Parents in Training

by Barbara McMahon

  Only, the feeling he had at the moment was more of relief than resentment. He’d been gone a lot in the last few months. It’d be good to stay home for a while. There was plenty to do in the office, several projects he’d like to be a part of. And he could make quick trips around the East Coast. Was he becoming jaded about travel?

  He closed his door and went back to the desk, sitting on the edge and dialing his father’s phone.

  “Hello.”

  “Dad, it’s Dominic.”

  “Something wrong?” his father asked.

  “No.” It was a poor commentary on their relationship that the old man thought Dominic would only call if something was wrong. Yet how often did he call his father? “I thought I’d come up and see you.” Time to tell his father about the baby. Dominic remembered his earlier telling about a baby, and how badly that had gone. He hoped this announcement would be better received.

  “Why?”

  “Do I need a reason beyond I want to see you?” Dominic could feel the tension begin. His father never made anything easy. Maybe he should forget the entire harebrained plan.

  “I guess not. But I don’t hear from you for months on end and then, pow, out of the blue you want to come visit. For how long?”

  “A weekend.”

  “Sure—you’ve got that fancy job of yours that you can’t leave for long. Going someplace soon?”

  “Just Pennsylvania to see you,” Dominic said. “I won’t stay there. I’ll get a hotel room. Take you to dinner.” That would be one complaint less to listen to.

  “You bringing that wife of yours?”

  “Probably not.” Annalise would want to spend time on her house, not take a weekend off to visit his father. Dominic wasn’t sure himself why he was going. To lay ghosts, perhaps?

  “Next weekend’s fine. Or the one after that, too, I reckon. I don’t get out much.”

  “I’ll see you Saturday, then,” Dominic said. He bade his father goodbye and hung up, already annoyed with his father’s attitude. But he’d be shocked if the man ever showed any genuine delight in his only child.

  Annalise felt more energetic than she’d had in a while on Monday. She was glad of her long night’s sleep. And the news from her parents was more exciting the more she thought about it. She was delighted they were doing things outside the norm.

  “Like mother, like daughter,” she said aloud at one point, thinking of her house renovation.

  She whipped through her paperwork and then scheduled two homes to be shown that afternoon. Later she worked with another real-estate agent to schedule an open house for one of the lovely homes in the north-east section of Washington that they were hoping would appeal to someone in one of the embassies. It was too large for most American families, but would be perfect for someone who had to entertain a great deal.

  Her mother called to check on her, and Annalise was happy she could reassure her a good night’s sleep had been enough to put her back on top of things.

  “I’m worried about that house,” her mother said.

  “You haven’t seen it. Come next weekend. We’ve painted the two front rooms and redone the floors and it’s gorgeous.”

  “But at what price? I think it’s too much for you. You seem tired all the time.”

  Annalise hesitated. She was tired most of the time. But not from working on the house. Should she tell her mother now?

  “Anyway, the reason I called is we decided after you and Dominic left that we’d all go down to Tray’s house next weekend to work on it, and if you and Dominic can join us we’ll have such a crew we can complete anything he needs done. Then he can sell the house and buy the one he and Lianne want at the shore.”

  Annalise was torn. She wanted to help out. She loved family work days, with everyone pitching in. But that would mean lost time on her own project. She’d already missed last Sunday, and told Randy not to work without her.

  “Let me check with Dominic,” she stalled. No one in the family but Lianne knew she was operating under a tight deadline for renovating. It would be odd if she didn’t pitch in.

  “Of course. Don’t you think Lianne looks great being pregnant? She’s just radiant.”

  “Some of that is being in love with Tray and having him in love with her,” Annalise said. Surely she should have the same radiant look? She was about as far along as her sister.

  “True. They look like you and Dominic…” Her mother trailed off. “Annalise, is everything all right?”

  “Of course.”

  “I was just thinking how you and Dominic used to look like Lianne and Tray. Lately there seems to be something different between you two.”

  “He’s been working a lot—as I have. We’re fine, Mom.” She hoped that was true. How sad her parents would be for her if Dominic decided having a child was more than he could deal with and he left. In fact, the shock would ripple through her entire family.

  “Well, then, call me after you talk with him and let me know if you can make next weekend.”

  “Okay—will do.”

  Annalise called Dominic after speaking with her mother. He was in a meeting, so she left a message. But her afternoon was hectic and she missed his return call.

  When she reached the house, it still smelled of fresh paint, and she left the door open to air the place out. She loved the cream color she’d chosen for the walls. Standing in the sparkling living room, she wanted to buy furniture right away, to furnish it as she wanted and have a sanctuary to retreat to every time she needed it while working on the rest of the place.

  But, mindful of her sister’s suggestion, she wouldn’t make any rash purchases. If Dominic wanted furniture like they had in the apartment, maybe the living room could be that room. The little room behind the living room backed onto the pantry. Could that be opened up to the kitchen? Like a family room, where she could watch their baby while he or she played when she prepared meals?

  Excited about that idea, she hurried to take measurements. She’d talk it over with Randy next time she saw him. She thought it would work. And the kitchen was so large the missing pantry wouldn’t bother her at all. There was still loads of storage.

