Seeing my mom laugh, dress up, and fall in love again after so many lonely years should have been enough to quiet my doubts. Instead, one unanswered question kept growing louder every time Richard came to dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pregnancy & Maternity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mom hadn\u2019t hummed in 11 years! Not since Dad died. But there she was on Sunday afternoon, standing in front of her bedroom mirror, humming an old Sinatra tune while she clipped on the pearl earrings Dad gave her for their 30th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I watched her from the doorway, arms folded, trying not to cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, you look beautiful!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, stop,\u201d she said, waving me off with a smile. \u201cIt\u2019s just dinner, Avery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not since Dad died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re even wearing the red dress!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m allowed to wear the red dress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Romance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou bought that red dress recently, and it\u2019s already been out of the closet more than my winter coat!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom laughed, and it was such a nice sound that I almost forgot why I\u2019d come upstairs in the first place. Which, honestly, was to snoop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m allowed to wear the red dress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mom had been alone for 11 years, and now she was floating around the house like a woman in a shampoo commercial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason was named Richard. He was 52, lived alone as far as we knew, and met her at the community gardening club. He complimented her tomato plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within a month, he was bringing her sunflowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was floating around the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Family<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within two months, he\u2019d fixed her porch railing without being asked. He remembered that Chloe, my 15-year-old, liked mint chocolate chip and always brought her a pint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within months, I saw a version of Mom I thought we\u2019d lost with Dad. She bought the red dress, started wearing perfume again, and sometimes smiled at her phone like a teenager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wanted to like him. I really did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019d fixed her porch railing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, what time is he coming?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFive. And he\u2019ll need to leave by 7:30 p.m. again, so let\u2019s eat by six.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Food & Drink<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I paused halfway to the stairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeven-thirty again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAvery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou said it with your face.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat time is he coming?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Downstairs, Chloe was setting the table with the good plates, the ones Mom only pulled out for company. My daughter had her grandmother\u2019s cheekbones and her father\u2019s stubborn chin, and lately, she\u2019d been watching Richard like a cat watches a screen door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pregnancy & Maternity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCinderella\u2019s coming to dinner,\u201d Chloe announced, folding a napkin into something vaguely swan-shaped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBe nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m being nice. I\u2019m just saying. The man runs on a Cinderella schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCinderella\u2019s coming to dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?! He does! Every Sunday, boom, 7:30 p.m., out the door like the pumpkin\u2019s about to blow.\u201d She held up the crooked napkin swan and squinted at it. \u201cI\u2019m only half joking, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I opened my mouth to defend him, then closed it because she wasn\u2019t wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six months of Sunday dinners, and the man had never once stayed past 7:30 p.m. He was always polite about it. Always had a reason. But the reasons kept shuffling, like someone dealing a new hand every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parenting<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I opened my mouth to defend him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSet out the water glasses,\u201d I said instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDeflection\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I gave my daughter a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom came down the stairs then, and Chloe whistled low. Mom swatted at her, blushed like a schoolgirl, and asked if her lipstick was too much. It wasn\u2019t. It was perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked 10 years younger than she had at Christmas!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I gave my daughter a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard arrived exactly at 5 p.m., holding a bouquet of daisies and a bottle of the sparkling grape juice Chloe liked because she was too young for wine. That charming man shook my hand, kissed my mother\u2019s cheek, and asked my daughter about her history project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was, on paper, wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But at 7:29 p.m., he\u2019d be gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was, on paper, wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chloe caught my eye across the kitchen while Richard was in the living room with Mom, but didn\u2019t say anything. She just tapped her wrist, mouthed the numbers seven-three-zero, and raised one eyebrow so high it nearly touched her hairline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I turned back to the stove and stirred the gravy that didn\u2019t need stirring because, somewhere in my chest, a small, tight knot had started to pull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chloe caught my eye across the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sunday after Chloe\u2019s little Cinderella joke, I watched Richard like a woman studying a suspect through a two-way mirror. He was carving the roast beautifully, but also checking his watch between slices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Family<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBig plans tonight, Richard?\u201d I asked, sliding the potatoes over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, nothing exciting. I\u2019ve got a client in Singapore, believe it or not. Eight o\u2019clock call.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chloe\u2019s fork paused halfway to her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I watched Richard like a woman studying a suspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSingapore? On a Sunday?