –”
    She steps inside the house and shuts the door in my face.
    I think about banging on the door, making a scene, but I’m not sure if the kids are around, and if they are, I don’t want to upset them in any way. Also, I’m aware that Mabel from across the street is watching.
    As I walk away, I’m seething. Now more than ever I want to win. Her book talks about how she ensnared Bradley – let’s see her pen a chapter on how she lost him.
    Smarting, I dial Bradley’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. “Hey, Brad, please call me when you can. Thanks.”
    One dollar – I so much want to win that dollar.
     
    RITCHIE
     
    “I’m going to be sorry to say goodbye to this lovely bathroom,” I say to Rival as we shower together – our Sunday morning routine.
    “But the bathroom in the new house will be even better,” she says as she soaps my chest.
    “Even better?”
    “Yeah.” She motions for me to turn around.
    “Heaps better,” she says as she soaps my back. “Trust me.”
    “I do trust you,” I say, turning around and taking the loofah from her.
    As I soap her tits, I think about Bradley’s comments. “So, you’re seeing Bradley today?” 
    “Bradley and my kids, Ritchie.” 
    “Mm.”
    “What?”
    I shrug and gesture for her to turn around. “Just asking.”
    A short silence follows.
    Slowly, she turns around. “What are you gonna do today?”
    “Wait for you.”
    “Ritchie!”
    “Well, I’m taking the kids to a movie later,” I say in a sulky voice.
    “Ah. By the time you get back, I’ll be back. We’ll have dinner together, okay?”
    “Mm.”
    After we shower, I lie on my bed with my arms behind my head and watch her dress for Bradley. And the kids . 
    She slips on a pair of jeans and turns sideways to look at herself in the mirror.
    “Her arse, it’s so firm and…sweet.”
    Her arse does look good in those jeans. Bradley will notice it. 
    “New jeans?”
    “Yeah. Nice, aren’t they? From Columbia.”
    “From Columbia ! Nice indeed.” It makes her butt come alive. But I refrain from telling her that.  
    She turns to the other side and views her butt from a different angle. Then she strips off her jeans. Hurriedly.
    “Why?” 
    “I have another pair to try on,” she mutters as she fishes in the closet for another in the cupboard.
    “ Another pair of Columbian jeans for today? Lucky Bradley.”
    Either she’s ignoring my sarcastic comments or she hasn’t heard me.
    After spending another couple of minutes examining her arse in the mirror, she pulls on a top and views herself in the mirror. Then she removes that top and puts on another. Then she pulls off that top and puts on another . After three more tops, she finally settles for one that strains across her breasts.
    “She never was like that before, Big. But now, she’s got arse and tits, and her body…”
    Mm .
    Then she starts to apply makeup. I watch her line her eyes with black pencil, apply lots of mascara and a whole lot of other paint on her eyes and cheeks. I’m riveted at her lipstick ritual. Two lipsticks. At the same time. A dark one on the outside, a light one on the inside.
    “Her lips…they’re so…so big and juicy…”
    She uses a brush to blend them. Then she blots her lips with a tissue. Good – she was wearing too much lipstick anyway. But, my happiness is short-lived. She reapplies her lipsticks. Reapplies both of them. Slowly, in a trance-like state. As if she’s thinking about