Mom screamed, “How dare you! You know you’re the father and how could you have already drawn up papers? How long have you been planning this? Why didn’t you talk to me sooner?”
“Six months or so. I was busy at work so I didn’t have time or the desire to talk to you. I already have another place to go to. I’m leaving.”
Mom cried as she whimpered, “What about Jason?”
Dad’s voice elevated and transformed to a harsh, condescending tone. “Why do you think I was so generous to give you the house? I didn’t want the little bastard in the first place. If I don’t ever have to see his ugly mug again, it was worth the generous offer I made you.”
Unable to hold back my own tears, I heard Mom’s angry toned reply come to my defense. “You bastard! He’s been nothing but a model son. How dare you talk about him that way. Get out. Now! I don’t want to ever see you again.”
“Fine by me, Bitch!” I heard the door slam before his car raced off. Closing my door, I trudged back to bed and had the worst night of sleep I could remember.
The next morning at breakfast Mom’s red eyes indicated she had the same night of unrest as I did.
When I was ready to leave, Mom tearfully wept, “Your father’s gone, Jason. He left us last night. He won’t be back.”
“I know, Mom. Your voices were loud enough for me to hear. What did I do to make him so mad? Did he leave you because of me? Would he return if I moved into Mrs. White’s house? She has plenty of extra bedrooms and I think she would let me stay there.”
It was clearly not the right thing to say. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her crying increased in intensity. She pulled me out of my chair, hugging me tightly. She kept rocking and swaying, clinging to me as if I were trying to escape.
“No, Honey. You had nothing to do with it. We haven’t been a loving couple for years. Those wild accusations were said to hurt me. You’re not going anywhere. I’ll find a job and we’ll pull through this together. I love you and won’t let anything come between us.”
“Thanks, Mom. It doesn’t seem right that he’s making all the decisions. Why don’t you get your own attorney? I’m sure you could do a lot better.”
“It’s possible, but I don’t want to drag this out. I’m relieved it’s over. We have enough for us to begin a new life.”
Mom had married straight out of high school and had never been employed. Knowing she didn’t possess any marketable skills, my confidence levels weren’t as high as hers. “I have my college savings. We can use those funds until you find a job,” I offered.
“Your school fund is for your use, not for something like this. I’ll start looking for work on Monday. Let me worry about our future. Now run along and go to your job. Mrs. White will wonder why you’re late.”
After several hours working in the garden, Mrs. White invited me in for lunch. Unable to hide my depressed state, she pried out the previous night’s episode. She looked dismayed and tried her best to console me.
When I was leaving, she remarked, “You and your mother are strong. I have no doubt there will be a positive outcome from your misfortune.”
wpDiscuz