Page 9 of Everything We Thought Was True
Teresa hesitated, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. If she took the ride home, Frank might come back and worry that she wasn't here. But Frank had abandoned her. Anger rose within her.
She turned to Mrs. Lieber. “That would be great, thanks. Frank got caught up with something and won’t be heading home until much later.”
How quickly and easily the lie had sprung from her mouth. It shocked her. Yet she had a strange premonition this would be the first of many lies she would have to tell about her marriage.
Teresa followed the Liebers to their car, hoping this wouldn’t be how the night ended. She kept her eye out for Frank coming up from the dock. Nothing. She climbed into the back seat, feeling like she was moving in slow motion. As the car pulled out of the Drifters’ parking lot and the pool became smaller in the distance, she realized Frank had bailed on her, leaving her alone and ruining their night out. She sat back against the seat, silently crying, sobs racking her body, but not letting a single wail out—just as she’d hidden the truth of Frank’s abandonment from the Liebers.
Fifteen minutes later, Teresa thanked them for the ride and made her way up the long flights of stairs, stopping to wipe the mascara smeared under her eyes. She dreaded facing her mother-in-law. It was hard enough to hide her despair from acquaintances. Now she had to figure out what to say to Eva.
She entered the apartment quietly and saw Eva sitting at the kitchen table. Teresa gave her a half-hearted smile. “Anthony okay?”
“Yes, yes, he’s fine. He was a good boy,” Eva said in her singsong Italian accent. She stared at Teresa, who felt like she was under a microscope. Eva looked past Teresa. “Frank parking the car?”
“No.” Teresa took in a deep breath and exhaled raggedly. “He... we got separated at the boat club. I got a ride home with some friends.”
Eva pursed her lips. “He didn’t drive you home?”
Teresa shook her head, not trusting herself to speak for fear that the tears would start again.
Eva got up and gently touched Teresa’s arm. “Do you know where he is?”
Teresa shook her head again, feeling like a puppet with only one motion.
“Va bene,” Eva said, squeezing Teresa’s arm.
Teresa resisted the urge to lean, like a sinuous, arching cat, into the warmth of Eva’s touch. She didn’t want to alarm her mother-in-law by crying in her arms. Eva gave another squeeze and then released her.
Eva gathered her purse and started walking to the door. “He’ll be home soon. Try not to worry.”
“I know,” Teresa croaked, not feeling confident at all in that knowledge.
Eva hesitated. “You know if you ever need me, Teresa, for anything, I’ll be there. For you. Andfor Anthony.” Eva pointed her finger, emphasizing each phrase. Teresa watched it move back and forth, as if in a trance.
“Thank you,” Teresa whispered.
Eva put her hand on the doorknob, looked back at Teresa, gave a curt nod, and left.
Teresa lay in bed for over an hour, unable to sleep. She heard the apartment door open and looked at the bedside clock. It read11:36. The sound of Frank washing up in the bathroom drifted toward her. She felt him cautiously climb into bed.
Teresa turned over and faced him. “You're finally home.”
“You're awake?” Frank asked, sitting upright, startled.
Teresa sat up also, supporting herself with her elbows. “I couldn't find you, Frank. You just disappeared. I had to get a ride home from the Liebers.” Her voice trembled.
“I know. I’m sorry. I took the boat out for a spin with Henry, and we lost track of time.”
“Henry?” Teresa asked, surprised. “I figured he went home with Joanie. I looked for the two of them when I couldn’t find you, and they were both gone.”
“No, Joanie left earlier. So I had to give him a ride home after we got back to the club. That’s why I’m later than I thought I’d be. Sorry.”
Teresa's voice caught. “Why didn't you tell me you were going?”
“I thought it would be a quick spin, but we wound up stopping at City Island. He’d never docked there before with the boat, and I wanted to show it to him. I didn’t think we’d be so late.”
“Oh...” Teresa said, a bit confused. She should have been relieved Frank was with Henry, especially compared to the farfetched scenarios she’d been concocting with her imagination on overdrive. Yet an uneasy feeling still nagged at her.
“You can’t do that—just disappear,” she whispered.
