«Go pick up that package yourself,» barked Alex into the phone. «Christina, I’m on a business trip, not a picnic.»
«Yes, there was a package, and I need it. You’re my wife, after all, aren’t you?» «I work too,» she snapped, offended. «How am I supposed to get it?» «I’ll send you the code,» he replied.
«Or check your email, you got the notification.» «Okay,» she said quietly. «When are you coming home?» «Gonna be delayed,» Alex grumbled.
«We’ve got issues with equipment setup here.» «Will there ever be a time when you stop going on these trips?» she asked sadly. «I’m supporting the family, you know.»
Christina hung up and looked at the package notification. It didn’t look ordinary at all. The package came from abroad via some private service, and she could pick it up just by showing the code, no ID needed.
Christina wondered what her husband could have ordered, but nothing came to mind. Alex worked in production automation, often traveling to set up equipment; maybe it was some work-related trinket. Christina didn’t understand why it bothered her so much, but having to pick up the package herself caused almost physical repulsion.
«Mom, we’re gonna be late for school!» Max yelled from the kitchen. «I’m ready, what about you?» «Coming, sweetie!» Christina shouted and trudged to the hallway. Her head was pounding after a 24-hour shift as a paramedic.
The shift had been exhausting, and at home, the kid demanded attention. Christina already felt guilty for occasionally leaving him with his grandma. Though Veronica Davis eagerly babysat her grandson, it still wasn’t ideal.
Now she had to drop her son off at school and then trek for this package. The pickup location was inconvenient, on the other side of Chicago. She muttered a curse, grabbed her son’s backpack, and headed down to the entrance.
School was just a couple of blocks away. She’d let him go alone, but traffic in their neighborhood had become hellish since the new interchange opened. So they took turns walking Max.
Sometimes her, sometimes her mother-in-law, and occasionally her husband when he was home. However, Alex was absent more and more. Christina had calculated it once.
Her husband was home about ten weeks a year, spending the rest on the road. So she no longer had high hopes for their marriage. She just accepted it and moved on.
Besides, Alex gave no reasons for jealousy. Half-asleep, she walked her second-grader to school and hopped on the nearest bus. Strangely, they handed over the package without any formalities.
She just gave the code, and they gave it to her. Christina looked at the box; it was quite bulky. She grabbed it and headed home.
She managed to sleep a few hours, then rushed to pick up her son, already late. She completely forgot about the package. And then her mother-in-law came over in the evening.
She missed her grandson and wanted to chat. Usually Christina didn’t mind, but not today. «Why are you so out of it?» Veronica Davis asked, offended. «Didn’t get to sleep?»
«Yeah,» Christina yawned. «And Alex with his stupid package. Had to drag myself who knows where.»
«What’s in it?» His mother perked up. «Did you look?» «Mom, can I have the box later?» Max jumped nearby.
«It’s so big, I want to make a spaceship.» «Wait, it’s Dad’s package.» «He’ll come home and open it,» Christina brushed off.
«It’s rude to open it without him.» «But aren’t you curious what’s inside?» Veronica Davis smiled and clapped her hands like a child. «Christina, come on, open it.»
«We’ll say I asked.» «Alex won’t be mad, I promise.» «Oh, you’re worse than a kid,» she laughed….
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