Page 13

“I’ll be okay, sweetheart.”
Adelia groaned. “I’m so angry at Mom. I can’t believe she would do this.”
Dad was quiet on the other end of the line.
“You don’t deserve this, Dad. You’ve sacrificed so much over the years for her, and this is how she repays you.”
“I did those things because I wanted to, because I loved her and you. I would make the same decisions again. But within our marriage, there was a lot you didn’t see. Things we didn’t allow you to see. There were many times when we almost didn’t make it.”
Her stomach sank. “Really?”
“Marriage is hard. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar.”
“Mom always said that too, but she also said working hard at it was worth it.”
“That’s how I thought we both felt.”
“She’s such a liar.”
“No, I don’t think she lied. I’m sure she meant it at the time.”
“And then she just went off and cheated?”
“I don’t know what was going on in your mother’s mind, except she was tired. We both were. Tired of fighting about the same things over and over. Tired of trying to make ourselves feel something that might have faded away a long time ago.”
“What are you saying? You and Mom don’t love each other anymore?”
“We’ll always love each other. But the passion we once had for each other … we’ve been trying to find it again for many years. Maybe she gave up.”
Adelia’s head was spinning. Everything she had believed about her parents was quickly falling apart in her mind. “I’m so confused. All these years, I thought you were head over heels for each other. Now I find out it was all a farce?”
“It wasn’t all a farce, but there were times when we struggled that we didn’t want you to see. So we put on a happy face.”
“Well, bravo to both of you. You deserve Oscars for your decades-long performances. Maybe they’d give you a Lifetime Achievement Award for that.”
“Adelia.” His voice was stern, like the scoldings he’d given her as a child.
“I’m sorry, Daddy, but you’ve just basically told me that my whole life has been a lie. I looked up to you. I wanted to find someone to spend my life with and model my marriage after yours.” She shook her head in disgust. “What a joke.”
“We tried hard for many years to keep this together. I believed we could. I wanted to. I still do.”
“Still? After what she’s done to you? Why?”
“Because I love her. She’s an extraordinary woman, and until now, a great wife, and a wonderful mother.”
Adelia snorted. “Not lately.”
“Everyone makes mistakes. We’re human. We’re not infallible.”
“If she came back today and told you she was sorry and wanted to come home, would you let her?”
“Yes.”
She was surprised his answer came without an ounce of hesitation. “How could you do that? Aren’t you hurt beyond repair?”
“I made vows to her before God. One of them was to love her in good times and bad. We’re just in the middle of the bad.”
“So, you think she’ll come back?”