Page 15 of Even More Christmas Magic and Romance (Holiday Hiccups #3)

Fifteen

MOM AND ADAM excused themselves shortly after Adam arrived.

They went back to Mom’s house. Barbara, Stanley and I decided to go for a walk.

With the weather turning colder, I put on gloves.

Barbara borrowed a pair of my mittens. Stanley, being his manly self, insisted he wouldn’t be bothered by the cold and even refused to wear his scarf.

I’ve learned not to argue with him. Maybe that’s my lesson now.

Let others be and simply tend to my own stuff.

The crisp air seemed to agree with Barbara. She was more relaxed and talkative as we strolled down the street. She began to open up about leaving Stanley’s dad. She explained that she woke up in the middle of the night, thought about her future and panicked.

As usual I wanted to step in and help, but I restrained myself. I’m glad I did because it gave Stanley a chance to talk to her, son to mother.

“What made you panic?” he asked. “I know you talked about some of your feelings earlier, but I’m not quite sure why you decided to leave Dad without letting him know what you were doing.”

Barbara sucked in a deep breath and let it out quickly. “Your father was there, lying in bed next to me, snoring as usual. And I wondered if that was all there was. Would the same thing repeat over and over for the rest of my life? It was a scary thought, and I realized I wanted more.”

Stanley paused. “Mom, have you talked to Dad about your feelings?”

Barbara stood on the sidewalk and avoided Stanley’s gaze. “I don’t think he’d understand if I did talk to him.”

I couldn’t help myself. I blurted out something I needed to know. “Do you still love each other?” I asked.

Barbara smiled at me, like she’d smile at a child, like I was too innocent to understand life’s complexities. “Of course I still love my husband, but that’s one of the reasons I had to leave.”

Maybe Barbara was right about me. Maybe I was a child at that moment because her statement didn’t make sense.

Barbara must have noticed my look of confusion. She took my arm and gave it a gentle shake. “Dear Gloria, when you love someone as much as I love Stanley’s father, you can lose yourself in that love.”

I shook my head and shrugged, still feeling like I was clueless.

Barbara made another attempt at explaining what she meant. “I see the way you look at my boy,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “But I can tell you’re also aware of who you are. You don’t have to worry about ending up like me.”

Stanley spoke up. “Mom, do you feel like Dad loves you too?”

“I guess he does,” Barbara said, “but he just assumes I’ll always be there, sort of like he assumes I’ll cook his next meal.”

“You’re saying he takes you for granted,” I said.

Barbara huffed out a groan. “I’m surprised he bothered to drive here. I guess he missed the breakfast I usually fix him.”

Stanley returned a troubled frown. “From what he said to me, I think he misses more than what you do for him.”

“Really? What did he tell you?” Barbara asked.

“I don’t want to speak for my father,” Stanley said, “but I do think you need to let him explain himself to you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Barbara said as she began walking down the sidewalk again. “But I’ve made up my mind. I won’t let my feelings for your father override my feelings for my own happiness.”

Stanley and I followed Barbara and quickly caught up with her. However, we didn’t comment on what she’d said. Still, I agreed with her. If she’d been sacrificing herself to keep her husband happy, that wasn’t a good foundation for their marriage.

When we got back to the house, Barbara’s phone sounded. She looked at it and straightened her shoulders before she answered it. “Hello, Stan,” she said. Then she looked at Stanley and me and let out a heavy breath.