Page 48 of Everything We Thought Was True
“Yes, it is. Enough is enough, Frank. You aren’t fooling anyone anymore. Your own daughter knows what’s going on—a thirteen-year-old.”
Frank turned frantically to Lena, who looked like she was trying to make herself disappear. Anthony stopped eating, his face in shock, trying to register what was happening.
Teresa then heard herself say the words she should have had the courage to say years ago. “Get out, Frank. Get out of this house now.”
Anthony jolted upright and cried, “What do you mean, get out?”
“I mean, I want your father to leave,” Teresa said calmly.
Frank didn’t budge or move a muscle. “Teresa, please stop. Let’s talk about this later. Alone.” He was trying to talk his way out of this, the way he always did.
Stay strong. You need to do this. For yourself and for the kids.Anthony would be heartbroken, but the best thing for him wasn’t for her to continue this charade. And Lena knew exactly what was going on. Teresa wouldn’t force her daughter to live a lie any longer.
“No, Frank. No more talking. We’ve lived with this secret long enough. I’m not doing this anymore. I’m done.”
She hurled the entire serving bowl across the table. She watched it crack against the wall, spilling the precious food she’d taken so much time to prepare, the bowl now in pieces, ruined. She didn’t care. It was inconsequential. Leftover debris from her failed marriage.
Teresa glared at Frank, who looked defeated, sinking back in his chair. She clenched her jaw. He was the one who’d broken his promise not to begin another affair. He was the one who should leave. But he just sat there while she blew up in front of their kids, throwing plates. And as he did, she felt an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. She couldn’t stand another minute in his presence, living this lie. She had to escape, to get out of there.
“If you won’t leave, I will.” The words were out of her mouth before she’d processed what she was saying. She didn’t have time to second-guessher next move.
As if her body had a mind of its own, she felt herself get up from the table, go into the kitchen, grab her purse and keys, and head for the back door.
“Mom, no! Don’t go!” Lena cried. Her frightened voice broke Teresa’s heart. She hoped Lena and Anthony could forgive her someday.
Teresa turned the knob on the back door, opened it, and stepped outside. She marched to her car, flung open the door, and sat in the driver’s seat, hands trembling as she tried to put the key in the ignition. Her mind raced, thoughts tumbling over each other.What have I done? Where will I go? How long will I stay away? Am I prepared to come back and kick him out? What if he won’t leave? And how could I leave my kids behind?
Teresa shook her head, forcing those thoughts to take a back seat. She couldn’t deal with them at the moment. All she knew was that she couldn’t go back inside. She needed to get away. She started the engine, took one quick glance back at the house with her fractured family still inside, and drove away.
Chapter Twenty-Six
LENA - SEAL BEACH, CA
August 2015
Ijumped in my Fiat to head to Seal Beach, where Kate lived with her husband and two teenage girls. I adored that town and knew it well because Kevin had lived there before we married. We spent a lot of time there while dating, so it was a happy place to revisit. Plus, it was on the ocean, which always blissed me out.Like father, like daughter.
The plan was to take a yoga class at Kate’s favorite studio, followed by brunch at the Crema Cafe, one of Kevin’s and my favorite former spots.
Kate reminded me by text,Self-care is a must. Smiley face emoji.
I promised to decompress and recharge, adding that I hoped not to injure myself. Plus, I’d made her swear she would go for a run with me next weekend as payback.
I’m looking forward to that, I thought deviously.
It was a gorgeous morning devoid of the marine layer of fog that usually engulfed the Los Angeles area in the early hours of the day. The convertible top was down, and I pulled my hair back in a ponytail so it wouldn’t be a tangled mess when I arrived. I was glad Kevin had a softball game with his work league that morning so I didn’t feel badcutting out on him.
I chuckled, remembering his comment as I left: “Have fun with your new best friend.”
Yoga was harder than I expected. Not the actual poses. I was flexible thanks to good dance genes and training. It was the deep-breathing technique that proved difficult.
“Don’t worry,” Kate whispered, “you’ll get the ujjayi breathing eventually. It takes a lot of practice.”
“That’s if I don’t faint trying,” I said, trying to sound self-deprecating instead of self-conscious.
She laughed and then caught herself and made a serious face to cover up, which made me laugh. We were acting like two high school girls.
“Sorry,” I stage whispered. “I promise not to get you kicked out of your favorite studio.” I put my finger to my lips and made the universal shush-mouth shape.
