Sophia
“I haven’t seen you all week,” Henry says, taking one of the brochures I’m handing out for today’s festival.
“I’ve been busy.”
“Julian told me you’ve been going from Happy Springs to Portland every day,” he says.
“Right. I forgot he’s your spy,” I complain.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Julian a lot, but he’s always reporting to Henry my every move. Seeing him was exciting, but also it felt like I’m back in Henry’s care, and I can take care of myself. He even bought me a top of the line SUV, so I can be safe and comfortable.
“I’m sending him to pick up my parents on Monday,” I announce.
“No, I’ll pick them up,” he offers. “I think it’d be best for your Mom if I fly them.”
I’m about to complain when Martina saunters toward us, “Here you are, loverboy. Do you know she’s a New Yorker like us?”
Loverboy? I mouth and grin because he hates pet names.
“He does,” I state, in case he wants to deny my existence.
Pierce, who is close by, takes a step further and says, “Small town, huh?”
Leyla rolls her eyes.
I recognize that they are doing the same thing we used to do over the weekends, but Martina has taken my place. Leyla reaches to me and squeezes my hand. “Can I stay? I’m done walking around.”
“Sure,” I agree, grateful for her company.
“You should come with us tonight. One of the brothers is playing at the bar,” Martina invites me.
“I’ll be there,” I respond, not because she’s inviting me but because Beacon likes when we go to support him. I tilt my head toward the people waiting behind them. “Not to be rude, but there are people wanting some information.”
“Oops,” she apologizes and walks away, dragging Henry with her.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, after I give instructions to a tourist on how to get to Happy Springs.
“She’s trying harder to get Henry’s attention,” Leyla says, rolling her eyes. “Are you sure you’re going to the bar?”
“Yeah. Camden, the new owner, invited me.”
“You’re getting along with the new guy?” Leyla asks curiously.
“He’s okay, and I can use a distraction from Martina and her boyfriend.”
“Don’t be jealous. It’s only temporary,” she says.
“You’re trying to get a divorce, and every time a woman talks to Pierce, you’re about to pull her hair and poke her eyes,” I remind her.
“I think he’s seeing someone,” she says. “If I can find out who she is, I’d be able to get my animals and leave him behind.”
So, it’s the animals? I want to ask about it, but I go for, “Why do you think he’s cheating?”
“Last Monday, he said he had a conference call with you and Henry,” she explains. “On Tuesday, he says he has to go to Portland with Henry to see the offices. The same day, I spot Henry at The Lodge. Hayes arrives during dinner time, claiming he had some emergency and that there was some legal issue, and since Pierce was down in Portland, he was staying the night to help him.”
“What kind of legal issue?”
“He didn’t say, but Pierce didn’t come home until yesterday,” she concludes. “Now the weird part is that all the cars were in the garage when that happened, and Vance was down in Portland with Mills. Henry was with you. Where did he come from?”
I stare at her and say, “When is your practice opening? You need to go back to work and stop thinking about your husband.”
“Yes, it sounds like a made-up tale, but I swear he appeared from nowhere. I confronted him, and he just said he had been busy fixing a business deal,” she concludes. “He was hiding in someone’s house. He has a lover.”
“If he does?”
“I get the kids after the divorce,” she states, but I can see the sadness in her eyes.
“Maybe instead of watching Beacon tonight, we can go to my house and drink all the wine,” I propose.
“We’re a sad pair, aren’t we?” she sighs.
“No, just confused and in love,” I conclude while handing over the brochures.
It’s been a long week. It’s Thursday, and I’ve been spending most of my days at the factory. On my way to the house, I send a message to Dad alerting him that I’m not going to visit with him tonight. Julian drops me off and leaves almost immediately. His wife and children arrived on Monday too, and they are just settling down into his new house.
I had no idea that Henry had moved the entire family. I thought Julian was only visiting for a few days. There’s a lot he’s doing that I don’t know or understand. There are things we don’t discuss anymore because I spend less time on Merkel and more on Aldry’s. It feels strange. I miss my time with him. We used to make decisions together, now…now I feel like our lives are going separate ways.
When I enter my place, I notice the light in Henry’s office is on. He’s sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen.
“Do you know that being an overachiever might be the cause of experiencing emotional abuse as a child?” Henry asks when I step into his office.
“It’s a way to prove we’re good enough. First, I obsess about doing a task to perfection,” he explains, talking fast, and yet slurring his words lightly. He’s not even blinking. “As if that’s not enough, then, I obsess about how I could do it better. It might seem as if I don’t give a shit about anyone. However, I worry about everyone’s opinion all the time.”
“You suffered from childhood emotional abuse?”
He looks at me and sighs. “I didn’t think so. Not until Martina began to yell at Arden. It was horrible. I wanted to take him into my arms and hide away with him. She reminded me of my mother,” he explains. “Apparently, it wasn’t the first time she’s yelled at my nephew. She’s done it before. So while we were at one of those couple counseling appointments, I cracked.”
Any other day, I’d remind him that I don’t particularly enjoy listening about his relationship with Martina and the progress they’ve made within the past few weeks. However, he looks lost. In need of a friend and, though his relationship with his brothers is a lot better than it was before, I can see why he’s discussing this particular subject with me.
“Cracked?” I repeat the word.
“Yes. I heard something go crack inside my head. It sounds insane, but it happened. It was when the therapist asked us if we did something nice for each other, the one thing we learned about the other, and what bothered us during the time we spent together. When it was my turn I said, ‘It irked me the way she spoke to my nephew.’ I went on and on, on how Arden accidentally tripped and spilled water on her, and she exploded. Just like she had done at home, she defended herself and how her attitude toward him was normal. ‘He just needs to learn how to behave,’ she repeated.
“That’s when it hit me. Those were my mother’s words, my nanny’s, my grandfather’s… Don’t run, don’t play, don’t talk back. Learn how to behave. I was never a kid. So, I told Martina that she can stay here for as long as she wants, but she has to stay away from me and my family because her toxic attitude is the last thing I needed to have in my town.”