“Fine.” My turn to cross my arms. “Spit it out.”
“Dad cheated on Mom.”
I stare at Candy. And blink. And blink some more. This isn’t possible. “When did this supposed cheating happen? With whom?”
The three of them look at each other. “About twelve or thirteen years ago?” Candy’s voice is a question.
“Yeah. Colette, You were in high school,” Connie contributes.
“I—” I just don’t believe them. “With whom?”
Ha! This will get them.
“Mrs. Tomkins.”
“Mrs. Tomkins?” I squeak. My best friend’s mom? “Betsy’s mom?”
“Yes. It was after her divorce. She was renovating her house, and she used to go to the hardware store a lot.”
Shaking my head, I’m attempting to process this information. “How do you know all this?” Because it sounds very specific and far-fetched, if you ask me.
Carla responds with “Mom.”
Connie nods. “Mom told us all about it.”
“Mom told you? How… How did she know?” Do I really want to know the answer?
“She suspected something was going on. Dad spent a lot of time ‘helping’ Mrs. Tompkins with her projects, so she just asked him.”
I find all of this too hard to believe. “And he confessed?”
“According to Mom, yes.”
No way. No damn way this is true. “If Dad cheated, why are they still together? It makes no sense. Mom wouldn’t have forgiven him.”
“You’re so naïve sometimes,” Connie says with a sigh, like I’m the most pathetic person she’s ever encountered. “When you’re in a committed relationship with children, it’s not about you. It’s about the family.”
“After I graduated, she could have left.” She didn’t because none of this is true. My father would not cheat on my mother. No. Way.
“The thing is, dearest,” Connie reaches over and takes hold of my hand, “they do love each other.”
I know they do, but none of this makes sense. “No matter. If this actually happened, no amount of love would have made Mom stay. She’s too opinionated and strong-willed.”
“Marriage is complicated, Colette. It ebbs and flows.”
“Give and take.” Carla adds her cliché to the mix. “It’s just part of it.”
“All men cheat.” Candy puts the final nail in the coffin.
“All men cheat?” I stare at her. She’s speaking from experience, since her ex-husband cheated. A lot.
“Not all men cheat, Candy.” This rebuttal is coming from Carla. “Just yours.”
Candy is about to snap back when I pull my hand out of Connie’s grip. Standing and take several steps away from them, but they follow. “If you don’t believe us, ask Mom.”
“I will. As soon as we know Dad’s okay.” I really will. Because none of this story aligns with what I know about the man about to go into surgery. No. That man, my father, is the best man in the entire world. He’d never cheat on my mom. She’s his soul mate. He’s said it a million times, and soul mates don’t screw around on each other.
They just don’t.
