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“So when did the affair end?”
“When Victor found out about it,” she says with a reflective look on her face. “He was rummaging through an old cedar chest one day and found a series of cards and letters from Ray. That was the day the whole world changed for all of us.”
“How long had they been seeing each other?” I ask, amazed to be having this conversation with Mom.
“For years.” She sighs. “I think that’s what hurt Victor so bad. Some of the cards and letters were from well before the boys were born, which made it all the worse. Silvia wanted to prove that the boys were his, but he didn’t allow them be tested. I don’t think he wanted to take that chance.”
“I can’t believe you all stayed married through something so traumatic,” I reply in amazement. “I don’t think I could’ve done it.”
“We all focused on you kids,” she says with a faint smile. “I hope you never have to make that kind of a choice.”
“Me too.” I rise up from my chair, lean over and give her a firm hug. “Thank you for being so selfless.”
Her eyes flutter as if there could possibly be a tear trapped somewhere inside. “I told him he could leave when you went off to school. Silvia was already divorced and I knew he would be happier back in New York.”
“Really? And he didn’t go?” I sit back down and pull my chair right up next to hers.
“No. He knew I wasn’t feeling well, so he wanted to stay and make sure I was okay,” she says with just a slight crackle in her voice. “A couple months later, I was diagnosed.”
“I see.” I place my hand on top of hers, stroking it gently. “I’m glad he stayed for you. I would have been so worried if you were here alone.”
“I told him that I could go live with my sister and brother in-law. They have a spare bedroom on the main floor.” She glances out the window after seeing some movement. “Okay, straighten up. He’s coming back in.”
I stand up and pull my chair back to the other side of the table, before excusing myself to the bathroom. I need a moment to myself before seeing him. I’m so glad she told me those things; otherwise I probably would’ve hated him forever. Maybe he is a decent man after all.
“Come and eat Amanda, it’s getting cold,” he yells from the kitchen after a couple minutes have past.
I have to laugh when I walk back into the room to find a steak on a plate, along with a fork and a sharp knife. It’s definitely a man’s idea of a meal. Seeing my reaction, Mom teases him. “She probably would’ve liked a vegetable or at least a potato with it.” She narrows her eyes at Dad.
“I’m sorry, I’m still not the best cook. How about a slice of bread and some pickles,” he says with a laugh. “Pickles are packed with vitamins.”
“That will be fine.” I have to smile as he makes his way to the fridge and searches for the pickles.
“They are right in front of you, Ray,” Mom scoffs. “Right there on the left.”
“Damn guy vision.” Dad shakes his head and sets the pickles on the table. “It’s tough to get old.”
“You did the same damn thing when you were twenty-five,” Mom chides, giving him a crossways grin. “It seems to me that testosterone must be horrible for your eyesight.”
A smile creeps across my face as I listen to the banter between two of them. I can hear Trey and myself having a conversation like this someday. I wonder how things are going for him? I hope Tyler is doing better.
Trey
Walking into Tyler’s room, I am greeted by the rhythmic sound of a ventilator as well as the beeping and chirping of a machine that is monitoring all of his vitals in real-time. A blood pressure cuff begins to inflate and the machine does another series of beeps before his current blood pressure is displayed. Ninety-six over fifty eight displays on the screen. Wow, that seems pretty low.
I glance over at Vanessa who is sitting back in a chair with her eyes closed. I’m sure she hasn’t slept a wink all night, but she still looks good. I take a chair on the other side of Tyler’s bed and close my eyes as well. We have nothing but time to kill, so there is no reason to wake her.
“When did you get here?” she asks shortly after I nod off.
“Just a few minutes ago, I didn’t want to wake you.” I stand up to give her a hug.
“Your cologne drifted over and did that for you,” she teases. “Do you believe this shit?” she asks turning back toward Tyler.
