Humphrey sighed. “I know this isn’t ideal, but then again, nothing about the situation I’ve put us all in is.”
Delphinia’s brow arched. “Good Lord, Humphrey. Do I hear you finally taking some responsibility? Is that what I’m hearing?”
Kelsey winked. “Solid burn, Mom.”
Maxwell could only shake his head. Why on earth did his father think this was a good idea, bringing the six of them together like this? This is probably going to be a complete circus. But we’re here now.
Humphrey drew a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my actions lately. And yes, Del, you’re right. I am accepting full responsibility for what I’ve done and the pain and grief I’ve caused.”
Alexis rolled her eyes. “And what brought this on, Dad?”
Maxwell could hear the anger and frustration in his sister’s voice, and he didn’t blame her. He was pretty upset himself. But he imagined that for Alexis, the baby of the family who’d been the ultimate daddy’s girl, this whole affair was pretty difficult to accept.
“A lot of things. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect while I’ve been sleeping on that lumpy leather sofa in my study.” Humphrey scratched his whiskered chin. “I thought about what’s made my life as wonderful as it’s been these past fifty some years. Yes, selling my patent to the government was a great accomplishment. But the only reason it really mattered is because that money gave me the freedom to make a comfortable life for you—my family.” He looked around to his stoic wife, his daughters, and Maxwell. “That money would have been meaningless without you all.”
Trish sighed. “Why did you bring Jeffrey and me here, Humphrey? To rub it in our faces that we aren’t a part of your family?” She placed an arm around her son’s shoulder. “We don’t need to be reminded of that.”
Humphrey shook his head. “No. That’s just it, Trish. You and Jeffrey are a part of my family, and I’ve been wrong to deny that all these years.”
A tear slid down Delphinia’s face. “You’d best be making your point pretty soon, or I’m leaving.”
“I want you all to know I’m listening. I want to hear from you, whatever you want to get off your chest about this.” Humphrey leaned back into the cushions. “We’ll go around, and each of you can just vent. Whatever you think I need to hear.”
“I’ll go first.” Trish glared at him. “The worst thing you did to me was make all those empty promises, knowing you never intended to keep them. That’s all I have to say.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“You took away my chance at having a normal childhood, a stable two-parent home.” Jeffrey didn’t make eye contact with Humphrey. “Thank God, Mama is strong, and she raised me right. She just shouldn’t have had to do it alone.”
Humphrey closed his eyes, letting his head drop. “I appreciate your honesty.”
“I’ll go.” Kelsey leaned forward in her seat. “Dad, I always looked up to you. I thought you were such a great role model, someone who would show me how I should be treated by my romantic partners. But after finding out how you treated Mom…” She shook her head. “I just don’t feel that way anymore.”
“Same.” Alexis brushed away a tear. “I used to be such a daddy’s girl. But I don’t know anymore.”
Humphrey cringed. “Thank you. It’s hard to hear, but I need to hear it anyway.”
Maxwell cleared his throat. The palpable tension all around him had begun to affect him, so he took a moment to adjust himself so he wouldn’t just start yelling at his father. “Dad, I’m frustrated that you disrespected Mom. I’m angry you lied to us all these years. But most of all, I’m worried. I’m worried that I might have inherited some of your tendencies. That I might one day treat a woman as badly as you did Mom.” He paused, feeling his throat tighten as he thought of the women in his past, of Yvonne. “Maybe I already have.”
Humphrey nodded, swallowed. “I hear you, Son.” He looked to his wife of more than three decades. “Del, I’m listening, honey.”
Her eyes were damp and red-rimmed, and she spoke in a tone heavy with emotion. “Humphrey, you gutted me. You disrespected me, our vows, and this entire family with your selfishness. You denied that poor child over there the chance to have a full-time father in his life. And then you made it even worse by refusing to acknowledge what you’d done.” She shook her head slowly. “That’s nothing like the man I fell in love with.”
By now, the old man had tears in his eyes as well. He stood, taking the cushion he’d been sitting on with him. “I’m old, and I may need help later, but I feel like this is what I need to do.” Tossing the cushion down on the stone floor, he knelt. “I need you all to know I’m so, so sorry for what I’ve done. Everything you’ve said about me is true, and I don’t deserve forgiveness. So I won’t ask for that.”
Maxwell watched his father, wide-eyed. He’d never seen the old man put himself in such a humble position.
“I’m asking you to give me a chance to show you that I’ve changed, a chance to earn your trust and respect again. I know I can’t take away the pain, but I’m going to do my best to do right by you. All of you.”
There was a long silence then. No one spoke, but all eyes remained on Humphrey. He rose, with some difficulty, from the cushion and returned it to the seat. Then he went to each person individually and whispered something to them.
When he reached Delphinia, Maxwell heard him say, “I’ll sleep in the study as long as it takes. You can let me back in the bedroom when you’re ready and not a minute before.”
Delphinia offered a silent, solemn nod but said nothing.
Humphrey leaned to his son next. “Maxwell, can we talk in the study after this?”
“Sure.” If Dad’s really had a breakthrough, maybe we can finally have a real conversation.
