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Speaking of wine, after I dropped my vibrating phone in my tote, I picked up mine and took a huge slug.
Then I took a breath and got myself together.
After I accomplished that, I apologized. “I’m sorry. This isn’t about me. It’s about you. God, Dad. I’m just…” I swallowed. “So,sosorry.”
“I have something uncomfortable to tell you,” Dad admitted.
Something uncomfortable?
Like, more uncomfortable than my mom has been cheating on him withUncle Adamfor most of my life?
Fabulous.
“Okay,” I replied.
“It’ll be hard to hear.”
Damn.
“Okay,” I repeated.
“I’m relieved,” he declared.
Even though, at the heart of it, this wasn’t a shock, still…I stared at him in shock.
“I’ve thought a long time, and when I say that, Elsa, I mean for months, about whether or not to share that with you. I hate the idea of you thinking there was no love in your parents’ marriage. But now that it’s at an end, I hope knowing that I’m actually grateful to have the opportunity to move on might help you.”
“Is there someone else for you?”
“No. I’ve always been faithful to your mother. But I’ll admit, at times, it’s been difficult.”
I bet it had.
“Did you know about her and Uncle Adam?”
He shook his head. “Aunt Naomi found out about the affair and kicked him out a couple of days before Oskar and Anoushka came for that visit when you brought Hale to the house. Naomi told me. Your mother and I were talking, trying to decide if we should remain together, trying to see if there was still something there, or if we should split.”
Ah, so this was why the atmosphere was particularly caustic that night.
Dad continued, “I think now it was mostly she was hedging her bets, seeing if Adam wanted her, because she didn’t re-enter the workforce when you kids were old enough to look out for yourselves, so she got herself in a situation where she needs to rely on a partner. I’m not saying that to badmouth her. Although I encouraged her to go back to work and was concerned when she didn’t because she didn’t seem to have anything else in her life but you kids, it’s her life and her decision. I’ll give her a settlement that’ll keep her comfortable, though she’ll probably have to find some other income, or manage that settlement carefully, if she wants to continue with her current spending habits.”
I sucked back another glug of wine, finishing it off, because the server was there with my next.
I handed her the spent glass, nabbed the new one and took a glug of that too.
“Is this upsetting you?” he asked. “Unduly?” he went on, since the question he asked was already answered with my recent actions.
“No. You know Mom and I have never really bonded. But yes, that lengthy of a betrayal is hard to wrap my head around. Not to mention, I loved Uncle Adam and I’m shocked and hurt he would do this to you. To us.”
“Oddly, that’s the part that’s hardest to take. Losing my best friend.”
I could imagine.
“I take it Adam wants her,” I noted.
He nodded.
“Motherfucker,” I said under my breath, feeling for Aunt Naomi too, because she was a sweet lady, and no woman deserved that. Then I drank more wine.
