Shadows of the Moon, Chapter 14

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A progressive short story from the Akron Writers’ Group, Wordplay. Written Winter, 2017.

Chapter Fourteen: Larry Cunningham

Tessa answered. She could tell Alisha had been crying by the sound of her voice. She couldn’t believe what Alisha had to say.

Alisha had “borrowed” money to get Ted out of trouble. Again. And this time it was serious. Ted’s life had been threatened. Alisha, finally, was going to give up on Ted.

She needed to return $50,000 to her employer. Only $50,000? Tessa couldn’t believe it. She fought with every ounce of her being to remain silent and allow Alisha to continue.

The “old” Alisha asked for three times the amount needed, because the “old” Alisha wanted to put money in a safe-deposit box. For the next time Ted needed it.

Tessa put her hand over the phone so Alisha would not hear her breathing. Deep breaths in. Out. In. Out. Oh, how she needed to hear the healing waters….

Finally, Tessa heard, “Before calling you, I wrote a check for $100,000 and walked it to the postbox. You’ll have it as soon as the mail service is back up. But the best thing, Tessa? I can’t change my mind. This was my first step toward really divorcing Ted.”

Tessa barely registered the rest of the conversation, which included Alisha’s promise to pay back the rest of the money as soon as she could.

Alisha ended the call with, “I love you Tessa. I always have. I always will.”

Tessa could hear the wooden tone in her own voice, but she replied as Alisha expected. “I love you, too. We’ll get through this. Together. Like we always have.”

Tessa hung up the phone. She stood in stunned silence. She had almost ruined her life for Alisha. She had almost ruined her life for a lie. She still faced the loss of Will. He might have understood $50,000, but three times that much? It was all a lie.

Like Alisha divorced Ted, Tessa would have to finally divorce Alisha. She loved her sister, and she would not end the relationship. Never again, though, would she bail her out. The girls, yes. Alisha, no. One area of her life now had definite borders.

Tessa moved back to the window and looked at the moon. The clouds were clearing. The storm still raged in the east. She didn’t know when Will’s plane could leave Iceland, but no matter when he got home, everything would be okay. It had to be okay. He loved her. He would understand. He had to.

Shadows of the Moon

A chapter will be released once a month. The first chapter was released January 5, 2025.

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