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“Generational sin? What the hell, Hadley! We gave you the world!”
Dad quietly says, “No, Celeste, we didn’t. We gave her exactly what we wanted to give her. She’s right. She showed us time and time again what she needed from us and we didn’t give her that.”
Mom scoffs. “Childish. That’s what it is. And Trotter? Running around pretending to be in love with a man just to embarrass the family?!”
“Pretend?” I ask, my eyes wide. “He’s not pretending anything, Mom. He and Logan are in love and that has nothing to do with you or anyone else. He followed his heart, why can’t any of you accept that? Who is he hurting?”
“Us. He’s hurting all of us!”
“Celeste,” my dad says in a hard voice. “Enough.”
“Robert…”
“I said enough!” he says angrily. “You know damn good and well Trotter isn’t harming a soul and isn’t an embarrassment to anyone, including his parents. They might have been shocked and surprised at first, but they’ve come to adore Logan. I daresay they’re proud of Trotter for finally being himself. Our daughter is being honest with us right now. I think both of us can respect her enough to actually listen, don’t you?”
In a completely uncharacteristic move, my mom sits back in her chair, frowning. Mom doesn’t frown. It will cause wrinkles. It’s also why she rarely smiles. Or has any expression on her face.
I lean my elbows on the table, which Mom glares at me for, and I tell them, “It’s not that I’m ungrateful for the opportunities I had growing up. But those opportunities are also why I missed out on so much of what a child needs to grow and thrive. Maybe it’s because, like you said, you were raised by nannies and to believe there isn’t much more to life than the almighty dollar and what it can give you. But I’m here to tell you there is so much more out there.”
“This isn’t how it was supposed to go,” Mom says.
“And how did you expect today to go? That you’d walk in here and whisk me away?”
Dad looks a little sheepish so I know I’m right.
“Listen, I might not be living the life you chose for me but I am living the life I chose for myself. I’m not doing drugs or murdering people. I’m not a bank robber or committing any other crimes. I’m a good person. Trotter’s a good person. Your granddaughter is agoodperson. She works hard, is making genuine friends, is well-loved by her dad and me, and is thriving as a happy and healthy fifteen-year-old.”
“Honey,” Mom says, a term of endearment I’ve never heard from her when addressing me unless in public, “she’s missing out on so much, though.”
“What is it you think she’s missing out on?”
When neither Mom nor Dad say anything, I know their only answer would be materialistic.
The door jingles to announce someone coming in and I wince when I see it’s Aunt Dorothy.
Her face hardens immediately when she takes the three of us in.
“Can’t say that I’m surprised to see you two here.”
“Aunt Dorothy. Looking well,” Dad says, standing up to greet her.
“Robert. You trying to convince Hadley to leave this dump and come back to you to live a life of misery?”
I press my lips together and hear Cash and his brothers chuckle.
My mom sighs heavily. “Always the charmer, Dorothy.”
Aunt Dorothy smiles wide. “Aren’t I, though? And imagine, I got it all from being away from the succubus that is the family.”
I choke on a laugh. “Uhh, Dorothy, I don’t think that’s the word you intended to use.”
“Sure it is,” she says with a firm nod.
“A demon entity in folklore in female form that seduces men through sexual activity in their dreams,” one of Cash’s brother’s says, holding his phone in front of him. “I paraphrased. Pardon the interruption folks. Carry on.”
She makes an eek face, stretching out her lips. “Oh, dear. No, that’s not what I meant.” She thinks for a moment and adds, “Though, I suppose it could apply somehow.”
“I think we got a little off topic,” Dad murmurs. “Hadley, you were right that we were hoping you’d come home. I can’t say that I’m pleased to see that you’re planning to stay here. Brooklyn’s education is important to us and we know she’ll get the best of the best back home.”
