AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You threw wine on him?” I would have paid good money to see my mom stand up for me to that degree.
“Howard wasn’t pleased but there are some things a mother cannot stand by and watch.”
“What did Howard do?”
“He tried to shush me and pull me away.” A lightbulb seems to go off in her head. “In fact, he was pretty condescending about it, too.”
“You see what I’ve been saying?” I don’t want to beat her over the head with the truth about her husband, but I also don’t want to let this opportunity pass me by.
But before I can continue, she says, “When your dad left, I felt like I was nothing. Like I didn’t have anything any other man would ever want.”
I know how devastated she was, and I don’t want to hurt her, but I have to tell her what I know. “Dad once told me that being married to you was like being married to a robot.”
Her posture deflates to the point where she looks like she’s going to slip off her chair. “That’s horrible.”
I quickly explain, “He felt like you could do everything and that he wasn’t needed.”
“When did he tell you that?”
“I was probably twenty-five or so.”
“Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” I want to put my arms around her and hug her, but first I say, “He said he tried, but you didn’t want to hear it. That you acted like you wanted to do everything. He said you were exhausted, but you wouldn’t take any help and it ultimately tore you apart.”
“But I was raised to think I could be everything,” she says. “My grandmother’s generation fought for women’s rights. They fought for us to be treated equally.”
“You’ve just made my point, Mom. They fought for equality, not for you to be the husbandandwife.”
She looks so lost and sad that I reach over and wrap my arms around her. I tell her, “I’m not saying these things to hurt you. I’m saying them because it’s time for you to let go and be on the receiving end for once.”
“I don’t think I would know how to do that,” she whispers.
“You’re sixty years old, Mom. It’s time to learn.”
“Maybe I should tell Howard I want to go on a vacation,” she suggests.
“Maybe you should tell him that you want to go on a vacationalone.Give him some time to appreciate everything you do for him.”
“Alone?” You’d think I just suggested she levitate to the moon. “Where would I go alone?”
“Where have you always wanted to go?” I ask.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to go to one of those spas where they pamper you. Massages every day, manicures, pedicures, the whole nine yards.”
“So go,” I tell her. “What’s stopping you?”
“Those places cost a fortune. Howard would think it’s a waste of money.”
“Is it a waste of money for you to belong to the country club so that he can golf every day?” I want to know.
God bless Margie, I see the very moment all parts of the equation finally fall into place for her. She stands up, straightens her dress, and declares, “I’m going home to plan my trip. I can make reservations for two if you want to come with me.”
A wave of pure happiness flows through me that she wants me along. But I know I can’t, at least right now. “If I go with you, who will run the store?”
“We’ll close it while we’re away.”
While I would surprisingly love to get to know the new self-aware version of my mother, I can’t. I tell her, “I need to hang out here in Elk Lake. I might be going on a dating show calledMidwestern Matchmaker, and I need to be available when they come back to town.”
I half-expect her to scold me for considering such a thing, but she surprises me by saying, “I love that show.”
