The Marriage Merger by Sandy Curtis Page A

commented bitterly to herself as the dark circled eyes of her
reflected face gazed back at her. She threw off her robe and
nightgown and stepped under the shower. The steaming water
revitalized her physically but her spirits were as damp as her
freshly washed hair when she stepped out.
    She blow-dried her hair and brushed the
auburn curls until they formed a vibrant halo around her face. She
deliberately dressed in her oldest shorts and baggiest shirt,
unwilling to draw Braden’s attention in any way. She dreaded seeing
him this morning. After she had run to her room she had heard the
front door slam. It had been after midnight when she finally heard
Braden come back.
    As she walked into the kitchen Caitlin handed
her a note. It was from Braden.
    Jenna it began - no Dear Jenna she noted - I
apologize for my behaviour of last night. Be assured it won’t
happen again. I won’t be back from Brisbane until late tonight so
don’t keep dinner for me. Braden.
    Well, that was certainly to the point. A
mixture of relief and disappointment sped through her. Relief that
she didn’t have to face him but disappointment that she wouldn’t
see him. Oh, how contrary could she get! She crushed the note and
threw it at the bin in frustration. How could she love a man who
made her feel so bad, so confused? And the longer she stayed the
worse it would get. She saw Caitlin watching her, the dark eyebrows
lowering, her bottom lip quivering.
    Instantly Jenna was contrite. She knew how
easily children picked up on adults’ vibes. Perhaps Braden’s
demeanour this morning was less than sunny. She knew how aroused he
was last night and it would hardly have improved his temper if he
had stayed that way all night. But perhaps he hadn’t. Perhaps when
he’d left it was to go back to Veronica and take what she so
obviously was offering. Jenna tried to stifle the cruel pain that
thought invoked. She bent down to Caitlin, and smiled.
    “Is there anything special you would like to
do today, Possum?”
    Caitlin’s face cleared and she nodded.
Swiftly she limped across to the lounge room and came back with a
newspaper. A large advertisement showed the animal characters from
The Lion King. Jenna knew theatres often played the old movies
during school hours for the children who had been too young to see
the original screening.
    “Would you like to see the movie?” Jenna
asked, and Caitlin nodded enthusiastically. Jenna glanced again at
the paper. “There’s an afternoon session. That will give us some
time in the pool this morning.” No matter what happened with
Braden, she was determined to get Caitlin as strong as
possible.
     
    Caitlin’s fingers dug into Jenna’s arm.
Simba, the cub in The Lion King, was gazing down at his father’s
dead body and crying. Jenna could have kicked herself. She should
have found out what the story entailed before bringing Caitlin. She
had forgotten that even animated films could be as brutal as real
life.
    Caitlin was staring up at the screen, tears
slowly rolling down her cheeks as she empathized with Simba.
    “Do you want to leave?” Jenna whispered.
Caitlin shook her head, but her fingers remained tight on Jenna’s
arm.
    The movie progressed through the next stages
of Simba’s life until it reached the point where it was revealed to
Simba that his father, Mufasa, was looking down at him from heaven
and was still guiding him, still loving him and encouraging him to
grow into the brave lion king he knew his son to be. Jenna saw the
radiant hope on Simba’s face mirrored on Caitlin’s.
    They stepped out of the cinema and stood
blinking in the daylight in the half dazed way most people feel
when wrenched from the make-believe world back into the real one.
Jenna glanced at her watch. It would soon be dark.
    “Would you like to eat here?”
    Caitlin nodded slowly, still drained from her
emotional involvement with the movie. Jenna took her hand and they
walked to one of the outdoor cafes.
    Now that Caitlin