Chapter 7 Jealousy

(John’s POV)

I couldn’t believe my eyes. My wife, who had always claimed to love Amelia and jumped at any excuse to spend time with her, was being unnecessarily cruel to the poor girl. 

Amelia was bawling her little eyes out, clinging to Sybil for dear life. I needed to set things straight. Sybil had the nerve to look upset, muttering platitudes to her about how it wasn’t her fault, that it was bound to happen. What had come over her?  

“Don’t listen to her. She doesn’t mean it.” I gave Sybil an icy stare.

Sybil disentangled herself from Amelia’s grip. “We’ll just be out in the hallway for a minute. It won’t take long.” Sybil grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door.

“Why did you tell her that?” I asked her. “The kid has cancer, for fuck’s sake! Isn’t she suffering enough, without you scaring her like that?”

“I was telling her the truth, John,” she said, “I’ll bring you the divorce agreement and my letter of resignation first thing tomorrow.” With that, she flounced back into Amelia’s room.

I couldn’t understand why she was doing this. Hadn’t I agreed with her plan to have a baby? You’d think she would be grateful! What more did she want from me?

When she returned,  I stopped her before she could walk away from me. “Enough with the theatrics. I suppose you think you can leave me just like that.”

She smiled cruelly at me. “I don’t think so, I know so!”

“Well, we’ll see about that!” I couldn’t believe she thought she could get away from me this easily.

“See you tomorrow.” She turned and walked away.

I went back into Amelia’s room and sat in the chair near her bed. “Sorry about that. I don’t know what got into her.”

She looked at me. “Why is she leaving?”

“She isn’t leaving,” I replied, wishing that Sybil hadn’t filled the kid’s head with such nonsense.

“You know what I think?” Amelia got a thoughtful expression on her face. “I think it has to do with Alex.”

“Alex?” What did my cousin, who was overseas at the moment, have to do with anything?

“He’s coming back,” she said.

This is news to me. I would have to ask my father about that. He would know.

What was that cousin of mine up to?

Amelia continued. “He’s coming back to be with Sybil. I’m sure of it!”

How did she come to that conclusion? She was only eight years old. Her brain wasn’t developed enough yet to comprehend such things. Out of the mouth of babes, indeed. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

“I know more than you do!” She gave me an impish grin. “He loves her!”

“Oh, really?” I replied sarcastically. “You barely remember him. How would you know?”

“I just know,” she said.

How soon until my parents came back? They had more patience for this drivel than I did. I glanced at the door, silently imploring them to come back and deal with Amelia and her childish delusions.

“Alex loves Sybil more than you do, you know!” Why didn’t the kid just shut up, already? Or at least change the subject.

“I love her,” I insisted, feeling foolish for having this argument with a mere child.

“I’ve seen you together,” she said, “and you don’t act like you love her. Oh, you say you do, but I can tell that you don’t mean it.”

I sighed and rubbed my temples wearily. Where was she coming up with these ideas? I guess Sybil had been feeding her this bullshit for the last three years. I wouldn’t be surprised at all, knowing her.

Amelia looked me in the eyes. “Don’t let Sybil get away. You’ll end up regretting it, you know.”

“I don’t plan to let her get away. Don’t worry your pretty little head about us grownups.” I patted her on the head.

My parents finally came back then, arms laden with plenty of toys and games that they had just bought in the gift shop. At least that would occupy Amelia long enough for her to forget her absurd juvenile notions. I excused myself and went outside for some air.

I couldn’t get our conversation out of my head, however. Before I married Sybil, I knew that Alex had a crush on her. Did he still feel that way?

For as long as I could remember, Alex was always jealous of me. When we were children, he was never satisfied with his own toys. He wanted mine. Later on, he wanted my job. Now he wanted my wife.

Well, he couldn’t have her. If he thought that he could just encroach on my territory and take her away from me, just because we were experiencing a slight bump on the road, he was dead wrong.