“Dad, stop.”
“Not to him.”
“Why can’t you accept that he’s the man I chose?”
Brian stared at his plate.
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“What has Brian ever done to you?”
Robert said nothing.
“Why can’t you accept that he’s the man I chose?”
Robert stood so fast his chair struck the wall.
That frightened me more than Robert’s outburst did.
“He is not the man you think he is!”
Brian’s face changed.
He didn’t look angry anymore.
Instead, he looked sincerely afraid.
And that freaked me out me more than Robert’s outburst did.
Brian stood.
He was standing near the sink, breathing slowly.
“Excuse me.”
Then he walked into the kitchen.
Emily turned on Robert.
“What is wrong with you?”
I didn’t wait for the answer.
I followed Brian.
“Your husband never told you the real reason he dislikes me, did he?”
He was standing near the sink, breathing slowly.
“Brian, I’m so sorry.”
He turned.
His face had gone white.
“Your husband never told you the real reason he dislikes me, did he?”
I stopped.
