Love and Lies

by Duffey, Jennifer

  “What?” I asked, as I thrust the doors open.

  “Are you hungry? We can order room service if you want.”

  “Where are Alec and Sean?”

  “Oh, they're staying in another room. They left a few minutes ago. Alec said something about giving you some space. I don't think it was that as much as he wanted to be alone with Sean. You know, he felt like shit for calling your parents.”

  “When did we get another room? I thought they were all sold out.”

  “Alec called and begged his way into it after you hung up on him earlier.”

  Served him right.

  “Yeah, order pizza. I'm hungry. I want pepperoni.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  I needed to call my parents. I still wanted them to meet Eric, and there was a nagging desire to talk to them about why I left New York. It's not like I thought it was going to be some after-school special where I spilled my soul, we all made up, and lived happily ever after. I just thought one of the only ways for me to work through everything with Eric and my parents was to talk about it. Talking wasn't anything I was used to, it hadn't worked in the past, and I still wasn't convinced it would work now. But for my own sanity, I had to try.

  “Hello.” I choked out.

  “Who is this?”

  “It's me, Carissa.”

  A pause. Then, in a voice all too bright, Mom spoke. “Carissa, sweetheart. How are you? Your dad and I heard you were in town.”

  Liar. No one had told them, but it didn’t matter any more. “Umm, yeah. Alec told me you stopped by my hotel room. Look, Mom, I want to come by and introduce you and Dad to someone. We’re only in town for another couple of days, so I kind of need to come over soon.”

  “Oh, w-well, we have a party tonight, and your dad's been busy getting ready for a fashion show. He's been spending a lot of time at the office working with the new designs. I'll talk to him and see when we can get some time. I'd really like to see you, sweetie.”

  It was strange to me. My parents weren't around growing up, but my mom nearly had a nervous breakdown when she thought I'd been kidnapped. They'd tagged me with bodyguards to make sure I was always safe, but they couldn't take five minutes out of their busy schedule to meet someone.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Goodbye, sweetie. I will tell your father that you called.”

  I sighed and stared at the phone. Unshed tears burned my eyes, damn emotions. I was pretty sure I'd formed a solid hatred toward them. All it seemed to do when I showed a feeling other than happy was cause trouble.

  Eric sat next to me on the sofa with his hand on mine. “She’ll call. Don't worry.”

  I didn't look at him, just nodded. “And if they don't?”

  “Then we go over there just like they showed up here.”

  “So, what's on the agenda today?”

  I had to give Eric credit for trying. He knew how difficult it would be to see my parents, but he was trying to be there for me while not discouraging me. Still, I didn't know what I wanted to do. The plan was for my mom to tell me to come over as soon as I called. Then I was going to use the Broadway show we had tickets for as an excuse to leave.

  “I dunno. Seeing them was the agenda. What do you want to do?”

  Eric searched the room—I was pretty sure he was trying to come up with something to do, but it looked more like he was lost. My phone rang, saving him from coming up with a new plan.

  Eric grabbed it before I could. His voice was rough. “Hello?”

  I reached for my phone and mouthed, “Give it to me.”

  Eric smirked and shook his head. “Oh, Mrs. Stein. Just a second please, I'll get her.”

  He handed my phone to me, and at the same time he kissed me to keep me from talking. “Just a minute, Mom,” I yelled, hoping she'd hear me. I shoved Eric back. “Sorry. Did you get a chance to talk to Dad?”

  “Yes. He's on his way home now. Can you come on over?”

  “Sure, we'll be there in half an hour. Is that okay?”

  “That will be fine. We’ll see you then.”

  I stood and shoved the phone in my pocket. “Get your shoes on. We're going over there.”

  I wanted to take the subway, but there was too much of a chance we'd be late. Outside the hotel, we got a cab and gave their address to the driver.

  Eric studied me for a while. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, I'll be fine. I need to do this.”

  “Don't forget I'm here for you. I know you need this, it's the right thing to do.”

  I shifted out from under Eric's arm, then called Alec. He didn't answer, so I left a voicemail. “I'm headed to my parents. We'll see you tonight at the show. Don't be late. Love ya.”

