Mindy listened, appalled. Paul knew. Her parents knew. Everyone knew but Mindy. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t interrupt her son, who was talking a mile a minute anyway.
“—I went to Dad because I didn’t want to upset you, and he said I had to pay for it out of my own money because that’s my fault and I have to learn to accept the consequences and all that. So we took it out of my own account and we knew you never look at my statements, so we thought it would be fine.”
Mindy’s mouth had gone completely dry, and she turned to Paul. “You thought this would be fine? You paid for a girl to abort your son’s first child and you didn’t even tell me? And you thought that was fine?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, honey.” Paul kept his surgeon’s demeanor, experienced at delivering bad news. “I thought it would be the best way to handle it, just Evan and me. I didn’t want you to get upset, and we knew that you would. So we took care of the problem ourselves.”
“The problem?” Mindy shouted. “It wasn’t a problem, it was a baby, our grandchild, and I had a right to know that baby existed. You didn’t tell me because you thought I would say no, because I could stop you, so you just ignored the fact that I exist. How could you? How could you keep it from me?”
“I thought it was best, considering, that last year was so difficult—”
“Ha! Oh, I get it! So, because you kept your affair a secret, which almost ended our marriage, you also decided to keep this a secret, too. Which therapy session did we cover that in? Because I must’ve missed that one!”
Paul frowned, glancing at Evan. “Honey—”
“What?” Mindy knew Paul didn’t like that she’d just let Evan know about his affair, but she was beyond caring. “Yes, Paul, you had an affair, and now Evan knows it, too. Our son is not a child anymore, since he made a child of his own. The jig is up, wouldn’t you say, Gramps?”
Evan said nothing, without looking over at his father.
Paul sighed, contrite. “I’m so sorry, honey. I should’ve told you. I just wanted to make it easier on you, and that may have been a mistake, but I own that.”
“Oh you own that?” Mindy hated that Paul used therapy-speak but had learned zero in therapy. “Don’t you think that’s wrong, that that’s terrible, that your son got a girl pregnant? When did you buy him the BMW, before or after?”
Evan made a little hiccup, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears. “Mom, I’m really sorry, I really am. I would never do it again, and if I could take it back, I would—”
“Evan.” Mindy felt unmoved, turning to him, shaken to her very foundations. She felt as if she were seeing him with new eyes, as if she had been sleepwalking through her own life. “Evan, I don’t know what to say to you. I don’t know what to do about this.”
“Mom, you don’t have to do anything, it’s over now.”
Paul nodded. “Honey, it is over. I swear to you. It’s over. We dodged a bullet, and we came out fine.”
“You don’t even know how bad it got,” Evan added.
“No, I don’t, why don’t you tell me?” Mindy realized that she had never disliked her son before, and now she hated him. Hated her own child. Hated the man he was growing into, or had already grown into. Hated her son and her husband. Hey Facebook, how do you like the Kostis Klan now?
“Mom, she started to ask for more money because she wanted to get the abortion in New York so nobody would know, and we said yes, because we were worried that everybody at school would find out—”
Paul interrupted, “And at the club and the hospital, too. We didn’t want it to get around.”
“Oh God.” Mindy moaned. Her phone rang in her hand, and she glanced down to see who was calling, but it was a number she didn’t recognize, so she pressed the screen to send it to voicemail.
Evan was saying, “Dad took care of it. We gave her as much money as we could, and she took, like, two weeks off from school. She stayed at a hotel in New York, it cost a lot.”
Paul nodded. “I cut her off at ten grand in cash, and she accepted it, and so did her parents, and it’s over. They don’t want it to get around, either. It’s a terrible chapter in our lives, but it’s over.”
“It’s not over for me. It’s just begun for me.”
“What do you mean, Mom?” Evan asked, his voice cracking. He wiped the tear from his cheek.
“What’s this girl’s name, Evan? Is it Amanda, the girl sending you the naked pictures? Excuse me, one of the girls sending you—”
“Mom, no, it’s not Amanda.”
“So it’s a different girl? You got one girl pregnant, and another one’s sending you naked pictures? You told Amanda you love her, and she said she loves you!” Mindy couldn’t even follow. “What’s the name of the girl you got pregnant?”
“Mom, what’s the difference? She’s not from here. She goes to a different school.”
“How dare you! You answer this question! What is her name? Which one is she?” Mindy reached for her phone. “Is she one of the girls in this phone?”
“No, I said, I don’t see her anymore.”
“Evan, what’s the matter with you?” Mindy exploded. “What are you, a sex addict?”
Paul interjected, “Mindy, you don’t need to know her name.”
“Why, Paul? Because you don’t want me to look her up, to call her? You better tell me her name or I’m going to divorce you on the spot. You can go up and pack right now.” Mindy pointed upstairs again. “Right now.”
Evan answered, “Okay, her name is Cynthia Caselli. She goes to Rocky Springs. But, please don’t call her. You’re just gonna make everything worse.”
Paul chimed in, “Honey, he’s right. I dealt with these people. The Caselli’s are lowlifes. Let it go.”
“The hell I will!”
“Mom!” Evan jumped up, as tears spilled from his eyes. “You shouldn’t’ve been in my phone in the first place! You invaded my privacy! How do you even know the passcode? Why do you have to stick your nose into everything? Why can’t you just let it go?”
“How dare you!” Mindy rose, squaring off against Evan. “I can’t let it go because you’re my son. Don’t throw a tantrum about me not trusting you—if you’re not worthy of trust!”
“Mom, you didn’t know that when you went in the phone. You were just snooping around in things that aren’t your business.” Evan started to move toward the door, and Mindy went after him.
“You’re my business, and everything you do is my business!”
“I’ve had it with you! I’ve had it with you both.” Evan stormed out the door, letting it slam behind him.
“Don’t walk out when I’m talking to you!” Mindy started to go after him, but Paul appeared at her side, holding her arm.
“Let him go, honey. He needs to cool down. Let him think it over.”