Unexpectedly, Milo - Matthew Dicks [61]
She had never even heard him sing.
Though they had been together for years, Milo never felt as if he was finished with his attempts to impress Christine. Though they were husband and wife, part of Milo always felt as if he was still trying to earn her love and respect, and as such, he kept the more embarrassing parts of his existence away from her. In short, Milo had never felt cool enough for Christine. Between his job as a home health aide, his Wednesday-night role-playing games, his moped, and the incessant demands in his head, he had never felt like he measured up to men like Thick-Neck Phil and their prestigious jobs and mirrored sunglasses and top-down Jeeps. He wasn’t sure if this was Christine’s fault or his own, but he was certain that his wife would not find his karaoke pastime amusing, and for that reason, more than any other, he had kept it a secret from her, like so many other things.
No one danced during Milo’s performance. With only three regulars around the bar and a couple eating lunch at a table by the door, he hadn’t expected anyone to. If there were people dancing, Rosy might occasionally join in the fun, but Carmine and Pete left the dancing for others.
This didn’t bother Milo a bit. As he sang the song, the pressure gradually decreased until his mind was clear again. And for the short time that he was onstage, he was happy. He sang because he had to, but Milo also sang because he loved to.
Once finished, he downed his two sodas quickly and headed for the door, saying goodbye to Jenny as he left.
“You take care of yourself, Milo,” she said, turning to refill Carmine’s mug.
“Always do,” he assured her.
Two thoughts filled his mind as he crossed the parking lot to his car:
Follow Edith Marchand’s advice and watch the tapes.
Find out if Thick-Neck Phil was spending the evening with Christine.
He thought that he could do both without much difficulty.
chapter 15
Thick-Neck Phil’s Jeep was still sitting in the driveway when Milo returned.
It was nearly eight o’clock when he rolled his Honda Civic down Wilson and parked on the street, four doors down from his home. The Hires were hosting another Sunday-night cocktail party, so Wilson Road was lined with vehicles. By parallel parking between a minivan and a station wagon, Milo hoped that his car would blend in nicely. The sun had officially set just moments ago, dipping the tree-lined street into a dusky twilight.
From his vantage point, he had a full view of the driveway (including the Jeep) and side door to the house. Two kitchen windows, a family room window, and a single upstairs window were also visible from his spot on the road. The kitchen and family room lights were on but the second floor appeared dark.
Before driving over to Wilson, Milo had stopped by the apartment to walk Skywalker and pick up the video camera. Grabbing the last of the tapes, his notepad, and an extra battery, he planned on spending the evening in his car, watching Freckles on the camera while ascertaining the nature of Christine and Thick-Neck Phil’s relationship.
Admittedly, Milo felt a bit like a stalker, sitting in the dark, keeping watch over his wife’s movements, but he felt he had no choice. Unlike the demands of jelly jars and karaoke machines, this was a self-imposed need. If Christine was involved with another man, he had to know.
Most important, he had to know why.
Milo had begun to wonder if the care and planning that had gone into keeping his demands hidden had not been as effective as he had once hoped. Perhaps Christine had finally seen through his layers of concealment and discovered