  The rest of the drive was quiet. I ran through everything I wanted to talk about and how to approach the topic. Mentally I'd prepared a script, that way I wouldn't get off topic or let my parents have control of the conversation. They were going to listen to me, whether they liked it or not.

  When the cab stopped in front of my parents' place, I sat there frozen. Eric never said a word. He didn't push me to get out, just sat and waited for me to make the first move.

  The driver looked back and asked if he was at the right place.

  I shook off my worries. “Yeah,” I whispered.

  Eric paid the driver while I got out. He grabbed me around the waist and turned me to face him when I stumbled on the first step. “You don't have to do this, Carissa. No one will think less of you if you leave now.”

  “Yes, I do. I know you guys won't think less of me, but I will. If you and I are going to work things out, then I have to talk to them.”

  I straightened my shirt and smoothed out my skirt before climbing the rest of the stairs. Since I'd left, they moved into a loft off of Park Avenue. When we walked up, the doorman called Mom to let her know we'd arrived. She told us to come on up, the door was open.

  Eric whistled when we walked in. “Boy, your parents sure know how to live it up.”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.” The first thing I noticed was how white everything was. The house I grew up in had been decorated in muted, natural tones. “Mom, I'm here.”

  I heard her banging pots and pans. To my left was the living room, to my right a hallway. I went to the right, following the banging noise. Down the hall we turned into the dining room, where Mom had her elaborate cherry dining room table, big enough to seat fifteen set with her best china. Apparently the party was at their house tonight. That explained why Dad was coming home early.

  I stuck my head around the corner to see the kitchen. It was just as white as the rest of the house, with one exception; all the appliances were black, giving the room a very sharp contrast. “Mom, why are you in here with the pots and pans? Where is Sheila?” She looked stressed. Her hair was frizzy and flying around everywhere. She had an apron haphazardly tied around her waist, and it smelled like something was burning. “Are you cooking?” No answer.

  “Mrs. Stein.”

  As soon as Eric spoke, she jumped ten feet in the air.

  “Huh, who's—oh, Carissa.” A smile spread across her face, and she swiped her hair out of her eyes. “My baby girl is home. I've missed you so much.” With her arms spread open, she enveloped me in a very uncomfortable hug.

  I stood there. When she didn't let go, I patted her back with one hand. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Let's go sit.” At the sight of Eric, she stopped. “I'm sorry, I don't remember your name.”

  Eric held out his hand. “Mrs. Stein. It's nice to meet you again. I'm—”

  I cut him off. “Mom, when is Dad going to be home?”

  She looked at her watch. “He should be here any minute. Oh no, I must look a mess. You two make yourselves comfortable. I think there are some drinks in the refrigerator.” She patted me on the head. “Your father is so excited to see you.”

  “Ugh, she's so 'effin annoying,” I murmured to her back when she walked away.

&nbs
p; Eric's eyebrows furrowed. “'Effin? Since when do you censor your words?”

  I waved him off. “Since we stepped over the threshold of my parents' home. My mom would smack me if she heard me talk the way I do at times.” I bent in front of the fridge. “You want anything to drink? It looks like we have water and water.”

  “Nah, I'm fine. Why didn't you let me introduce myself to your mom?”

  I grabbed a bottle of water and shoved the door closed. “Because I don't want to explain who you are twice, and before you say anything, yes, I will have to say something twice. My mom won't comprehend it enough to tell Dad.”

  “I have to be honest. I thought your mom would be more Real Housewife of NYC than she is.”

  I choked on the drink I'd just taken.

  Eric rubbed my back. “Didn't mean to choke you up.”

  “Mom is a mix of Real Housewife and Suzie Homemaker. She plays the perfect hostess for their parties, but when no one's around, the claws come out and the b-i-t-c-h comes to play.”

  “What do you mean? I've never had any problems with her when we talked on the phone.” Eric's lips tightened when he realized the mistake he made.

  I balled my hands in fists at my side.

  “Carissa, I—I'm sorry.” He mumbled 'shit' under his breath.

