Page 42 of Cut Off from Sky and Earth
I hand her one from the stack in the top middle drawer and nod toward the toaster oven. “Why don’t you reheat that, too?”
She’s arranging the bread on the tray, her back to me, when she says, “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me he has a brother.” The betrayal in her voice is palpable.
And even though I don’t owe Tristan Rose a damned thing, I feel compelled to defend him.
“In fairness, Emily, if Tate were my brother, I don’t think I’d tell anyone either.”
She twists around to look at me. “Why?”
I exhale heavily. “It isn’t my story to tell,” I begin.
“I think we’re past that, don’t you?”
She’s right, but, nonetheless, I feel dirty as I explain the little I know about the Weakes’ home life.
“The Weakes family was troubled. I think today, people would probably intervene. I hope they would. But in the eighties and nineties, that’s just not something people did, especially not in a town like Windy Rock.”
She’s already frowning. Just wait, I think.
“Troubled how?”
“Tom had a temper. And as a result, he had a hard time keeping a job. But Tara wasn’t allowed to work outside the house because her job was to be a mom. So they were pretty much broke.”
“Wasn’t allowed?”
I nod. “That’s the way I heard it, at least.” I indulge my curiosity. “Does she have a job now?”
“She’s a realtor. A successful one.”
“Good for her,” I say, and I mean it.
“I can’t imagine the Tara I know letting someone push her around.” She’s shaking her head.
“People change.” I should know this better than anyone.
“I guess. And they had two kids?” She asks like I might not be sure. She’s really fixated on this brother thing.
“Yes, Emily. Two sons with a pretty big age gap between them. I think Tate is eight years older than Tristan. Maybe nine. Something like that.”
“That is a big gap. Any idea why?”
“Not really. A few times, right after Tristan was born, I heard my mom and her friends speculating that Mrs. Weakes might have had fertility problems or miscarried or …”
“Or what?” she demands as I trail off.
I let out a sigh. In for a dime in for a dollar. “They wondered if she might not have terminated some pregnancies along the way because the family couldn’t afford another mouth to feed. But by the time Tristan came along, Mr. Weakes had been holding down a job for the longest stretch anyone could remember.”
“Doing what?”
“He was a landscaper for a company that had a contract for both of the town’s apartment buildings and the school.”
The lasagna should be warmed through by now. So when the timer dings on the toaster oven, we plate the food and carry it to the dining room table. I bring the rest of the wine, too. I figure we’re going to need it. I sprinkle some shredded Parmesan on my pasta and savor a bite. It’s good, not too cheesy or spicy, and really flavorful.
Emily’s toying with her fork, not eating. “When you say everyone knew Tristan’s father had a temper, do you mean he was violent?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn he was. It’s not like Tara ever showed up with a black eye and said she ran into a door, but there was always a lot of yelling coming from their place. He was a big guy, a physical guy, and he didn’t have a good handle on his emotions.”
“It sounds like an awful situation.”
