Page 70 of Happy Is On Hiatus
The air crackled with the rage Sharae could see building in Rita’s face. “Don’t tell me I know better!” Rita said. “Not when I’m the one who’s done all the right things but still keeps getting crapped on by everybody who’s supposed to love me!”
“I’m telling you not to do this here,” Aunt Vi continued. “It’s rude and disrespectful to your father.”
“What did you want us to say, Rita?” Sharae interjected. Aunt Vi was only angering Rita more, and Sharae couldn’t stand it. Rita wanted an explanation, so she was going to get it. “When Jem and I tried to talk to you before you married him, you basically told us you were the oldest and so you knew what you were doing. Benny asked you if you were sure, and you damn near bit his head off defending your choice.” Rita looked taken aback by her words, but Sharae was on a roll now. “Then when he started takin’ all those business trips and spending more and more time at the dealerships, we tried to tell you again. When the three of us went to the Poconos that time for Jem’s birthday, we tried to bring it up, tried to tell you something wasn’t right.”
Rita shook her head. “You didn’t have any proof. How was I supposed to believe you?”
“Because you knew something wasn’t right, Rita. You knew, but you didn’t want to say anything. You didn’t want to admit that your life wasn’t perfect.”
“I never claimed to be perfect!” Using the back of her hands, Rita wiped tears from her face. Her breathing was coming so fast her chest heaved, her eyes were wild, fingers shaking with her anger.
Sharae wanted to hug her, but more important, she wanted her to understand her part in this. It pained her to admit it, but Rita’s continued denial had contributed to this current situation. “You didn’t have to claim it; you acted it out every damn day, and we all just stood by and watched.”
“You stood by and watched my husband cheat on me with a woman at my church! Damn, Sharae! How could you not tell me that?”
Rita was hurting, but Sharae was too. After she and Jemel had tried to talk to her about Nate that last time, they’d decided not to bring the subject up again. Rita had been hurt that they’d accused him of something they couldn’t prove, and it’d almost broken their hearts to watch her so upset. So she was never going to tell her she’d seen Nate and Amy coming out of a hotel where one of her suspects was under surveillance. She’d confronted them and told Nate if he didn’t end the affair, she was going to bust his ass. He’d assured her it was nothing and that he’d take care of it. No surprise that he’d lied. Or maybe he had at the time and this just started up again. She didn’t know, and, dammit, she didn’t care.
What worried her now was the look of betrayal on Rita’s face as she gazed at her. Sharae was just about to say something else ... what, she had no clue, but she had to try and make this better.
“You got my purse?” Sharae heard Taryn yell. “We’re goin’ now!”
“I’m goin’ with you,” Necole said, and Wendy stepped off the deck to follow them.
“Stop it right there! Ready to run out of here and start more foolishness like you ain’t been taught better. Each one of you stop and don’t move another muscle,” Aunt Vi yelled.
This wasn’t gonna be good, but Sharae knew it was too late to stop it now.
“She’s right, nobody’s going anywhere,” Aunt Rose said. “Now, Rita, you go on back in the house. Sharae and Jemel, you might as well come along too. We’re gonna get to the bottom of this.”
Aunt Vi nodded, agreeing with her sister’s proclamation, but when she pulled on Rita’s arm to guide her into the house, Rita pulled away.
“Don’t talk to my daughters that way,” Rita said, her tone deadly quiet. “You and your sisters are always so busy telling us how to act, what to say, what not to do, you never stop to listen to anybody else. I’m pissed the hell off, Mama! And so are my daughters.” Rita sighed heavily and shook her head. “Nate betrayed them the same way he betrayed me. So if they feel like slapping that little conniving wench silly, then why shouldn’t they do it?”
This wasn’t good. Rita didn’t do this. She didn’t yell, and she most assuredly didn’t disrespect her mother or the Aunts. Jemel came to stand beside Sharae, and they both exchanged a knowing look.
“Sharae lied to me for years, and I’m hurt and angry about that,” Rita continued. “Why can’t I yell and scream, telling her so? This is my house, dammit!” She pushed past Aunt Rose and Aunt Ceil and stomped into the house.
For a few seconds nobody dared to move. Rita had never spoken like that to her mother before. Nor had she ever told Necole and Taryn it was fine to slap somebody. To their credit, Necole and Taryn realized just how tenuous this situation had turned and hadn’t moved since Aunt Vi halted them.
Jemel grabbed Sharae’s hand and walked her into the house. The Aunts followed behind them. Rita was already in the living room grabbing her purse from the sofa table where she kept it.
“Where are you going?” Jemel asked when Rita pulled her keys out of her purse and continued toward the front door.
“I’m leaving,” Rita snapped. “Is that okay, or do you want to tell me why I shouldn’t do that too?”
“Whoa,” Jemel said, raising both hands. “Hold up. I’m not your mother, Rita.”
“No,” Rita said, shaking her head. “You’re supposed to be my closest friend, just like her. But I bet you knew about this too. You knew he was screwing around with that young girl, and you didn’t tell me either.”
“No,” Sharae said, stepping between Rita and Jemel. “She didn’t know because I didn’t tell her either. When I saw Nate with Amy, I told them to end it. He said he would handle it, and I let it be.” She sighed. “Should I have called you right away and told you? Maybe. But I didn’t, and we can’t go back and change that.”
“No, we can’t.” Rita shook her head. “But I don’t have to lie down and get run over anymore, Sharae. Not by you, and not by anybody else.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Aunt Vi asked when Rita yanked the door open.
“Out!” Rita shouted. “And I don’t want any of you here when I get back.”
Again, a hush came over that house like Sharae had never heard before as they all watched Rita walk outside and down the driveway and get into her car.
