Page 49 of Secrets at Seaside
“Yes. I received that.”
“Of course you did. Sorry. Then you’ve watched it?”
“Yes. It was a long time ago, but of course I did. Those were wonderful memories.”
“Yeah. For the most part. But…” Tony ran his hand through his hair, feeling too confined. He escaped into the living room.
“But the last year was not so good,” she said softly.
“Yeah. Why was that?”
Silenced filled the airwaves.
“Mom? What I need to know iswhyhe changed.”
She was silent again. Tony stopped in the center of the living room, unable to think past what that silence might mean.
“Honey, are you sure you want to talk about this? You haven’t brought up your father for a very long time.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” When his father died, Tony’s mother was heartbroken and Tony was lost. They had done all they could to hold themselves together, and Tony hadn’t looked for any further explanation once he’d heard that his father had been drunk when he’d run off the road. From the sound of his mother’s voice, he wondered if he was doing the wrong thing by dredging up the past again.
“Tony, your father made me promise not to tell you what had happened that spring, and I’d like to honor my word in his memory.”
“Mom, he’s gone. I’m…” He closed his eyes and gathered his wits about him, giving himself a silent pep talk to say what he wanted to say and deal with this once and for all. When he opened his eyes, he felt more in control.
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I know how much your word means to you, although I can’t for the life of me imagine why you’d have to keep something about Dad’s death from me.”
She didn’t respond, so Tony continued. “I’m in love with Amy Maples, and I want to move forward with my life, but I need to understand what happened with Dad. I need to know what changed that summer, why he changed.”
“Amy Maples.” The smile returned to her voice. “Oh, Tony. I’m so happy to hear this. She’s loved you forever.”
This stunned him, although after seeing the pictures last night, it shouldn’t have. He saw the love written all over their faces, and it was no wonder other people had seen it, too. He wondered if his father had. Or if Amy’s father had.
“Yes, she has, and I’ve loved her just as long.” It felt so good to say that. His lips curled up despite the difficult conversation.
“Yes, I imagine you did.”
He laughed a little. “Did you?”
“Oh, honey. There isn’t much that gets past a mother. We notice changes in our children that no one else could ever see. The last summer we were at the Cape as a family, I thought you and Amy had finally found each other. You both seemed so happy. But it must have been wishful thinking because of what was going on with your father. Maybe I just wanted to see something good come of that summer. And then, after your father…”
He heard her inhale a loud breath. When she spoke again, her voice was weak. “Afterward, that spark I thought I’d seen in you was gone.”
Tony sank down onto the couch. “You noticed?”
“How could I not? You went from a carefree kid who was surfing and loving life to a broken man. You were coiled so tight and running yourself into the ground with surfing and training and who knows what else. I was worried you’d never go back to the boy you were. I was never really sure if it was because of your father’s passing or something else.”
“Both, Mom.” Tony rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. “Tell me about Dad.”
“I’m breaking a promise I made to him by telling you, but you’re an adult, and I suppose you do have a right to know.”
“Thank you.” He leaned back and closed his eyes. “Whatever it is, it’s got to shed some light on the way he changed.”
“Yes, it will do that.” She paused for a long moment, and when she continued, her tone was compassionate. “Honey, that spring your father was diagnosed with ALS.”
Tony sat bolt upright. “What? Why would he want to keep that from me? Why would you?”
“Calm down, please. This is not easy for me to talk about.” Her words were sharp, though she spoke softly.
