Page 6 of Coming Home for Fall 6
Callie gave her daughter a look. “Why would you do that? Joshua is a nice guy who doesn’t deserve to be humiliated.”
Mallory knew she’d crossed a line, but she wasn’t about to admit it. She shrugged and turned away from her mother’s harsh gaze. “I just thought we should get everything out in the open. Maybe Joshua isn’t your boyfriend, but he clearly likes you, and since he knows you and dad aren’t together…” She paused, allowing everyone to come to their own conclusions.
Callie exhaled a fuming sigh and sat down next to Sasha. “I don’t know how much this is going to matter to you kids right now, but I want to make it clear—your father and I are truly sorry for lying. It seemed like the right thing to do at first, and then over the years, we just got further away from the truth. We didn’t know how to come clean, and we thought everyone would just be happier if we didn’t say anything.”
“Good call. Look at how happy we are now.” Mallory rolled her eyes and then sneered at Sasha. “Oh, and let’s not forget that Dad ran around with Sasha’s mom but somehow didn’t know she was pregnant?!”
“I swear,” David started. “I would never knowingly abandon a child of mine. That much I hope is clear.” Out of the corner of her eye, Mallory spotted her dad approaching Sasha. “I would’ve been there for you in all the same ways I was there formy other children. I wish your mother had said something, but I can understand why she felt too scared to do that. The situation between Callie and I was confusing, and we hadn’t divorced officially yet. She probably thought there was more to the story than I was telling her.”
“Gee, I wonder where she would’ve gotten an idea like that,” Mallory muttered.
“Please, Mallory, just come and sit down,” her mother pleaded. “Nothing is going to be accomplished by you standing over there muttering to yourself.”
“I disagree. It’s making me feel less angry, which I would say is an accomplishment, wouldn’t you?”
Callie sighed. “We’re never going to resolve anything if we don’t talk this through like adults. That means no more snide remarks or—”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Mallory put her hands in the air. “I didn’t realize there were rules I was supposed to follow when it comes to finding out my parents have been lying to me for half my life. Is there some kind of guidebook you can give me, so I’ll be a little more prepared next time?”
Nobody responded—not that she was really looking for an answer. Mallory turned to Taylor with a smug expression. “You’ve grown awfully quiet over there. Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share with the class?”
He caught her eye for a second and then looked down at the cold, empty fireplace. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Mal. I’m pissed too, but I can also see where they’re coming from to some degree.”
“What?” Mallory scoffed. “How?”
“I don’t know…” He rubbed his face with both hands. “I’m not saying it was right—it was definitely not the decision I would’ve made—but I think they really were trying to protect us...”
“Protect us fromwhat?”
“From being disillusioned?” he suggested. “You said it yourself the other night, you idealize their relationship. They probably didn’t want to shatter our childhood memories or their love for each other. And it’s not like they’ve been secretly hating each other this whole time. They still love one another and seem close... who cares if they don’t sleep in the same bed? If you really think about it, nothing much has changed now that we know.”
Mallory pressed her fingers to her forehead and blinked quickly, seeming unable to fathom what she’d just heard. “What?! Nothing’s changed?! Are you serious? Everything’s changed! Everything’s a lie!” Mallory scoffed and shot a sharp look at Ariel. “And what do you have to say about all this? Are you going to take their side as well?”
Ariel sighed. “There are no sides, Mal. At least, I don’t think there are. I’m not in any sort of fight with mom and dad. I’m just trying to understand… And I suppose I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little sad. It’s hard for me to think about their romance having ended so long ago. I also always looked up to their relationship too, but… if this is what makes them happy...” She glanced up with sad, sympathetic eyes at her sister and shrugged. “What can we do?”
Mallory clenched her fists, and her face turned an even deeper shade of red—she wanted to scream. For a moment, she considered asking Erica for her opinion, but she knew it was wrong to put her sister-in-law in the middle of all this. The only other person in the room, besides a literal baby, was Sasha—but Mallory didn’t want to hear another word from her.
In fact, she didn’t want to hear another word from anyone in that room.
“I can’t do this,” she said finally, shaking her head. “I just—I have to get some air.”
Callie stood up when Mallory marched toward the front door. “Honey—” Callie reached for her hand.
Mallory pulled away without even meeting her mother’s gaze. “No, Mom. I need to leave.” With that, she opened the front door, stepped outside, and shut the door behind her.
Chapter 4
Mallory didn’t even know where she was going, but she just kept walking. The intensity of her emotions propelled her forward, one step in front of the other. It wasn’t until she reached town that she realized how far she was from home. She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath. However, the moment she stopped, all the feelings she was trying to run away from came rushing over her. Her legs trembled and her breath became shallow; she almost dropped to her knees. In desperation, she gripped the rough brick of the nearby building next to her.
Everything became blurry and hazy as the tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her face. Suddenly, she heard someone calling out her name—a voice she recognized.
James.
Turning toward him, her gaze softened with relief, and she staggered in his direction, keeping her grip on the wall. James rushed to her side and put his arms around her before she could collapse.
His expression flickered with worry. “Are you okay?”
Mallory leaned against his chest and gave a weak nod. “I—I’m fine,” she said, despite the fragile tone of her voice. “I just—sorry, this is very dramatic.” Her next inhale was so strained that she wheezed when she tried to breathe. “I—I don’t know what came over me. I—I think I need to just sit down.”
