by Giselle Fox
“What did you say?” I asked.
“I didn’t say anything, but I began to think that maybe this woman was telling me her story for another reason and so I kept listening. Then, she asked me if I thought it was wrong for a woman in her position to have an affair.”
“Signal received, loud and clear,” Sabrina said, laughing.
“I gave her a logical answer; if her husband didn’t think there was anything wrong with his own infidelity, then he probably wouldn’t care about hers.”
Sabrina began to chuckle. “So smooth.”
“She asked if I had a place in the city; I told her that I did. She asked if I wanted to show it to her, and I said, yes, of course. She ended up staying the weekend. That is that.”
“That is that,” I repeated. “So this has been going on for some time then.”
“Yes, on and off for more than two years,” Leda replied.
“Do you miss her? You’re not here that often.”
“For me, this is a perfect arrangement. A few days here and there is just the right amount of time. When we see each other, everything is very good. When I leave, there are no complications.”
“She’s a senior partner at her firm. She works non-stop,” Camille said.
“So no lovey-dovey, no pining for her when you’re overseas?”
Leda shook her head. “Not very romantic, I know.”
“And she’s happy with it, obviously,” Sabrina said.
“She seems quite satisfied,” Leda said.
“Huh,” I said. “Isn’t that interesting.”
“She thought you were hot because you’re a soldier,” Sabrina said nudging Leda’s leg.
“Yes, I think so.”
Camille laughed. “You haven’t told them the rest of it.”
“There’s more?” I asked.
“In the beginning, her husband thought that Marina was having an affair with Camille since Marina only disappeared the same weekends that Camille was in Portland,” Leda said and then laughed.
“He had the nerve to corner me after a board meeting at the school,” Camille said, shaking her head. “He accused me of trying to steal his wife! I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.”
“What did you say?” I asked her.
“I told him it wasn’t me but that I wasn’t surprised. I walked away. I wasn’t going to throw Leda under the bus.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Leda said. “His ego was a little bruised but he seems to have gotten over it.”
“Why are they still together?” I asked.
“They have two teenage sons in private school. They would rather wait a little longer than break up the family now.”
“I guess that makes sense if everyone is getting what they want,” Sabrina said.
“So, then, back to the original question: what are your plans for tonight?” I asked.
“A little food, then sex,” Leda said matter-of-factly. “That is how it usually goes.”
I truly loved Leda. She told it like it was, no embellishments required.
“Do you have somewhere to stay?” Camille asked.
“Oh yes, that is all taken care of. I have booked a very nice Airbnb,” Leda replied. “It is close to a brewpub that we both enjoy.”
“A little food, a little beer, a little bow-chicka-bow-wow,” Sabrina said.
“Exactly,” Leda replied.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It felt strange to be back at the Portland house; standing outside, looking around the neighborhood. The street somehow felt narrower, the house itself, smaller. Even the air smelled different from how I remembered. It all felt foreign, though it had once been my home.
I’d spent a whole semester there, working hard, training with Sabrina, and recovering from my experience with Molly. I’d lain awake countless nights wishing Camille was beside me, wishing for a lot of things that I realized I now had. Still, I didn’t feel even a little sentimental about the place or about selling it. It had served its purpose as a stepping stone for Camille and me. I knew that someone would love it as much as I had the very first time I saw it.
We both heard it the second we went upstairs; the sound of little creatures with big feet digging inside the attic. “Oh, shit. I think we have squirrels,” I told Camille. Luckily finding an exterminator that was willing to come in on such short notice was only a matter of money.
“Will you kill them?” Camille asked, not looking at all happy with the idea.
“Yes, but it’s very quick,” the man in the white jumpsuit replied.
“Could you take them to a park instead?”
“That would be the Premium Squirrel Program, whereby we catch and release the vermin a minimum of five miles away to prevent them from finding their way back. They’re tenacious, these critters.”
“We’ll take the Premium Squirrel Program, then,” Camille said, turning to me. “I don’t need the bad karma. They were just looking for a place to live and ours was available.”
“Whatever you say,” he shrugged. “I’ll go get the traps from my truck.”
While the attic was getting rigged for a rodent hunt, Camille and I began to look through our closets, cupboards, and drawers. “There’s actually not much here,” I said as we surveyed each room. Camille had bought the house furnished and since everything had been designed for the space, she’d planned to sell it as such. I’d liquidated most of my belongings before I’d moved back to Portland for school. So, aside from our remaining clothing, bedding, towels, and kitchen items, we were in good shape.
“I’ll have the workout gear shipped to the beach house,” Camille said. “Should we donate the rest?”
I’d already gone through the cupboards in the kitchen and had made a box of small appliances I thought my parents might want. “Sure, we can load the rest into the back of my truck.”
Two loads to the Community Warehouse later, we were done. The realtor had already arranged for the cleaners to come through before the house was listed. All that was left was for the four-legged friends in the attic to move out.
