“Oh, he did.”
More laughter.
Jess looked across the table at her husband and saw an expression of deep regret on his face. She quickly looked away before it had any effect on her. A few minutes later, she started gathering up the dishes and announced that people should move to the living room where she’d soon be taking coffee orders. Mike stood quickly and started to help. He moved around the table until he was near her and said, “I’ll clean up. You go put your feet up and visit.”
“No, thanks. I’m not really in the mood.” Her mouth twisted into a sour expression. “You go, though.” It wasn’t a kind offer, born of appreciation for all his hard work that day. It was her way of telling him to go to hell.
The kids fled to the bonus room upstairs to stare at their phones, Mike and his family moved into the living room, while Jess and her mom finished clearing the table and got started on the dishes. Jess scraped the plates into the garbage can and loaded them into the dishwasher while her mom started packing up the leftovers. After a few minutes of working in silence, Hilary muttered, “Well, that was quite the scene. You all right?”
Jess shrugged. “I’m fine.” The last thing she was going to do was complain to her mother, who had been so much against her new career.
Her mom wrapped an arm around Jess’s shoulder and dropped a kiss on her temple. “I don’t care what your husband thinks, you’re every bit as brilliant as any lawyer out there.”
Jess let out a frustrated chuckle. “I’d say you’re exaggerating a bit there.”
“I’m not. I’ve always known how smart you are. And don’t you worry, they’ll figure it out too because you’ll show them.”
Jess picked up another plate and got back to work. “I thought you hated the idea of me going back to school.”
“No, I was worried. It’s a big change for everyone and the last thing I want to see is for you and your family to be upset with each other,” her mom said. “But, now that I’ve had time to adjust to the idea, I’m excited for you.”
Jess turned and looked at her. “Really?”
She smiled. “I am. I keep thinking of you all dressed up, standing in front of a jury, saying all sorts of really smart things.”
Jess let a small smile escape at her mom’s fantasy. “Thanks, that means a lot. I don’t exactly have a lot of supporters.”
“They’ll come around,” her mom said, scooping the leftover stuffing into a plastic container.
“Honestly, I don’t even care. Not after today’s performance,” Jess said. “Screw ‘em.”
“I know you’re hurt, but deep down, you don’t mean that.”
Sighing, Jess looked at her mom. “The scary thing is, I think I do.”
21
"A woman is like a tea bag: You can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Jessica was shocked to discover how surprisingly easy it had been to let her feelings for her spouse harden until there was nothing tender left. Her sturdy, dependable marriage was every bit as wobbly as Rachael and Ted’s had been. And she hadn’t had the first clue. Jessica marveled at how quickly it had happened once it started. It was like a block of cheese going moldy in the fridge. One tiny dot appeared, and nothing else needed to be done to ruin it forever. Just add time. No effort required, and before you knew it, the entire thing would be covered in green and white spores.
As soon as the last guest (Jess’s mom) left on Thanksgiving night, Mike turned on Winnie, demanding to know why she would set out to hurt her mother like that.In front of the whole family. That was the part that he keyed in on as he ranted at both Winnie and Noah for embarrassing Jess like that, as if he hadn’t played a key role in the entire ugly scene.
Jess calmly got up and walked upstairs to the bedroom, filled the tub, and got in. She wasn’t about to be impressed by her husband’s efforts on her behalf. After all, he was the one who planted those nasty little seeds in their children’s heads. What did he think would happen? That being hormonal, mixed-up teenagers, of course they’d be the very models of compassion and discretion?
She soaked in the heat, watching the tap drip and make ripples on the water’s surface. After a few minutes, the bickering stopped, and soon after, there was a soft knock on the door. Jessica didn’t answer it.
“Jess, are you in the tub?”
“Yup,” she said.
“Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened. Can I come in and explain?”
“Nope.”
There was a long pause, then Mike said, “Okay, take your time. Just please let me know when you’re ready to talk. I really want to fix this.”