  Later, when Annalise had prepared herself a light supper, she did sketches of how she envisioned the expanded room. It would open up the kitchen and give her a family room, while the living room could be like the one at their apartment.

  That room make her feel serene every time she entered. There was no clutter. The paintings on the wall were beautiful, in rich jewel colors, instantly giving her a feeling of peace. The comfortable sofa looked modern, but the feel was pure comfort. The sheers at the windows filtered the light but could be opened at night to see the view. She’d miss that view, living here.

  The phone rang. It was Dominic.

  “My mom called today. The whole family is going down to Tray’s next weekend to fix up his uncle’s house so they can sell it. We’re invited. Feel free to decline. It’ll be a lot of work.”

  Dominic hesitated a moment. Annalise had expected him to say, Sure, no problem.

  “Are you going somewhere? Not another trip!” she exclaimed. He could push away their situation by traveling. If he wasn’t home, he wouldn’t notice she wasn’t, either.

  “I’m going to see my dad,” he said at last.

  “You are? Since when?”

  “Since this morning. I called him, and in his usual ungracious way he said I could come next weekend.”

  “Why do you want to see him?”

  “You sound like him. Can’t I want to see my father?”

  “You can, but you usually don’t,” she said.

  “Maybe I need to get some answers to the questions I have.” He hesitated a moment, and then spoke again. “I may look up Phyllis.”

  Annalise swallowed. The anguish that hit her surprised her. She’d thought she’d become reconciled to the little she knew about Dominic’s past, but this showed her how wrong she was.

  “Why?” she asked.
/>   “To see how her life is going.”

  She didn’t like the thought, but she could come up with no reason for him not to see her. Was it just to tie up loose ends, or more? Phyllis had been his high-school sweetheart. His first wife. Was he going back to see if there were any feelings between them?

  She pressed against the ache in her chest. She wanted to tell him not to go. Had she been reading more into his help these last two weekends than was warranted?

  She rose and crossed to the window over the sink, looking out into the black night.

  “When are you going?”

  “Friday night after work. I’ll stay until Sunday.”

  “I’ll go with my family, then.” She wanted to say something—get him to invite her to go with him. Something to show there was a bond between them. Why did he need to see his ex- wife? To her uncertain knowledge he hadn’t seen her in all the years Annalise had known him. Why now?

  To see if he’d made a mistake in walking out on that marriage? Or to reassure himself that if Phyllis had moved on with her life, there was every reason to expect Annalise would if he walked out on this marriage? The thought made her feel sick.

  “This will probably be your last family work weekend until after the archeological adventure,” he said.

  “I was hoping some of them would want to come to our house and help,” she said slowly. “Once we’re down to painting and things like that, a huge crew could sweep through it in a weekend.”

  She stood leaning against the sink, trying to maintain some semblance of coherency while all she could think about was Dominic going to see his first wife. And the fact he had not invited her on the trip.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “No, I’m not. I’m scared, Dominic. We are not like we were. I think we may never be. You don’t talk to me, and I don’t know how you feel or what you want to do. What does that say about our marriage?”

  “It’s not you, it’s me.”

  “Great—thanks for that.”

  She clicked off the cell phone and then turned it off.

  “Go and see your first love—maybe you can rekindle old flames,” she said to the empty kitchen. She’d go and help at Tray’s old home, and then invite the entire family to help at hers.

  Taking a deep breath, she ignored the ache in her heart and returned to the table, to try and make some sense out of the drawings she’d done.

  Dominic tried her number again. Not in service. Blast it! Yet what could he say? She was right. She didn’t know how he felt—he didn’t know himself. How uncertain he was about this baby. How he didn’t want his life to change. How he longed for her to be there for him no matter what. And how she was slipping away no matter what he did.

  He wished he had the words to change things back to the way they were. But more than a baby was at stake. Their entire way of marriage was on the line. Could he change—open up about his past and offer more to his lovely wife?

  Yet how could he stay in their marriage? She’d voiced what he feared—he was not man enough to be her husband. He’d never make a good father.

  Next weekend he was going to his home town alone. Maybe it was a state he should get used to.

  She would go with her family. It would give her a chance to spend some time with her parents before they left. And to see the house Tray had grown up in. She’d never seen the one Dominic talked about. He hoped she never did. The truth was he wanted to hide all the sordid past. Pretend he came from a family as loving and functional as hers. Never let her learn the full truth.

  Annalise called Randy the next day to tell him she wouldn’t be at the house that next weekend, either. “We’re having a family work weekend in Richmond. My sister’s husband has a home there he wants to put on the market. If we all pitch in together for one weekend, it’ll be ready to be listed.”

  “I can work there, as well as at your house, if you like. No charge. I know Bunny is tied up, but Sean has already told her about the weekend. That way it’ll go faster, and the following weekend

  we’ll be back at your place,” he offered.

  “The house is in Richmond.”

  “I heard. It’s not that far away,” he returned.

  It was tempting. Randy had true construction experience, so if anything major needed to be done he could probably do it. “Okay, but it’s for Saturday and Sunday only.”