We sat out on the back deck. The sun had already dipped behind the neighbor’s tree and evening was settling in. We hadn’t eaten anything other than the bag of chips we’d shared on the way back from the thrift store. There was no food in the house. I was considering what to do about dinner when Camille turned to me. “How would you feel about staying at the beach house tonight instead?”
The idea was an easy sell. There was nothing keeping us in Portland since Penny and Aiden were away for the long weekend. The exterminator already had a key. My meeting with dean Shepard wasn’t until the following week, and all the packing, prepping, and organizing had already been done. And, for some reason, the house just didn’t feel that special anymore.
“We can stop for something to eat along the way,” I replied.
***
As little attachment as I’d felt to the Portland house, the minute we reached the crest of Camille’s driveway and saw the ocean, I knew we’d made the right move. We’d had a long day traveling, packing, and organizing, but we both took a quiet moment to take in everything we could while I idled my old truck at the top of the hill. Then, Camille turned to me and smiled and we continued on down to the garage.
Waking up in that place never stopped being special. The sun was peeking through a light morning haze, the air smelled incredible. Everything that I remembered was still exactly how it was. Knowing how close we were to seeing my parents had me both excited and nervous.
“Maybe I’ll just drop you off and then come back here,” Camille said.
“You could stay for a bit.”
It seemed we both weren’t looking forward to telling my parents the news.
My folks weren’t expecting us until later, so we lounged out on the deck for part of the morning. There wasn’t any food in the house beyond a half-loaf of bread in the freezer and some canned fruit, but there was always a hidden supply of espresso beans. I called
in an order of groceries at the supermarket, arranging for them to be delivered to my parent’s house that afternoon. Ramon wasn’t there but I talked to another girl I had worked with the summer before.
I drove us back to town, taking it easy since I wasn’t in a rush. Camille was lost in thought, staring out the window. “You know, things are different now. If you want to tell your parents about my father’s heart attack, it’s alright. I know they’ll be discrete.”
I knew that they would understand things a lot better if they knew the truth. “Thank you,” I said.
When we pulled up, my mother came running out of the house with my father close behind. “I didn’t think you’d be here already! What a great surprise!”
My father scooped me into a big bear hug, almost knocking the wind out of me. “It’s good to have you back, kid. Your mother’s been missing you.” He held me for a few seconds longer than usual. “Hello, Camille,” he said when he finally let me go. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“But I told you she was,” I said.
My mother promptly smacked his arm and turned to Camille. “Claire has been telling us how busy you’ve been, that’s all. We just didn’t think you’d be able to make it when all was said and done. But… we’re sure glad you did!”
“Yes, it’s great to see you, great to see you,” my dad said, as if saying it twice would help make the situation any less awkward.
Camille smiled at both of them. “Well, I really didn’t want to miss the trip. I know how important this is to Claire.”
My mother had already turned her back on her and didn’t hear any of it. “You’re up early,” she said, addressing me only. “I thought you’d want to sleep in after that horrible flight.”
“It’s really not that horrible,” I said. “We stayed at the beach house last night. We have squirrels in the attic at the Portland place.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. Those things can make a mess.”
“The guy said it wasn’t too bad up there. It’ll be someone else’s house soon enough.”
Camille shot me a look but I’d already realized the mistake I’d made.
“Oh?” My mother said, turning to Camille. “Are you selling?”
“Um… yes, actually,” she replied.
“Got something else in mind?” my father asked.
“Why don’t we go around back,” I suggested. “It’s a nice day; we should sit outside.”
My mom glanced at my father. “Alright.”
“So, how long are you in town for?” My dad asked Camille after we had all sat down on the back patio.
Camille slid her hand over the tabletop. “One week,” she replied and looked over at me. So did my parents.
I sat forward. “So, um… my plans have changed. I decided it was best to sit down with you guys face-to-face rather than tell you on the phone since you guys are always so worried about long-distance charges and everything.”
My mother bit her lip and looked at my father again. His face went stony. “And?”
“I’m going back to Singapore too, next week.”
“But what about school?”
“Yeah, what about school?” my father repeated.
“The dean thought it would be best for everyone if I stayed in Singapore and continued my studies there. Camille’s father has offered to mentor me. I’ll be working directly with him while completing all my academic requirements. The second part of the MBA program is pretty much just a practicum anyway, and working with John is an incredible opportunity-”
“But there are opportunities here, too,” my mother said. “Your grades were very good, you could probably get any job you want.”
I reached for her hand. “This is the job I want, mom.”
“Mrs. Lundy, if I may,” Camille said gently. She sat forward on her chair and looked at both of them before speaking. “Claire is right. From a professional standpoint, she has far more opportunities in Singapore than she would if she stayed here. It’s true that, with her grades, she would find a good job here, and it’s possible that she would eventually work her way up to a level that was challenging and rewarding enough for her. But the opportunity that has been offered to her by my father is unprecedented. Frankly, it even surprised me. There is simply no one else in the same position that cares about Claire the way my father does. Except for me, of course, but that goes without saying.”
