“And it doesn’t bother you?” she asked, incredulous.
“Wes and Hannah are adults. They can make their own decisions.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Just fine!” my mother yelled. “Take his side.”
My father held up his hands. “I’m not taking sides.”
“Yes, you are!” She shook her head. “I guess I’m the only person in this family who cares about Abby’s well-being and our good name.” Pulling another tissue from the box, she marched out of the kitchen. A moment later, I heard her feet on the stairs.
My dad came to the table and sat down. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes. “But I just made a really big mess.”
“Life’s full of messes. They can be cleaned up.”
“I don’t know. This one is pretty big, Dad.” I rubbed a hand over my jaw and dropped it into my lap. “You knew about me and Hannah?”
“You didn’t hide it very well, if that’s what you were trying to do. I could see it happening pretty easily.”
“Do you think it’s wrong?” I held my breath.
He sighed. “I don’t think it’s wrong, Wes. But I can’t take a side. My marriage hasn’t lasted nearly forty years for nothing.”
“I get it,” I said grimly.
“You and your mother are going to have to work this out.”
I leaned on the table. “Why is she so against this? Why doesn’t she want us to be happy?”
“Oh, I think she does. In the long run,
Wes, that’s all any parent wants for their child. But it’s hard not to think we know what’s best for them, even when they’re grown.”
“I love her. How can that be wrong?”
“Some people will see it that way. Others won’t.”
“So what should I do?”
“Give your mother some time. That’s my advice. Let her get used to the idea.”
“You think she could?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? But I do think the two of you could both take a little time to see things from each other’s perspective.”
“Yeah.” I slumped back again. “Maybe. But what if she doesn’t come around? What happens then?”
“I guess you’ll have to decide what it’s worth to be with Hannah. And Wes…” He waited until I looked him in the eye. “It could be worth everything.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
He got up from the table and went back to his Sunday paper in the other room, and I sat there feeling miserable and guilty. I knew he’d essentially just told me that he wouldn’t blame me if I chose Hannah over my mother, even if it tore my family apart, but I still felt like shit. It would be like my mother had lost both sons. Depending on how Hannah felt, it might mean they couldn’t see Abby anymore. And speaking of Hannah, I needed to break the news to her that my parents knew about us, and my mother, as expected, wasn’t happy about it, to say the least.
Fuck. I rubbed my face with both hands.
How had this day, which had started so brilliantly, gone so horribly wrong?
I went up to my room, shut the door, and lay back on my bed. With my hands behind my head, I stared at the ceiling and tried to do what my father had said—consider things from my mother’s perspective. But I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried, it all came down to one thing—we made each other happy. Why should we have to care what anyone else thought?