Later, when Trish and Jeffrey had gone, Maxwell saw his parents embrace. It comforted him to see that, though he knew it was probably just a first step on a long road to reconciliation.
Inside Humphrey’s study, Maxwell sat in the mahogany chair, listening intently to his father’s words.
“Listen. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you when you brought Yvonne here. Now that everything’s out in the open, I hope you can understand why I acted that way.”
He nodded. “I suppose. Sitting on a secret like that is bound to put a person on edge.”
“I’d say that’s fair.” Humphrey sat on the edge of his desk, his head slightly bowed. “I was projecting on you, Son. The reason I railed against you about being irresponsible was that I knew I’d been irresponsible myself. Everything I said to you, I’ve been saying to myself for years.” He shook his head, looking toward the window. “I kept saying I raised you better. My parents raised me better, too.”
“I get it, Dad.” Maxwell could tell that his father was hurting, that it was difficult for the once-powerful engineering manager to display this level of humility, to admit he’d been wrong. “You set a pretty high bar for me, but I always tried to meet it.”
“And you did, Maxwell.” Humphrey looked his way. “I’m so proud of you and your sisters. You kids have turned out wonderfully. I can even say the same for Jeffrey, even though I didn’t have much of a hand in his raising.” He clasped his hands together. “Mainly, I just want you to know I love you, I love my granddaughter, and I want a happy life for both of you.”
“I love you, too, Dad. And I appreciate that.” It had been a trying day. But now that the family tension had been broken, Maxwell’s mind drifted back to thoughts of what he’d lost. “Since you’re feeling so fatherly right now, maybe you can give me some advice.”
“I’m humbled that you’d ask me after all the ways I’ve screwed up.”
He shrugged. “Dad, at this point, I need all the help I can get.”
Humphrey got down from the desk and came to sit in the chair next to him. “What’s the problem, Son
?”
Maxwell explained the situation with Yvonne. “Since she left, I feel lost. Sasha’s with her mother, and my house has never felt so empty. I mean, I know Sasha will be back, but Von won’t unless I can make things right with her. I miss her, Dad.” He clutched his chest. “I miss her so, so much.”
“Have you talked to her since she left?”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t even know what to say to her. Honestly, I don’t want to bother her until everything’s in place for me to make a proper apology.”
Humphrey nodded, tenting his fingers. “What is this grand apology going to look like?”
Maxwell shifted in his chair. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve got an idea. Tell me what you think.” He laid out his plans, relieved to finally be able to tell somebody about them.
When he’d finished, Humphrey smiled. “That’s my boy.”
* * *
Tuesday afternoon, Yvonne knocked on her parents’ door. When her mother opened it, she smiled. “Mommy, are you busy today?”
“No, I’m not.” Marissa folded her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here on a workday?”
“I’m on vacation, remember? Sasha’s spending time with her mother, so there’s no reason for me to go in to work.”
“Mm-hmm.” Her mother studied her. “What did you have in mind?”
“I thought we’d go out to Southpoint and hang out, do a little shopping.” Yvonne pointed at her car. “I’ll drive since I know how much you hate it.”
Marissa glanced back and forth between her daughter and the car as if considering the offer. “Okay. Let me let Janine and your daddy know I’m leaving and change out of these house clothes.”
“I’ll wait for you in the car.”
An hour later, they were walking through the outdoor space at the Streets at Southpoint Mall. The sprawling shopping center had opened in 2002 and was one of the most popular retail destinations in the Triangle and the state of North Carolina. This portion of the mall, designed to look like the shopping district of a downtown area, featured a mixture of specialty shops, high-end restaurants, and a movie theater.
“Remember back in the day, when we still had South Square?” Yvonne stopped in front of the Barnes & Noble, scanning the books on display in the front window. “I spent many a Saturday there with you as a kid.”
“Yes, I remember.” Marissa checked her reflection in the mirror, patting down a wayward gray curl. “I miss going to Dillard’s. They used to have the best sales on things for the house.”
Yvonne chuckled. “Yep. Daddy used to hate seeing you roll up to the house with those big Dillard’s bags.”
Marissa waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, child. Your daddy doesn’t know a thing about fine home décor. If I’d left it up to him, the house would still have blank white walls and no curtains.” She chuckled as they walked on.
They browsed through a few stores, picking up a few odds and ends. As usual, Marissa found most of the things she liked in the big department stores anchoring the mall, while Yvonne gravitated toward the more eclectic styles in the smaller boutiques. After going back to the car to stash their bags in the trunk, they headed around the corner from the mall to City Barbeque and Catering. The small restaurant, famous for their awesome ribs and potato salad, also boasted unique homemade barbeque sauces.
“Oh, good, there are some tables open.” Yvonne made a beeline for a two-top in a sunny window. “You can barely get in here during the lunch rush.”
“That’s why I like coming here during the off hours.” Marissa slid into one of the seats.
“I’ll go order. What do you want, Mommy?”
“Just get a City Sampler and we’ll share it. Sound good?”
Yvonne nodded. “Yep.”
Her mother handed her a ten-dollar bill. “Lots of Cheerwine sauce.”
