My Best Friend

Piper “Hey, babes,” Mia’s cheery voice came through. “I’m getting divorced,” I said. “I’ll have the guest room ready, and the wine poured for when you get here.” God, I loved her. No questions asked, just action. “I’ll be there in 40 minutes.” At this time of the night, I knew the freeway would be packed. The freeway from Layton, UT, to Lehi was no joke, so I took the side roads. It took me a little longer because others did the same as I, and I swear I hit like every light I came upon. The moment I got to Mia’s, her front door opened. I started crying, and she engulfed me in a hug. “I got you,” she whispered as she ushered me inside. Mia and I have known each other since we were five years old, and my parents moved in next door to hers. She had been excited when she saw the new family had a little girl around her age, and she immediately came over. We’ve been thick as thieves ever since. When her mom died from cancer when we were eleven, my parents gave me permission to sleep over at her house for a month. My mom had cooked meals for us and Uncle Marvin, Mia’s dad. We slept in her bed, and I held her every night as she cried. When I was sixteen, my parents died in a plane crash. Uncle Marvin petitioned the court to become my guardian, and the petition was granted. My parents' estate was placed in a trust for me, to be released when I turned eighteen. It was Mia’s turn to hold me when I cried every night. She was my ride-or-die, my sister from another mister, my complete soul sister. We would do anything for each other. After high school, we went to the same college. The money released to me was enough to cover both our college tuition for all four years. Uncle Marvin and I argued about that, but I told him that if it weren’t for him and Mia, I wouldn’t be here. They kept me alive, he finally conceded. We both took Business Management and Finance. We stayed in Utah, close to her dad. Mia worked with a hammer since she could pick one up. Uncle Marvin owned a construction company, and they were now well off. She practically runs the place, but she would rather be demolishing a house than be in the office. Uncle Marvin was the one who stayed behind and did all the office stuff. I was the new Acquisitions Manager and real estate agent. I hunted up properties and either bid on them at auctions or spoke with the sellers. Mia and I were going to be taking over, and we decided to start flipping houses. We were also going to open our own real estate company. Uncle Marvin thought it was a good idea since Lehi was growing. He would stay on and still do the books for us. Now, here I was sobbing in her arms as she rocked me. She knew everything by the time we finished the burgers and shakes. “Want me to go castrate him?” she asked seriously. I knew she would do it too, just like I would do it for her. “No,” I said. “We’re going with revenge then. It’ll be so sweet,” Mia said. I laughed. That’s what I loved about her. She could make me laugh even in the darkest times. “I just want the divorce now. I’ll even give everything up, just so I can walk away as soon as possible.” “Nope, you’re taking everything. We’re going with that plan. Call a lawyer first thing in the morning. File immediately. You take him for everything he’s worth.” “He’ll fight it,” I said. “Then we’ll fight harder, babe. You gave that fucker five years. And just because you’ve decided to strike out on your own, work hard to get your real estate license, and your acquisition’s certificate, he thinks he can cheat. What excuse did he give you for his cheating?” “Nothing, he just said they were friends.” She scoffed. “I need to change the subject.” “Fine, I have ice cream in the freezer, let me scoop us up some, and you can tell me all about the seminar.” She did what she said she would, then sat down, giving me my bowl. I told her about the seminar and how we can start flipping houses as soon as possible. Also, I told her about an old warehouse I wanted to invest in, and we could turn it into storage units. It’s here in Lehi. I saw it during the seminar when they were showing us possible investment opportunities. “That’s a great idea. My crew and I can gut the place in a few days and rebuild sections for units.” “Well, it won’t be ready for a while, but yeah.” We talked into the night, and I felt a little better by the time I went to the guest bedroom. I did my business in the bathroom, and by the time I climbed into bed, I was ready to let everything that happened tonight run through my head. I knew. I f*****g knew. But seeing it with my own eyes was different. I picked up my phone and saw I had fifty missed calls and just as many missed messages, all from Craig. Hubby: Piper, please. We can get through this. It was just a lapse. I scoffed Hubby: Piper, I’ll do anything. Just come home. I’ll break it off with her. She means nothing. Well, congratulations, Craig, you threw away your marriage for someone who meant nothing. And did you forget you basically told me you loved her? Hubby: Please don’t do anything drastic. I hope you’re safe right now. Like he really cares. Hubby: I love you. I really do. Hubby: She’s gone. I was going over everything you said in my head, and when you took the money, you said, "attorney fees." Please don’t divorce me, honey. You would lose more than me. Everything is in my name. You’ve stayed home the last couple of years, not really working because you’ve been continuing your education. You have nothing. I take care of everything. So, please, let me continue taking care of you. Was he serious? Did he forget I still had a little bit of inheritance left? Yeah, I used most of it for me and Mia’s education, but I still had a small nest egg. Plus, no judge would leave me with nothing. Right? Hubby: I never wanted to hurt you. My doing this had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I’m a selfish bastard. Please give me another chance. He was so f*****g cliche. “I was hurting. This wasn't about you. I made a mistake. It was an accident. It’s not what it looks like.” I mocked out loud. Ugh, he was pathetic. A rogue tear fell from my right eye, and I viciously swiped it away. He didn’t deserve my sadness right now. I needed to ride the pain. Has he even realized he hasn’t said I’m sorry once? Not that it would matter, but still, he could f*****g apologize for blowing up our marriage. Hubby: Talk to me, baby. That was the last text, and I flew into a rage. I told you not to call me that. I told you you’ve lost that right. Hubby: Jesus Piper, it’s so good to hear from you. Don’t act as if you care Hubby: I do care. I love you. Liar My phone rang, and I debated answering for a second. I swiped to hang up. He called again. Again, I swiped. Hubby: I’ll just keep calling until you answer. The phone rang. I huffed. “WHAT!” I snapped. “Please, Piper, just listen to me. We can fix this. “No, we can’t. You brought your mistress into my house.” “She’s not my mistress,” he said. “Girlfriend, whatever.” “She’s not my girlfriend either.” “Okay then, community outreach. She f***s married men who pretend they’re misunderstood and neglected by their wives.” “Please stop.” “No, I’m enjoying myself.” “Piper, I just needed some relief. From the pressure of my dad dying, and taking the business to higher levels, to make a better life for us. Having my dad helped. His dying destroyed something in me.” “Nice excuse.” “It’s not an excuse, I’m trying to explain where my head was at.” “So your p***s has emotional support needs,” I deadpanned. “Why do you have to joke about everything?” “Because if I stop joking, I’m going to fall apart,” I said. That shut him up. His breath had hitched. “Baby,” he started to say. “No,” I snapped. “I hate hurting you. I want you to come home. Let me hold you. Let me show you how much I love you.” “Eat s**t, Craig,” I said and then hung up on him. I powered my phone off. I knew I couldn’t block him yet. I needed whatever texts he sent as proof that he was cheating. A knock on the door had my eyes snapping to it. “Yeah?” Mia opened the door. “Hey, I heard you raising your voice, you okay?” “He wants me to come home, he wants to show me how much he still loves me.” “Asshole.” “Yeah,” I said with a small laugh. “It’ll be over soon. Get some rest. I love you,” she said. “I love you, too, Mia. You’re the best.” “Ride or Die, baby, that’s our motto.” I smiled. “Ride or Die.” She blew me a kiss and closed the door. My smile dropped.