A local woman missing- Mary Kubica

“Of course,” I say.
“I think Shelby’s going to leave me. I think she’s going to take my
kid away with her when she goes.”
“Why would she do that?” I ask. I shouldn’t have asked. I regret it
as soon as I do. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t let myself get
drawn into their marriage.
“She’s cheating on me,” he says. “I know she is.” I know this, too.
At least I think I do. There was a man in their home the day I stopped
by. He stood at the top of the stairs, beckoning for Shelby to come.
Shelby was desperate for me to leave. It wasn’t so that Jason
wouldn’t see me and get upset. It was so that she could get back to
her man. This makes me see Shelby in a different light. Their
marriage is far from perfect. But it’s not all on Jason, I don’t think.
They’re both responsible for this. I consider the things she suggested
about him, the conclusion I drew: that he was hurting her. Was there
any truth to that, or was she laying the groundwork for divorce?
Things like child custody and alimony would be affected if a judge
thought Jason has been abusive toward her. A claim of domestic
abuse would swing the balance in Shelby’s favor.
But I’m only theorizing. There’s no way to know for sure.
I can’t stop myself. “How do you know? She told you?”
“She didn’t have to,” he says. He says that he just knows.
“Have you talked to her about it?” I ask.
He shakes his head. He looks at me. His eyes are a mix of angry
and sad. He’s sullen. He says, “I know how it is. When people get
divorced, the mother always keeps the baby. Shelby can’t ever take
my baby from me.”
“Fathers have rights, too,” I tell him, but he isn’t wrong. Custody is
almost always granted to the mother.
He says, “Every other weekend isn’t good enough for me.”
“Give it time, Jason. Talk to her. Maybe you’re wrong. Pregnancy
is hard. You might have misread the situation. Maybe it’s the
hormones making her distant, not some other guy.”
“I’m not a fucking idiot,” he says.
I swallow hard. His quick temper makes me nervous. I lower my
voice and move physically away, though I’ve not yet seen him be
physical, only verbal in his assaults. “I didn’t say you are.”