by La Jill Hunt
“I do.” Garry nodded his head.
“How do you know? Because I damn sure don’t.”
“I know because I love you, and I’m going to fight for you and our marriage and our family. I know because you’re my wife and my best friend, and I’m going to do whatever I have to do to make sure we get through it. Counseling, therapy, whatever you need for me to do, I’ll do it.”
“Garry, this isn’t as simple as—”
“I’m not saying it’s simple by any means, Syl. I’m saying it’s attainable—by any means necessary.”
“I was thinking maybe we would separate until you figure all of this out, and now you’re talking about bringing your outside child into our home,” Sylvia told him.
Garry flinched slightly, and she knew her words hurt him, but she didn’t care. She’d been hurting since that day in the parking lot when he told her who Miranda was.
“Separating? You want a separation?” He looked at her as if he couldn’t believe what she had just said.
Until the words escaped her mouth, she hadn’t really considered separation. She thought about divorce or remaining together, but separation seemed to make sense because it was normally what people did while they were divorcing. It was the first step, she thought.
Are we divorcing? Do I really want a divorce?
“I, uh, I don’t know,” Sylvia said.
Garry took another step toward her desk. “We aren’t separating, Syl. We still love one another. I love you and you love me. That hasn’t changed. We will get through this. I believe that. I need you, Syl. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. I probably sound like a total asshole for saying it, and I know I fucked up. I’m begging.”
Tears now fell from Garry’s tired eyes and rolled down his cheeks. His beard, which was usually nicely neat and trimmed, was now scruff and scraggly, and he was in dire need of a haircut. He looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. Sylvia had never seen her husband so lost and forlorn, and despite her anger and confusion, she was now concerned about Garry’s health and overall well-being. He was in no condition to take care of a teenager who’d just lost her mother. Hell, he was falling apart and was barely taking care of himself. She still cared about him, and she knew she had to do the right thing, which was why she closed her eyes and said, “Fine, Garry, whatever. Bring her here—just until you figure this shit out.”
“Thank you, Syl,” Garry whispered and gave her a slight smile that she didn’t return.
“Temporarily, Garry. This isn’t going to be permanent. That’s not fair to me nor Peyton.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Sylvia. I appreciate you.” He slowly turned and walked out of the office.
Sylvia leaned back and closed her eyes, praying that she wasn’t making a mistake. She had to be one of the craziest women on earth to be doing this. Peyton was right. She always felt the need to do the right thing, even if it was hard. She should have probably been a social worker because she had a heart of gold.
Her eyes landed on the corner of a small, yellow piece of paper hiding under the keyboard of her computer. It was the receipt for the Save the Date cards for their vow renewal. Now, here she was wondering if they were even going to make it to their anniversary.
Janelle
“Aunt Nelle?”
“Peyton?” Janelle sat up on her sofa. She didn’t even realize she’d fallen asleep until her cell phone rang. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was after eleven. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Well, not really. I just needed to talk.”
Janelle could only imagine how her niece was feeling. Peyton and Garry had a wonderful relationship, and her father could do no wrong in her eyes. This had to be weighing heavily on her. The one man she loved more than anything and could depend on had perpetrated the ultimate betrayal on the one woman on earth that she loved more than anything.
“Well, I’m here to listen. You already know that,” Janelle told her. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m not. I’m trying, but I’m not.”
“Hey, it’s okay that you’re not, P. No one expects you to be a hundred percent okay. Hell, I’m surprised you’re not in shock. This was major, and what your fa—” Janelle stopped herself before she began bad-mouthing her brother-in-law. She’d ignored calls and texts from him for the past two days because she wanted to calm down before talking to him first. “It’s going to take some time for everyone to deal with all of this.”
“I know. But I still can’t believe Dad cheated and he has another daughter. I mean, I always wanted a little sister, but not like this. She’s almost as old as I am,” Peyton said.
“Yeah, she is.” Janelle sighed.
“Do you think she’s going to come and live with us? I asked Mom earlier, but she didn’t really have an answer.”
“Um, I doubt it.” Janelle prayed her sister wouldn’t have to be faced with that decision. It was bad enough that Garry’s little affair resulted in the birth of a child, but to have her come live in their home . . . no way. That was not happening.
“She doesn’t have anyone else other than Dad. You think he’s going to move out?” Peyton asked her.
“That might be a little more realistic.”
“You think they’re going to get a divorce? Peyton gasped.
“Peyton, calm down. I really don’t know what’s going to happen with them. What I do know is that both your mom and dad love you very much and will always be there for you no matter what. I know it’s a lot going on, P., but trust me, it’s all gonna work itself out. It’s gonna take a little patience and time,” Janelle said. This was Peyton’s junior year of high school, and she had a lot on her plate. “And you know I love you, and I’m here for you too.”
“I know you are, Aunt Nelle. Mom is so sad, though. I wish there was something I could do to make her feel better.”
“She’s going to be okay. Trust me, your mom is the strongest woman I know.”
“Yeah, that’s true. She is strong.” Peyton laughed lightly. “I’ve felt her strength on more than a few occasions.”
