Chapter Ten: Esmeralda Four

"That is one hell of an argument," said one of Petunia's coworkers in surprise, a few days later after work in the outside hall. She had finally told them about the big fight as they were all getting their coats on over their uniforms. "And it sounds like there was a lot of tension before that."

Petunia looked down sadly, the pinched lines in her newly thin, pale face tight.

"Well I think he sounds like a big bully!" said a tiny, curvy coworker with curly red hair indignantly. "His manhood not being able to handle you changing and setting off on your own! That's not what marriage is about at all!"

"You're right, it's not." Petunia took a deep breath and looked up deadly serious into her surprised coworkers' faces. "I'm filing for a divorce."

"... Does anyone in your house know?" the first coworker asked, the blonde woman who had tended Esmeralda that first day, a kind and strong willed woman in real life, wincing in sympathy.

"Not yet. I'm filing the divorce papers alone, and I'm - I'm scared, I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know what to do, I -"

And Petunia began crying, humiliatingly, right there in front of them.

"I'm - I'm sorry," she managed, hand over her tearful face, looking away with an attempt at dignity, "I don't know what's gotten into me, I -"

"Oh, it's perfectly alright." And then her new friends were hugging her. "This would be hard for anybody…"

Then the first girl, the lead blonde girl, stood back and smiled with determination into Petunia's surprised, tearful face.

"I know what we'll do," she said enthusiastically. "All these women will support you together against this awful man." She lifted her chin proudly. "We're going with you to file the paperwork!"

"You're… you're sure?" said Petunia, her tone uncharacteristically uncertain.

But her new friends were all smiling. "Of course. We're all in this together when it comes to each other. Especially against nasty men," the blonde added mischievously, though her eyes were sad for Petunia.

Petunia realized with quiet, solemn gratefulness that these were the best friends she'd had in a long time. Changes it had wrought or not, she was glad she had come to Seaborne Dreams.

The process server looked up in surprise from his desk work when the group of working women trooped into his office.

The blonde in the lead - short blonde hair in a brown bomber jacket - held up filled out divorce paperwork, her expression calm and deadly.

The group of women had their lips pursed, hands on their hips behind her, as if giving her their strength.

"I need," the blonde drawled coldly, "for you to serve these divorce papers to my husband."

"You… don't want to hand them over yourself?" the process server confirmed uncertainly.

Petunia smirked, her eyes flashing. "No," she said crisply and quietly, knowing she was sealing so many fates and accepting it, "I do not."

Petunia was finished. Divorce was bitter, and Petunia was good at vindictive.

But even she wasn't expecting what came next.

Petunia looked up tentatively from the Number Four sofa as Vernon slammed the divorce paperwork down in front of her a few days later. It was evening; he was just back from work.

"I got served this very impersonally in front of several employees at work," he said, his face thunderous.

Petunia winced. "I just -"

"You want a divorce."

"... Yes."

"After all I've done for you?!"

"You act like you picked me up out of the gutter! I was a secretary from a fairly nice family, Vernon, and I've done plenty for this family since then!" Petunia shouted, standing.

Esmeralda and Dudley were looking from one to the other in fear.

"Well you could have at least told me to my face!"

"I am telling you to your face right now!"

The childish absurdity of all this fighting finally hit Petunia.

Then Vernon grabbed her by the arms and dragged her, shouting and panicked, across the room. He grabbed Esmeralda by the arm, who yelped, and she stumbled after them as they were pulled toward the front door.

Petunia realized all at once what was going on. She was being thrown out of the house that Vernon paid for.

"Duddy! Duddy!" she called, looking frantically after him.

"MUM!" Dudley stood and put a hand after her.

"I'll fix this!" she called to him. "I will!" Somehow.

Then Esmeralda and Petunia were tossed out into the front garden. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Vernon thundered, red-faced and harassed. "AND STAY OUT!"

And he slammed the door in their faces.

Petunia stood there, taking deep breaths, hearing the horrible sound of Dudley wailing inside, muffled through the door. She was half afraid Esmeralda was about to start crying, but instead Esmeralda just looked up at her in worry.

"... What do we do now?" Esmeralda asked. It was a good question. And Petunia was the adult, so she was supposed to know the answer - an intimidating prospect.

Petunia looked around in embarrassment and realized several neighbors had come outside to stare. Well, that was… irrevocable.

"... We go to a pay phone," she decided determinedly.

Time to test out just how supportive her new friends really were in a crisis when it came down to it.

They crossed darkened city suburban streets together in panic, the night air cold, the occasional car zooming by. Petunia reached the pay phone box. She and Esmeralda huddled inside, and Petunia called the blonde from before.

"Hi, it's Petunia," she said into the phone. "From work. My husband has thrown me out of my house alongside my orphaned niece. Can I stay with you?"

Petunia listened - and relaxed in weary relief.

"Thank you," she said tiredly. "We're at -"

And she told them the neighborhood and street. When she hung up, she turned in the phone box to Esmeralda. "Someone from work is coming to pick us up," she said, attempting a smile.

"And… after that?" Esmeralda asked tentatively, cautious, from underneath her long black hair.

"We'll -" Petunia swallowed, choking back a lump in her throat, trying to remain positive and dignified. "We'll just have to rebuild our life from the ground up. And," she added, clearly upset, "we'll have to try to get back… at least part of Dudley."

Author's Note: Aaand… the angst is mostly over.