Chapter 36

Tricia watched the hotel fade in her rear view mirror, giving that more attention than what was in front of her at the moment. As much as she missed Matty and Matt she felt a curious emptiness now that the tournaments were over and she was on her way back home. She’d come not knowing what to expect and she’d found far more than she had bargained for.

The last few days of the main event had passed quickly. It had been a wonderful time for Tricia and she was still smiling to think about it. She’d been happy as a clam playing cash games and keeping an eye on her new found friends in the main event.

She’d stuck to her guns and played her $4/$8 limit game and had done well. Enough people had heard of her placing second in the ladies event that she got some congratulations and some respect from that. Having Kevin, Jaime, Rick, Carolyn and even Carmen stop by her table on breaks to say hello had earned her some curious looks and some awed looks. Many people had asked and more had probably wondered why she was playing that game if she had any of those players for a mentor or friend, much less all of them.

Over the course of what before she’d come here would have been an awesome number of hours played in just the three days while the main event was going on she’d managed to increase her bankroll nearly another $900 in her little comfortable cash games. She was proud of that.

She’d also spent time watching some of her new friends play and had, she thought, learned a lot. There had not been much time, not enough really, to spend with Jaime but it had been nice when they’d had time and by the time they’d parted after the final party the last night all the awkwardness that had been there between them when they’d first been reunited seemed to Tricia to be gone. She felt like maybe they could just be friends and she could see that Jaime would be a very good friend.

Tricia smiled thinking she’d partied more the past few days than she’d maybe ever partied in her life. These people played hard and they partied hard. She was leaving as late as she was allowed to check out because they’d had a huge party to celebrate Kevin and Jaime both making the final table of the main event and Kevin going on to win it. She’d been thrilled to watch that final table and to see two of her friends doing so well. She’d been pulling for Jaime of course but once he was out she easily switched to being all for Kevin.

They’d both had great results over the series and they’d both been very happy at the end. She’d been thrilled for them and thrilled to be included in their celebration. She’d met even more players she’d only read about or seen on TV and they’d all seemingly accepted her. Most she liked, a few she hadn’t, when she’d mentioned it to Jaime he’d just laughed and told her they had about the same feelings about the same people. She’d had to smile at that, glad the connection they’d seemed to have so strongly was still there all these years later.

When the party had been wrapping up in the wee hours she’d started crying when it came time for goodbyes. She’d tearfully told Jaime, Kevin and Rick that she wanted to say goodbye then and not in the morning. Jaime had been the only one who hadn’t looked uncomfortable with her crying. He’d smiled at her fondly and hugged her, assuring her it was ‘goodbye’ but ‘until we meet again’. Kevin had uncharacteristically shyly agreed and hugged her as well. Rick had done the same taking the time to try to apologize for his new and obvious attachment to Carolyn. Tricia had told him not to be silly and when he’d asked if they could still be friends had assured him they could. She realized now she really meant it and hoped it would be the case. Carolyn had also tried to apologize to her which Tricia thought was sweet. Carolyn had told her how she’d just needed to not be alone that night and explained some of reasons even though Tricia had tried to stop her, assuring her it was ok. Carolyn had quietly told Tricia that she didn’t know if anything long lasting would develop with Rick but she wanted to explore it. Tricia had found herself smiling and wishing her the best and really meaning it.

Those thoughts and more occupied Tricia as she drove toward Cincinnati and home. She drifted in and out of reliving the good times and bad from the past couple of weeks but as she got closer to home her thoughts turned more toward home and Matty and Matt.

There were so many unanswered questions awaiting her at home and facing them was not something she felt like doing. Face them she must though.

Why had Matt been so accommodating about her coming to this? Yes, she’d been hoping that maybe he would begin to trust her again. That thought filled her with guilt because she realized that she didn’t really deserve the trust. Ok so it hadn’t quite worked out but she’d done, or tried to do, just what Matt would have been afraid of. That it had not happened again was more due to Rick than her she knew. If he had asked she would have joined him again she was fairly sure. That he and Carolyn had obviously formed some kind of attachment over the past couple of days had been a surprise to a lot of people, not just her. Tricia had been surprised to find she had felt mostly relief with little or no jealousy.

Also she’d seen Jaime again and had hidden that from Matt. Tricia suspected that had she told Matt that Jaime was there when she was first sure of it things would have been different. Still the way Matt was acting maybe not.

How could he had turned over a new leaf so suddenly and so totally? What other explanation could there be though? She’d wondered if he wanted her out of the way so he could have an affair. That seemed possible she thought but then told herself that she was just being paranoid. She also realized that Matt was bright enough to figure out he could have managed to have an affair and still keep her close enough to keep an eye on.

Had it been some kind of test? Had he somehow been spying on her? Had he gone to the lengths of hiring a private detective or something bizarre like that to keep an eye on her? Was she driving back only to have him confront her with a list of her transgressions? What would a private detective have seen? They would have seen her with Jaime and on the night of the ladies event Jaime had even been in her room although briefly according to him. They would have seen her go into Rick’s room twice. The first was innocent, just dinner. The second was less innocent. Would Matt believe either was innocent?

She’d told herself not to waste time imagining the worst. She couldn’t believe that Matt would actually have done something like that anyway.

What about Matty she wondered. How had he really fared without her for two weeks for the first time in his short life? He’d sounded happy when they talked on the phone and everybody assured Tricia that he was fine. Was he really? Would she get home and find him resentful of her absence? Or would he just be glad to see her.

The closer to home Tricia got the more eager she was to see Matty. She even felt a building eagerness to see Matt. For all their differences, for all the neglect she’d felt from him recently she realized she was still very much in love with him and was eager to be with him. She also felt a physical longing to be with him and smiled, at least this time she could assuage that longing with no guilt involved. She hoped he was feeling the same for her. Surely his recent disinterest in the physical side of their relationship would have been turned around however temporarily by a two week absence.

Close to home and in familiar surroundings again Tricia’s excitement built and her patience faded. She had a harder and harder time not speeding too much in order to get home to them. As promised she had called when she was roughly an hour out. Tricia smiled thinking about that call. Matt had been trying to sound like Mr. Cool but she easily picked the eagerness out of his voice. He’d finally actually told her he couldn’t wait to see her. He’d had Matty with him and Matty had told her the same. She’d nearly started crying then.

Now she was just blocks from home and she was feeling like she was going to burst. Normally a conservative driver she drove those last few blocks anything but conservatively. Her luck was still with her, there were no police waiting for her. Then she pulled into their long driveway, snaking up it, wondering if Matt and Matty would be standing on the front porch.

When she got to where she could see the house she stopped the car dead in the middle of the driveway and just stared.