Page 43 of The Wife Deception
The last time I changed my number, I was in college. "But that's not 'imprisoned', is it? You were just stranded."
"The hotel would not let us leave until we paid!" She took out a tissue from her suit jacket and blew her nose. "I was treated like a criminal for a full twenty-four hours!"
"So, how did you get back?"
"Sally called her daughter, and she hired a plane to bring us back. I want that man to pay for putting me through such hell. And now no one is talking to me because they think I was behind it all. I mean me! A Hawthorne! The audacity! If anything, I'm the bigger victim. I invested the most money and Craig pretended to bemyboyfriend."
Technically, her other friend Trudy was the one worse off since it sounded from mother's story that Trudy had invested half of her retirement savings. "And what's more, Sally gave me notice. She doesn't want me to stay at the Park Avenue apartment any more. I'm homeless! She gave some pretext of a mold infestation, but I know it's all bollocks."
That sucks. "What about father's place?"
Mother folded her Kleenex and thrust it back into her pocket. She sniffed. "You sold it, remember?" Her tone was accusatory. She had tried all she could to hold on to the place, but in the end it had to go.
I called Kelly and asked if the sale of the apartment had gone through yet. He said yes. I ended the call and turned back to my mother, looking as contrite as I could. "I'm sorry. But you knowIdidn't do it. It was part of the trust. If you should blame anyone..." her frosty glare stopped me dead.
"Your mother's homeless. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"
"You can go to my place at Martha's Vineyard."
"Another state! You know my life is here. My friends!"
Her friends who didn't want to talk to her because she had aided them in getting scammed. "Fine. I'll book you a hotel stay."
"I can abide the food."
I wondered if she was actually Levi's mother and not Ivy, Raine, and mine. They both were picky even when it came to the best of the best that money could provide.
"You can always eat out." I was trying to look for a way to avoid what I was sure was an oncoming train.
"I can't. I am too distressed to live alone." She sniffed again. "Can I stay with you instead?"
24
Aire
Dinner was silent except for the clinking of silverware on plates. Nolan and I sat opposite each other while his mother occupied the middle chair on the left side of the table. I had tried to spark some dinner conversation to make this situation less awkward, but my attempts landed like a thud. Nolan was acting like everything was fine, while his mother was looking at me with suspicious eyes. I was sure she didn't like me. Her reply to my greeting was curt. Nolan had told me his mother would be staying with us and to take all of my clothes out of my room and put them in his. Jacqueline hadcome with so much luggage, I wondered if she was staying with us forever.
And now she was acting like I was an intruder in her home. She had already made the place feel as if she owned it. As soon as she arrived, she put Magnus to work, creating a different menu for the week from the one he had made. The one Nolan specifically instructed was to be followed to the tee. When Magnus protested, she said, 'that's how Nolan would like it.' Magnus has glanced at me helplessly. I chose not to participate in that discourse and had retreated to my studio until it was time to eat.
When I came to the dining room, Jacqueline had rearranged the furniture, and had reduced the table to a smaller size, something I didn't know was possible. She probably put Magnus to the task of redecorating. The poor man looked exhausted when he bid me goodbye. Nolan's eyes twitched when he saw the menu change, but he said nothing and ate his food in silence. Isn't this the same man who had thrown a fit for eating his Tuesday sandwich? Magnus had also plated the food, something he rarely did which I presumed Nolan did not like.
Magnus served me half my usual amount of food, but I did not protest. I had a suspicion he was following Jacqueline's instructions. I finished eating in record time, but still felt hungry. I got up, intending to go to the kitchen to get seconds,when Jacqueline cleared her throat. I ignored her at first, but when I was at the threshold of the kitchen and the dining room, she cleared her throat again.
"Anything the matter?" I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders whilst cutting her meat. "It's just bad manners, that's all; you shouldn't get up before everyone else is done."
I had never heard of such a rule, but I didn't want to argue with her on that front. "I'm going in for seconds."
She frowned. Glanced at Nolan, who looked like he was pretending not to listen, then she said, "Are you sure you're still hungry?"
"I haven't eaten the whole day, so..."
She glanced at Nolan again, as though she wanted him to say something. Nolan was checked out. I went to fill my plate with more food. Her eyes were on my plate as I ate, and if I wasn't hungry, I might have had a hard time swallowing under her judging gaze.
"What's wrong with your mom?" I asked Nolan when we were alone in his bedroom. I was trying to avoid the giant bedroom that took up a lot of space, not just in the room, but in my head. Last time I was here, I had behaved like a nymphomaniac and I couldn't stop thinking about that night. Buying an inflatable mattress and sleeping in the studio would have been agreat idea, but sleeping arrangements escaped my mind until now.
"She can be a bit weird, but don't worry, she won't be here for long. She was kicked out of her apartment by her friend because the friend thinks she was working with the person who scammed them."
