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“Uh… I’m not sure. Probably not. No, definitely not.” I wasn’t one to stumble on my words, but with this line of questioning, I was truly at a loss. Never had a little white lie come in so handy.
“What kind of answer is that?” Steve demanded.
I started losing my patience. “Look, it’s still new, okay? Give me some time. Maybe I’ll tell you if you hit a hole in one, Steve.”
“Pfft, we’ll be waiting till we’re dead, then,” Mike said.
Thankfully, the discussion turned back to golf, and they were off my case.
For now.
– – –
We played all eighteen holes, then headed to the club lounge for a boozy lunch. Mike, Steve, and Randy noticed a mutual friend, so they wandered over to chat with him at his table on the other side of the lounge, leaving me alone with David.
“I’m happy for you, Nathaniel,” he said, taking a swig of his beer. “Really, you deserve to be with someone special. I can’t remember the last time you were serious about someone.”
I hoped I could steer this conversation away to a different topic, but he was so sincere and kind. “Thanks, David. That means a lot to me.”
She means a lot to me.
Your daughter.
David sighed, setting down his beer. “I have to admit, I miss the single life sometimes. Things between me and Colleen… they’re just not what they used to be. It’s rockier than ever.”
I had sensed that things were strained between the two of them. In the past, David had confided in me when they were going through rough patches, and he had been there for me during the toughest time in my life. I felt a responsibility to listen and give him support.
“You two have been together for such a long time. You’re bound to have some stretches that feel off, right? Of course, I wouldn't really know from experience, but it seems even the best marriages can go through phases.” I wasn’t sure if I really believed David’s marriage was among the “best,” but that was another discussion entirely.
“Sure,” he nodded, rotating his beer glass in quarter turns. “We’ve had our ups and downs, raised three daughters to become confident young women, traveled and built a life together. But I’ve felt more and more lonely over the years. We don’t seem to have the same priorities. She wants to go out with her friends, or splash out at the luxury spa, get facials and Botox and spend all her time on preserving her looks. Which I can understand, I guess. There’s a lot of pressure on women to look young forever; I get it. It’s just that I’m so focused on work and making a comfortable living for my family, and she’s out there spending and spending, not to mention partying like she’s twenty-five. Sometimes, I think her daughters are more mature than she is.” David took a deep breath, his eyes drifting away to gaze out at the golf course. “We haven’t shared a bed in ten months, now. That’s been hard, too.”
When he first started talking, I had felt that I was in an uncomfortable position, hearing how David’s gripes about his marriage to Colleen were worse than I had realized. Yet now that he confided in me about their sex life being nonexistent, my own concerns were replaced only with sympathy for my old friend. The state of his marriage was rapidly deteriorating, and I wished that I could help him in some way.
The best way to do that was to listen and offer my support.
“That must be really difficult, David. I hope you know I’m always here for you if you need someone to talk to. Have you two… thought about counseling?”
He shrugged. “I guess that’s the next step. Hey, Nathaniel, thank you for listening. Your friendship means the world to me.”
I nodded, feeling that familiar knot forming in my stomach again.
The rest of the guys made their way back to our table just then and took their seats again. My serious discussion with David was replaced by loud chatter and business talk once more. David slipped effortlessly back into the rhythm of surface-level conversations, and I could tell he was glad to have the distraction.
Zoning out while the rest of them joked and chuckled, I took a long sip of my beer, and my thoughts turned to Amelia. Hearing all the intimate details of David and Colleen’s marriage was a sticky spot for me to be in, but it dawned on me that all this would be even more painful for Amelia to hear. Did she have any idea just how bad things had become between her folks?
I wasn’t sure if I should tell her anything or keep quiet. Where did my loyalties lie? With Amelia, or with my closest, oldest friend?
Chapter 21
Amelia
Ababy.
I had been taken by surprise–blindsided, really–and the shock was powerful. Yet the more I thought about it, the more I noticed new feelings of warmth and excitement bubbling up inside me. I couldn’t deny that I felt a tenderness at the thought of having Nathaniel’s baby.
Except, I was terrified of what it would mean for my father, and for my whole family. All night, I swung between extremes of elation and devastation. My sisters comforted me, giving me the space I needed to cry and worry, but remaining steadfast in their support. The emotional turbulence had me reeling, and I was grateful they were there with me to process the news.
After a complicated, tearful night, I finally calmed down. Melinda stayed over and we all slept in after having stayed up to such a late hour. It was Friday, but Melinda had the day off, Larissa canceled her personal training clients, and I called in sick to work. Both my sisters told me they’d hang out as long as I wanted them to. Trudy had left early for a family event, so the three of us had the apartment to ourselves.
