Page 82 of The Scars I Bare
The collective sigh of relief was palpable.
“No, of course not,” my parents both said in unison.
As I gave him a smile that said so many things but mostlythank you, Lizzie hopped off her chair, happy to be going outside, and headed for the back door. I watched as my parents curiously eyed Dean. I didn’t blame them. I’d been so wrapped up in emotions after my arrival, I hadn’t even introduced him.
So, not only did they not know what he was doing, they also didn’t even know what to call him. They would soon. They would know everything soon.
I took a deep breath, my fingers clenching the empty glass in front of me, still cold from my tea. I opened my mouth, finally prepared to own up to all my sins and—
“We know you’re divorced,” my dad said, halting my words.
I looked up at him, a mixture of shock and surprise coursing through me. “What?”
He let out a frustrated sigh. “We’ve known something was up for a while. We’re not that stupid, Cora. How many times can one house be remodeled?”
I turned away, the guilt rising in my throat.
“But we kept hoping you’d come to us,” my mother stressed before adding, “It’s a hard job, being a parent, but it’s an even harder job, being a parent of an adult. You’re expected to care just as much but do very little. And when your child moves away? It’s even harder. We knew you were struggling in your marriage. I could read between the lines of those fake blog posts, hear the pain in your voice when you called, but every time I asked you if everything was okay, you assured me it was.”
“I know,” I said, feeling my lip quiver with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”
“No,” she said. “We’re sorry. We should have done more, but again, we don’t know how to do this. When you were younger, we could just send you to your room until you fessed up.”
A halfhearted laugh fell from my lips. “How much simpler life was back then.”
“After your last call, I went online and found the divorce records,” my dad said. “We were making plans to come visit you next month.”
“Really?”
They both smiled, a warmth spreading over me that I hadn’t felt in years.
“I missed you both so much.”
“We missed you, too, kiddo. And we’re sorry we let you down. From now on, we’re going to be in your business all the time, like those helicopter parents I see the first week of classes, who follow their kids into my lectures,” my dad joked.
I laughed, happy tears falling down my cheeks.
“Yes,” my mom agreed. “Starting with the handsome stranger with the soulful eyes.”
Leave it to my mom, the creative writing professor, to add the touch of flair to Dean’s description.
“Well, he must be important if she’s brought him all the way home,” Dad said.
“That, and she’s blushing.”
“Would you guys stop it?” I laughed. “His name is Dean, and yes, he’s important. Very. Things with Blake…” I hesitated, unsure of how much I wanted to say. “Let’s just say, they weren’t good. I lost a lot of trust when it came to relationships. So much so, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to try again. But Dean makes it easy, so easy that I don’t even have to try. I never question the trust between us. It’s just always been there since the beginning.”
A moment of silence passed between my parents as they looked at each other before turning back to me.
“Okay, but serious question.”
I bit my lip as my father stared me down.
“Does he likeBattlestar Galactica?”
My mom threw her hands up once again as I burst into laughter.
“What?” he said. “If I’m going to get a shot at another son-in-law, can’t I at least ask? None of you will watch thefrackingshow with me.”