  I clenched and unclenched my fists. “It's fine. This is why I need to talk to them. Otherwise, we're going to get into awkward situations like this all the time where you're walking on a tight rope afraid to upset me, and I'm ready to knock you off of it.”

  Eric and I made our way back down the hall into the living room. Apparently, when my parents moved, they replaced most of their furniture too. The room was decorated in a nouveau style with sharp corners and funky designs. It smelled of fresh paint and made me crinkle my nose. “Do you smell that?”

  “Yeah, smells like new paint.”

  “It gives me a headache. Come on, might as well relax.”

  I flipped through Mom's most recent Southern Living magazine. I never understood why she had the subscription. It wasn't like she'd ever lived in the South. Hell, from what I knew, she'd never even visited. Eric sat next to me, twitching his thumbs, clasping and unclasping his hands. I placed my hand on his knee to calm him. A jangle of keys and a twist of the doorknob had my back straightening. Dad was home.

  It wasn't that I was afraid of him, but Dad was the man of the house. Mom did whatever he said to do. If he said jump, she asked how high. When I told them about Igor, Dad was the one who told Mom I was crazy. She believed him unquestioningly.

  “Hello?” There was uncertainty in his voice. I began to wonder if Mom had told him I was coming over.

  I stood and walked to the corner of the couch. Eric started to follow, but I shook my head and held a finger to wait. “Dad, we're in here.”

  “Carissa.” He stopped when he saw me leaning on the corner of the couch. “What are you doing here?”

  That confirmed my suspicion. “Mom didn't tell you we were coming over.” It wasn't a question. I didn't need him to answer.

  “Where is your mother, anyway?” He noticed Eric with a fleeting glance, and a nod.

  Eric didn't acknowledge my dad.

  “She's upstairs,” I answered.

  “Gayle, I'm home!” He started walking upstairs, shouting at Mom, leaving us sitting awkwardly on the couch.

  He came back with a Coke in hand. “So, what brings you by? I figured you didn't want to see us, considering you didn't bother to tell us you were coming home. We had to find out from Alec.” Alec's name was said with a snarl.

  “Yeah, about that, I was going to call, but Alec got to it before I did. Let's just say I wasn't happy with him.” I picked the magazine back up.

  Shortly after that, Mom came back downstairs. Her hair was fixed, and she'd changed into a pale pink sundress. She walked over to where Dad sat eyeing Eric and drinking his Coke. “Hello, darling,” she said, before kissing him on the cheek.

  I checked my watch. We had a few hours before the show, but I didn't want to stay any longer than necessary. “So, Mom and Dad I guess you're probably wondering why I'm here.”

  The fact that Mom sat on the arm of Dad's chair was a good indication that they didn't plan on Eric and I being around long. If they wanted to really spend time with us she would have sat on the couch, as prim and proper as ever. Now she was tense and from the creases across her brow—nervous. I had to get this over with.

  In unison they responded, “Yes.”

  “First, I want to introduce you to my boyfriend Eric”

  They both looked to each other. Dad's eyes turned down.

  “Yes, the Eric that you hired as my bodyguard. Except you didn't bother telling me, did you?”

  Mom gasped at my sharp words.

  “Why didn't you tell me? Was it punishment for leaving early?”

  “We didn't tell you because you wouldn't have let anyone stay close enough otherwise. We knew how upset you were after the whole Stan incident. Your mother was worried about you being in New Orleans by yourself. We did it for your safety.”

  “Bullshit. You did it because you wanted to keep tabs on me.”

  “Young lady, you will watch your mouth in this house,” Mom chided me.

  My cheeks flushed with anger. “Oh, shut up,” I spouted.

  “Carissa!” Dad barked. “You will not talk to your mother like that. If you can't comply with her request, then you will leave this house now.”

  “I'm not leaving. Not until you tell me the real reason for hiring Eric.”

  Dad turned on Eric. “Young man, part of the contract was that you not tell our daughter you were watching her. You broke that contract. I believe the consequences were the return of all monies paid.”

  “With all due respect, sir, I didn't tell her. And as soon as she found out, I called and broke off the deal. If you remember correctly, you agreed to the cease and desist.”

