Rachel was as nervous leaving them alone as John was uncomfortable being left alone. He had been nervous to begin with by his future Mother In-Law’s almost unannounced visit, but sitting alone with Roberta From Astoria on his small Florida porch with the broken window was worse than anything he could’ve imagined earlier. She had seemed only too eager for her daughter to go to sleep so she could have this moment with him. Roberta, who had talent for making others uncomfortable, but never felt such things herself, was, save for having to fend off the nighttime mosquitoes, perfectly at ease.
“She was exhausted” The mother assured him. He only nodded in response. “I’m surprised you’re not! Rachel says you get up for work at 4.”
“You get used to it”.
“I saw knocked over trees and caved in Roofs all the way from the Airport. At least you have job security, right?” She laughed.
“Roberta,” he used her name for the first time since meeting her, an angry result of the night’s stares and almost-nasty glances, “I make pretty good money, you know”.
“No, no, I’m sure. I’ve always been surprised by the wages of labor jobs, really. I once read that some garbage men make more then police do. Seriously!”
Whatever fear he felt disappeared with that remark, he stared at her incredulously. “I don’t think my job is really any of–”
“I don’t care what you do or how much you make. I don’t. Really.” She said, completely untouched by his red face, in fact, quite glad that he had gotten to the point. “What I really want to know is, how are your benefits?”
“My benefits?” He asked, floored.
“You take a marriage vow, I know because I’ve done it twice, you take it for ’sickness and health’, what I’m asking is: What if it’s sickness?”
“My benefits are fine.” he said, almost yelling.
“Good, but what
if
Rachel got
really sick?but what if Rachel got really sick?”
“Then I’ll take care of my wife. You obviously don’t know me. I don’t leave just because something gets hard,” he said, hoping it sounded as profound as he wanted it to be.
“No, I’m sure you don’t. But what if it was a guaranteed sickness? And what if there wasn’t, would never be, a cure and it would only get worse?” She pursed her lips, her composure slightly faltered now, “What if the broken window was only the beginning?”
He was silent, he didn’t even need to look at it to remember what happened.
“She’s going to accuse you of more things, John. However crazy they sound, however unreasonable, they’ll make perfect sense to her. You’ll argue and try to point out the obvious, even maybe think she’s joking, but it will all be a waste of your breath. ”
John felt a slight heat coming over his body as she continued.
“My mother had it too. As have thirteen others in our family–at least since they’ve been diagnosing it. I told her not to come out to Florida, that she couldn’t be so far from me, or those that could help her. But she insisted. That’s the other thing: they can convince themselves of anything.”
The man stood up, not for any reason, but because he had to do something. He rubbed his hands together.
“Why are you telling me this?”, he asked, but it was more of plea then a question. There was too much running through his head to comprehend an answer anyway.
Now she stood up as well. “My daughter didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not her fault. But it’s not yours either. You shouldn’t suffer because of her illness. I’m sorry, but I needed you to know before you went through with it.”
And she walked back into the house to pack her bags.
Have you considered Subscribing to all of this madness?
