Page 46 of Forgettable in Every Way

“I’m not a child,” Penelope spewed. “I get it.”

“I hope you do. Goodbye, Penelope.”

“Bye, Jack,” she barely whispered above the noise of the construction. “Mommy loves you.”

Jack said nothing, only clung tighter to Simon.

Simon realized that Penelope never said, “I love you.” It was always in third person. It was as if she were living outside the story and avoiding the intimacy that comes with it. More than ever, Simon wanted a woman who would live in the story with him and his son. Someone like Jules, who didn’t live behind the fortress of her ego.

“Daddy, we have to help Princess Jewel remember you,” Jack said as soon as they were outside in the bright sunshine.

“We will, mate. I promise.”

Simon always kept his promises to his son, and this one would be no exception. He would do everything he could to become the man Jules fell in love with all those years ago.

Jules

I TIPTOED INTO THE KITCHEN Wednesday morning, hoping to alleviate the tightly strung tension in the air. My parents sat at opposite ends of the kitchen table, reading the morning news on their tablets and sipping coffee. It was a display of ignoring someone at its finest. From talking to my dad, I knew he loved my mom despite how hard their marriage had been. And I don’t think my mom was the type of woman to stick around if she didn’t love my dad. I also knew it wasn’t my job to fix their relationship, but I thought maybe they needed a push in the right direction.

“Good morning,” I chipperly sang. Although I was going through my own crisis. Well, maybe crisis was overly dramatic. It’s just, for the last few days while helping Stella and Calista with wedding preparations, my mind had been constantly thinking about Simon and what my decision would be. All the while, Simon was texting me morning, noon, and night, reminding me why I had so easily fallen in love with him. Loving him wasn’t the problem. I think I just wanted to be sure I loved myself enough before braving a relationship with Simon. So if he forgot about me again, I wouldn’t lose myself.

“Good morning,” both my parents mumbled back. Dad’s stammer was a little worse in the mornings, but at least he was saying words and acknowledging me. More importantly, he wasn’t hiding away in his den or bedroom.

Mom looked up from her tablet and weirdly grinned at my attire, which consisted of swim shorts and a tankini top that showed off my midriff. Not to mention the scrapes I’d gained from my ill-fated joyride over the weekend. Her smile was better than the remorseful looks she’d been giving me the past several days. “Are you still planning on kayaking over to the island today?” she asked. She’d been trying to take more interest in my life. It was weird, but nice.

“That’s the plan.” I cautiously approached the table with another plan in mind. “I thought maybe you could both come with me. We can take the canoe instead. I can do all the paddling.” I was hoping to do something fun with my parents. It had been forever since we’d been on an outing together. More than anything, I wanted them to know me. And ... maybe I was hoping to play Dr. Phil and help nudge their relationship in the right direction.

“We can’t,” Mom said at lightning speed.

Dad dropped his tablet, his brow crinkling.

“Why not?” I questioned. “I won’t pretend like I know anything about marriage, but it’s not uncommon for older couples to drift apart once their children are out of the house. I just read an article suggesting ways to reconnect. A big part of that is creating new routines and investing in your relationship. I know things aren’t turning out like either of you hoped, but do you really want to lose everything you have? Forty years is a long time to invest in someone. Are you really going to walk away from that?” I begged to know.

Mom and Dad stared at me with mouths agape. I’m sure it was weird for them. I was the quiet daughter.

“We’ll g-g-g-o-o-o,” Dad said.

“We can’t,” Mom reiterated.

Dad stared hard at Mom. “Why?” he demanded to know. “I want t-t-to t-t-try.”

Mom lowered her tablet, her hands shaking. “You do?” She sounded like it was the shock of her life.

“Yes, b-b-but I want things to be d-d-different.”

“Me too,” Mom whispered. “We should talk. Alone.” She gave me a meaningful glance.

“I can take a hint.” I smiled, happy they were at least going to talk, even if it meant me being alone with nature. Maybe I would take Winston. I was sure there was a life jacket for him in the garage. “Just let me grab some snacks and my water bottle and I’ll get out of your hair.”

The doorbell chimed.

“Will you get that?” Mom asked.

“Sure.” I nodded.

“Paul, let’s go out on the deck.” Mom popped up nervously.

Funny how when Simon wasn’t around, it was called the deck and not the veranda. She hustled over to Dad, helping him up. I guess she was in a hurry to talk. This couldn’t be easy for either of them. I would be apprehensive too.

---