"Hey, what ever happened to Elizabeth's husband?" asked Ruth as she sipped her cocktail at the Blue Whale. She and her friend Nancy were having a night out to celebrate being empty nesters finally. Well, it's not that they were exactly happy being empty nesters, but they needed to get out of their empty houses. If only there had been a better place to go in Collinsport than the Blue Whale.
"You know," thought Nancy, "I'm not really sure. She never did tell us, not that she got in touch with us much after she got married."
"She always did think she was too good for us," muttered Ruth. The Collins family ran this town and while the three of them had been close once, as they got older, it was harder to be friends with a member of the "haves" when they were distinctly the "have nots."
"Oh, come on," countered Nancy, "cut her some slack. You act like being in that nutso family would be easy."
"Maybe," muttered Ruth into her cocktail.
"You also always assumed that it was Elizabeth's idea to stop being friends with us instead of Paul's."
Ruth paused mid-sip, "I hadn't ever thought of that."
"I know," said Nancy. "And maybe she did finally give us the brush off all those years ago or maybe Paul made her."
"He disappeared though. She could've come back to us then," Ruth shot back.
"You don't know what made him disappear-"
"Well I think it was him finally having to take some responsibility after Carolyn was born," Ruth cut in.
"Maybe," pondered Nancy, "or maybe Paul never even disappeared."
"No, no one has seen him in nearly twenty years. He is gone."
"Well we haven't seen Elizabeth in all that time, yet you don't think she's gone," Nancy replied thoughtfully.
"People have seen her though," countered Ruth.
"But she hasn't left that house since Paul went missing. Maybe he just hasn't left the house either."
"Paul never did seem like one to be cooped up though, that's why we all thought he ran out on her and baby Carolyn. Even if that's not what happened, there's no way he's just hunkered down in that house." Ruth realized she'd finished her cocktail and signaled to the bartender to bring her another. "Maybe he's dead," she said offhandedly as she stared at her empty glass.
"Wouldn't we have heard of that though?" questioned Nancy.
The bartender brought over a fresh cocktail for Ruth. She tugged his sleeve, "You haven't seen Paul around here in twenty years, right?"
He looked a bit confused, but nodded. "He used to be a regular, but no, can't say I've seen him in a very long time." He headed back to the bar.
"Maybe," Ruth whispered conspiratorially, the effects of the cocktail taking their effect, "someone didn't want us to know he's dead."
Nancy, who had only had a few sips of her drink, looked around the Blue Whale to be sure no one had heard Ruth's crazy idea, before saying, "You mean, you think he was murdered?"
"Would kinda fit into this town's story, don't ya think?"
(Prompt by Betsy Rubin)
"You know," thought Nancy, "I'm not really sure. She never did tell us, not that she got in touch with us much after she got married."
"She always did think she was too good for us," muttered Ruth. The Collins family ran this town and while the three of them had been close once, as they got older, it was harder to be friends with a member of the "haves" when they were distinctly the "have nots."
"Oh, come on," countered Nancy, "cut her some slack. You act like being in that nutso family would be easy."
"Maybe," muttered Ruth into her cocktail.
"You also always assumed that it was Elizabeth's idea to stop being friends with us instead of Paul's."
Ruth paused mid-sip, "I hadn't ever thought of that."
"I know," said Nancy. "And maybe she did finally give us the brush off all those years ago or maybe Paul made her."
"He disappeared though. She could've come back to us then," Ruth shot back.
"You don't know what made him disappear-"
"Well I think it was him finally having to take some responsibility after Carolyn was born," Ruth cut in.
"Maybe," pondered Nancy, "or maybe Paul never even disappeared."
"No, no one has seen him in nearly twenty years. He is gone."
"Well we haven't seen Elizabeth in all that time, yet you don't think she's gone," Nancy replied thoughtfully.
"People have seen her though," countered Ruth.
"But she hasn't left that house since Paul went missing. Maybe he just hasn't left the house either."
"Paul never did seem like one to be cooped up though, that's why we all thought he ran out on her and baby Carolyn. Even if that's not what happened, there's no way he's just hunkered down in that house." Ruth realized she'd finished her cocktail and signaled to the bartender to bring her another. "Maybe he's dead," she said offhandedly as she stared at her empty glass.
"Wouldn't we have heard of that though?" questioned Nancy.
The bartender brought over a fresh cocktail for Ruth. She tugged his sleeve, "You haven't seen Paul around here in twenty years, right?"
He looked a bit confused, but nodded. "He used to be a regular, but no, can't say I've seen him in a very long time." He headed back to the bar.
"Maybe," Ruth whispered conspiratorially, the effects of the cocktail taking their effect, "someone didn't want us to know he's dead."
Nancy, who had only had a few sips of her drink, looked around the Blue Whale to be sure no one had heard Ruth's crazy idea, before saying, "You mean, you think he was murdered?"
"Would kinda fit into this town's story, don't ya think?"
(Prompt by Betsy Rubin)
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