Page 77 of Contingently Yours
Why do I feel like I missed something? Are they talking about something else, or did I only think I said all that stuff about Lucas aloud?
“Myfault?” Dad exclaims, spinning around. “Oh my God, not this again.”
“Excuse me?” I chime in, wondering what the hell I missed.
Mom rises from the couch and paces in the opposite direction of Dad, making a guttural noise and waving a dismissive hand. “You’re just like your father. Nothing’s ever good enough for you.”
Just like Dad? I’m nothing like Dad. Everything is good enough for Dad. The man never complains about anything. “What are you talking about?”
“Onetime, Loretta,” Dad interrupts, giving her a pointed look. “It wasonetime,fortyyears ago.”
“I know how long ago it was! I was there!” Mom snaps, her hand balling into a fist at her side.
“Oh, for God’s sake.Now?Do we have to do this righthere?Rightnow?” Dad sighs, setting his drink on his desk and shoving a hand in his pocket.
“Apparently!” Mom squawks, extending her palm out toward me. “Our son has gone from a womanizer to…a…aman-izer!”
“What?” My confused retort is mirrored by my father. I glance between the two of them, feeling like I’m getting a case of whiplash. Rising, I hold up a hand, because clearly Mom is having a senior moment, or I fucking missed some hugeconnotation between how my being with a man has anything to do with my father. “Wait. What am I missing?”
“This has nothing to do with me,” Dad says under his breath, eyes still locked on Mom. “And did you hear him? He said he loves the man. Maybe he’s finally going to settle down. That’s what you’ve always wanted,”—he gestures to her as my brain tries to process what I’m hearing—“but listen to you. You’re still not happy. When will you ever let it go?”
Dad’s…got no complaints about this? And he’s standing up to Mom for once in his life. What is happening?
“Um…hello?” I pipe in, but they’re like staring contest champions.
“Withmy brother!My brother, ofallpeople!” Mom shrieks, stomping her foot like a debutante.
“Wait, what?” I am not fucking Uncle Lou. How in the hell did she get that from what I said?
“We were drunk!” Dad barks. “Itoldyou that.”
“You weren’t drunk thefirsttime!” Mom shoots back.
“That was before I even met you! I’ve told you this. It was just a fling.”
Bringing her balled fist up to her temple, Mom’s eyes pinch shut. “You kissed him at our wedding!”
Holy. Fuck.
“I was drunk!” Dad defends. “I didn’t even think he was going to show up, and he came back from the service. None of us had seen him for a long time. I was happy. It was stupid. I know that. I was just saying goodbye. He pushed me away, and I was glad he did. How many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry? You’re all I ever wanted. I’ve done everything I could to make it up to you for the last forty years.”
It feels like I just walked onto the set of a soap opera that used to be my boring parents’ life. “Youand…Uncle Lou?” I babble, hoping like hell someone will finally make this all make sense.
Dad looks at me then. It’s a look of guilt and shame. He groans and turns back to the window, swiping up his drink.
“Do you see?” Mom says, finally looking at me too as she gestures to Dad.
Dad lets out a snort and glances over his shoulder. “Yeah, do you see what I’ve been dealing with for forty years? Why I stressed to you to stop sowing so many wild oats because it might bite you in the ass someday?”
Mom growls, actually growls, and does that foot-stomping thing again. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”
Turning around, Dad goes full Rhett Butler on her, commenting dryly, “Why? It would have the same effect.”
I nearly gasp right along with Mom upon hearing that. Dad has never sassed her in his life. He just…takes it. Now at least I know why.
“How dare you!” Mom hisses all melodramatically, her face beet red.
Slamming his glass down, I watch Dad march over, closing the distance between them. I am completely slack-jawed, uncertain what to do as he cups her face in both his hands. They’ve never gotten physical before. What he does next is a new one, too. He kisses her long and hard until she comes up panting and gasping for air with a little whimper.
