“You’re going to build a school? You—Ken Humes?” Portia says. “Have you even held a hammer in your hand before?”
“I know it sounds crazy, right?” Ken says, and there is no ill will in his voice. He really does seem to be a man at peace. “But Portia, the me you knew—that was the old me. I’m trying to be the new me now.”
Julie takes Ken’s hand in hers and holds it on her lap like a small puppy.
“God is all-powerful,” Ken says. “And He has provided us with a mission—”
“Bullshit,” Portia says. “You are a disgusting pig who exploited young women”—she points to Julie—“continues to exploit young women for your own gain so that—”
“I am not being exploited,” Julie says. “Quite the contrary. You haven’t been here for the past year. Ken has made radical changes in his life. The amount of charity he’s already done would—”
“It’s okay, Julie.” Ken pats her hand. “Portia has a right to feel angry—she experienced the old Ken, who was all that she says he was. I’m sorry I was the old Ken when you were with me, Portia. I am truly sorry. But I am no longer that man.”
“This is infuriating!” Portia says. “You were hideous to me. You cheated on me multiple times and insisted on making the basest, most sexist films, no matter how many times I talked about making films for women too. But there was no money in that, right? It was easier to exploit teenage girls who were looking for attention. Oh, how you belittled my ambitions—systematically made sure I always felt dumb and worthless. And now you ‘find God’ and think you can wash your soul clean with money—don’t you see why that would infuriate everyone who intimately knew the ‘old Ken’?”
He nods. “I do. But if you did not stand with me on the road to Damascus when God struck me down and forced me to see what I had not seen before, how could you—”
“You are not St. Fucking Paul, Ken!” Portia yells.
Tommy moves a little closer to me.
“No, I’m not,” Ken says. “I am just a man who has a choice. And I am choosing to build a school for children who have no school. I am choosing to take care of you financially. And I am choosing to marry the woman who inspired my transformation.”
Julie squeezes Ken’s hand, and they gaze into each other’s eyes lovingly.
“This is really bullshit,” Portia says. “Such a fucking joke.”
Julie glances over at Tommy and whispers, “The child.”
“Oh, please. The last time I saw you, you were humping my husband in my own bed.”
“Okay,” I finally say. “Maybe Tommy and I will take a walk outside.”
“I’m sorry,” Ken says. “I thought we could all do this in a civil manner. Portia, I thought you’d be happy to know that I’m a changed man. I’m happy for you. I pray for you every day now.”
Julie says, “I pray for you too. All three of you.”
“This is getting way too creepy.” Portia sets her pineapple juice down on the glass coffee table and walks out the front door.
“Well,” I say. “I guess this means Tommy and I should probably get going too.”
“Let me give Portia what is rightfully hers,” Ken says to me. “She told me you’re a first-grade teacher.”
“When did she tell you that?” I say, hearing the jealousy in my voice.
“Last week, on the phone. She says it’s a religious school, right?”
“Uncle Chuck’s the best teacher there is,” Tommy says.
“I bet he is,” Ken says. “So surely Uncle Chuck understands the importance of making sure kids in Central America get an education. It will go easier down there with the priests and churches if Julie and I are married. We need Portia to grant me a divorce first. You and I both want to officially start new lives, right? Why drag this out?”
“Listen,” I say, “I feel like it’s not my place to get involved here. Whatever happened between the two of you—well, I’m grateful you screwed it up, because now Portia’s with me.”
“Us,” Tommy says.
“As it was meant to be,” Ken says. “Father Martin has told me many times—all for a reason.” He stands and walks over to a small desk on the other side of the room and pulls out a large envelope. “If you are going to be Portia’s husband, you’ll want to look out for her best interests. Have someone look these papers over. You’ll see that we have been more than fair. Any lawyer will tell you we’ve been generous to the point of foolishness. We just want to move on—atone and try to put some good in the world. But we need to put this unfortunate business behind us first.”
“We could have made this ugly and uncomfortable for everyone,” Julie says. “We have the means and the right lawyers to force Portia’s hand.”
“But we’d rather be Christian about this,” Ken says. “Read over the papers. You’ll be a very well compensated man if you can get her to let go of her pride and sign.”
“If you have the means to get what you want, then why give Portia such a generous settlement?”
Ken smiles sadly at me. “Personal transformation takes patience and work. And a little help from the right woman. From what Portia said about you on the phone and from what I’ve gathered today, I can tell that the three of you are good for each other. But Portia can be a little, well, stubborn. I won’t provide you with an owner’s manual—and please don’t tell her I used that term, or her feminism will have her foaming at the mouth. But it’s time for all of us to move on.”