“Dad never calls me. What’s going on?”
Mom’s eyes shifted over to my dad who was sitting at the kitchen table, looking ten years older than he did the last time I saw him. He was staring down at the large oak table, picking at the fingernails on his weathered hands.
“Come. Sit down.” She went over and pulled a chair out for me.
I groaned and stubbornly followed my mom over to the table, sitting across from my dad.
Mom cleared her throat while dad looked everywhere except at me.
Looking back and forth between the two of them, it became apparent that neither of them wanted to talk. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” I barked, causing my mom to jump slightly.
“Honey, it’s really no big deal.” My mom tried to reassure me with a fake smile, but I was growing increasingly more pissed off with each second that passed.
“Great. Fine. Please fill me in on this ‘no big deal,’ then.”
Once again, Mom looked at Dad. He met her glance this time. She reached over and put her hand on his as she looked back at me. “Brody, your dad and I are getting divorced.”
For a moment, there was absolute silence.
I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. “Not funny. What’s really going on?”
Dad glanced at Mom, who never stopped looking at me. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open in surprise. “We’re not kidding, Brody. We’ve separated.”
I pulled my hands up over my mouth and looked back and forth between the two of them, waiting for someone to tell me they were joking.
When no one said anything, my pulse started to race. “When? How? Why?”
“It just happened, Son,” my dad mumbled.
“Ending a thirty year marriage doesn’t just happen, Dad. Cut the crap. Why are you guys doing this?”
Mom looked down at the table and back up at my dad as if she were waiting for him to explain himself.
I lowered my eyebrows and glared at my father. “Is this your fault? Did you cheat on her? Not that I would be surprised. You were a shitty father, you’re probably an even shittier husband.”
“Now you calm the hell down,” my father ordered, pointing at me from across the table. “I know this can’t be easy for you, but it’s even harder for us.”
“Let’s all just calm down please.” My mom rested her hand on top of mine. “Brody, your dad didn’t cheat on me, nor is this his fault. It’s no one’s fault. We’ve both been feeling this way for quite awhile, but we were waiting for Shae to finish up her education and for both of you to be secure and independent before we made any final decisions.” She quietly looked down at her hands. She was spinning her wedding ring around and around, something she always did when she was nervous.
“I can’t believe this.” I rubbed my eyes with my palms. “It’s been thirty years. After thirty years, you’re just going to give up on each other?”
Neither of them responded.
They just sat there, wallowing in the failure of their marriage.
“What about counseling? I’ll pay for the best marriage counselor in the country.”
My dad look at my mom, but she just shook her head.
“How about a vacation? What if you guys went to Hawaii for a week— a month? Maybe you just need to reconnect?”
“Brody, your offers are all very sweet, but they’re not necessary.” She looked at my dad who gave her a tight smile. “We’ve talked about this at length. We’re okay with it. We’ve even hired the same lawyer and settled everything already. We’re content with our decision.”
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. My eyes were wide, darting back and forth between the two of them. “How long have you known you were doing this?”
“A year.”
“A year?” I exclaimed, jumping up from the table. “You guys just celebrated your thirtieth anniversary in May. Shae and I threw you a surprise party for fuck’s sake!”
“Brody,” my dad warned.
“I know.” Mom covered her face with her hands. “We were mortified the whole time, but we had no idea. What were we supposed to do? Announce the split in front of all our family and friends?”
“I don’t know.” I sighed, pacing the kitchen. “This can’t be the end, though. It just can’t. I know you two still love each other.”
My mom looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you, Brody. I can’t begin to imagine.”
“No. You can’t. I’ve gone my whole life with my parents together and loving each other. Once I hit adulthood, I felt pretty secure that you two were a forever thing.” I frowned at both of them. “I swear I think it would have been easier to find this out at seven than at twenty-seven.”
“We’re so sorry, Brody.” My mom cried softly.
“When Dad called, I thought something showed up in one of your scans. I’m obviously relieved that’s not the case, but this is equally as shocking.” Opening the back door, I whistled loudly for Diesel.