Chapter 11 #2
Duck’s eyes open wide in pure rage, and she slams the glass down onto the counter next to her.
“Don’t talk about my mother like that! She raised five kids.
Do you think you know all about parenting just because you hang out with Lily on the three days I work?
You’re not an expert, you know. Give her some respect. She deserves it.”
Jesus, when the hell did this become about who’s a better parent, me or her mother? And what the hell is with calling what I do with our daughter three days a week hanging out?
“First of all, I never said I know all about being a parent. Christ, I’m new at this just like you are.
Second, I don’t hang out with Lily. I’m her father, and I take care of her.
I’m not one of those assholes who calls spending time with their kid when their mother isn’t around babysitting.
You know that. And third, if your mother wants respect, maybe she should try giving it sometime. ”
“This isn’t about my mother!” Duck screams, surprising me with how emotional she is right now.
“This is about us. It’s about how you seem to act like you know all about being a good parent to Lily and I don’t.
And before you even say a word about what my mother said about Lily being a part of the wedding, I think it would be nice. ”
Sure she’s joking to ease the tension, I laugh. “Oh, definitely. Let’s bet on whether or not she lets out a scream like she did tonight as you walk down the aisle with her. That ought to make it a memorable event.”
Tears fill Duck’s eyes, and she struggles not to break down. “Oh, so you think she’d cry because her mother would be the one carrying her? Let me guess. You think she’d be fine if you were the one carrying her.”
I stammer out something about that not being what I meant at all while I try to figure out how to defuse this situation before it gets completely out of hand.
I genuinely have no idea how things spiraled out of control this badly tonight, but I suspect it has something to do with her mother.
She probably said something to her before she got into the car.
Typical Janine. Even when she’s not around, she’s making my life hell.
Tears stream down Duck’s cheeks, so I stand up to give her a hug. She won’t let me, though. Instead, she pushes me away and runs out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell is going on.
I hurry to the bedroom to comfort her, sure we can get past this disagreement like we always do after coming home from a visit at her parents’ house, but I’m stunned to see her packing a suitcase when I walk into the room. What the hell is happening?
Instead of asking that, I decide maybe a little humor could help the situation. My wife usually loves when I make her laugh, so that seems like the best plan of action right now.
“Did we have a vacation planned and I forgot about it? I hope it’s to an island somewhere that doesn’t have phone service. Just you, me, and Lily hanging out on a beach in the middle of nowhere sounds perfect.”
She doesn’t answer me, so I continue to try to make things better. “Seriously, Duck. What do you think about going somewhere on an impromptu trip? I can get the King Industries plane and we can go anywhere. What are you in the mood for?”
I watch as she tosses in a week’s worth of underwear, T-shirts, shorts, and dresses into the suitcase but doesn’t say a word in response to my attempts at making her smile.
Then she marches into the bathroom and comes out with every bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer she owns in her arms. After dumping them into the empty side of the suitcase, she looks around our bedroom and zips the damn thing shut.
Seriously, what the fuck is going on?
Finally, she looks at me, and I see her face is still wet from crying. “Since you seem to think you know better than me or my mother, you can take care of Lily. I’m going to a hotel. I need some time to think.”
My mouth drops open in utter shock at her words. When I find the ability to speak again, she’s already lifting the suitcase off the bed to leave, so I hurry over to her to stop this madness.
Setting my hands on her shoulders, I force her to look at me. “Eden, what the hell is going on? Where are you going? Why are you going? I never said I know better than you when it comes to Lily. You’re her mother. I love you. She loves you. What is this really about?”
Tears fill her eyes again as she answers in the saddest voice I’ve ever heard come from her, “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.
I can’t seem to please anyone when it comes to this wedding, so maybe it’s time we admit it’s not going to happen.
It’s okay. We’re already married, so it’s not a big deal. Take care of Lily.”
She tries to walk away, but I won’t let her.
“What do you mean it’s not going to happen?
Just because I don’t agree that your mother should keep adding guests to a list that’s already over two hundred people?
Stop this and talk to me. Remember you and me against the world?
That’s what it’s always been, right? Put the suitcase away and let’s talk this out. ”
Shaking her head, she sniffles back the tears. “I don’t want to talk about the wedding or my working or anything about being a mother anymore. Just let me go. I can’t stay here.”
Although the last thing I want to do is let my wife leave, I lift my hands from her shoulders and watch her storm out as she cries. I have no idea what the problem is or why she has to go to a hotel, but I can’t stop her.
But what the hell did she mean when she mentioned her working and being a mother? I never said anything against either one of those things. I’ve always told her I support her choice to go back to work and that I think she’s a great mom to Lily.
Unsure what just happened, I walk down to the nursery and look in on my daughter. I wish she could talk. Maybe she could explain how a simple disagreement over Janine turned into Duck walking out on us.
I wander around our house wondering if the wedding is really not going to happen. I thought she wanted what I wanted, but now I’m not so sure.
And even worse, I have no idea why she said all those things.