AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You make it sound like I wanted you to fail.”
Didn’t you? I don’t say that though. As contentious as things have been, in light of our victory, I’m no longer certain that Mother had set us up to fail. Unlike me, she’s been aware of Liz’s skills from day one.
“Regardless, I think I satisfied the terms of our deal,” I say. I hesitate, then suck it up and say, “And you were right. Kind of.”
Dead silence.
“I’ve been… slacking… at the bank. I think there’s a chance I could like working there. If it were more like this past weekend, I mean. And if I got to work with Liz. Believe it or not, I’m actually quite charming in a crisis.”
“Of course you are. You’re a Westing,” Mother snaps.
My brow furrows at the tone of her voice. She sounds… emotional? No, it has to be the wind on the tarmac. Or maybe she’s drunk. I check my watch. It’s 2 pm, so not entirely out of the question.
“What’s the matter?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says quickly. She sniffs, composes herself. “Actually, no. There is something.”
But whatever it is, she doesn’t continue.
“Uh, what?” I ask. Weird doesn’t begin to describe the way Mother is acting. It’s like there’s something she wants to tell me but isn’t. And Mother has never, once in our entire history, been hesitant to speak her mind.
When Mother speaks, all emotion has left her voice; it’s as cold and final as a watery grave.
“It’s this relationship with Liz. You have to break up with her.”
I snort. “Yeah, no. Sorry.”
“Sorry is what you will be once she figures out why you’re really with her,” Mother says.
“And why am I really with her?” I ask indignantly.
“Please. Were you really going to accept living out on the street when that deal didn’t come through?” she asks. “You saw the opportunity to woe some lonely executive and snag a spot in her single bedroom. And I’ll bet she fell for it completely too. Poor little rich boy, cut off by his evil mother. God knows what you told her about me.”
My mouth works in fury. “That is absolutely not the reason we got together,” I hiss. “What the hell do you think you know about me? Believe it or not, I’m perfectly capable of being independent. I wouldn’t have used Liz for her apartment. Not in a million years!”
“I’m sure you think that,” she says. “But I’d give it a week before you were knocking at her door. And she would have welcomed you with open arms.”
I wipe my face with a hand. “What is the point of this, Mother? I did what you wanted, and you’re just as pissed off with me as you were before. Are you just incapable of being happy?”
“Of course not! I’m just looking out for you. You’re coming back into the fold. You don’t need to be with her any longer. So break up with her and get it over with now. Trust me. It’s the kinder thing to do.”
“We aren’t going to break up,” I say. “What we have is real.”
“My god, Rhett. Are you actually being serious?” Mother laughs. “Okay, let’s pretend this is real, that you’ve convinced yourself you’re really ready to settle down.
“What happens when you get back to the city? Huh? The bank isn’t an exciting job, Rhett. Once you’re back in an office pushing around numbers ninety percent of the time, you’re going to be just as miserable as before. And Liz doesn’t have the time, nor the desire, to be partying it up seven nights a week. I mean, come on. Look at the differences between the two of you. She’s too boring for you. You’re too irresponsible for her. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, and if neither of you are aware of this it’s only because you’re too lust-blind to see it.”
I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to stop the cascade of angry words that threaten to pour out of me. When the feeling finally abates, I say stiffly, “I’ll see you once we’re back next week.” Then I hang up.
I feel weak, frustrated and utterly drained. I glance back at the jet.
At this point, Mother’s criticisms should wash over me and recede, as constant and meaningless as the tide. But something inside me still gives her words power. Is it that never-ending, completely irrational desire for her approval?
Or is it because instinctively I’m afraid there might be some truth there. What will Liz and I look like together in New York? And how long can I keep this enthusiasm for the bank going?
I shake my head, pocket my phone, and head back toward the plane. Questions for New York, if they even end up arising. I can’t let her get into my head.
Even though she’s been there all along.