Janelle could hear the smile in her niece’s voice, and she was somewhat relieved. “Haven’t we all?”
“Thanks, Aunt Nelle.”
“No need to thank me. That’s what best friends are for,” Janelle told her.
“Come on, Aunt Nelle. Everyone knows Nivea is your best friend. Oh, and Mom.”
“Nivea is my homegirl, and your mom is my sister, but you are my bestie. Don’t even try it. Why else would you call me if I wasn’t your bestie?”
“You’re right. Okay, fine, we’re besties.” Peyton gave in, and they both laughed.
“Damn right. Now, it’s late. Go to sleep, bestie. You’ve got school in the morning.”
“Good night, Aunt Nelle,” Peyton told her. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
As soon as the call ended, Janelle instinctively dialed Sylvia’s cell phone, then remembered it wasn’t working. She tried calling the house number, but no one answered. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for her sister. She couldn’t imagine what she was going through. Hell, she was just as shocked by Garry’s recklessness as everyone else. Next to her father, he was the closest thing to a perfect man that she’d ever known. Garry and Sylvia’s relationship was the standard she used when it came to dating. She knew their marriage wasn’t perfect, but their love was real, and she had always strived to find a guy who treated her the same way her brother-in-law treated her sister. He was affectionate, attentive, funny, dependable, and a good father and provider. On top of all of that, he was fine. To think that he’d cheated was unimaginable, and had it not been for the presence of his newly discovered child, she would have never believed it.
Garry was a good man. Or was he? How good could he be if he’d not only cheated on Sylvia, but lied about it and kept a secret this big for this long? There was no way Sylvia could stay with him, could she? Was their marriage str
ong enough to handle this?
Ring.
Janelle looked down and saw her sister’s home phone number flashing on the screen. She immediately answered. “Hey, Syl.”
“You called me?” Sylvia replied.
“I was just calling to check on you. How are you?”
“Please tell me that’s a rhetorical question.” Sylvia sighed.
“Actually, it’s not. I really need to know how you’re doing.” Janelle could hear the frustration in her voice.
“I’m great, fantastic, super,” Sylvia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Syl, you’re not any of those things.”
“You’re right. I’m not.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Unless you can erase the past week of my life, then no. There’s nothing anyone can do.”
“Well, I can’t do that, but I can always come over with a bottle of Patrón and a bag of limes,” Janelle suggested. To her relief, Sylvia laughed.
“As tempting as that sounds, I have to pass. You know I gotta take Peyton in the morning, and I can’t do that if I’m hung over.”
“You don’t have to be hung over. We can just take a couple of shots.”
“Trust me, I would take more than a couple. I’d probably drink the whole damn bottle,” Sylvia told her. “But I’ll take a raincheck. And trust me, I’ll be using it soon.”
Janelle reached for the soft throw blanket on the back of the sofa and spread it across her legs. “Hey, I’m ready when you are, sis.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure thing.”
“Do you think Garry loves me?”
Janelle frowned and sat up. She thought about all the questions she’d pondered a few minutes earlier. She realized that out of everything she’d asked herself, the one thing she hadn’t wondered or doubted was Garry’s love for Sylvia. Somehow, she knew that was real. You could see it in the way he looked at her and hear it in his voice when he spoke to her or talked about her.
“Yes, Syl, I do. I honestly do.”
“I thought I did too.”
“You don’t think he does?”
“I don’t know what to think. Hell, I thought he’d never cheat on me, but I was wrong about that.”
“I don’t think what he did had anything to do with his not loving you, Syl. Don’t get me wrong; it’s fucked up. Like, really fucked up. But it had nothing to do with his lack of love for you. Despite this horrible situation, I still believe what you and Garry have is special. You two have worked together and made shit happen: the house, the cars, your daughter. He’s been behind you in everything you’ve wanted to do. You’ve got what people are out here searching for every day.
“But this is a lot for you to accept and forgive. I can’t tell you what to do. That’s all on you. Just think long and hard and know I got you. And if you still love him, there’s nothing wrong with that. You can be pissed at him and still love him. Shit, I wouldn’t even be mad if you wanted to stay with him. I love you, and whatever you decide to do, I’m right there with you. You wanna fight for your family, I’m right there fighting along with you and supporting you. You wanna leave his ass? I’ll help you pack his shit because I know you ain’t leaving that house.”
“Thanks, Nelle,” Sylvia said.
“No judgment, sis. But I’ll tell you this: what you have ain’t easy to find. Trust me, I know.”
“I know too,” Sylvia said. “And I appreciate you saying that.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too. Thanks for checking on me, and thanks for having my back.”
“Anytime.”
Getting off the phone, Janelle was glad Sylvia sounded better at the end of the conversation than she had at the beginning. She felt somewhat accomplished having assisted her sister and her niece. Now, if she could only be as insightful when it came to her own life.