  “So I’ll catch up on things around here on Friday, and meet you in Richmond on Saturday morning. How early?”

  “How about nine?” She expected they’d all get an early start on Saturday, drive to Richmond and be ready to go. She did enjoy family work weekends, and one brother or another was always bringing extra friends to help. “Bring all your tools,” she added.

  “I always travel with them. Give me the address.”

  Once she’d hung up from talking with Randy, she called Lianne.

  “Mom told me about the work weekend. When are you going down?”

  “Friday afternoon. We’ll have everything noted that needs to be done, and be ready to start first thing Saturday as people arrive.”

  “Can I ride down with you?”

  “Isn’t Dominic coming?”

  “No, he’s going to see his father.”

  “Is he sick?”

  “Who? His father? No, but for some reason Dominic is going to see him.” She did not mention his proposed visit to see Phyllis. “Randy volunteered to come. He’s really knowledgeable in building, and I’m sure will be a great help.”

  “Good—the more the merrier. We’re leaving after lunch on Friday.”

  “I’ll be ready. What can I bring?”

  They chatted for a few more minutes, with Lianne referring to one of her innumerable lists. Annalise knew there would be lists posted everywhere in the house, of all the tasks needing to be done. Her sister was super-organized.

  When they arrived at Tray’s house in Richmond, Friday afternoon, Annalise was intrigued. This was the place her brother-in-law had grown up. It looked so homey. He struck her as being tough as nails. To think of him coming from a regular home seemed odd. She wondered about the house Dominic had grown up in.

  She got out and followed Lianne and Tray into the house. “I wish I had a real-estate license in Virginia. I’d love to sell this home,” she said when she took in the room. It was spacious, and bright with sunshine. “You won’t have any trouble getting it sold.”

  “There’s so much to be done, however, to get top dollar,” Lianne said.

  Annalise grinned at her sister. “Nothing the O’Mallorys can’t handle.”

  They went out for dinner and then stayed in a motel, as Tray had already removed most of the furnishings from the house to ease the preparation. They would show the house empty and hope prospective buyers could use their imagination to see their own furniture in it.

  After picking up bagels and doughnuts and coffee the next morning, they reached the house before the first of the many cars of the O’Mallorys arrived. The day was balmy and beautiful. Opening windows to air out paint fumes would not be a problem. For November, it was almost springlike weather.

  Bridget arrived first. She claimed the yard, which matched with Lianne’s plan. Then Declan and Sean arrived, followed almost instantly by Patrick and Helen O’Mallory and Helen’s parents, Carrie and Paul. Within twenty minutes, cars were jamming the driveway and parked all along the quiet street. When Randy’s pickup turned onto the street, he got the last space, two doors down.

  “I guess I came to the right place,” he said, walking up the front steps to where people were congregated, listening to Tray and Lianne assign rooms to work on.

  There was a moment of silence until Annalise came from the house and recognized him. She quickly made introductions. Everyone was glad to have his help and expertise. Sean greeted him warmly. Randy made a comment about his sister and they both laughed.

  Enthusiasm was high as everyone got started on the update. Rooms were being painted. Hardwood floors ins
talled. The bathroom was to be renovated, with new fixtures and lights. Randy took that on, with Sean helping. Annalise drew kitchen detail, cleaning each cupboard and preparing for paint. She worked with her brother Declan and her father. Grandpa Paul was unfastening each door, marking it and carrying it outside for sanding in preparation for paint.

  Lunch was boisterous, with her brothers easily accepting Randy into their camaraderie. Everyone was bubbling with enthusiasm over the speed at which the house was taking shape. By the end of the next day, the place would be ready to be listed for sale.

  “I thought we could rotate tasks in the afternoon, so no one has to do one thing all the time,” Lianne said. “Sean, you get to work with Grandpa Paul on the kitchen cabinets. Bridget, you and Grandma Carrie stick with the yard. Get someone else to help you. Who do you want?”

  “Declan. We have some major pruning we want done; he’ll be up to it.”

  “Annalise can help. She’ll need to come up to speed to learn how to care for her own house.”

  “But don’t have her doing anything heavy—not good for a pregnant woman,” Randy said.

  The silence was sudden. All eyes looked at him, and then at Annalise.

  Her heart dropped. This was not how she’d wanted to tell her family. Everyone was staring, and her parents looked concerned.

  “Pregnant?” her mother asked carefully.

  Randy picked up on the stunned silence. “Did I let the cat out of the bag? Man, I’m sorry, Annalise. I thought your family knew.”

  “How do you know?” Bridget asked.

  “Dominic told me,” he said.

  The crowd erupted in congratulations and why-didn’t-you-tell-us comments.

  “Trust the twins to do things together again—even have babies together,” Declan said.

  Annalise smiled and looked at her mother.

  “Lianne’s known for a while, but I was just waiting for the right time to tell the rest of you. Then you gave your news, and I didn’t want to take away from your excitement.”

  “Honey, this is cause to celebrate—and it would never take anything away from anyone else, just add to the joy in the family.” She quickly gave Annalise a hug, beaming. “I’m so thrilled. Another grandbaby! When are you due?”