Truths Unveiled - By Kimberly Alan Page 0,53

can’t turn back the clock. All you can do is try to handle things the best way you can. Not as you want them to be. And of course try not to make things worse.”

Tom rolled his eyes. He appreciated his father’s advice and even agreed. It was too late and just too much of a waste of time and emotional energy to keep beating himself up over the past. He felt determined to focus on the present. Still, at times, like tonight, he felt a deep humiliation. Not only did he let himself down, he let his family down. “I’m so sorry I got us into this debacle, Dad. I really never imagined it could get this bad. I know it’s been killing you and mom not to see the boys.”

“Well, we’re going to see them tonight. Along with sixty other people,” Tom Sr. reminded him. “But maybe that’s best. This way A.J. and Mark will have other kids to play with. That should help ease the situation a bit.”

Tom’s watch read seven-thirty. His stomach clenched. Susan and the boys should arrive any minute.

“Do you think they hate me, Dad?” It made him ill to ask, but the question overpowered his senses. Recently, whenever he’d tried to see the boys, Susan would yell, “You abandoned them! They’re afraid of you, and they hate you for it!”

“Remember when you planned to go to Florida?” Tom Sr. asked. “It was during your senior year in high school. A bunch of your friends were going.”

“Yeah.” He heard the crunch of gravel. His breath caught in his lungs. A white car appeared at the base of the long driveway. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Mom found the report card you hid from us. The one with the D in English and the F in French.”

“How could I forget? You didn’t let me go on the trip.” The car inched closer. He could feel beads of sweat pouring down the middle of his back.

“That’s right and you sure were angry about it.”

“And your point is?”

“It’s natural for kids to get mad at their parents. Just like parents get mad at their kids. But it passes. Most likely, if A.J. and Mark are mad at all, I’d wager it’s no more than you felt at us at the time. You got over it. So will they.”

Tom saw the outlines of his sons’ heads. Please Lord, he prayed, don’t let me mess this up.

Truths Unveiled

Truths Unveiled

Chapter Thirty-One

“She did it on purpose,” Rebecca said, refilling her glass with lemonade.

Pam crunched on a carrot stick. They sat on the couch in the sunroom and had a clear view of the driveway. “Any idea why?”

Rebecca shook her head. “It could be a zillion reasons—one being to detract attention from you and paint herself in a good light. Remember, next to you, Susan looks like the wicked witch of the west from The Wizard of Oz. She probably realized she needed to improve her image, especially if she expects to get sympathy from the zoning board.”

Pam tapped her hand in thought. “So if Susan decides to pretend to put their troubles behind them, Tom needs to do the same thing and withdraw his objection to her plan. Otherwise, he will look like the bad guy. Right?”

“Exactly,” Rebecca agreed, reaching for a stuffed mushroom. “Like tonight, for instance, she won either way. If Tom refused to see the kids, especially after all this time, he’d be portrayed as a rotten father. It doesn’t matter that he’d made other plans. If he really cared, he’d break or at least change them. And if he agreed…”

A new voice broke in. “Then Susan still looks good because everyone at the party will get to see the boys. They’ll think she’s making an effort to resolve their differences. They’ll expect Tom to do the same.”

Pam and Rebecca turned to find Katie Jarrod approaching. Tall and thin like her son, she wore her silver hair short, in a stylish cut. A lovely, teal, beaded dress flowed gracefully around her while she carried in a tray of shrimp cocktail.

“That was very understanding of you to encourage Tom to see the boys this evening,” she told Pam. She set down the platter on the buffet table. “You’ve made this a doubly festive occasion.”

Pam wondered how she should respond, then noted tears rimming the older woman’s eyes. Without a second thought, she reached for her hand. Katie squeezed tight while her expression said thank you.

****

“Hi Dad,” A.J.