Page 47 of Seasoned
She missed their lovemaking, but she also missed him. God, how she missed him. In all their years together, she’d never slept apart from Hector. Even when they were angry with each other, they shared the same bed. She never sent him to sleep on the couch, and he never went to sleep in another bedroom. Maybe it was habit, or maybe just the comfort of knowing that no matter what happened, even when they were mad, they’d still lie side by side. They were still husband and wife.
Arguments, cold shoulders, and a separation disrupted the harmony in their marriage. The divorce made the changes final. She’d be sleeping alone for the foreseeable future.
Adelaide crossed her arms and forced her thoughts into the present. “I’m a bit concerned about Danny leaving school. He doesn’t have to do that if we’re helping him.”
“I don’t like it, either, but you should be glad that he’s being so responsible.”
“He’s still a baby,” Adelaide murmured.
“Our baby is about to have a baby.”
Adelaide frowned. “Why are you so hard on him?”
“Why are you so easy on him? He’s nineteen, not nine. It’s time he learns to be responsible and understand that Mommy and Daddy are not always going to be here to help him. What better time to learn that than when he’s about to have a child himself? Danny has never had to be responsible for anything.”
“That’s not true.”
“Karen and Junior had part-time jobs and summer jobs while in high school, and they both worked while in college. Danny had a summer job mowing lawns and quit because it was too hard. He’s lazy.”
Adelaide faced him fully. “He is not lazy. It’s just that we provided everything for him.”
“We?” Hector chuckled softly and gazed across at the street at the neighbor’s house.
“What are you trying to say?”
His dark eyes slid back to her. “You provide for all of his needs and indulge all of his whims.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m a bad mother?” Adelaide whispered, aghast.
“Of course not. You’re a terrific mother. But you’ve gotta give our kid a chance to grow up. Let him breathe.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. He was belittling her one accomplishment—being a mother. “Excuse me for wanting our kid to be okay. He’s not like Karen and Junior. Different children require different rearing, even if they’re in the same family. I’m sorry if my parenting skills are not up to your standards.”
Hector muttered a curse and ran his fingers through his hair, a sure sign of his frustration. She could always tell if he had a good day or bad day at work by the condition of his hair when he walked through the door.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” Hector said wearily.
“I don’t want to fight with you either,” Adelaide snapped, not sounding at all sincere.
Tightening her arms around her torso, she refused to look at him. Being around him for the first time in months had her…itching for something. A fight, or something else, she wasn’t sure. There were so many things she wanted to say—to yell at him. She wasn’t sure what those words would be exactly, but it was a long list if she ever put it all together.
“What’s going on with the lawn?” Hector asked.
Surprised by the change in topic, Adelaide’s gaze swept the front of the house. “Sam moved away. I received recommendations from two of the neighbors, but when I called, the guys said they can’t take on any more customers.” She shrugged.
“How long has Sam been gone?”
“Almost a month.”
She avoided looking at him, like before the divorce. Classical conflict avoidance. Avoid looking. Avoid talking. Avoid touching.
Adelaide rubbed the back of her neck. She was ready for him to leave, yet she couldn’t walk away because she wanted him to stay. She was a mess.
“Danny hasn’t offered to cut the lawn for you?” Her eyes finally met Hector’s pensive gaze. Hector believed a man should work, and he had worked since the age of fourteen.
“He just got back from school.” She shot him a look that warned he should drop the subject. Of course he didn’t pay attention.
“This is what I’m talking about,” he said, gesturing with his hand. “He’s here, he’s not working, our son can absolutely help you with the lawn, at the very least.”
