He needed you in ways I couldn’t begin to know how to fill.”
“But he loves you?”
“I don’t have a clue. He’s lost. And scared. And hurt. He doesn’t trust me yet. He thinks he’s tainted and that others believe he is too. I mean, look at what the Zavarians did.”
“Yeah. They abandoned him in his hour of need. Maybe he’s trying to abandon me, you guys, the church, and his pastorship before it all gets contaminated. Now I need your help to figure out what to do. So I came to the only place I knew I could find the answer. He might not forgive me. But I can’t help him all by myself.”
“You did the right thing. We’ll figure it out together.” Eric’s calm tone had all the confidence and surety she desperately needed.
Kathy tapped a finger on her knee. “I agree. This is much too big for one person. Including Jim. But don’t you see whose help we really need?”
“Whose?”
“Rob’s. Mom’s too. But Rob is a recovering alcoholic. He’ll know what to do and say about the bender. That’s pretty extreme behavior, Kayla. I spent a lot of time with Jim and never once did he do that when we were together. He needs help. Not only for an addiction that he’s using to cope with the truly horrific things he witnessed from his own father, but for that too. Jim needs to speak to a professional and Rob is that person.”
Her heart dropped as a wave of relief flowed through her. She agreed but could not commit to the strategy. “He’ll never forgive me. He hates Rob.”
“I’m sure it’s mutual. But that might change. However, you might not come out of this with him still liking you. Do you accept the possible consequences if you choose to do this?”
“I have to,” she whispered. Her head dropped in defeat and her heart was hurting.
Kathy came over to her, taking her hand and hugging her. “You really do care about him.”
“Yes.”
Eric lumbered to his feet. “I do too. And fuck that pedophile trying to ruin his excellent reputation. I’ll bury him first. We’ll figure this out together, Kayla. We will. And Rob might be the best counselor for the drinking. It sounds pretty drastic, so it calls for drastic action.”
“You mean, like an intervention? Oh sure, he’ll love me for that.”
“No. But he might love knowing that you cared enough to do it. To save his life and his reputation. Him, essentially.”
She sighed. Shaking her head, she had to admit her greatest surprise in all of this. “Kathy, I think I’m in love with him.”
Kathy squeezed her hand. “It’s the total pits, isn’t it?”
She lifted her head and Kathy gave her a sympathetic smile. She smiled back. “Yes. I had no idea.”
“Let’s go see Rob and Mom.”
“And Karlee. She knows about us already. She saw us. And she’s older now so we’ve got to quit treating her like a baby. Did you know she’s already had sex?”
Kathy winced. “I don’t like the sound of that. But you’re right, I guess she’s not twelve anymore.”
“Ladies, would you please quit discussing your sex lives in front of me? Why don’t I escort you two over to the house?”
Kathy took his arm. “No, dear. You’re still a shooting victim. We will escort you while you shuffle over there. You’re not the big man you used to be, not yet.” She gave him a little wink. Kayla’s dark thoughts and fears started to fade. Her nerves were jangled for tattling on Jim and divulging his secret past.
She feared he’d hate her now. And worse still, that there was nothing she could do to help him. Or reach him. She wished she knew how to proceed.
Kathy and Kayla entered their childhood home together. It was five PM and Mom and Rob were in the kitchen, making dinner.
“We need to talk,” Kayla said, feeling anxious and with no preamble or hesitation. “Sit in the living room.” She rounded the corner and screamed upstairs. “Karlee! Come down here.”
Karlee’s door squeaked on its hinges and she pounded down the stairs. “What do you want?”
“You need to hear this so you can understand what’s going on.”
Karlee nodded as she sat down. Eric sat in his usual chair with Kathy perched on the armrest, leaning against him.
Rob glanced around. “What is this?”
“Get ready for a whopper. This will be a lot to swallow at once. And it’s really hard and uncomfortable. It involves words like sex and well, just