Sylvia
Sylvia’s office was in total disarray. After talking to Peyton and further discussing it with Garry, she had fully agreed and accepted the fact that Jordan would come and stay in their home. The house had a total of five bedrooms, one of which Garry himself would be moving into. Whether this would be a temporary move was still uncertain, though she kept saying that it was temporary. What was certain was the fact that Sylvia was an emotional wreck. The past two days were a blur. She barely remembered the moving company coming in and taking the furniture from the only downstairs bedroom, which she had been using as an office space, and moving it into the room over the garage. Instead of her massive oak desk, which held her computer and twenty-four-inch monitor, her comfy leather chair, and her file cabinets, the room now held a full-size bed, dresser, and night stand. Garry and his daughter were scheduled to arrive in two days, after Miranda’s funeral had been held and her and Jordan’s house was secured.
“Syl!” Lynne called her name.
“In here,” Sylvia answered, smoothing out the comforter that she’d just placed on the bed.
“This is nice,” Lynne said, walking into the room, which Sylvia had decorated in yellow and white décor. “It’s very calm and inviting.”
“Thanks. I don’t know whether I should leave the TV in here or not,” Sylvia said, pointing to the flat screen, which was still mounted on the wall.
“Do you have one upstairs already?” Lynne asked her.
“Yeah, but it’s not this big.”
Sylvia reached down and picked up a stack of folders from the corner, and they went upstairs into the room that was now her new office. She went to place them down and felt a tug at her heart when she saw that the stack included bridal magazines.
“Wow, this is huge,” Lynne told her.
“Yeah, it’s pretty big.” Sylvia shoved the magazines into the bottom of one of the file cabinets that she now used to stash away anything wedding or bridal related.
“Even with the office furniture in here, you have a lot of space left.”
“I think I’m gonna get a leather sofa and put it over there and get a small desk for Kenny, so he can have a workspace up here.”
“Really?” Lynne smirked, “Don’t you get enough of him at the office?”
“Okay, you’re right. Maybe not.” Sylvia laughed. “But you know we work here at the house a lot, especially when we have larger projects, which, by the way, we have going on right now. I feel bad that he’s been doing all of the work. I haven’t been much of a business partner the past few days. I can’t focus on anything. Hell, I don’t even remember us coming up here. I think I’m going crazy.”
“You’re not going crazy. And I know Kenny ain’t saying nothing. We all know how much he loves being in charge with his controlling self. Not to mention there have been plenty of times when you have taken up the slack when he’s had stuff going on. Remember when he almost had a nervous breakdown when he went through that breakup? Oh, and when his mom was sick.”
Kenny rarely missed work, but those were two instances when he did take some much-needed time off and she handled everything. The breakup from his long-time girlfriend, Micah, had devastated Kenny, especially since soon after, he found out that she was pregnant by another man. A year later, Kenny had taken a short leave of absence to take care of his mother, who was diagnosed with cancer.
“So, when is she supposed to get here? What’s her name again?”
“Jordan, and she is moving in Friday. The funeral is Wednesday, and they are tying up loose ends on Thursday.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“Nope, not yet,” Sylvia said. “I wouldn’t even know what to say over the phone.”
“Maybe you all should meet first before she moves in,” Lynne suggested.
“Meet where? Golden Corral for breakfast?”
“Breakfast might be a good start. Just so the first time you lay eyes on each other isn’t when she’s moving into your house. Maybe it will break some of the tension that you know is about to be in here.”
“May
be. I don’t know,” Sylvia said.
“You’re a better one than me, Syl, that’s for sure. I don’t know if I could let her move in. Garry and his kid would have to find somewhere else to go.” Lynne sat in Sylvia’s office chair and propped her legs up on the desk.
“I told you I’m crazy.” Sylvia shrugged. “But Peyton was right. We’re her family, like it or not. I don’t know why, but when she said it, something in my spirit let me know that she was right. Kicking Garry out would have been real easy for me to do, but I don’t know if that would have been the right thing to do. Even when I mentioned us separating, I knew it didn’t feel right.”
“Well, you vowed for better or for worse. I think this constitutes worse.”
“It damn sure does,” Sylvia told her. There was a knock at the front door, and then the doorbell rang several times. “Who the hell is that?”
They ran downstairs, and Sylvia opened the front door.
“About time. How long were you gonna let me stand out here in the cold?”
Sylvia opened the door and let Aunt Connie in, carrying a suitcase in one hand and a crochet bag in the other. With everything else going on, she had forgotten all about agreeing to let her stay with them while the work was being done at the senior citizens complex where she lived. Sylvia began to do the math in her head. She counted the number of bedrooms in their home, and the number of people who would now be living there. Five bedrooms for five people would probably be perfect math if one of the bedrooms wasn’t being used as her office. Sylvia knew that she would have to continue sharing a bedroom with Garry.
“For better or for worse,” Lynne said, giving Sylvia a hug of encouragement.
* * *
Sylvia took her best friend’s advice and suggested to Garry that they all meet for breakfast the day before Jordan moved into the house. She, Peyton, and Aunt Connie piled into her SUV and met Garry and Jordan at an IHOP halfway between their home and Drakeville. No one besides Aunt Connie really talked the entire way there, and even she became quiet when they pulled into the parking lot beside Garry. Seated beside him, she could make out the shadow of a person who had to be Jordan. He waved as he got out of his car, but the shadowy figure remained inside.