12
Lina
My mom calls me later in the afternoon while I’m scrubbing the bathroom for the third time. I want everything perfect and clean—including the toilets. I take off the gloves and answer my phone.
“Linny, how’s the bar renovation coming along?” she asks. She sounds nervous. She didn’t seem too excited for me to come back to Pepperhill in the first place.
“It’s fine, Mom, but everyone seems to hate me.” There’s a pause on her end. When she starts to change the subject, I stop her and tell her what Abe told me, about what he heard when he was smoking on the roof of his house.
She admits that she knew about Haley’s pregnancy. She’d been working as a nurse back then at the only doctor’s office in town. She’d heard from Haley’s doctor about the pregnancy. She tried to talk to Haley about it, but Haley refused and threatened to get her fired if she told anyone. But out of obligation because Haley was a minor, she had to tell the parents. Haley’s mom was horrified, but not surprised. Haley was wild and had a reputation. My mom was afraid that reputation would come back on me because we were best friends, and she was afraid I would start to get in trouble too because Haley was a bad influence. Because Haley was mad at my mom for going to her parents with her dilemma, she decided to turn on me in retribution. She told everyone that I had spread rumors about her getting pregnant by a teacher. She turned me into the gossiping bad guy and managed to turn everyone against me. No wonder everyone in this town hates me. All the business owners who took over their parents’ businesses are the people I went to school with. They think I’m a cruel monster.
After all of that, my mom and dad decided it would be best if my mom moved me to California for the duration of the school year. My dad couldn’t leave because of his business and they were too upside down on the house to sell it. So he stayed. Though they remained friends, the absence between them eventually ruined their marriage.
I don’t even know what to say. All of this because they were afraid for me. I know they were just trying to protect me, but that doesn’t stop me from being furious that they made that decision without telling me the details. Of course I wouldn’t have gone along with it. They ruined our family because they were afraid I was going to get bullied. That, I could have handled. Not having my parents together was devastating. Especially since I didn’t see my dad much before he died. That absence will always haunt me.
I tell my mom I love her and hang up the phone. I understand, and I know I will forgive her someday, but right now I need to focus on opening the bar.
Opening day. My heart is beating as fast as hummingbird wings and my stomach is in knots. I’m terrified that people won’t show up. It’s almost time. I go outside to open the doors, expecting to see one or two cars from the town drunks, but to my surprise there is a line wrapping around the building.
Madden and Abe are out front, chatting with everyone. “Ready to open these doors, boss?” Abe says.
Unable to speak, afraid I will cry from relief, I nod my head, stepping aside so people can come in. I can hear people say that they missed this place and some of them walk past me and tell me they were sorry when they heard about my dad’s passing, which I appreciate.
Everyone is saying such kind things and I think maybe this town is capable of moving on from the past. That is until I hear Haley’s shrill voice in the background somewhere in line.
“Lina is a joke. Are you really going to buy into this reformed good-girl act?” I make eye contact with her. She sneers at me. “Has everyone forgotten the rumors she spread against me? She told everyone how I got pregnant by a teacher. She tried to ruin my life. You’re a disease,” she says pointedly at me. “You ruin everything you touch.”
I start to tell her how it’s her fault my family was ripped apart, but Madden intervenes and tells her she’s a liar and everyone is sick of her shit.
“You’re just defending her because she’s your little fuck buddy.” People standing around us look uncomfortable taking in the scene, but they’re also intrigued enough to stay and listen. I guess I don’t have to worry about her chasing customers away. Small towns love their gossip. “But what you don’t get is that she’s using you just like she did all those years ago. Do you not see how she’s taking advantage of you? She moves to town and suddenly you’re at her beck and call.”