“No.” His look silenced my next words. “So, what’s next, Bryce?”
“Excuse me, Sir?” It was my turn to frown. My insides were still churning from seeing Lexi. I didn’t want to have to go through something with my dad as well.
“I know you just got back. And you had a honorable discharge from the Marines. Which is great.” He smiled, briefly. “I had half worried that you would be a deserter or something and I don’t know how I would have explained that.”
“Thanks, dad.” My voice was mocking.
“But thank God you didn’t embarrass me or your mother.” He continued on as if I hadn’t spoken. “Now, let’s see. You can always enroll at Notre Dame if you want.”
“I’m not sure what I want to do next.” My voice was low. I needed to find out certain things and to fix things before I thought about what was next in my life.
“You could study political science and then go to law school.” He tapped his pen against a pad. “Then you can run for State Senator a few years into practicing law.”
My body clenched at his words. He had no real care as to what I wanted to do. He only cared about his own political ambitions.
“What do you think, son?” He looked at me then and I saw myself reflected in his face. I saw who I was going to become and it made me feel ashamed. My dad was tall, with dark blond hair and big, wide, clear blue eyes that made you think that everything was okay. And he had an air about him that made you think that he cared; he made you feel like you were the only person in the world and he was going to make everything in your life alright.
As he smiled at me with his big, wide, white smile, I was once again taken aback by how sincere he seemed. The only thing was that, after twenty-three years of living with him, I knew the truth.
He was an egomaniac, who didn’t care who he hurt. My mother and I were just part of the package that went along with being the Mayor. We were the loose ends that made him seem even more perfect. Everyone in Jonesville thought that my dad was the bee’s knees, the perfect, loving, caring family man and that he could do no wrong. I knew better. He was a golden boy, just as much as I was.
“I’ll think about it,” I smiled, to keep the peace; I didn’t want him to know my real plans.
“Great. Now run along to the kitchen and go help your mother.”
“Yes, sir.” I stood up. “Shall I tell her you won’t be joining us for dinner?”
He looked at me briefly and checked his watch. “Yes. I’m afraid I have a late dinner meeting.”
“Uh huh.” I walked out of the door and into the kitchen where my mother was slaving over lasagna.
“Hey, mom.” I walked in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Bryce, my dear,” she beamed at me and continued stirring a pot of something that smelled delicious. “I’m just cooking dinner.”
“I can’t wait. It smells great.” I sat in a chair. “Oh, dad can’t make it for dinner tonight.”
“Oh.” She looked up with pained eyes. “But it was to be our first family dinner since you’ve been home.” She turned away and picked up a glass and gulped. “He should be here.”
“He has business, mom.” I paused. “You know how hard a job it is to run Jonesville.” I faked a laugh and my mom smiled at me with clenched teeth. We both knew I was lying. We both knew my dad wasn’t going to work. He was going to spend the night with one of his lady friends.
I think I had been fifteen when I finally realized that my dad wasn’t the perfect loving husband I had always thought him to be. I wasn’t sure how long my mother had known that her husband was a philanderer and a cheat. We had never spoken about it. But I knew she knew. How could she not? Her husband barely spent a night in their bed. Women called the house all the time.
He’d even had one of them at the house. Not because he wanted to get caught, but because my mom had taken me to visit my grandma for a few weeks one summer and we had decided to come home early. The woman had been in the house, cooking breakfast for my dad, in his shirt. I had heard my parents shouting, but they never said anything to me about it. It was this big, dark secret in the family that everyone knew about but never spoke about.
I wanted to tell my mother to leave my dad. But I knew she wouldn’t. She wasn’t strong enough and it was like she lied to herself. Some days, I wondered if she had convinced herself that all the cheating was a figment of her imagination.
“Well then, it will be you and me,” she beamed at me. “Dinner with my favorite son doesn’t sound too bad.”
“I’m your only son, mom,” I laughed.
“Then that makes it even better,” she laughed back, only cringeing slightly when we heard the front door slam. “So, are you looking forward to your party this weekend?”
“Not particularly,” I answered, honestly.
“But you’ll get to see all your old friends again.”
“Not all of them,” I said, my voice low.
“Oh, I’m sorry, dear.” She looked at me with pained eyes. “I’m sure Eddie is looking down on you.”
“Yeah,” I frowned, annoyed I had brought it up. “But it will be good to see the old crew.”
“It will be fun to have all your old friends back in the house,” she smiled. “I’ll have to come up with a list of foods to prepare.”
“Oh mom,” I laughed. “Are you trying to be Mrs. Cleaver again?”
“Only if you’ll be my beaver.” She threw a dishcloth at me and laughed.
“I’ll always be your beaver, mom,” I laughed and stared at my mom.
“I need a new Ward though,” my mom mumbled under her breath and I looked at her in surprise. Had I heard her correctly?
“What did you just say, mom?”
“Oh nothing, son.” She smiled at me. “And before I forget, two girls called for you. A Mary and Suzannah.”
“Thanks.” I sighed and my mom laughed.
“They sure don’t waste any time do they?”
“Who?”
“The women of Jonesville, of course,” she laughed and stared at me. “You’re just as handsome as your father, if not more so, so I’m not surprised.”
“Mom, you’re just saying that.” I blushed and stared at her properly. She was still as petite and beautiful as ever, but I could see that she looked older now and had frown lines and creases all over her face. Her hair was platinum blonde and perfectly coiffed, and her blue eyes had lost a little of their sparkle, but she was still my beautiful mom. I felt my heart swell with love. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if I didn’t have her in my life.