Page 36 of Mr. Infuriating (Mister #1)

Gabe

I didn’t stop at the pharmacy for sleeping pills, but I did make an effort to be nicer to the staff.

Well, at least to Shelly.

I may be the guy who made the furniture, but she was the one who really ran things, and we’d be lost without her. I was under no illusion to the contrary.

So, when she came into the shop holding a file folder, I shut down the saw and offered a smile.

“Hey, what brings you back here?”

“Well, I have a question about what you want to do about the Wainwright account.” She opened the file and leafed through some papers. “The cabinets were delivered over two weeks ago, and I’m getting ready to send her an invoice. But I’m not seeing where they were installed.”

“That’s because they haven’t been yet.”

“Oookay. Are we planning on installing them?”

“Yeah, we just need to get something scheduled. But as far as the invoice, we’re going to setup a payment plan for her.”

“A payment plan?”

“Yeah.”

“Do we have a contract for that?”

“Not yet. Maybe you could look into drawing something up?”

“I’m sure I could. What kind of terms?”

I did some quick math in my head and threw out some numbers .

“Three years, no interest, with equal monthly payments.”

I hadn’t talked to Mav about any of that, but I was making an ownership decision. He could be pissed at me; I was willing to take the heat.

“And what about the install?”

“I don’t know. Let me talk to Rick about scheduling something, and I’ll get back to you with a figure.”

****

Gretchen

I called around to a few handymen about getting a quote to install the cabinets. But the one guy who actually showed up gave me an estimate that made me choke.

Although Gabe had never told me an exact number, I was certain it’d be cheaper to just have his company do it.

“We could do it,” Laura suggested one night when she came over for dinner.

That was an idea. I’d taught myself to do a lot of things, thanks to YouTube.

But after watching a few videos, it didn’t take long for me to realize we were not equipped to handle a job that big. Not just physically, but I didn’t have the tools necessary.

Laura observed, “I mean, don’t we just need a sledgehammer to do the demo work?”

“Okay, so we rip out all the existing cabinets, then what? I don’t want to destroy my kitchen only to then realize I have no idea how to put it back together. ”

“Good point. So, what… you’re just to pay for a garage full of cabinets you never install?”

I let out a heavy sigh. I’d gotten my first invoice from Mitchell Cabinets in the mail yesterday.

“I think I’m going to have to move.”

“What? No! You love it here! And we already talked about this—anything you buy now is going to cost as much as your current mortgage payment, so what would be the point?”

“I’ll just have to move to Parkview.”

“ Parkview ?”

“It’s not that far, so I can always commute to Lancastle if I can’t find a position in their district.”

“But, it’s Parkview . You really want Jake to grow up in Parkview?”

Hell no, I didn’t want Jake to grow up in Parkview, but my hands were tied.

“Stop being such a snob.”

“There’s got to be something you can do. Can you take Troy back to court for more child support? Surely, it’s in his son’s best interest to stay in his house.”

“Andrew said if I want to let Gabe sue me, then he would name Troy as a co-defendant since his name’s on the contract, but it has nothing to do with the divorce decree.”

“I guess that’s an idea?”

“No, it’s not. Troy already said he wouldn’t pay, and Andy said I’d lose. Then I’d be responsible for Gabe’s attorney’s fees, which would probably be more than the cabinets themselves.”

“Ugh, I hate this for you. Did you talk to Gabe about making payments? ”

“Yeah, well, not Gabe, but his office manager called. They agreed to let me make payments with no interest.”

“That’s great! So, I don’t understand the problem?”

“The problem is, I still have to come up with over eight hundred dollars a month.”

Laura drew in a quick breath. “Ohhhh.”

“And that’s without installation.”

“ Ohhhh !”

“I don’t have that kind of money.”

“That is a pretty big chunk of your salary. Maybe you could talk to Gabe about extending the term?”

“I would rather smash my hand with a sledgehammer than ask that man for anything else.”

“Would you rather move to Parkview?”

I placed my arms on the table and dropped my forehead onto them as I mock sobbed, “I don’t know!”

After my dramatic moment passed, I raised my head.

“I feel like they’re already doing me a favor.

They’ve never let someone make payments before—something their office manager reminded me of several times.

And I’m not going to grovel to Gabe, because fuck him.

So, yes, I guess I would rather live in Parkview than beg him or anyone, for that matter, for charity. ”

Laura scoffed. “It’s not charity. It’s not like you’re asking for them for free. You’re still paying them.”

“Maybe so, but it feels like it.”

“Well, hopefully you’ve got some time to figure things out before you have to make a decision. ”

“I don’t know what there is to figure out. Short of a miracle, there’s not much I can do.”

“Start praying for that miracle, then, girl. Light some candles, throw a few coins in a wishing well, start looking for shooting stars…”

“As solid a plan as that sounds, I think my time would be better spent looking at real estate in Parkview and filling out a job application with their district.”

“No! I refuse to give up that easily! There’s got to be something you can do.”

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and threw out a quote from Dodgeball , one of our favorite classic movies from college.

“I know how we can raise the money… carwash!”

~~

Even though I’d been glib with Laura, my soul hurt thinking about having to move.

When my phone rang after school a week later, my stomach dropped as the words Mitchell Cabinets flashed on the screen.

And so it begins…

I thought about ignoring the call, but then I remembered the Intent to Sue letter and decided I needed to address the situation head on.

“Hello?”

A deep voice asked, “Is this Gretchen?”

“It is. ”

“Hi, it’s Rick from Mitchell Cabinets. How are you today?”

Of course it was Rick calling.

I hadn’t heard from Gabe since he practically tore out of my driveway almost a month ago.

Asshole.

My voice was flat when I responded, “I’m fine, Rick.”

“The reason I’m calling is I’d like to know if you want to schedule your cabinets to be installed.”