THIRTY-TWO
Old Relics and Off-key Whistling
Arthur
It is now well after9 o'clock in the evening, and I am just screwing in the last screw on the second crib, having spent over twelve hours doing a job that was supposed to take two. I haven't eaten since breakfast, and to be really honest, I'm a bit of a mess right now. As the afternoon wore on and the sun went down, my anger and frustration gave way to guilt. I've been trying to tell myself that in the end, it's a good thing to have Ruben and Evi out of here permanently because as crazy as they were driving me, it was nothing compared to the impact they were having on Tessa. So part of me—the part that wants to justify what happened—is telling me I had every reason to react the way I did and they deserved what they got. The better part of me, however, is horrified at how poorly I behaved.
I stand, stretching my sore back and taking a moment to look at the sum total of my day's work. Two empty cribs stand end-to-end, waiting for our children. What should be a proud and happy moment shared between Tessa and myself has become an isolated, lonely one. I pick up one of the crib mattresses, which has been leaning against the wall airing out since it arrived, and place it into the first crib, then I walk over to the change table and sort through the freshly laundered bedding and find the one I assume is a mattress cover protector. I remember Tessa mentioning something about ordering it from a special organic children's bedding store, and based on the rubbery nature of the underside of the fabric, I'm pretty sure this is it. Over the next twenty minutes, I make the beds—an entirely new experience for me. There's something meditative about the process that makes me wonder why I haven't done this before. Okay, so I may be stalling on going to face my angry, uncomfortable, very disappointed wife, but can you really blame me? I have fucked up royally, and I'm not sure how to fix this.
After packing up the tools I borrowed from our maintenance department, I realize there's nothing left to be done except go face the music. When I leave the room and walk down the hall, I realize Tessa must be in bed already because there isn't a light on in the apartment. I sigh, feeling both relieved and anxious that my apology is going to have to wait another day whilst Tessa's asleep.
After eating some leftover salmon and rice, I take a long, hot shower, then drop into bed in the dark room. There's no sound of snoring, so I know Tessa must be lying here awake. My heart pounds a little in my chest as I open my mouth to speak.
"I finished the cribs."
"Great." Tessa's voice is devoid of enthusiasm, and I know it's my fault.
"I suppose you’ve talked to your parents by now?"
"My mum, anyway. They've moved in with Bram and Irene."
"Oh," I say, my gut churning with self-loathing. "I wasn't sure if your father was serious or not. On the bright side, they won’t be here to drive you nuts anymore..."
"Well, the thing is, they haven't really been driving me nuts lately. I've kind of gotten used to having them here, and with the babies coming so soon..." Her voice trails off, and I'm left to fill in the blanks for myself.
"So, you've changed your mind about having them here?"
"Yes, well I've been thinking it would be nice if they were here while I try to get my feet under me as a mum. But you’ve chased them away."
"I never told them to leave. I merely requested that they keep that bloody cat in their apartment. I'm not sure if you went to see what he did to the throne room, but there isliterally nothingthat can be done to return that room back to the way it was."
"They know that, and they feel absolutely horrible about it, so I really don't see why you needed to make them feel even worse." Tessa sits up, then flicks the light on and glares at me.
"Well,someonehad to say something, Tessa. You've been letting them treat you like crap your entire life, and they've been running around causing problems for the entire staff for months now. How long did you really expect I could go on without saying anything?"
"Forever." She folds her arms over her belly.
"Forever? You've had some wildly unrealistic expectations in the past, but this is a new height, even for you."
"Oh, well thank you. I'm so glad to know that you're ready to pick up the ‘insinuate Tessa is an idiot’ ball where my brothers dropped it."
"That's not what I was saying, and you know it. I just meant there's no way any reasonable person would expect her husband to put up with your parents’ antics indefinitely. Up until today, I have been a more than gracious host, and surely you must know that."
"Yeah, well maybe that's true, but it really doesn’t help me at all now, does it? Maybe I've gone and taken a stand about how much help I'mnotgoing to get when the babies arrive, and now I'm feeling like I've made an enormous mistake. And maybe, just maybe, I was secretly hoping the house repairs would take several more months so I could have my mum here to help get me through the first really hard phase of parenting."
"Well, maybe I was just trying to protect you by getting them out of here! Just like I’ve been trying to protect you from anything that might remotely upset you for months now. But do you know what I’ve realized today? It’s literally impossible to make you happy because you don’t tell me what you want and I’m left to guess. And as it turns out, I guessed wrong today.”
“Well, maybe I didn't want to admit it because I knew how you felt. And maybe I didn’t expect you to be a total jerk to them."
"Well, maybe I didn't expect their cat to tear up a five hundred-year-old priceless tapestry."
"Maybe you put too much value on old relics."
“Are you talking about your parents right now?"
“Oh, wow. Don't hold back, Arthur. Why don’t you tell me what you really think of my family?!"
"I already have. And up untiltoday, you agreed with me, so don't go acting like they're a couple of saints now that it suits you."
