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“A few people,” she nodded.
“A few?” I repeated.
“What?” she asked. “I’m too young and hot to settle for just one guy.”
I laughed. “I bet Mom loves hearing that.”
“You should call her more,” Emma said. “Then she wouldn’t focus on me so much.”
“How are things between her and—”
“My father?”
“Yes.”
Emma shrugged. “The same as always. I think they sleep in separate rooms now. It started right after I moved out.”
“That’s sad.”
“I agree,” she nodded. “But it is what it is. I don’t think Mom wants another failed marriage under her belt.”
“And Herman?”
“Dad’s busy with business,” Emma replied. “And golf, and he’s content enough to coast through his marriage.”
“No wonder we’re so cynical about love and relationships,” I observed. “We never had real examples growing up.”
“Meaning what?” Emma asked. “We’re doomed to repeat the same mistakes?”
“Unless we simply stay away from relationships altogether.”
“Ah is that it?” she asked. “That’s why you chose to let Molly believe you were cheating on her?”
“Does everything have to come back around to Molly?” I asked tiredly.
“You’re scared that at some point in the future, you will hurt her,” Emma continued. “And then you’ll lose Jason and Molly. Let’s face it, they’re your real family.”
“You’re my family, too,” I said.
“Sure, but I’m the family you got,” Emma said. “They’re the family you chose—you’ve always loved them more.”
“Come on—”
“Don’t bother denying it,” she said. “It’s okay, Tristan; it’s not like we had much opportunity to become very close over the years. You were much older and jumping between Mom’s place and your dad’s… Plus, there was your boarding school. I’ve always been curious as to why you were sent to boarding school in the first place?”
“I thought it might be fun,” I shrugged.
“Wait, it was your idea to go?”
“Yes.”
“You were six,” Emma said, in disbelief. “You voluntarily wanted to head off to boarding school?”
“Even at six I knew a bad divorce when I saw one,” I said. “And I knew I wanted to be as far away from it as I could.”
“Hmm…interesting,” she said, looking at me carefully.
“Oh boy,” I sighed. “What keen psychological evaluation have you made of me now?”
