Simone: And the second date almost always goes poorly. It is a thing. So messy.
Dana: Hence the reason I never get to a third date. The second ones are messes.
Brit: Tian calls the second the false loss. If you stop there, you’ll never know.
Dana: I know after one.
Simone: Then one date.
Dana: Fine. Next time I see him, I’ll invite him on a date. Only I’ll have to go to his place. He can’t know about the Ogilvies until he has had a background check.
Brit: That works.
The alarm on Dana’s phone vibrated, if she didn’t hurry, she would miss her bus.
Dana: I gotta go. TTFN.
The phone vibrated with goodbyes as she crossed the grounds to the tour bus. At the gate, she ran into the last person she wished to see today—her mother.
“What are you doing sightseeing when your sister is heartbroken?”
“Cheyanne said she didn’t need me.” The other bridesmaids were more than smothering her. “I came to kiss the Blarney Stone.”
“You are so selfish.” Her mother followed Dana to the bus. Dana quickened her pace. Her mother grabbed her wrist and spun her around. “Don’t you walk away from me.”
“I have nothing else to say on the matter.”
“Of course not. You ruined another marriage, just like you ruined mine.”
“I was three years old. Not even old enough to understand you were cheating. All I did was tell Dad he was my favorite father, that I didn’t like the other one who came to the house when he was gone. How was I supposed to know you were having an affair and to keep it a secret?”
“You were told not to tell!”
Fellow passengers heading for the buses looked their way as they passed. Dana lowered her voice. “If you had been dating a nicer person, I might not have. I didn’t like the man you were dating slapping me. I wanted to be with my dad. He never once hit or spanked me.” Dana didn’t add that her mother had more than once.
“Of all the impertinent children. How did I get saddled with you?”
The question had been asked enough times that it didn’t hurt anymore. Across the parking lot, the bus honked. Dana wrenched her hand free and ran to the bus, knowing her mother needed to find whatever transportation she’d come in.
The tour bus doors closed behind Dana and she searched for an empty seat. A blue-haired woman in a bright fuchsia blouse moved her bag, a sign Dana could sit next to her. The woman pointed out the window to where Dana’s mother stood staring at the bus, her hands on her hips. “Is that your mum?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, she’s not on this bus. She took a different tour.”
“How odd that you would take a different tour than your mother.”
“If you saw us fighting, it isn’t nearly as odd as you say. To put it politely, we don’t get on.”
“How long has that been going on?” The woman’s soft accent soothed Dana’s nerves.
Not in a mood to sugarcoat things, Dana told the stranger the truth. “Since I was three. She had an affair. I accidentally spilled the beans to my dad. She’s never forgiven me.”
“That’s a shame. Mothers and daughters shouldn’t be like that.”
“One would think, wouldn’t they? Do you have a family?” Dana asked to change the subject.
“I have a daughter who lives in the states and a son in the Royal Navy.”
“You must be proud. “