The Joneses (17 page)

I
t'd been two days, and I hadn't spoken to either one of my parents. It wasn't because they hadn't tried to reach out to me; it was because I've been avoiding them.

I was torn about what to do, and Hope hadn't been any help. She was too caught up in her emotions. I didn't understand why she couldn't just forget about that no-good Tyler.

My business line rang. “Mahogany's, how may I help you?” I answered.

“It's a shame I have to call you on your business line to talk to you.” The sound of my father's voice caught me by surprise.

“Dad, I was just about to call you,” I lied.

“Sure you were. What are you doing for lunch? I have a few hours. Maybe you, me, and Hope can get together with your mom.”

“Dad, I need to talk to you, but can it just be the two of us?” I asked.

“Sure, Baby Girl. What's wrong?” he asked.

“I'd rather not discuss it over the phone. Why don't you come over? I'll make something.”

“I'll be there around one.”

We ended our conversation. Hope was gone, and I hoped she remained out for a few more hours. I went through the cabinets, found some spiral pasta, and made a seafood pasta salad and two sandwiches.

I'd just gotten everything fixed when the doorbell rang. I greeted my dad with a hug and kiss.

We chatted about getting our money back, but I could see the pain in his eyes when he brought it up. “Just because we got our money back, it doesn't mean you girls can go back to shopping like crazy. I will let you go on one wild shopping spree but that's it.”

“Dad, cool, but you know what? These last six months have taught me to be more grateful and yes, spend less. Now, I'm not turning down the shopping spree because a sister still loves to shop. But, I promise to be more responsible going forward.”

“That's my girl.” He gave me a high five.

I removed the empty dishes from the kitchen table and placed them in the dishwasher. “Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about.”

“I'm all ears,” he responded.

“I was talking to Tyler.”

“You need to stay away from him.”

I crossed my arms and sat back at the table across from him. “You don't have to worry about that. He's the last person I want to see.”

A concerned look swept across his face. “Is Hope with Tyler now?”

“Nope. They broke up two nights ago.”

“After the dinner?”

“Yep. Right after we went to his place and confronted him about being a two timing jerk.”

“Say what?”

I informed him of how Tyler tried to play the both of us. His eyes squinted in anger. His nose flared.

“Dad, and that's not all. He shared with us that you and his mom had an affair.”

He looked away in shame.

“So, it's true.”

In a low voice, he responded, “Yes.”

“How could you?” I was on the brink of crying, but held back the tears.

“Let me explain. It's not what you think.”

I hopped from the table and rushed to my room. I acted like a little girl instead of the grown woman that I was. Everything I'd believed my father to be was shattered with his one-word response, “yes.”

He followed me. “Please, Charity, listen to me.”

“I don't want to hear it.” The tears fell. I couldn't stop them.

He placed his arms around me. I beat him on the chest. He held me tighter. “Get it out. That's it baby, get it out.”

I pulled myself together. I wiped my face with a tissue and sat on my bed. He pulled up a chair and sat down in front of me.

Sniffling, I said, “If I can't trust you, what man can I trust?”

“Your words cut me here.” He pointed to his heart. “I hate you had to find out like this.”

“I wish I didn't know at all.”

“Tyler's bitter. He feels I took away his mom, so he wants me to lose the three most important women of my life: You, Hope, and Lexi.”

“I'm going to be honest with you. All of this has been a lot to digest. I thought you and Mom had a good relationship.”

“We do, but things haven't always been like they are now. We've had our issues, but I wouldn't trade your mom in for anyone else. She's my rock.”

“If she's your rock, why did you have an affair with this woman?”

“I was young, and wanted it all. No excuse. Lexi and I were having problems. Ruth Ann took me away from those problems.”

“How long did this affair go on?” By now, my tears were drying up.

“A few years, until one day I realized that what I was doing wasn't fair to Lexi or Ruth Ann. I cared about Ruth Ann, but I love your mother.”

“How did this Ruth Ann feel about your decision?”

“She cussed me out, but then begged me to continue the affair. She said she would do anything just to have me in her life.”

Curious, I asked, “You weren't tempted to continue the affair?”

“Of course, but Lexi was getting to be more demanding at home. I had to be a man, and be the man my dad taught me to be.”

“Does Mom know about this?” I asked.

“No, she doesn't.” He looked at floor.

I caught a glimpse of Hope standing in the doorway. I wasn't sure how long she'd been there. My dad's eyes followed my glaze.

“Don't stop talking on my account,” I said, when I'd gotten busted for eavesdropping.

My dad looked up at me. “I was explaining the situation with Tyler's mom to Charity.”

“I heard.” I remained standing in the doorway.

“There's no excuse for what I did. There are not too many things I've done in my life that I regret, but I do regret the affair I had with Ruth Ann.”

“And you should.” I leaned on the wall near the door.

Charity asked, “My question for you now is, how do you plan to make this right?”

“I recommitted myself to Lexi. I spent the last twenty-something years of my life making sure that my family had the best of everything. I'm the man I should have been all along.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “But everything's been based on a lie. You were in love with one woman, but married to another.”

He turned around in his chair. “I've loved Lexi from the first day I saw her. I wasn't in love with Ruth Ann. I cared for her, but that was just it.”

“I don't understand you men. It's just easy for you to use a woman, and then spit her out when you've used her all up.” I was really talking more about Tyler than him.

“I made a mistake. Please forgive me.” I could see the pain in his eyes.

Charity said, “I'm going to need some time.”

“Me, too,” I responded.

“If you girls don't forgive me, then he's won. Tyler's main goal was to cause me to lose you.”

“You should have thought about that before cheating on mom.” I frowned.

