Page 124 of Meant to Be

“A million times,” she said, sobbing. “But—I couldn’t—”

“WHY NOT?” I screamed, pulling my hand away from Elna as I stood up and began pacing around the room.

“Because. Then Chip would have known…and he would have…”

“He would have WHAT, Mom?”

“He would have gone berserk….”

“Berserk like throwing cat shit around my room—or berserk like breaking your collarbone? Or something else?”

“Cate. Stop. Please.”

As I listened to my mother sobbing, doing her best to justify the unjustifiable, I felt any last trace of residual compassion I’d ever had for her disappear.

“I mean it, Mom. I’m done. Please don’t ever call me again.”

I hung up before she could respond, then promptly crawled back in bed, where I pretty much remained for the next three days, except when Elna made me get up to shower or eat.

On the fourth day, Elna and Curtis staged a mini-intervention in my bedroom.

“Cate, you can’t hide like this forever,” Elna began. “You have to face the world.”

“And you have to talk to Joe,” Curtis added. “He’s left so many messages. He’s called both of us—”

“What have you told him?” I asked, sitting up in bed.

“Nothing,” he said. “I swear.”

“Elna?”

“He hasn’t. We haven’t. But you have to talk to him.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. It’s over. I gave him back the ring.”

“Okay, look,” Elna said. “If you don’t want to marry him, that’s fine—”

“No, it’s not!” Curtis chimed in.

“Yes, itis,Curtis,” Elna said in her most stern voice. “But even if she doesn’t marry him, she owes him an explanation about why she’s doing this.”

“Whyisshe doing this?” Curtis asked her.

I sighed because I’d explained it to him several times already. My father was an ex-con who was responsible for the deaths of three human beings. I said it again.

“Butyoudidn’t do anything,” Curtis said. “You didn’t even know any of that—”

“Nobody will believe that I didn’t know,” I said. “I told Joe he was dead.”

“You thought hewasdead! Joe will believe you. You’re not a liar, Cate. He knows that.”

“It’s just too much,” I said, thinking of the things Ihadkeptfrom him along the way. “And Dottie and Berry willneverbelieve it. Never.”

“But it’s the truth—” Curtis said.

“Sometimes the truth doesn’t matter. Do you know anything about politics? The Kingsley family?”

“They’ve had scandals before,” Curtis said. “You’ve heard the rumors about his father cheating, haven’t you?”

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