“Thanks for sharing,” Dylan said. “I feel so much closer to you now.”
I looked back at my son. “You are the son of a midwife, Dyllie. You know more about the female anatomy than most women.”
“Such a gift,” he said, grinning.
And so we sat there, Brad’s betrayal swimming beneath us like a great white shark. When the timer dinged for the bread, I went into the kitchen, pulled out the round loaf and inhaled the rosemary I’d topped it with, then served up the stew in the big, heavy multicolored bowls we had. Once again, I added a little bodily fluid to Brad’s portion.
Then we ate together. It seemed so normal. Brad asked about the football coach at the University of Montana, and Dylan answered. I asked Dylan when he wanted to drive to Hyannis to get his college stuff. Brad said he’d like to take Dylan to Martha’s Vineyard for a day （was that where she lived?）。 I said I’d like a day of ocean kayaking, going from Boat Meadow in Eastham all the way to Coast Guard Beach through the tidal rivers.
Dylan amiably agreed to everything, blissfully unaware that these family meals were numbered. Brad had me over a barrel, didn’t he? He knew I didn’t want to ruin what time we had left. Knew I wanted to give my son this last beautiful summer before college.
The bastard.
CHAPTER 3
Lillie
We need to talk,” Brad said a week or so after graduation.
Fortunately, since that first dinner together after graduation, I’d been asked to cover a couple of overnight shifts at the hospital. It was so hard to feign normalcy when Dylan was around, and when he wasn’t, I was tight with rage. Brad and I hadn’t been alone in the house since the morning after graduation.
But tonight, Dylan was out, and Brad cornered me on the porch. “Let’s part ways amicably,” he continued. “If we go to a mediator, things will move faster.”
Part ways? These fucking euphemisms. “I think we should try counseling,” I said.
“It’s too late for that.”
“I meant counseling for how to ‘part ways amicably.’？” I made air quotes. “I’m sure Jorge can help us.” It was a knife between his ribs, and he took the bait.
“We don’t need Jorge. We have me. I’m much more experienced than he is.”
“I wonder why Netflix didn’t call you, then.”
His fair skin flushed. Bull’s-eye. “Can we be adults about this?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one pretending to be a hipster twentysomething. You’re the one who broke our vows. Who’s breaking our family without regard for anyone else.”
“There were many beautiful things about our marriage,” he said. “And I thank you for them. But I’m just not happy anymore, and I deserve to be happy.”
“What about my happiness?”
“That’s up to you. I can’t give that to you.”
“But your mistress can give it to you?”
“Life is a journey,” he said. “Cliché, but true. And our journeys are simply taking different paths now. I feel so much joy at the idea of a fresh start, and I’m sorry you don’t, but you will, Lillie. You’ll have joy again, too.”
Oh, the condescending ass. “Stop using that word. You sound like an idiot.” I swallowed as he took a sip of his malbec. “Seriously, Brad. Be normal for one minute. Don’t you care that you’re breaking my heart?”
“Of course I care,” Brad said. “But honestly, this has nothing to do with you. It’s about my journey.”
“How can you say that? This is our marriage. You never said you were unhappy! You never mentioned anything being wrong. We were happy.”
“You didn’t sense my deep discontent?”
“I did not, because you weren’t deeply discontented. And if you were, it’s normal to go through those times. Our son is leaving for college. Of course we’ve had other things on our minds. You’re taking our family and tossing it in the trash. Our whole future. Have you thought about this? All the things you’ll miss? Christmas? Family dinners?”
“I never really felt welcomed by your family, honestly.”
“Because they saw you for the superficial asshole you are, probably. I’m the only one stupid enough to have loved you.”
“So much hostility,” he chided. “These things happen. It’s no one’s fault.”
“No, Brad, it is your fault! You said nothing about the deep discontentment. You’ve been seeing another woman behind my back. You’ve cheated on me and lied to me, you’ve been gaslighting me, and I have done absolutely nothing wrong!”