He looked at Charity. “Charity, tell me you understand.”

Charity looked away.

He looked at me. “Hope, come on. I'm still the same man you both grew up loving.”

Charity said, “Dad, I think it's best that you leave.”

I moved from in front of the door. “We'll call you, if and when we're ready to talk.”

“Please, don't let him win,” he pled.

He attempted to hug me, but I moved out of the way. I watched him walk down the hall slouched over.

“Charity, maybe we were too hard on him.” I felt guilty.

“What just happened here is nothing compared to what's going to happen if Mom finds out,” she responded.

“Should we tell her?” I asked. I sat down in the chair my dad abandoned.

“It's not our place to tell her.”

“But, if you knew a man was cheating on me, I would want to know.”

“This is different. The affair was over twenty years ago. It's not like he's still messing with the woman.”

I thought about it. “True, but still. He shouldn't have done it, and it pisses me off that he did.”

“As upset as I am with him right now, I'm not going to tell Mom,” Charity said.

“She's been calling me. She says it's time for a girls' day out.”

“I've been avoiding her calls,” Charity confessed.

“So what do you suggest we do?” I asked.

“Nothing. Let Dad deal with this. This is his problem.”

“Then why do I feel guilty for not telling Mom what I know?” I closed my eyes and leaned back.

“It's your choice. I'm choosing to not say anything,” Charity responded.

I left Charity alone and went to my bedroom. I pulled out my diary and wrote an entry; something I hadn't done in a while. My hand flew to my stomach. I rushed out of my room, bumping into Charity. “Excuse me.” I kept on to my destination, the toilet.

I felt 100 percent better afterward. I washed up and went back to my room. I snatched my diary out of Charity's hand. “This is personal property.”

“I didn't know you still kept a diary.”

“It's a lot you don't know about me.”

Charity looped her arm with mine. “We need to remedy that. We seem to always be in competition with one another. That shouldn't be the way it is.”

“I can't help it. I've always had to compete for Mom's and Dad's attention.”

“Please. They dote on you. I'm the one who has to do extra just to get attention.”

My cell phone beeped. It was a text message from our mom. “Mom wants to go to the spa tomorrow.”

“I have to check my schedule. I'm running a business now, so I can't just go off on these unscheduled escapades anymore.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. You're Ms. Business Woman now.”

Charity left my room. I sent my mom a quick text message to confirm.

While texting her, Tyler called. “What do you want?” I yelled.

“I need to see you.”

“I think we've said all that needs to be said,” I responded.

“Hope, I miss you.”

With those few words I felt my heart tug. “Where?”

“Meet me at my place.”

Charity came back in my room. “I can't tomorrow. I have a meeting with a new customer.”

I stared at the phone, tuning Charity out.

Charity asked, “Hope, are you even listening to me?”

“Sorry. I was thinking about something.” I fumbled through my purse for my keys. “Charity, I'll talk to you later. I need to run somewhere real quick.”

I knew it wasn't a good idea, but I went to meet Tyler.

I
sat at the light, minding my own business, when Hope's car pulled up beside me. I blew my horn to get her attention, but she didn't look my way. I dialed her number.

“Look to your left,” I said, as soon as she answered.

She glanced in my direction. I rolled down my window and waved. She rolled her window down. “I didn't see you over there.”

“I know. You look like a woman on a mission. Where are you headed?”

“To meet a friend.”

The light changed, and people behind us blew their horn.

“I'll talk to you later.” I rolled up my window, and we pulled away from the light.

Curious, I decided to follow Hope. She drove straight to her boyfriend's apartment. I didn't stop. I kept driving past the apartment complex. It was something about her boyfriend I didn't like. I headed to see Charity.

Charity greeted me at the door. “Come on in. I was in my room printing out brochures.”

“How's business?” I asked, while following her to her room.

“It's going good. Business is steady.”

“That's a good thing. I'm proud of you.”

“Aww, that means a lot coming from you.” Charity blushed.

I shifted the vacant chair and took a seat. “You know I'm not one
to beat around the bush. What's up with this Tyler guy? I see Hope is spending a lot of time with him.”

“Not anymore. Not after we discovered he was two-timing the both of us.”

My mouth flew open. “Say what?”

Charity removed the printed brochures from the bin. “I don't know if you noticed my reaction to Tyler. The reason why I was shocked is because we had been seeing each other for months.”

“I told her he was no good. I know how we are. His actions showed he didn't care for her.”

“We don't have to worry about that anymore. She's no longer seeing him.”

“Unless she knows someone else who lives in his apartment complex, that's where she is now.”

Charity picked up her phone. “I'm calling her.”

I glanced over the brochure while Charity made the phone call.

Charity said, “She's not answering.”

“She's stubborn. She knows the deal, so if she gets back involved with him it's on her.” I placed the brochure in Charity's hand.

“That's just the half of it.” Charity walked toward the door. “You might need a drink for this one.”

Less than ten minutes later, we were both seated in the living room. I popped off the top of a bottle of Corona and drank it.

“Dad had an affair,” Charity blurted.

I spit out some of my drink. “Say what?”

“Right before you were born, Dad had an affair with Tyler's mom.”

I sat the bottle down on the nearby table. “You got to be kidding me.”

Charity crossed her legs under her. “I wish I was. Dad confirmed it when we called him out on it.”

Both of my hands flew up to my forehead. “This can't be happening.”
Should I tell Charity about Mom's affair with Jason? Looks like all of their skeletons were falling out of the closet.

“I'm so disappointed in Dad. I always thought he and Mom were the perfect couple,” Charity said.

“As much as we may not want to admit this, they are people just like we are. They had a life before us kids.”