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“A long one!” she yelled.
“I wouldn’t count on it. If he’s cheating on Dawn, he’ll
cheat on you, too.”
“You’re not listening to me! If Dawn thinks he’s her boy
friend, she’s living in a fantasy world.”
“I’m afraid you’re the one living in a fantasy world, Maggie.
She said he wants to end it with you.”
“She’s so full of it! I’m hanging up.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“We can talk about it later.”
“No, now!” I said.“We can talk about it now, because I want
you to call him up and tell him it’s over.”
She laughed. “All of a sudden you want to be involved in
my life after ignoring me for seventeen years?”
“Maggie!” One of my heartstrings broke. She’s upset, I told
myself. She’s just trying to hurt you. “Never mind,” I said. “I’ll
call him myself.”
“No!”
“He’s probably had any number of lovers,” I thought out
loud. “Do you realize that? He could have a venereal disease,
for all you know.You could get pregnant.”
“Mother, give me some credit. I’m not stupid.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what you are!” The rain was so loud that
I had to plug my free ear with my finger. “You’re being
incredibly stupid. How could you trust a man who’d have a
secret affair with a girl half his age?”
“Because I’m not like you!” Maggie snapped.“I trust people.
You don’t trust anyone.You don’t even trust Uncle Marcus.
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You’re going to end up alone forever and I don’t want that to
happen to me.”
“I do so trust people,” I said, grabbing her bait. “I trusted
your father completely.”
“Well, guess what, Mom. Turns out that was pretty stupid
of you.”
“Maggie! Why would you say that?”
“Because he was cheating on you, that’s why.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said.“Don’t try to turn this into some
thing about me,” I said.
“It is about you,” she said.“You think Ben’s so untrustworthy
and you talk about Daddy like he was a saint. Well, guess
what? He wasn’t. He was in love with Sara.”
“Sara?” Where in God’s name was this coming from? “Sara
helped him a lot when you were little.Is that what you’re remem
bering?”
“Keith is Daddy’s son!”
I nearly laughed, it was so ludicrous. “Maggie, where are
you?You’re scaring me.” I’d never heard her sound so vicious
and desperate before. “I’m going to ask Marcus to come stay
with you.”
“Mother! It’s Uncle Marcus who told me everything. Daddy
confessed it all to him when they were on that boat the day he
drowned. He was going to leave you for Sara and Keith.”
My mind spun as her words sank in. Impossible.“Even if this
is the truth, why would Marcus tell you?”
“Because Keith knows and Keith told me.”
“What?”
“Uncle Marcus never wanted you to know. You play ice
queen with him because you think he had something to do with
before the storm
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Daddy’s death, but all this time he’s just been trying to keep
you from finding out. He set up a college fund for Keith after
Daddy died and Keith found the papers or something, so now
he knows the truth. Uncle Marcus was going to wait until after
the hearing to tell you.”
My car closed in on me, the rain sheeting down my windows
like a second layer of glass. I felt the blade of a knife slip into
my heart, then twist.
Maggie was crying.
“I’m sorry,Mom,”she said.“I didn’t mean it to come out that
way. I know this is a bad time, but you pushed me about Ben.
Please, please, just accept that he and I are together. Dawn’s
jealous, that’s all. It’s not like he’s cheating on her. He told her
he just wanted to be friends a long time ago.She’s angry that—”
“Maggie—” I wasn’t really listening to her “—I’m on my
way home. It’s been a terrible day.”
“Why? What did the neurologist say?”
“We can talk about it in a few hours when I get home. It’s
raining here and the wind’s blowing and I want to miss the
worst part of the storm if I can.” I sounded remarkably calm
to myself even though the knife was turning and twisting and
cutting me deeper.
“Mom, just tell me you understand,” she pleaded. “That
you believe Ben and I are together for the right reasons. I love
him.”
“We’ll talk when I get home,” I said. “And don’t forget to
pick Andy up from swim practice.”
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