Chapter 3
Taylor was aloof for the next week. He sometimes slept in his library, occasionally on the couch. He only slept in his own bed once, and that was only to appease Natalie.
Natalie couldn’t shake the feeling that Taylor’s behavior had something to do with Jody. Taylor was behaving the same way he was when they had separated the first time. Natalie had no idea what to do with him, or even how to help patch her broken marriage. Not knowing what else to do, she threw herself into making sure the kids were blind to the fact that their father was not living up to his parenting responsibilities.
Taylor knew he wasn’t correct in his actions. However, he wasn’t sure how to conduct himself around Natalie. He knew she wanted to help him, but how could he tell her about how he was preoccupied with thoughts of another woman? Taylor didn’t feel like he could really confide in anybody. That was a gigantic part of why he holed himself up for so long.
He also started to write to Jody almost daily. He told her about his conversation with Zac and how it had granted him permission to admit that he missed her. Taylor wrote about his children and with his new conflicts with Natalie. He also wrote that he knew she wouldn’t approve of his behavior.
Taylor, on the other hand, was the last thing on Jody’s mind. She was booked solid from 9 AM through 11 PM without including homework. Wednesdays were torture. She would work from 9-12, grab a quick lunch, change into dance clothes, drive to campus, fight for a parking space, attend class from 1-4, build sets for the plays from 4:30-6:30, grab a quick dinner, get her cello from her car, and attend chamber orchestra until 9:30. By the time she got home it was about 10, and, if she was lucky, she could still catch Law and Order before she fell asleep. To say that she was busy was an understatement.
On that particular night, chamber orchestra had let out early and Jody was taking the opportunity to catch up on her homework. Her script writing mid-term was due at the end of the following week and she needed to get it done. She curled herself up in bed with her laptop and began to format her sequence of scenes. Checking the clock on her computer, Jody reached over to her remote control and turned on the TV. The familiar theme song for Law and Order began to play and Jody grinned as she hummed along. This was the one hour a week where Jody really took time for herself and to unwind.
Halfway through the show, Jody noticed that her phone was vibrating. She flipped it open to see an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?” she questioned.
Taylor’s voice stuck in his throat.
“Hello?” Jody asked again. “Anybody there?”
The voice he had longed to hear was asking him a question. She still sounded the same after a year and a half. It surprised him a little bit.
“Guess not,” she muttered and hung up.
Taylor, in turn, hung his head and closed his phone. He suddenly felt 14 again and afraid to call the girl he was a crush on.
Jody was slightly perplexed by the call. Chalking it up to being a wrong number, she started to reimmerse herself in Law and Order.
Lo and behold, Jody’s phone rang again.
“Come on, Jode. Pick up,” Taylor coaxed. He knew that she’d be home, or at least available for a minute or two.
Jody checked her phone. Same number. She glanced between her phone and the television.
‘Well, if it’s really important, it can wait until the commercial,’ she decided and pressed the ignore button.
Taylor waited nervously on the other end of the line.
“Hi, thanks for calling Jody. I’m at rehearsal, school, or work right now, so leave a message, and I’ll get back to you. Thanks!”
Taylor shut his phone somewhat angrily and stared at it. Why didn’t she pick up?
Chapter 4
Index
The Divorce
Email: BunchOfFrogs@aol.com
