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“We’ve got some things to say. Thank you for joining us,” I say.
Neither of them speak. They sit next to each other awkwardly, but they’re both giving me their full attention, which is a little surprising, I must admit. As much as I’d love to make them suffer and drag this out, there’s nothing I want more than to get as far away from the two of them as I possibly can.
“We’ll make this short and sweet,” I continue on. “The two of us don’t want anything to do with either one of you. We haven’t for years now, but the last year has really opened our eyes to how manipulative and horrible you really are.”
“Excuse me?” Clare glares at me.
“Let her finish. It’s the least you can do,” Mitch says sternly.
“I’m going to start with you, Spencer. This whole hating your kids for not following in your footsteps is getting old. It’s a little dramatic, don’t you think? Neither one of us want to be anything like you.”
Spencer’s eyes widen at my words, but he doesn’t say anything.
“And you,” I say, turning my attention to Claire. “You’re the worst of the worst. At least he ignores us. He doesn’t meddle in our lives. He doesn’t force us to get a fucking abortion,” I say quietly, through gritted teeth.
The shock that comes over her face is almost a prize in itself.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She huffs, straightening in her chair.
I pull out Mal’s journal, flip to the page I’ve bookmarked, reading a couple of sentences out loud.
“That’s enough. I get it,” Claire hisses.
“I thought all of that was swept under the rug?” Spencer says, glaring at Claire.
“It was. It is. I didn’t know the girl kept a journal,” she says, livid.
“That girl was your daughter,” Mitch says, his voice rising.
“We’re not here for apologies, because let’s be real, neither one of you knows how to do that, and neither one of you are sorry for anything. I’m here because I need to close the door on this chapter of my life, and you’re the only two people standing in my way,” I say.
Mitch grabs my hand under the table and gives it a small squeeze. This is the hard part, but I’m feeling more confident than when I walked in.
I pull the folded-up note from the journal, and my eyes are already filled with tears just looking at the page.
Dear Mom and Dad,
It doesn’t really feel right to call you that, because those are titles that the two of you never really deserved. Unfortunately, you’re the only two parents I’ve got, and I’m not sure why I was dealt such a shitty card in life. Me, Marley, and Mitch deserved so much more than what we got from you. We deserved the type of parents that would give us unconditional love. The type that shows up for your events. The ones that actually care about your well-being. We’re still lucky, though, because we had each other. Marley and Mitch are the two best people I know, and that’s no thanks to you. I know they will do great things in life because they aren’t anything like either one of you. The only thing I can thank either one of you for is the fact that you gave me my brother and sister, and they mean more to me than anything in this world. I hope the two of you have the life you deserve.
Mallory.
I wipe my eyes and Mitch puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezing.
“You two are some of the worst human beings I’ve ever encountered. You’ve ruined countless lives, but you won’t be ruining ours anymore. This is us letting you know that we want nothing to do with either one of you ever again. As far as we’re concerned, you’re dead to us,” Mitch says, before standing up from the table.
I toss Mal’s note down in front of Claire. Neither one of them are showing any remorse, more embarrassment than anything. That only makes me feel better about this whole situation.
We walk out of the restaurant, leaving the two of them alone at the table. All they have left is each other now if they choose to, of course.
The ride home is silent. I think the two of us are still trying to process what just happened. When we pull into the driveway, Mitch puts his car in park and turns to look at me.
“You did great in there, Mar. Mallory would be so proud of you,” he says.
I wipe a tear from my eye and smile sadly.
“You did great, too. I’m so fucking glad that’s over.” I laugh.
“Me too,” he says, opening the car door.
