Page 102 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
“I’ll be fine for the next six months while you intern at Valente,” Mom repeats, “and honestly, Piper, I know LA. What else will you do? The beach house is your only good option.”
I sigh, finally ready to surrender. At least I tried, for her own sake, to talk her out of giving me the beach house. But formysake, I've never been so grateful for my mother's stubborn nature. Even if I only stay in the house—which will always be Malcolm’s house in my mind—for a month or two, it gives me time to figure something out.
“When, or if, you’re ready to move on when this internship ends,” Mom continues, “I’ll decide what to do with the house.” Then… “a little shorter, Kelly.”
The faint whir of a nail file fills the silence. “Anyway, I’m having too much fun renovating Joe’s place in Kauai to step foot in Malcolm’slovenest any time soon.”
I let out a short laugh. The sour note she hits on the word “love” sums up my feelings regarding it, too. “I’m glad you’re having fun, Mom. And I appreciate you want to help.”
“Sweetie, it’s more than that,” Mom says, her tone more serious, which catches my attention. Serious moods are rare with Mom. “The reason I dropped my fight for alimony and a stake in Malcolm’s company and agreed to just the house in South Bay is foryou. I want you back in LA, and South Bay is the perfect place for a young, single,beautifulgirl to meet someone.”
I pull my phone away from my ear, so Mom won’t hear me roll my eyes.
“Stop rolling your eyes!”
“How…?” I stammer, then catch myself. “I’m not!”
“You are, but don’t ignore my advice. South Bay is full of rich, young…ishbachelors. This is an incredible opportunity to make connections that could map the course of your entire life.”
“No pressure, though,” I mutter.
“Don’t be so cynical. If you want me to say I did this for me, too…fine. That’s true,” Mom continues. “I’m tired of fighting and even more tired of being tied to Malcolm’s purse strings.”
I’m touched that I even factored into her decision, but I can also see that she’s tying up loose ends, making sure I’m taken care of so she can sail off into the sunset without any guilt.Literally.She’s leaving on a three-month cruise with Joe in a couple of days.
Of course.
But…I’m grateful for what Mom’s done. She wanted to punish Malcolm for cheating on her, and she knew going after his money would be the thing that hurt him the most. Losing the beach house is a slap on the wrist for him, but Mom’s shown huge growth walking away from this fight.
“Okay, Mom, I’ll move into the beach house. Thank you.” This doesn’t make me dependent on her, I reassure myself. She’ll be able to leave on her trip feeling like a good mom, and I’ll have a place to stay.
“Sweetheart! I’m so glad.” Mom’s tone softens to the voice she uses when she’s her truest self. “Malcolm hurt you as much as he hurt me. We both get to move forward now.”
I sink onto the blow-up mattress I’ve called my bed for the past couple of years in this tiny Greenwich Village apartment. A toilet flushes upstairs. The outer walls of this brownstone are brick, but every wall and ceiling is paper thin. I won’t miss hearing everything that happens upstairs, downstairs, and everywhere in between.
And I’m not sad that I don’t have to figure out how to sell my broken-down furniture—or deal with my nightmare roommate anymore. I’ve loved my time in New York, but everything besides my sewing machine and suitcases, I’ll leave here. I’ll start fresh in a place that’s clean, furnished, and, most importantly, roommate-less. I’ll be there blissfullyalone.
“Thanks, Mom,” I say again, softer now.
“You’re welcome…and if I’m wrong about Joe, then I’ll join you in South Bay, and we’ll figure out the next step together. How about that?” Mom laughs.
I smile. “It’s a plan. I do hope things work out for you, you know?” I stop short of mentioning her relationship with Joe specifically.
“Hope is a survival skill, and we are survivors,” Mom says. “But money sure makes surviving easier.”
I laugh. She’s not wrong.
“Sybil emailed me the information about the security system and the codes to get in. I’ll forward it to you,” Mom says.
“That’s a name I haven’t heard for a while. I can’t believe she still works for Malcolm.”
Mom huffs. “That old bat is the only woman Malcolm hasn’t slept with and the only one he’s been loyal to.”
“Now who’s being cynical?” I tease. Mom has always been jealous of Malcolm’s personal assistant, even though on thespectrum of sexy secretaries Sybil is much moreMonster’s IncRoz thanMad MenJoan.
“Hush. I’ve earned it after she helped Malcolm try to hide assets,” she teases back before continuing. “He’s paid for a year’s worth of home insurance, taxes, and maintenance upfront as part of the settlement. Oh! And Sybil promised Archie and his friends will be moved out by the time you get there.”
I freeze.Archie lives there?
