Chapter Eleven

"Steve had an insurance policy, his mom bought it. She's the executor. They're taking care of anything. He implied that I wanted their money." She shuddered at the thought. She couldn't think of anything she wanted less than blood money from Steve's family. "They told me that I needn't come to the funeral home, they would take care of it." She took a long drink of the beer, grimacing when she finished.

"Wow, I didn't see that coming…" was all that Delly could say in response.

"Yeah, neither did I. I didn't see any of this coming though. I was just going to move him out…" She let the sentence drift.

Delly sat down next to her at the table. "Kel, I'll stay here tonight. We'll see what happens tomorrow, okay? There's nothing to be done tonight."

Kelleigh just nodded in response. There was nothing to be done, Delly was right. Steve's family was going to have the last word.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Delly not knowing what to say and Kelleigh not knowing what to do. Finally, Kelleigh got up, needing to do something to burn off the nervous energy that she was feeling.

"I've got to do something, Del. I can't just sit here." She paced the living room. She still wasn't upset or sad at the loss of Steve. She wondered about her non-reaction. Was she that heartless? Or was she just that finished with their relationship? She just didn't know.

Del stood, "Kel, you usually clean when you're upset. Remember? You'd have a fight and I'd come over. The whole house would smell like floor cleaner and bleach." Kel smiled in response. What she said was true and looking around, Kel must have been upset a lot lately. There wasn't an item out of place or a speck of dust in sight.

Delly had noticed this as well. "If I may be so bold..." She was interrupted by Kelleigh's laugh. "Del, honey. Bold is your middle name."

"Yes, yes it is. So let's just go with that. You were going to pack Steve's things anyway. Do you want to do that still?" She let the sentence hang in the air. As quiet as Kelleigh was, Delly had no idea how she was going to respond.

Kelleigh thought about it, looking around her house. Yes, she thought, this is my house. It always has been. Kelleigh had painted it, decorated it, and paid for any repairs. There were few traces of Steve's existence, although they'd been married for five years. He just slept here, it seemed, not lived here. Kelleigh wished she'd noticed that sooner, made a change sooner. She sighed. The situation was sealed now, nothing to be done now.

"Kel?" Delly interrupted her thoughts, bringing her back to the present.

"Yeah, Delly, that's a good idea. Let's get it done now. I'm sure Steve's family will be here tomorrow, judging from the telephone conversation. We might as well be ready for them."

They went upstairs and into the bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it bore more of Kelleigh's touches than Steve's did. The only evidence of Steve living in this house was his clothing. Opening the closet, Delly turned toward Kelleigh. "Do you want me to do this? Would you rather do something else?"

"No, you take the clothes out. I'll fold them. There's boxes in the garage, I'll go get them."

Kelleigh went back downstairs, through the kitchen. She glanced at the counter, flashing back to just a few hours ago when Steve pushed her. Her heart tripped a little with fear. Then she remembered: he was gone, never to return.