Page 82 of Nathan
“Are you ignoring me?” my mom asked.
Lifting my head, I stared at her. “What did you say?”
“Lola and I just don’t get why you would go from Storm to that guy.”
My sister quickly added, “Not that he’s not hot, but if you’re serious about having a family one day, a bad boy like him isn’t what you need.”
One thing was for my mom to make a fuss, but it hurt me double that Lola didn’t trust my judgment either.
Looking from my mom to Lola and back again, I kept my tone as calm as possible. “You know that the thing with Storm was never real. I never dated him and nor did I want to.”
“Yeah, we know, but why not? At least he’s not a violent criminal, and he seems very sincere in the interviews he’s given. I think he has real feelings for you.”
Closing my eyes, I held up a palm. “Stop! Just stop. Storm is an actor. I can’t believe you’re buying into his fake tears. You don’t know Nathan, but if you did you’d see that he’s an incredible man and a warm person. Trust me, if Nathan and Storm were in the same room, any woman would choose Nathan over Storm. Anyone with any sense anyway.”
My mom had been a stay-at-home mom since Lola and I were little. She had supported my acting career every way she could and it pained me to see her wring her hands with a distraught expression. “Honey, Dad and I have never meddled in who you date, but from what we can read, Nathan Robertson sounds like someone you should stay away from.” My mom spoke fast and didn’t give me a chance to answer her. “Sure, he might have a wealthy and influential family, but he’s emotionally broken from the awful things in his past. Did you know that his father died when he was a baby, and his mother killed herself or was killed depending on what article you read? And then there’s the whole affair about him growing up in a cult and surviving that mass murder. The pictures… I mean, the poor man had a terrible childhood, so I’m not saying it’s his fault, but Nathan clearly has anger issues. Now, I know you told Dad that Nathan didn’t inflict those injuries on you, but you’re safe here, so tell us what really happened.”
I gaped at her. “You think I lied to Dad?”
“Well, did you?” My mom touched her short bob and I noticed more gray hairs in her dark hair than the last time I saw her. “We thought that maybe Nathan was with you and influenced you. Honey…” My mom moved to the edge of her seat and with her eyebrows drawn close, she took my hands. “You wouldn’t be the first woman to think she could change a man.”
“Mom, listen to me.” I stared into her blue eyes. “Nathan didn’t hurt me. I slipped on a tree log and hurt myself.”
The doubt was right there in her eyes alongside the worry.
Lola sat down on the other side of me. “Do you remember my friend, Erica?”
“No.”
“Yes, you do. We called her Skinny Erica in elementary school, and she used to come around on her bike all the time because her parents were always fighting.”
“Oh, yeah, what about her?”
“She married a boy right out of high school, and it turned out that he hit her. She wouldn’t tell anyone for years, but I just ran into Jessie, who told me she went to Erica’s funeral less than three months ago.”
“Erica died?”
“Yes. They found her body completely bruised up. Her husband killed her in a rage and is now in the county jail.”
“That’s awful.”
“I know. She was pregnant too. Or so the rumor says.” My sister still had a small lisp when she spoke.
“Wait… hang on.” Looking from my sister to my mother sitting on either side of me, I tilted my head. “Please tell me this isn’t some kind of intervention?”
Their faces were way too serious.
“Oh, I see.” I got up to create some distance between us. “I thought I was coming home to spend some quiet days with the people I love, but all I get is this complete paranoia.” I waved a hand to the table. “You two, of all people, should know better than to buy into these absurd lies.”
“It’s not all lies. Nathan really did grow up in a cult and his mother was murdered. It’s all verified,” Lola argued.
“That might be, but it doesn’t change that the Nathan I know is kind and loving. You have to trust that I wouldn’t be with someone abusive.”
“Baby, that’s the problem. They all start out charming until their personalities change.”
“God!” I turned around to look out at my parents’ pristine garden. “The whole world is judging Nathan without knowing him. It’s not fair.”
“Sydney dear, could it be that you don’t know the whole story?” My mother came to stand beside me. She and Lola were both half a head shorter than me, and right now she was looking up at me with a pleading expression. “I’m sure Nathan has some good sides, but a man doesn’t go to prison for no reason. Don’t be blind, sweetie. You can have any man in the world; why would you pick someone so troubled?”