“I know it’s hard to imagine, but Singapore is the best place for me right now,” I said. “And I’m not happy here without Camille, I’m just not. My life is there now.”
My mother looked down into her lap. Then, she started to cry. I felt like the worst daughter in the world, but knew I totally deserved to feel that way. “Mom, please don’t be sad. This is actually a good thing.”
“We’re never going to see you. How is that a good thing?”
“If you guys saw where we lived and what I did every day, you would know.”
“But we don’t know,” my mother said. She stood abruptly.
“Mom, please.”
Camille spoke again. “I realize how upsetting this must be for you, Nancy, so I would like to extend an invitation and a promise: that once a year, we will fly you, first-class, to Singapore for a visit. I will also make sure that Claire returns here once a year. It’s important to both of us that we don’t lose touch. How does that sound?”
I turned to Camille. “That’s really generous of you.”
“Thank you,” my mother said tersely, “but I’m not sure we can accept that.”
“Mom, it’s not a handout. She’s just trying to make this work for all of us.”
Camille put her hand on my arm. I was getting frustrated with my mother and it was becoming apparent to everyone.
“Gord, Nancy, I want to apologize for everything you went through this summer,” Camille said. “It wasn’t fair to you at all.”
My father nodded.
“I wish I could have done more to stop it, for all of our sakes. It was embarrassing, it was violating, it was everything that I’ve tried to avoid. The best I can do is reassure you that, no matter what you’ve heard, I love Claire. I will always take care of her. I can’t promise that her life will be easy, or that what happened this summer will never happen again. Someone in my position is always vulnerable to those kinds of attacks. I don’t like it but I do understand that it’s one of the ways the world works. But so does Claire. She handled herself with dignity and grace even during the darkest times. She helped guide my family through the chaos and continues to help us by the example she sets every day. She reminded us how much stronger we were as a team. And trust me, there were times when we only believed things would get better because Claire did.”
My father nodded solemnly. “We’ve been there too.”
“Mom,” I said gently, “please, sit down.”
My mother sighed but returned to her seat. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not happy for you because I am. And I’m proud, of course. I know these things about you. You’re only twenty-six years old and you’re already so wise.” My mother reached out and held my hand. “It’s just… all of this has been a lot to get used to. And now you’re moving away. I always thought the furthest we’d have to go to see you would be Portland, you know?”
“I know,” I said. “But you’ll like Singapore too.”
My mom nodded.
“Yup,” my dad said from his side of the table. He looked at Camille. “I’m sorry if you’re getting the feeling that we don’t approve of… you.”
“Not at all,” Camille said.
“It’s different when you’re here, talking to us in person. After the summer we had, getting followed around everywhere we went, we just got to a point where all we wanted was for Claire to come home and for things to go back to normal.”
“Normal was nice,” my mother said quietly.
“I understand completely,” Camille said.
“But I can see how much you care about her. Clai
re isn’t the kind of person to get pushed into something this big when her heart’s not in it.”
“Definitely not,” I said.
“So,” he said, plastering an unconvincing smile on his face, “let’s stay positive, hey?” He reached for my mother’s hand. “You’ve always wanted to travel.”
“I guess I have,” my mother said. She looked over at me again and gave me a sad smile.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Camille left us a little while later, giving the excuse that she had calls to make for the Portland house, but I knew she was just giving my parents and me a chance to sit and talk things over without the complication of her being there.
I was trying not to feel frustrated, though I was. I was trying to see it from my parent’s point of view, though it was hard. All I kept coming back to was that the root of their problem was Camille herself, and that was something I just couldn’t accept.
Whether it was because Camille was a woman, or that she was rich, or because she’d been the victim of a media scandal, didn’t matter. None of their misgivings about her felt fair. I was angry and embarrassed at how little they’d done to make her feel welcome.
It wasn’t as though I expected them to embrace her like a daughter, or to brush off everything that had happened to them over the summer without understanding the deeper truth. What I did expect was a similar level of kindness and compassion that Camille had shown toward them simply because they were my parents. Sadly, the second that Camille had suggested she might leave, my parents showed her the door. And never once did they thank her for the offer to fly them to Singapore.
With these conflicted feelings: of loving my parents and missing them, and of deep disappointment at how they’d chosen to respond, I sat with them inside the house and tried again. This time, I’d decided to tell them the truth.
My mother was so uncomfortable with everything that she couldn’t sit down for even a minute. She was up and down, checking this and that in the kitchen, finding snacks to put on the table as if any of us were hungry, offering more coffee when we’d already had enough. My father finally said something. “Sit down, Nancy.”