  “What do you mean you didn't tell her?” He broke Eric's stare and spun to me. “How did you find out?”

  “Does it matter? The point is not how I found out, but that you did it.” I wasn't going to let him change the subject. “Now tell me why you hired Eric.”

  “I told you already, we did it to protect you.”

  “But Igor... wasn't that enough to stop?”

  “Honey, why do you make things harder for yourself when they don't need to be? We both know that didn't happen with Stan—you really should quit calling him Igor. Honestly, all you had to do was tell us you wanted to leave early. There was no need to make all that up about him trying to...” He paused.

  “Rape me, Dad. He tried to rape me. Just say it. I can't believe you think I made that up. What the hell kind of person do you think I am? I'm not a whore.”

  Mom was fidgeting. “Honey, we never thought you were a whore.” She winced at the word. “It's just well, Stan is a gentleman. He'd never do anything like that.”

  “I'm so fucking glad you think so. Heaven forbid you believe your own daughter before some asshole you paid to be my bodyguard. I don't know why the hell I even tried to come and talk to you guys.” I tried to stop the tears, but couldn't. It crushed me that they still didn't believe what happened. They thought I was a whore. What kind of parents did that?

  Eric put his arm around my shoulder.

  “Oh, don't be so dramatic. Gayle, honey, are we ready for the party tonight?”

  She looked at my dad, taking a moment before understanding what he was doing. He was getting her out of the room. “I'll go check.” With ease, my mom had been dismissed.

  Dad turned back to me, full of fury. He leaned in closer, and with a low, menacing voice, he began. “You know better than to talk to your mother like that. It would be in your best interest to quit telling the lies you've concocted about Stan. He is a friend of the family, and you will not disrespect him like that. Now, you are our daughter, and we will continue to provide for you, but other than that, as far as I'm concerned, you hav
e no need to come back here. When you graduate next year, do as you please. You will have your inheritance when you turn twenty-one. Do you understand?”

  I was furious. My dad had just disowned me. “I understand. I'm out from under your control as of next year. No problems there. Good bye, Ethan.” I stood and reached for Eric's hand. “Come on. I want out of this hell hole.”

  Eric stood with me, and we walked to the door. My dad followed us to make sure we left without a fight. Just as I stepped into the hall, Eric turned to face my father. “Mr. Stein, I've been respectful up to this point. But what you just did and said—that was a line no parent should ever cross. You don't deserve to have a daughter as exceptional and fabulous as Carissa. I pray to God she becomes the best damn artist you've seen. When she does, I’ll be right by her side, laughing at you the whole way. I regret ever taking your money, you lousy piece of shit.”

  Dad stood there, his mouth gaping open.

  “Oh, and Mr. Stein, one last thing.”

  I wiped the tears off my cheeks, shocked by Eric's response. That's when I saw Eric raise his fist and slam it into my father's stomach. “Eric!” I shrieked.

  My dad doubled over in pain, coughing. Eric leaned down and said in a low voice, “That's for Igor.” He then slammed the door on my father and drew me to the elevator.

  Once in the elevator, I lost control and started sobbing. Eric pulled me to his chest. He didn't say anything to me, just held me. Right before the elevator doors opened, he whispered in my ear, “Come on, Angel. A few more steps and we're out of here for good.”

  I nodded.

  There was a chaise lounge in the lobby. Eric helped me to it and made sure I was okay before getting a cab. Once I sat down, I sucked in a breath and held it while I waited. I didn't want any of my parents' neighbors to see me the way I was. Not that they knew me, but I didn't want to get the sympathy card from some stranger. I rose to go outside, but Eric rushed to my side and walked me out, his arm around my waist and pulling me to him.

  In the cab I could sense that Eric wanted to talk, but I was crying too hard to see anything, I sniffled and took two deep breaths. “Eric, I'm s-so sorry about my dad.” I wiped my hand across my nose. It wasn't attractive, but if Eric didn't like it, he could leave. I didn't care. All I cared about was that the people who were supposed to love me had just written me out of their life.