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“Richard Faust. Of course I do. How are you?” I said.
“Your father tells me you’ve grown into a hell of a defense attorney. How long are you in town for?”
“I’m here for good, sir. Why? Is there something wrong?”
“I would like to talk to you about something later, yes, but not now. Tonight, we’re celebrating your success.”
“Then I look forward to celebrating with you before I take your money,” I said, grinning.
The three of us shared a nice laugh before Richard patted my father’s back. I heard my mother laughing incessantly and shot my father a look. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, then took my arm and ushered me into the main room. I was bombarded with people who wanted to talk with me, all of them picking my brain about “hypothetical scenarios” and how I might handle them.
They were essentially interviewing me, so I stayed on my toes.
While fielding their questions and making the women giggle like schoolgirls, I heard my father bickering with my mother in the kitchen. Even though it was their party and their home, the last thing I needed was them making asses out of themselves. I kept everyone occupied and their ears trained my way, but I could see some eyes wandering toward the kitchen.
“Mr. and Mrs. Kumar! Gosh, it’s been a long time,” I said.
I intercepted them before they entered the kitchen, then guided them out onto the patio.
“How have you two been? I think the last time I saw you, we were all at the beach,” I said.
“Is everything okay with your mother?” Mr. Kumar asked.
“She looks a little sick. Should we be concerned?” his wife asked.
“Everything is fine.” Lowering my voice and inclining my head, I continued. “But between you and I?”
They leaned in close. This couple was always ready for a nice tidbit of gossip.
“I think they’re trying to, you know, spice things up? With their marriage?”
“Oh,” they said in unison.
“I mean, it’s weird for me to think about, but there’s a reason I haven’t dropped in on them much since I got back,” I said.
“You know, Mr. Kumar and I tried something like that a little while back.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think Tyler wants to hear about our love life,” he said.
“Sorry. But tell your parents if they want any ideas to give us a call. We know all too well how spicing things up can get out of control and cause issues. It’s hard to navigate, but well worth the ride. Mr. Kumar and I haven’t been happier.”
I internally cringed as the they started cuddling and kissing on one another. Yikes. I had read that situation a little too well. I left them making out on my parents’ porch and walked back inside, relief coursing through my veins.
“Tyler! There you are. Get over here and tell me how you’ve been.”
“Mrs. Hinglebottom, I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you doing?”
I embraced the old woman before we sat down on the couch. We talked and caught up. She told me about her newest granddaughter and how cute she was. And of course, with those stories came photos. I tried to engage as much as possible while still keeping an eye out for my parents. I had no idea where they had gone, and that worried me.
Mom was already drunk and she had already pissed off Dad, but their outbursts wouldn’t be the first time they had ruined a party in my presence. In fact, it was kind of a staple for the rich wives of the area to see what kind of shenanigans my mother could get herself into before gossiping about it later. I’d overheard my fair share of stories from the kids at school. The way their mothers all talked about my mother, the drunk, was sickening.
Part of me knew that most of these people were here at the party to witness what my mother would do next. The least I could do was snag a couple clients before I had to put out the fire.
“How’s your mother doing, sweetheart?”
“I’m sure she’s doing fine. Why do you ask?”
“If I may be so blunt, she kind of has a problem with the drink.”
I kept my smirk at bay as I put my hand on Mrs. Hinglebottom’s knee.
“Between you and me, we’ve done all we can for her. I know she has a problem, and so does my father. But she doesn’t want the help. She’s happy the way she is, and she won’t change unless she wants to. I hope one day she does, but we can only control her so much.”
“You’re a good man, Tyler. I still regret not trying to marry my daughter off to you.”
“I’m sure she’s happy with Franklin,” I said.
“They’re the happiest. So, I suppose that is a good thing. He’s a bit of a wimp, though. She definitely wears the pants in that marriage.”
