Page 28 of Am I the Only One

“No, no, no. That isn’t it at all. I actually ...” God I can’t stop wringing my hands. “I actually needed to talk toyoufor a change.”

“Oh,” she says, surprised, and as I try to gather my thoughts, she asks, “Is this about the other week at the coffee shop?” She then hesitates. “I’m sorry. I mean—”

“No, it’s fine. I know that must’ve been awkward for you, and I want to apologize if I snapped. As you can imagine, it was just as awkward for me.”

As I say this, I glance to where she’s twisting her fingers together and fidgeting. At least I’m not alone in my nervousness.

I take a deep breath and do my best to feign calm and control. I have to approach this in the best way possible, and that won’t happen if I’m stumbling over my words and can’t bring myself to look in her eyes.

Here it goes.

“I see a lot of myself in you, Emma. The way you grew up, your struggles in life, and your determination to fight for what you want.”

She huffs. “Didn’t get me very far, did it?”

“Maybe I can help you.”

She shifts with curiosity in her eyes.

“Maybe we can help each other,” I add.

“How so?”

I uncross my legs and lean forward slightly, folding my hands and staring down for a moment, dredging up every bit of courage I can.

God, I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.

“Can I talk to you as a friend?”

“Yes.”

I take a deep breath and drop my attention to my hands. “My husband is having an affair.” She nods uneasily, so I keep going, “And, unfortunately, that puts me in a very difficult situation that I’m struggling to find a way out of.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know who my husband is, right? You watch the news?”

“Yeah, I know. He’s running for governor.”

“I met Tripp when I was a few years older than you are now,” I tell her in an attempt to gain her sympathy. “I was so young, and it surprised me when he took an interest in me. He was more than I ever thought I was worthy of. You see, I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth like he did, as I’m sure you assumed when you first met me. My father walked out on my mom and me after I was born.”

“That’s horrible,” she says softly.

“My mom and I lived in a small apartment, and she did everything she could to make ends meet. I was determined to make something of myself, so I took out student loans and worked hard to put myself through college. Life was never handed to me; I had to fight for it,” I explain. “Do you understand now why I see myself in you?”

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“It’s okay, not many people know the details. But right before my college graduation, my mother lost her battle with cancer. So, I too am parentless.”

I watch Emma’s eyes tear up, knowing that the wounds of losing her own parents have yet to heal. I grab a tissue from the end table next to the couch and hand it to her.

“I know what it’s like to feel lost and alone,” I continue. “That was how I felt before I met Tripp and fell in love. He promised me the world, and I trusted him. He knew I didn’t come from his world, but he married me even though his parents never approved of me. To them, I only serve to stain their name, but I always had Tripp on my side. He always protected me and fought for me.” I then look around the room, saying, “This was my dream, but it took a backseat to the Montgomery dream. I never wanted to work as an academic advisor. I wanted to build this private practice and be a therapist, but that never fit their plan. Hell, now that I think about it, maybe it never fit Tripp’s either. Maybe he used his parents as his scapegoat. Either way, I lost myself a long time ago. I take partial blame, of course. I willingly bowed to their pressure and sacrificed my hopes to help him gain his.”

“That isn’t fair,” she says, twisting the tissue around her fingers. “Why do you put up with it? I mean, why don’t you stand up for yourself?”

“Because I had Tripp to lean on for support. And because the power of the Montgomery family is immeasurable. And because I loved Tripp.”

“Loved?”

---