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarkets never sleep, kiddo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCool,\u201d my daughter said. \u201cNeither do plumbers, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I nearly choked on my water. Two weeks earlier, Richard had rushed out, claiming a plumber was coming to his house at 9 p.m. Even Mom had blinked at that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard laughed it off, but there was a stiffness around his eyes that hadn\u2019t been there when he\u2019d first started coming over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I nearly choked on my water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following Sunday, by 7:25 p.m., his leather briefcase was already in his hand. This time, it was the neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMr. Mendez can\u2019t get his blood pressure pills open. Arthritis. I told him I\u2019d swing by.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s so sweet of you,\u201d Mom said, glowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo sweet,\u201d I echoed, and Chloe kicked me under the table hard enough to bruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI told him I\u2019d swing by.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 7:30 p.m., the porch light was clicking on behind Richard, and the leather tote was tucked under his arm as if it were full of state secrets. Every single Sunday. Like clockwork. Like a man on a leash, we couldn\u2019t see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the dishes, I trapped Mom by the sink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, can I ask you something without you getting mad?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s usually a great start, Avery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I trapped Mom by the sink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSix months you\u2019ve been dating this man. Have you been inside his house? Even once? Have you seen his kitchen? His couch? His mailbox?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She turned the faucet on harder than the dishes required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s private.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s evasive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs there? Because Chloe says twice now she\u2019s watched him turn south after dinner, and he supposedly lives 20 minutes north.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom\u2019s shoulders went tight. She set the plate down with a small, sharp clink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s evasive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI trust him, Avery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, I want to trust him too. I want that for you. But a grown man with no wife, no kids, no roommate, and no reason to be anywhere at 7:30 p.m. on a Sunday\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe he has reasons I don\u2019t need to know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked at me then, and I saw something under the defensiveness. Mom knew it too. She just wasn\u2019t ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cLet me have this. Even if it turns out badly, let me have the part where I still get to hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t know what to say to that. So I dried a plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, on the porch, Chloe sat on the top step with her knees pulled up. I sat down beside her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrandma knows something\u2019s up. She\u2019s just scared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet me have this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe. Whatever you\u2019re thinking, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not thinking anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re always thinking something. Your face has a thinking setting, and it\u2019s currently on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My daughter smiled a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRichard has another woman. Doesn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOr another family. A whole secret family in a house with a plumber that only works at night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever you\u2019re thinking, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat? I\u2019m just saying what everyone is thinking. Grandma is thinking so, too. She just won\u2019t say it because if she does, it might be true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHer birthday is next Sunday,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m asking you, as your mother and as a coward, to please just let us get through dessert. We\u2019ll deal with Richard afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chloe was quiet for a long time. So long that I thought maybe I\u2019d won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll deal with Richard afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she said, very evenly, \u201cI\u2019m tired of watching Grandma be lied to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI love her too, Mom. That\u2019s all I\u2019m saying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She stood up, kissed the top of my head as if I were the teenager, and went inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sat on the porch a while longer, staring at the street where Richard\u2019s taillights always disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of watching Grandma be lied to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom fussed with her\u00a0hair\u00a0in the hallway mirror for the third time. I could tell she was nervous. It was her 72nd birthday, and she wanted the night to be perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou look gorgeous,\u201d I told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI look like a woman who\u2019s trying too hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrandma, you look like a woman who\u2019s trying just enough,\u201d Chloe called from the couch. \u201cThere\u2019s a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could tell she was nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The doorbell rang at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard stood there with a dozen roses in one hand, a wrapped gift in the other, and that leather tote of his tucked under his arm as if it were surgically attached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHappy birthday, sweetheart!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom lit up. Honestly, it was hard to stay suspicious when she looked at him like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard stood there with a dozen roses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dinner went beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard told a story about mistaking a zucchini for a cucumber at the gardening club and slicing it into a salad that nearly killed a man\u2019s taste buds. Mom laughed so hard she snorted, which she hadn\u2019t done since Dad was alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she brought out the pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChocolate pie,\u201d she announced. \u201cI made it because my boyfriend said it was his favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard\u2019s face changed into something complicated. Grateful. Guilty. Trapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom laughed so hard she snorted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He checked his watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7:26 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrace, I am so sorry, sweetheart. I have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room went quiet. Mom\u2019s smile didn\u2019t disappear all at once. It faded in stages, as if somebody were slowly turning down a dimmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan\u2019t you stay for 10 minutes? It\u2019s my birthday, Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really can\u2019t. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He leaned down, kissed her cheek, grabbed the tote, and was out the door before anyone could stop him. The pie sat there on the table like a witness to a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom sat down slowly. She picked up her fork, set it back down, and folded her hands in her lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wasn\u2019t fine. I knew she wasn\u2019t, and she knew I knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chloe watched Richard through the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A moment later, my daughter stood up abruptly. \u201cI need to run out. I\u2019ll be right back,\u201d she mumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe, wait, it\u2019s dark out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The door slammed. I stared at it, then at my mom, then at the untouched pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Mom said with a brittle little laugh. \u201cThat\u2019s one way to end a birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAvery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI need to run out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe is! Whatever he\u2019s hiding, he\u2019s an idiot for hiding it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started clearing plates just to have something to do with my hands. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty. I glanced out the window and saw nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you think I should call her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe give it a little more time. She probably needed to clear her head. She\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you think I should call her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I paced from the kitchen to the living room and back again, chewing the inside of my cheek. My daughter had that look before she left. The look she gets right before she does something I\u2019m going to lecture her about for a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearly 40 minutes after she\u2019d left, footsteps pounded up the porch steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The door burst open, and Chloe stood in the frame, cheeks streaked with tears, breathing hard. Clutched against her chest was Richard\u2019s leather tote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I paced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My daughter wouldn\u2019t meet my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe, where did you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t ask how I got it.\u201d Her voice cracked. \u201cYou need to see what he hides in here. And why he never stays past 7:30 p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She walked past me and set the tote down on the dining room table, right next to the birthday pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom rose slowly from her chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChloe, honey, whatever\u2019s in there, maybe we should\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrandma, look,\u201d my daughter said after opening it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom\u2019s hands trembled as she reached for the bag. I stepped closer, bracing myself for lipstick, hotel receipts, some other woman\u2019s photo. Basically, something ugly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tote fell open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom\u2019s hand flew to her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, my God!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom\u2019s hands trembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were old\u00a0family photos, worn soft at the edges. A little wooden music box with its paint faded. A stack of laminated cards with large print and pictures of everyday things: a spoon, a comb, and a smiling face labeled \u201cson.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And on top, another laminated card in careful handwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy name is Evelyn. Richard is my son. I am safe with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chloe wiped her face with the back of her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrandma, that\u2019s not even the worst part. I saw who he takes this to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My daughter wiped her nose on her sleeve and started talking fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI asked Cindy, my best friend\u2019s sister, to come wait outside so we could follow Richard\u2019s car. He drove south to that memory care facility. He left the tote on the passenger seat and ran inside. The door wasn\u2019t even locked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI saw who he takes this to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chloe saw my concern and quickly said, \u201cI\u2019ll give it back, I swear. I saw an aide wave him in, as if he lives there. There\u2019s a cot, Mom. A folded cot next to a hospital bed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grace pressed the laminated card flat against her chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvelyn,\u201d she whispered. \u201cHe\u2019s mentioned she\u2019s his mother, but didn\u2019t tell me more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sat down hard, still confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grace grabbed her coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll give it back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAvery, drive. Now. And don\u2019t lecture me about seatbelts; I\u2019ll put it on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We found Richard in a small room, holding a tiny woman\u2019s hand and reading a picture card aloud as if it were a lifeline. He looked up, saw us, and went the color of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrace, please! I was going to tell you! My last partner left when she found out. I couldn\u2019t. I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grace walked right past his shame and sat on the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We found Richard in a small room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy mom is 86 and has dementia. It gets really bad after dark. She becomes disoriented, and the only way to calm her down is for me to be right here. I\u2019ve been sleeping here for months. That\u2019s why you\u2019ve never seen my house. There\u2019s barely a house to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It dawned on me that after all those excuses, the answer had been the softest one on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRichard. You don\u2019t have to choose between taking care of your mother and loving me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt gets really bad after dark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Evelyn tilted her head, studying Grace the way you\u2019d study a bird on a windowsill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you the pretty lady my Richard keeps telling me about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grace laughed, cried, and nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grace laughed, cried, and nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weeks later, Sunday dinners moved to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard brought Evelyn when her good days lined up. Chloe, still sheepish about the \u201cborrowed\u201d briefcase, appointed herself keeper of the picture cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom got the old music box working again. It plinked out something slow and sweet while I set the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d been so sure Richard was a liar. And he was, but I found out that he was lying about the one person who deserved his love just as much as my mom did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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