Oh my God. April was so done with this fucking old-ass couple arguing. They needed to- What was the expression? Kiss and make up?
"Can you shut up?! Your voice is affecting my exquisitely contented attitude." Redd yelled across the table, slamming his hand against the wood, shaking the glasses and plates.
Grossberg inhaled as loud as he could. "Can you please stop using words you don't understand?!"
April slid down in her seat. She had been invited to a dinner party. If she knew this would be happening, she wouldn't have come. It was a little weird to have a fourteen year old girl at dinner with two old men, anyway.
"Well, if you can't handle my supercalifragilisticexpialidocious vocabulary, we can split right here and now!"
Grossberg hung his head on the table. "Oh my God..." He sat up, leaning against the back of the hard wooden chair. "That'll be fine with me!" He pouted. "I mean, not legally, no, but..."
"Fine!" He slammed his hands on the table, pushing his seat back. The wood-on-wood noise was a screech. "I'll file right now!" He ran to a phone. "You can leave, by the way. Not you, though, April."
Grossberg wiped the cloud of sweat that had been forming above his eyebrows. He slammed the door hard, closing it tighter when it didn't come too the first time.
April took her phone out of her pocket. She dialed in her number. "Mimi- Mimi. I'm like ninety-nine percent sure that Marvin and Redd are divorcing. As in right now."
Mimi's soft voice cut in; "Oh my gosh, really? Like for real?" The shock in her voice was so clear, so visible.
"Yeah," she said. She wasn't even able to believe her own words. They had a lot of fights before this, probably hundreds, but they were actually splitting? Actually? They had talked about it before, but they were never serious. Never.
"So like, where're you now?"
"Redd's house. But I'm about to sneak out, go to my mom's house."
"I'm in the area, can I walk with you? My parents are on a business trip, anyway. And my little sister's with them."
"You can stay with me tonight, if you want," April offered. She twirled her short black hair with her fingers. She was gonna dye it soon, she just didn't know when. "My mom's seeing her boyfriend, she probably won't be home for a while. Where are you, anyway?"
"The beauty supply. I got a bunch of stuff 'cause it was half off." Mimi shuffled, the phone picking it up.
"Did you get me anything?" April giggled.
Mimi giggled, too, "Would you believe me if I said yes?"
"Is it a trick question? Like, you're gonna tell me that you didn't really get me something if I were to say yes? Or are you for real?"
"I'm for real."
"Ohmygosh! What is it?"
"A surprise."
"Tell meee..." April did that one voice and Mimi could tell what facial expression she was making. The one where she would bat her eyelashes and pout and frown.
"I'll show you later. I'm almost there, anyway."
"I guess I can wait..." she sighed. "I love you."
"Love you." Mimi hung up, leaving April wondering. She wasn't the most patient person in the world, that was definitely true. She could wait a few more minutes, maybe, hopefully.