Page 60 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

Something had changed from the first unfortunate brunch I attended with Blake to now. The Parkers didn’t make me feelwelcome by any means—don’t be ridiculous! Two-thirds of them still hated me. Save for my husband—he’dbetterlike me—and Jupiter, I knew they never would. But they simply ignored my presence in the room.

Most people would probably get upset by being ignored. I found it liberating.

Robert and Brock talked strategies and the upcoming election while Adair and Emily planned more celebration dinners and campaign luncheons.

I stuffed a bite of harvest quiche into my mouth and chewed. Harvest quiche—that was what they called it. A cheesy quiche packed with all kinds of vegetables. I ate while listening to the conversation between Blake and Jupiter, and answering when appropriate, as in when one of them asked me a question.

It went on this way for the first half hour or better, lulling me into a false sense of security, so much so that I was ill-prepared for Robert’s sneak attack. It went something like this:

“We’ll need to fly your mother out here for a few weeks,” Robert said and I didn’t answer, not realizing he’d actually spoken to me. I waited for the conversation between Blake and Jupiter to pick back up. It didn’t. “Well, Gloria?” he asked irately. “Can you make it happen within the next two weeks?”

Only then did it click that the words leaving Robert Parker’s mouth were aimed at me, and I blinked.

“Sorry?” I asked, continuing to blink. At this point, I lost my ability to discern fantasy from reality. Why’d he have to pull this now? I’d been ignored. Imissedbeing ignored.

Who gave him the right to no longer ignore me? There were rules, dammit!

“Glory,” Blake whispered my name, nudging my arm.

“I don’t know,” I managed to get out. “She has work—why… do you want my mother to visit?”

My stomach started cramping. I pushed my plate back, knowing I’d be unable to take another bite. Maybe ever again for the rest of my life. Robert Parker asking to meet my mother wouldn’t end well.

“Yes, Father…” Blake jumped in. “Why are you involving Glory’s mother in anything?”

“Does she have something to hide?”

I blanched. I mean, I didn’t think she had anything to hide. Just, we weren’t exactly on speaking terms and I couldn’t know how the Parkers would react when they met Carl. Did conservative millionaires live together unmarried? And then, given the lack of diversity in the Robert and Adair friend circle, how would they feel about an interracial relationship?

In the wake of all this, and for the sake of my sanity, I said, “My mother doesn’t have anything to hide.” Because we weren’t living in the damn dark ages.

“Good,” Robert replied. “My people have informed me that there are a couple of news stations that won’t let the story be— ‘Who is Gloria Parker?’”

“Who cares?” Brock joined in.

“Voters. Therefore, we now care too. We’ll need to meet with her,” Robert went on. “There needs to be an understanding between families.”

Anunderstanding? Why did those words coming from Robert Parker’s mouth sound so incredibly threatening? Oh, because he lived to threaten anyone he deemed lower than him, which I think might’ve consisted of the entire population of the planet.

In my head, I shoved back from the table, threw the linen napkin on my plate, and shouted, “You will not intimidate me!” before storming out of not only the dining room, but the entire house.

My reality looked more like me shrinking down in my seat, nodding my head, and meekly stating, “I’ll call her.”

“I’ll call her?”

I hated myself in that moment.Hated myself.

Robert and Brock made plans concerning my mother around me, totally ignoring my presence again. But the security I’d felt minutes ago took off for parts unknown, leaving me feeling very alone and highly vulnerable.

Thankfully, my husband picked up on the signs and swooped in to my rescue.

“I take it there’s nothing more you need from us?” he asked the table.

His father refused to answer in words, deciding we were inconsequential enough to flip his hand in the air to dismiss us. Blake grabbed my elbow to pull me up from my chair, and he led us out of the Parker home.

I really needed to grow a backbone where these people were concerned.

“I had no idea they wanted to meet your mother,” Blake said on the drive home.

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