Too bad there were four years of her life that she wasted with him.
“Insulting me isn’t going to get your son on the phone. If you want to talk to him, you’re going to calm the hell down and you’re not going to yell or swear. I mean it.”
There was a time Tucker loved that she wasn’t someone to be pushed around. That she made him work for her attention because she didn’t cave easily.
She’d bet he was regretting it now. He sure the hell didn’t like that she didn’t back down.
“Fine. But I’m telling you right now, he needs to get his grades up and I’ll be telling him that.”
She’d rather it was done in her presence than when she wasn’t around to console her son, so she’d let him get it over with on her terms.
“Remember one thing, Tucker. What you say and do to your son will and can have lasting effects. You hated your father for the control he had over you. For always putting the pressure on you to be perfect and work harder, so put yourself back in those shoes.”
“Yeah, well, it worked. Look at me today, soyouremember that too.”
Tucker’s father passed away two years ago, but as a retired surgeon himself, one who had Tucker later in life, she’d heard more than once how her ex was talked down to by his father to work harder and be more, then coddled by his mother for being so good.
The perfect making for the narcissistic prick who gaslighted her that last year of marriage. She wouldn’t let her son be treated that way and she was going to damn well make sure Archer could see the signs of it.
“Don’t go there,” she warned.
“Whatever,” Tucker said. “Put him on the phone.”
Typical response when he didn’t like the truth shoved in his face.
“Archer,” she yelled as she walked to the bottom of the stairs. “Your father wants to talk to you.”
“Now I know why he’s such a heathen. You could have gone and got him.”
“And then get a lecture from you for keeping you waiting. I like my way better.”
Especially if it blew out his eardrum.
Her little payback for the fact that Tucker hated when she got loud and excitable watching sporting events when they were together.
She rarely got him to attend anything unless it was to show off great seats.
“Coming,” Archer yelled back. She ignored Tucker’s snort on the other end.
“Dad wants to talk to you.”
She handed the phone over but put it on speaker. She was going to hear if her son was getting berated or not.
“Hi, Dad,” Archer said.
“Hey, bud.” That was something at least. He toned it down. “I happened to look at your report card the other day.”
“They aren’t coming out till next week,” Archer said. “How did you get it already? Was it better? I’m spending more time on science. I was bummed I only got a B+.”
She grinned over that unprompted response.
Tucker was silent for a second. “No, this is your other one.”
“That was two months ago,” Archer said. “Why are you looking at that now?”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m very busy,” Tucker said, his voice short. “But I wanted to talk to you about science.”
“I had one bad test. I studied but didn’t understand it. I did better this time. I know it.”
