Page 100 of Afternoon Delight
“It wasn’t you. Or, I didn’t think it was. Then I talked to Zak about it, and he made me see that you really were just trying to help Georgia. He said grief is hard, and that divorce is a type of loss, and that for you, making everyone around you feel safe and happy is your painkiller of choice. He said I couldn’t really do anything except wait for you to deal with it in your own way.”
“He said all that?” I lifted my head. “Did I really worry you? I’m so sorry.”
“Whatever. I mean, one of the reasons I stayed with Dad was because I thought you had enough with Grandma being super sad and everything. And, honestly? I couldn’t take you asking me if I was okay every ten minutes. It was too much.”
“Oh,” I groaned, cradling my head. “I didn’t mean to. Grandma turns into helicopter-mom with me too. It drives me nuts.”
“You’re still doing it, by the way. You don’t have to text me twenty times a day. I can get myself to school and find my own lunch. At least now I know why you do it. It’s because you miss Zak, isn’t it?”
I felt absolutely transparent. Kicked in the stomach. Heartbroken.
“Don’t cry,” he said with distress.
“I’m not,” I lied, touching the edge of my cuff to the brimming corners of my eyes.
Roddie got up and brought the box of tissues from the counter. “Do you want more wine?”
“Sure,” I choked, and he topped me up.
“You and Dad getting divorced sucks,” he said, returning the bottle to the fridge. “But I’m over it. Dad having another baby with Wanda? That’s not something you can fix for me. I mean, I’d rather live with you and just visit them, if that’s okay.”
“Always.” My voice was strained by the tears gathering in my throat.
“Thanks. I feel bad about not really liking Wanda, but I honestly can’t tell if Dad likes her either. That’s what makes it so uncomfortable. I did think you and Zak make each other happy, though. Like, if he was going for coffee, I’d offer to do it and he’d say, ‘I want to say hi to your mom.’ And you always talk about him like he’s the funniest guy in the world.”
“He is.”
Roddie shook his head and rolled his eyes. “If you think that, and you want to move to Victoria to be with him, I’d try living there with you. I could always come back and stay with Dad if I didn’t like it. It’s only four more years, then I’ll leave anyway.”
“Roddie—”
“Mom. You just said you don’t want to move across the country for a boy. Don’t do it for this one, either.” He pointed at himself.
“That is bullshit,” I said fiercely, rising to hug him. “You can tell me how to parent once you become one. And that better be at least twenty years from now.”
“I don’t know if you understand how gay sex works, boomer, but accidental pregnancy is almost never a problem.”
I squeezed him harder.
Chapter 54
Meg
I thought about what Roddie had said. I thought about it a lot. I thought about Negasi, and how satisfying it was to work with him, moving one step at a time, building his business plan. He wasn’t there yet, but his vision was taking shape. That helped me start to see my own vision.
I took Folami out for drinks and laid all my cards on the table.
“I wouldn’t leave you in the lurch. I could work remotely. But I think my long-term goal is to do something like what you’re doing. I like this client base you’re cultivating, but I want to lean into the launching side.”
Working with small businesses and entrepreneurs wasn’t as lucrative as corporate clients, but the work was more personal. More challenging and more rewarding.
“Victoria isn’t Toronto. Whatever I build will be slow. It’d be at least a year before I could even think about striking out on my own.”
“Maybe we should talk about a partnership,” Folami suggested.
“Yeah?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “If only we knew a good accountant who could explain the tax implications.”
