“We didn’t know at first. Cal saw a lot of women,” Mr. Scott says dismissively, his words harsh. “We didn’t know Cal was serious about you…” He looks at his feet.
His wife stands, wringing her hands together nervously, the tension still high between her husband and me. “The day Dexter called and told us he was engaged was the first time we were told about you. He said you were a good person… that you were good for Cal. He told us that when you were with Cal, he was as close to Chris as he could get. His doctor said that you could probably help him get better, bringing him in touch with a side of himself that he hadn’t recognized, with kindness, warmth, and love.”
“What about me? You keep saying what everyone thought was best for Cal, for Chris. What about me? Did anyone stop to think what this would do to me? Did anyone for a second stop to look at me as a person and not some form of treatment!” I shout angrily.
“Yes! That made me want to tell you more about him, the real him. I-I came to see you. You didn’t know who I was, of course. I asked for you to come down, but Cal did instead, and he stopped me. I asked him not to marry you. I said that he’d hurt you, and he became furious with me. He told me he loved you more than anything and that he’d never hurt you, and that if we told you anything, we’d never see Chris again.” She looks down guiltily.
The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I recognize her now as the redheaded woman who came to see me the night of our engagement party. I feel as though I’m going to throw up.
“I begged him to tell you the truth. Told him he couldn’t live a lie with you forever,” she continues, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He kept talking about something he was taking that would fix his problem, that would get rid of Chris completely.” She says the last part with a sigh. “When I heard that, I was afraid of what he was doing. I hoped he was lying, and my main concern was to make sure he wasn’t doing something to hurt himself.” She wipes away her tears. “We wanted to tell you. We knew you deserved the truth, but we couldn’t risk losing our son.”
Tears pour from her eyes like a fountain, and I shake the compassion my heart is trying to feel. This isn’t about them right now. They honestly seem like good people. I think back to all the times Cal left, how he never told me anything about his family. I remember Dexter’s words, how he told me that if I looked for Cal, I wouldn’t find him. I touch my throbbing temples and cry. If this is all true, the person who’s my husband, who’s the father of my child, isn’t real. But no, I can’t accept that. Cal is real; at least, he is when he’s around.
I lift my head to see Mrs. Scott looking at me with sympathy etched on her face. I don’t know what to say. What do I say to this? My mind suddenly drifts to this afternoon’s event. I take a deep breath, clearing my throat as best I can, and take the Kleenex Mrs. Scott hands to me.
“So today, earlier, he’s… his name is Chris?” I stutter out.
Mrs. Scott nods.
“So I’m… nothing at all to him?” I ask, wringing the edge of my T-shirt.
“It’s because he doesn’t know what Cal does when he takes over,” Mr. Scott says in a low, stressed tone.
I stop to think for a second, processing his words. “Wait a minute! You never told him anything?”
Mrs. Scott looks down in shame.
“We thought it would be best for him not to know. He’s already carrying so much that we decided it would be for the best,” Mr. Scott explains.
My mouth drops open. “You never…? He doesn’t know about Cal? About me? About… you let him get engaged to another woman, knowing he was married?” I say sharply, standing.
“Technically, he’s not married to you. You’re Cal’s wife, not Chris’s,” he says coldly.
His wife immediately whips her head around to look at him.
“I’m Cal’s wife?” I shout. “You never bothered to tell me that Cal isn’t real, so right now, I’m married to your son!”
“That monster you fell in love with is not my son!” he shouts back.
“Cal is not a monster! He is not this evil person you’re making him out to be. He may not be perfect, but he’s a good person!” I tell him angrily.
“Cal is the worst thing that ever happened to our family!” he growls at me.
“How dare you! You have no right, especially after this, to throw around ethical judgments about anyone. You don’t know anything about Cal, and if that’s how you feel, you don’t deserve to!” I say defensively.
“You don’t know anything about him!” he shouts.
The words sting me because I don’t know what the hell is going on, and if this is true, Cal has ripped our life apart, but I won’t let them stand here and berate Cal with such hatred. I don’t know what to believe at this point, but I won’t let anyone talk about Cal that way. He’s still my daughter’s father, and if his dad treated him like this, I know exactly why he left.
“William, stop!” his wife orders, and he immediately acquiesces.
“Does he even know what he has? That he has this disorder?” My voice shakes.
“He knows he’s suffered episodes of time loss, but to this extent, no. It’s a part of his treatment to slowly tell him about Cal. If we spring it all on him, he could break down and make things worse. He doesn’t need this right now. He’s finally getting better,” Mr. Scott says, his tone calming down.
“Better? You’re saying he’s getting better? How can he be better when he doesn’t know that he has a wife and a child? What do you want me to do? Disappear? Let him have this happy little life with you and his fiancée?” I shout.
“A child?” Mrs. Scott mumbles. Her eyes are wide as she repeats the words.
“You’ve had almost two years, and you haven’t told him anything. You weren’t even going to tell me anything…”
“We’re going to tell Chris. We just need more time. We need his doctor. But you have to understand that you’re a part of Cal’s life, that Chris has his own. Cal isn’t here, and our ultimate goal is to get rid of Cal completely!” he says pointedly, and my heart skips a beat.
“William…” Mrs. Scott grabs her husband’s arm, her eyes still wide as she tries to get her husband’s attention.
“We will tell Chris and Jenna, but we’re going to tell them when it’s the right time. We hope that you will respect our decision to do it at our discretion,” he continues, looking me straight in the eye.
“William!” his wife shrieks frantically. “Did you hear what she said?” Her voice cracks as tears well in her eyes. “She says they have a child, William.”
His frown softens, and he arches an eyebrow. They both turn to me. I wipe away my own tears. I’m feeling another wave of anger and confusion welling up inside of me.
“You have a baby?” he asks quietly.
I don’t say anything, frowning at both of them. I grab my purse, take out my phone to show them a picture of Caylen, and hand it to Mrs. Scott. I can’t help but notice the shocked expression on her face. I turn to her husband, and his expression matches Mrs. Scott’s. From the looks of them, I’d say this is the first time they’ve heard anything about Caylen.