Yvonne smiled, tucking away the money. Fifteen minutes later, she returned with their tray. The platter they’d ordered included smoked beef brisket and turkey breast, sausage and pulled pork, along with potato salad and greens. Per her mother’s request, Yvonne had added four small plastic containers of barbeque sauce made with the state’s iconic soda.
While they ate, they chatted about the birthday party, the weather, the upcoming activities at church. By the time they’d finished, though, her mother just sat, watching her with narrowed eyes.
“What is it, Mommy?” She grabbed a napkin. “Do I have sauce on my face?”
Marissa shook her head. “No. You have hurt on your face, though.”
Crap. “Mommy, I don’t wanna talk about—”
“Oh, I know. Your sister told me what happened between you and your architect.”
I see Zel dimed me out. Yvonne was annoyed, but she couldn’t be mad with her sister, who’d most likely acted out of genuine concern for her. Plus, if Mommy asks you a question, you’d better answer her if you wanna keep your teeth.
“Don’t worry, Yvonne. I’m not gonna force you to talk.” Marissa leaned forward, rested her elbows on the table, and steepled her fingers. “But you are gonna listen, understand me?”
Yvonne nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. First, I’m sorry things went south and that you’re in pain. But I noticed you spending money on a lot of unnecessary things today, things you don’t need or ain’t really gonna use.”
She opened her mouth to protest.
“No, don’t say anything. You only have one rear end, so you don’t need five pairs of jeans. And you hate baking, so when are you going to use a stand mixer?”
She snapped her mouth closed. As always, Mommy’s making good sense. Why did I pick up that mixer? I’m likely to hurt myself trying to use it.
“I can understand a little bit of retail therapy to break you out of a funk. But I want to make sure you’re not dipping into your day care savings so you can buy these frivolities. That mixer was way overpriced.”
Her mother could see right through her as if she were made of glass. Purchasing the fancy mixer had put a small dent in her savings, though she didn’t want to say it out loud. What would be the point? Mommy already knows.
“Listen to me, child. I’ve always raised you to make good decisions, to really think about things before you do them. So if you think walking away from that man is the right thing to do, then I’m not going to dispute you on it. What I am going to do is remind you of something I said to you before you went off to school. I told you to be careful to separate what’s temporary from what’s permanent. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, ma’am, I remember.”
“Good. I see you acting like you’re confused about the two. You might think you want that mixer now, but when you get home and realize you can’t bake, you’ll see that desire as the temporary thing it is.”
“Crap, you’re right.” Yvonne sighed, thinking of the huge box containing the powder-blue mixer, sitting in her trunk. “I should just take it back. It’d be a waste of time to take it home.”
“Exactly. Now that we’ve established that the mixer is temporary, let’s talk about the permanent.” Marissa gave her a piercing look. “Do you remember the first time you decided you wanted to open your own day care?”
“Not really.” Yvonne thought about it, trying to remember when she’d first had the idea. “Middle school, maybe? It just seems like the idea was always there, like it was always a part of me.”
Her mother snapped her fingers. “Exactly. This dream is so much a part of you, you can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there. And you probably can’t imagine anything else you’d want to do with your life, right?”
“Right.” I think I see where Mommy’s going with this.
“Now think about what you had with Maxwell.” Her mother leaned back in her chair. “Was it meant to be temporary? Or permanent?”
She bl
inked a few times as she mulled that over.
“You don’t need to tell me. But you do need to figure it out for yourself.” Marissa stood, gathering their trash onto the red plastic tray. “It’s not just about separating the two, Yvonne. It’s about not letting one interfere with the other. Don’t let the temporary disturb the permanent.” She walked away, carrying the tray toward the trash bin.
Alone at the table, Yvonne gazed out the window. While the traffic on NC-54 whizzed by, she thought about her mother’s words and how it all pertained to Maxwell. I was so angry, so hurt when I left that day. But the truth is I miss him terribly. I miss hearing his voice, seeing his smile, feeling his touch. He’d become a part of her, and she didn’t know if she could be truly happy without him, not anymore. Still, she couldn’t contact him. She couldn’t take the emotional risk involved.
But if he reached out to her, and she prayed he would, she’d listen to what he had to say.
Because there was simply no forgetting a man like Maxwell.
Chapter 23
Maxwell sat in the coffee shop in Apex, looking out the window as he nursed his cup of dark roast. Today was the day he planned to make his move, to try to set things right with Yvonne. It was Wednesday, a full five days since she’d left his house, declaring that it was over. Five long, lonely, miserable days.
Here I am, in the middle of my first vacation in years, and this is what I’m doing. It wasn’t the restful week he’d intended it to be, far from it. But if after it was over Yvonne gave him another chance, it would all be worth it.
He grabbed his cell phone from the tabletop, took a deep breath, and dialed her number.
She answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?”
Words tumbled out of his mouth the moment he heard her voice. “Hey, Yvonne. Are you at home? I mean, are you busy?” He stopped, took a breath, and waited for her to respond.
“No, I’m not busy, but I am at home. What is it?” Her tone was flat, unreadable.
“I’d like to talk to you if that’s okay.”
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