Chapter 2: Chapter 2
“I get it, you’ll tear him limb from limb with your itty bitty bare hands. I love you, too. No, I haven’t sold the house yet. The market sucks, as you well know. I’ve consolidated all my bills into a monthly payment, and I eat what’s cheap. I’m as okay as I can be, so stop worrying.I’ll see you on Friday, okay? Give Sid my love.”
“Love you, big brother!” She made kissing sounds and then hung up. I sometimes wondered if Trixie was actually the elder sibling, not me. She may seem flighty to others, but my sister had her shit together, whereas I limped along from day to day.
I dressed in an old T-shirt and shorts and went to the kitchen. Dinner tonight would be spaghetti and tomato sauce. As I prepared my meal, I thought back to when I’d met Winslow Dansing. The perfect specimen of a man, he’d breezed into the grooming section of Pet Store Universe a little over three years ago and demanded immediate attention for his Persian cat, Smithers.
I remember telling Winslow that he had to wait his turn, just like all the others. Then he’d turned on the charm. That charm had led to a date that very evening, phenomenal sex that night and moving into a house together in a couple of months. We’d had a mortgage, bank account, charge cards and the like in both our names. That joint everythingwas my downfall, because Winslow turned out to be a swindler of the highest order, and within a year, I was left with huge credit debt, an empty bank account, and a two hundred thousand dollar mortgage. My ex was nowhere to be found.
As I ate my dinner in the tiny kitchen, I wondered at how blind I’d been. So desperate for love, I’d taken the guy at face value, to my everlasting shame. I had pinpoint accuracy when it came to animals, but not so much with humans.
Now, at the age of thirty-three, I was living in a tiny studio apartment, trying to make ends meet. I was probably too easy-going and trusting, as Trixie was forever telling me. She would rip the balls off an elephant, if she had to. I, on the other hand, would sew them back on, just to keep the peace. I was a gentle soul at heart, and I didn’t see that ever changing.
* * * *
“Barry!” My sister hugged me like a python, then stepped back to look me over. Her head came up to my shoulder. Hands on her hips, she made the comment that I needed to eat more.
“Well, you can feed me, then.” I picked her up and set her aside so I could step into the hallway of her wonderful home. Macy, a three-year-old beagle ran up to me and sat at my feet. She knew I had a toy for her. I always brought something. Her tail wagged in anticipation. I kneeled and rubbed behind her ears.
“Hi, Macy girl. How’s my favorite canine niece?” She gave me a pleased bark and lifted a paw to say hello. I shook it.
“Such a smart girl, aren’t you?” I let go and took the chewable dinosaur out of my pocket. Macy took it in her mouth and scampered off somewhere to gnaw on it. I got up and brushed off my pants.
“You spoil that dog rotten,” Trixie commented as I followed her into the kitchen. Sid was at the sink washing spinach and my nephew, one-year-old Timothy, gurgled in his highchair at the table.
“Look at you!” I exclaimed, bending over him and tickling under his chin. He laughed at me, probably thinking me a silly human. “My goodness he’s grown. It’s only been two weeks since I last saw him.”
“I know, right?” Sid came over to the table and placed a bowl of spinach next to the sliced tomatoes, green beans, and bottle of balsamic vinaigrette. I watched as Trixie took stuffed chicken breasts out of the oven.
“Man, that smells good.” My stomach growled in anticipation.
Trixie smirked. “It will be fabulous, since I made it.”
“No shortage of ego on this woman, is there?” I said to Sid, who smiled affectionately at his wife.
“Wouldn’t want her any other way.” We all sat at the table and dug in, with Sid feeding a drooling Timothy homemade baby food from time to time.
“How are you, Barry?” Sid studied me carefully between bites of scrumptious chicken.
“I’m fine. Work is good. You?” I was going to have second helpings. Trixie was an excellent cook.
“Can’t complain. My patients are all over the spectrum with psychoses so I’m satisfied.” He winked at me. Must be psychiatrist humor.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone