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“Yeah. It did a few minutes ago.”
I followed her into the kitchen, where she poured herself a glass of wine.
“This house must cost a fortune to rent out,” she spoke.
“It’s not cheap.” I smiled. “But as far as I’m concerned, it’s worth it. Do you want to go sit down in the living room?”
“Sure.” She nodded as she went and took a seat on the couch.
I refilled my glass and took a seat next to her.
“Tell me more about your family. You never talked about them.”
“And for good reason,” I signed with an arch in my brow. “You’ve already met my mother, and you don’t like her, which I can’t blame you for.”
“I can’t really say that because I don’t know her. But when she told me about you, it was as if she was enjoying every minute of it.”
“That’s her. She loves to wreak havoc in people’s lives and doesn’t care who she steps on to get what she wants, including me. I thought maybe after my father’s heart attack, he would realize that life’s too short to behave the way he does. But he’s still the same old Carlyle Walker he’s always been. He even told Addison, his own daughter, that if Abigail wouldn’t have died, she wouldn’t have been born.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Very serious,” I signed. He was supposed to start the transfer of ownership for the company, and I would take over in three months, but when Addison exposed Kirsten, he told mehe was putting it on hold because he thought I wasn’t mentally prepared to take over due to the circumstances.”
“I’m sorry the baby isn’t yours,” she said.
“Are you kidding? I’m not the least bit sorry. Hearing those words come out of her mouth was the best thing I’d heard in a very long time. I didn’t want a child with her. I can’t stand her.”
“You were with her for three years, Henry.”
“For all the wrong reasons. Ben and Frankie tried to get me to break up with her for a long time, but I couldn’t because I was afraid of my parents, and I was afraid of letting them down.”
“And now?”
“They can rot in Hell for all I care.”
“They’re your parents, Henry.”
“What kind of parents threaten their children’s future if they don’t do exactly as they’re told? Even as adults. They’re trying to keep me away from you. My father said that hearing/deaf relationships can never work.”
“I don’t believe that,” she said.
“I don’t either, but it doesn’t matter. Because they believe it, so it’s true in their eyes. Everything with them is black and white. There are no shades of gray anywhere.”
“Would they have felt differently if Abigail was still alive and dating a hearing man?”
“I asked my father that, and he said Abigail wouldn’t be stupid enough to date a hearing man.”
“And he knows this how?” She cocked her head.
“It’s what he believes in his mind. Abigail was always perfect in his eyes. That’s why they don’t want me to see you. And I’m not telling you this to hurt you. I’m telling you so you know I am nothing like them.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I think the main reason is because you’re a reminder of what they lost. I remember being at the store with my motherwhen I was younger, and I saw this man signing to one of the sales associates. He didn’t speak, and she couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell her. So, I walked over and interpreted for him. My mother grabbed my arm and dragged me away. She told me I was never allowed to talk to another deaf person again, especially in public, and I was never allowed to use sign language.”
“That’s awful!”
“Did my mother use sign language when she spoke at the café?”