Bill paused briefly and the refrigerator door stood open. He finally finished pulling out the pitcher of what Byron assumed was iced tea, then he set it on the table and grabbed two glasses and a bag of chips and some artichoke dip.
He sat down and looked at Byron for several long seconds before he spoke. “Are you sure you should keep bringing up the past and dwelling on it? I would think it’s time you started looking forward instead of backward,” he finally said before pouring their tea and leaning back. “I’ve been told that it’s no damn good to drive when you’re staring in the rearview mirror.”
“I need to know why he did it. Did my mother hold something over him? Why else would he stay with her when she was so awful, and when she despised him?”
“Even though your mother truly was a cold hearted bitch. She turned into that. It wasn’t something she started as. I think life shapes you into the person you become, but it is still a choice how you choose to treat others,” Bill said with a sigh. “Your father certainly wasn’t a saint, either, Byron. It’s something I haven’t wanted to tell you, but he made several wrong turns himself. But is that important? I don’t see how any of this can help you.”
“My father was beaten down, and she was the one who did it,” Byron replied. “Of course he wasn’t a saint. He allowed it.”
“He’s the one who started it,” Bill said with a long sigh.
“Wait! What are you talking about? Start from the beginning, dammit.”
“Don’t use that tone on me, young man,” Bill warned him.
“I’m sorry, Bill. But please, just tell me the truth.”
“Your mom and dad met when they were young. She had high aspirations in life, wanting to have a career, a family, and a lot of money. But then your father walked in the door. The man you knew was nothing like the young man he used to be. He was full of life, full of confidence — a lot like Tyler, actually. He was good-looking and he knew it, but he was the life of the party with no chips on his shoulder like the ones you and Blake have worn for so long.”
“That’s not fair. I have reasons for having those chips,” Byron said in self-defense.
“I’m not saying you don’t. I’m just saying that your father was a cocky, fun-loving son of a bitch at one time, and he enjoyed the ladies, lots and lots of ladies.” Bill snorted in disgust.
Byron prodded him. “But then he met my mother…”
“He met her at a party,” Bill said. “She was there with some friends, a chance meeting, but your father was immediately attracted to her. When he wasn’t able to…um…bed her that first night, his fascination grew. He chased her. She knew about your father and his reputation. Girls talk too, and she wanted nothing to do with him. That made your father chase her all the harder.”
“I honestly can’t picture my father as a ‘lady-killer.’ He was just such a weak guy when I was a child.”
“You reap what you sow, boy.” Bill took a drink before continuing. “It took him months, and by the time your mother agreed to go out with him, he was completely infatuated with her.
“They dated for a few months, and she eventually fell head over heels in love. You see, at one time she actually did believe in love and romance and what a lot of people call happily-ever-afters. That ended about a year into their marriage,” Bill said with a sad shake of his head.
“Why?”
“Because as soon as your father had her toeing the line, he went back to his wild ways. Of course, he kept it hidden from her until after the wedding. He needed to have a beautiful wife to produce beautiful children, but he didn’t want to give up his extracurricular activities. Almost as soon as they returned from the honeymoon, she found him with her best friend in her own bed.”
“Ouch. That had to hurt.” Though Byron used those words, he felt zero sympathy for what his mother might have been feeling.
“Yeah, it did. And your dad didn’t even promise to never do it again. He said she could shut up and give him the kids he wanted, and in turn, he would give her the lifestyle she wanted. She was already pregnant with Blake, and she knew to leave him would mean a life of poverty and hardships trying to raise the child. You see, your father assured her he’d disown the kid and leave her with nothing. She’d signed an airtight prenup,” Bill said.
“How do you know all of this?” Byron asked.
“I’ve been around a long time, Byron,” Bill told him.
“Go on.”
“After she had Blake, she changed. Her strength — if you want to call it that — increased, and she gave back to your father what he’d been giving to her. She slept with every guy she could find, and she grew colder and colder. She pulled away from you and Blake. And…” Bill stopped himself.
“What?” Byron demanded.
“There’s more to it with Tyler, but I won’t share his secrets,” Bill said with another sad shake of his head.
“I need to know!”
Bill ignored that, but he continued with his story. “Your father had a minor stroke. Maybe drugs, maybe fate — I don’t know — but it changed him. He was no longer such a devil-may-care guy. He’d met his own mortality and he begged your mother to forgive him. It was her turn to tell him to shut up and do what he was told. That’s the man you knew, the man who appeared to be so beaten down.”
“Whipped,” Byron said.
“In a way he was, but they equally killed their love for each other. Now I’m not saying what your mother did in the end was acceptable. Far from it. I’m just saying that when two people set out to destroy each other, there’s going to be a very unhappy ending.”
Byron sat back in stunned silence. This sort of thing didn’t happen in real life, did it? Not really. How could these two people who had given him life be so monstrous? How could he ever trust love? Hell, how could he ever trust himself? He didn’t think he could.
“I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong,” Bill insisted. “Just because your parents made mistakes doesn’t mean that everyone is evil — women or men. If you have a chance at love, grab it and don’t make the mistakes your parents made.”
“It doesn’t sound like anyone really knows what love is,” Byron said slowly. “Unless you count Foreigner.”
“I loved my wife completely, from the first day I met her until the day she died. No. That’s not even true. I still love her now and it’s been a few years since I’ve gotten to hold Vivian in my arms. She was my everything. And because I had her, my life was a much better place to be.”