Page 23 of Trick of Light

This was what it was like to be married to Nick, Bethany thought.

“Hi, Mom!” Phoebe called.

Tommy and Maddie flinched around to wave at their mother. Bethany’s throat swelled.

“It’s only half finished,” Tommy explained of the film.

“Want some popcorn?” Maddie asked.

Bethany smiled through tears. She hoped they didn’t notice.

“Take your time, my loves,” she said.

Amanda touched her shoulder, drawing her back into the kitchen. She poured Bethany a cup of tea and gestured for her to sit in the breakfast nook. Overhead was a framed photograph of the Waterstones thirty years ago when Nick looked identical to Tommy now. Bethany breathed over the tea steam to cool it.

Amanda was talking. But it took Bethany a few minutes to focus enough to hear what she said.

“And that’s the thing about men,” Amanda said, stirring more sugar into her tea. “They need to feel protected and supported. They need to feel that their work is important. They need to feel that their wives believe in them. Do you understand what I’m saying, Bethany?”

Bethany’s eyes were slits. Her head pounded. Strangely, she thought now of Rod’s mother, of how mesmerized she’d been with Bethany’s academic skills. “You’re going to go far, Bethany,” she’d said. “I hope Rod can keep up.”

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way,” Amanda said, “but he’s never felt that support. He never felt he could go the distance because his wife was taking care of things at home. And as his mother, it just eats me up inside.” She sipped her tea and smiled serenely. “If you really want to save your marriage, Bethany, won’t you consider giving something up? Motherhood is about sacrifice. It’s about finding your mission in life from within.”

Bethany gaped at her. Her stomach gurgled with a mix of guilt and rage. Before she could respond, however, a powerful voice called to her from the kitchen doorway.

“Good evening, Bethany.”

Dr. Bob Waterstone stood in a suit and tie, his hair greased and combed back behind his ears. Bethany remembered learning that Bob still liked to get dressed up every day despite being retired. It forced him to “engage with the world,” so Amanda said.

Bethany snapped to her feet. Something about Bob demanded that kind of attention. He looked at her as though he were a hunter and she was a doe. Her hands were in fists.

“Good evening, Bob,” Bethany said quietly.

Bob flinched. The way he looked at her now made Bethany understand just how much he genuinely hated her. Perhaps he always had. Since their wedding day. Since the day Nick brought her home to meet the parents.

“Can I see you upstairs for a moment?” Bob asked. “I’m sure it won’t take long.”

Bethany bowed her head and followed Bob up the winding staircase to the ominous office. She’d only been inside one other time, years ago when Nick had been offered a permanent position at Bob’s hospital, and they’d celebrated with very good scotch. Back then, Bethany had been tremendously pleased to have her own position, her own hospital. But now, she was all twisted up in their drama.

Bethany sat across from Bob and watched as he poured himself a glass of scotch. She refused one for herself. She didn’t want to pretend to be in Bob’s boy’s club. He would never allow her to be in it, anyway.

“I spoke to Nick on the phone today,” Bob said, arching a single brow.

Bethany made sure not to change the expression on her face. She didn’t want Bob to know she and Nick weren’t speaking.

She had a hunch that Bob was about to accuse her of giving Nick the wrong instructions. She braced herself.

“You know,” Bob began, his voice cracking, “I told him not to marry you. All those years ago.”

Bethany’s eyes widened with surprise. The immediacy of the attack was startling. She remained quiet, wondering if she could storm out of the office, collect her children, and leave. What was stopping her?

She supposed she still wanted to know if Nick’s mistake had been her fault.

“He always compared himself to you,” Bob said, tilting his head. “He always knew you were smarter than him. That you were destined for greater things. That doesn’t do anything good for a man’s opinion of himself. You can’t understand that, of course. I imagine you’re something of a—how do you call it—a psychopath?”

Bethany sputtered with laughter. She couldn’t help it. “I’m a psychopath because I had a dream, and I went after it?”

Bob’s eyes went black. “You’re certainly unfeeling to Nick’s condition.”

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