Chapter 2

2: 2

"What's all this yelling on a weekend!"

"Some of us are trying to rest!"

Glen snapped out of it and yanked the front door open.

The moment I saw it was Madge Lambert from across the hall, I grabbed on like she was a lifeline.

Madge was the community mediator, always the warmest, most helpful person around, and she and I had always gotten along.

I shoved past Glen and threw myself at her, crying, clutching her arm.

"Madge, please, talk some sense into Glen! He's lost his mind, he wants to sell the house!"

"Sell the house?" Madge's voice went up, and she looked at Glen, disapproval all over her face.

"Glen, honey, you're acting on impulse!"

"The market's the way it is now, you'd lose a couple hundred grand at least!"

"No matter how bad a fight gets between a husband and wife, you don't go dragging the house into it!"

I nodded and nodded. "Exactly, Madge, he's being completely unreasonable.

"Just because I accidentally turned the AC down one degree,

"he starts smashing things and talking divorce. If that's not picking a fight on purpose, what is it!"

By the time I finished, tears were just pouring down my face.

But Madge suddenly gasped.

"What did you say?

"You... you turned the AC down one degree?"

I nodded, not understanding. "Yeah, just one degree lower..."

Before I'd even finished, Madge jerked back two steps like she'd touched a live wire,

and grabbed Glen's arm.

"Glen! What are you still dawdling for!

"Hurry! Call the agent right now and sell the house!"

I was completely dumbstruck.

Madge flung me off and rattled off advice at Glen like machine-gun fire.

"Listen to me, forget about the market!

"Just drop the price three, four hundred grand and list it! Cash buyers only, the faster the better!

"Don't bother packing! Grab your ID and your bank cards and go!

"If the agent's too slow, go straight to one of those places that buys mortgaged homes for quick cash!

"So you take a loss, so what, staying alive is what matters!"

Then she wheeled around and shouted at my daughter.

"Katherine, hurry!

"Forget your clothes, grab your backpack and go with your dad!"

I just stood there, staring at this absurd scene playing out in front of me.

Why? Why on earth was this happening?

One second ago Madge was telling us not to sell,

and now, hearing the AC had gone down a degree, she was more frantic than Glen?

Coaching him to dump it hundreds of thousands under value?

I forced myself to stay calm and my mind raced.

Then a truly terrifying thought surfaced.

Borrowed money. Gambling debt.

Glen had to owe loan sharks something he couldn't pay off!

He didn't dare tell me, so he was blowing up over the AC being one degree lower, making a mountain out of nothing, to force me to sell the house and clear the debt!

He'd obviously scared our daughter into it too,

so afraid the loan sharks would come pounding on the door that she was saying she'd drop out of school if we didn't sell!

And Madge... she'd clearly been bought off by Glen long ago,

which was why she'd come running over to put on this little double act, so I'd hurry up and sign off on the sale!

Short of that, I couldn't come up with a single other reason three normal people would collectively lose their minds over a thermostat setting!

"Enough!"

I snatched the suitcase out of Glen's hand and slammed it down on the floor.

"Glen, do you really think I'm an idiot!"

I pointed at him, shaking all over with rage.

"How much money do you owe out there?

"Enough that you'd bribe a neighbor and scare our daughter,

"and cook up a ridiculous reason like this to force me to sell the house!"

Glen froze. "Owe money? What are you talking about!"

"I'm talking nonsense?"

I gave a cold laugh.

"The AC goes down one degree and the house is ruined?

"Do you even believe that garbage yourself!?

"For a quick payout, you've got other people saying 'drop the price a few hundred grand' for you.

"What a waste, you should've been an actor!

"Glen, let me tell you, half this house is mine,

"and if you think you're using it to plug your hole, dream on!"

Madge slapped her thigh, beside herself. "Oh Deborah, you're a fool!

"Nobody's after your little bit of money, this isn't about money!"

"Save it, you and your crocodile tears!"

I shot her a hard glare and turned back to Glen.

"You think hiring people to put on a show is going to force me to cave?

"Fine, if you're going to take this all the way,

"then let's have the whole family come judge who's right!"

With that, I pulled out my phone and dialed my in-laws without hesitation.

Glen had always been terrified of his parents.

If the two of them found out he'd racked up debt and was forcing me to sell the school-district home,

they'd break his legs!

Glen's face changed the instant he saw me on the phone, and he lunged to grab it.

"What are you calling them for!"

I clung to the phone for dear life and shoved him off with everything I had.

The guiltier he acted, the surer I was of what I'd guessed.

My mother-in-law's voice came through the line soon enough. "Hello? Deborah,

"what's got you calling your mom on a weekend?"

The moment I heard Eva's voice, all the hurt I'd been holding in came flooding out.

"Mom! You have to come deal with Glen!

"He's run up who knows how much debt out there,

"and now he's forcing me to sell Katherine's school-district home! It's sell or divorce!"