22. Troy
It’s been three days since I went to see Charlie. Not that I’ve really noticed. Each day has rolled into the next as I go through the motions. Any excitement I felt for the restaurant before has waned. In fact, I’ve barely been near it. I just can’t rouse myself to feel anything like motivation.
Desperate to find out the reason for Charlie’s sudden silent treatment, I told her I wasn’t leaving until she opened the door and talked to me. But when she finally did, I was nearly too stunned to react. Of all the things I had considered, the actual reason never occurred to me.
Why, I do not know. In hindsight, it should have been the first thing that came to my head. She’d been with her father the day before she stopped talking to me. How had I not made the connection?
Charlie was angry. In fact, I don’t ever remember seeing her as angry as she was that night. But then, I can’t really blame her, can I? She has every right to be angry. I’d lied to her face. After Grandma’s birthday party, she’d given me the chance to come clean. To put all my cards on the table. I’d chosen to tell her an untruth.
You did it for the right reasons.
That doesn’t matter now. Right or wrong, I should have been honest. Yes, I was worried about what the truth might mean for the relationship between her and her father, but in hindsight, that wasn’t my decision to make. I had no right to manage that for her.
Besides, if I’m honest, it wasn’t just about her relationship with her dad. Part of my decision was based on pride. I didn’t want her to know I’d been sent away like some degenerate. I wanted her to believe it had been my own decision, my own choice.
What an idiot!
And now, my pride has cost me everything I wanted. In a heartbeat, my happily ever after is over. I’ve done little over the last few days but sit here, feeling sorry for myself and nursing my broken heart.
In the beginning, a part of me hoped that Charlie might come around. That maybe her anger had waned, and she might find it in her heart to forgive me. But she has neither texted nor phoned. I’ve hardly noticed her movements, either. I’ve been too busy moping.
There’s a lost feeling, and I don’t mean about losing the relationship. I mean, I feel lost, like I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I came back here to start the restaurant. I hadn’t, in my wildest dreams, imagined that Charlie and I might get another chance. But my emotions have now swayed from one goal to the other, and somewhere in there, my aim is blurry.
The truth is, I don’t know if I can stay in Cherryville now. I wouldn’t even have considered that when I first came back. But then, Charlie Woods wasn’t nestled in my heart back then.
Sometime later, my phone rings. I don’t jump up to get it. I know who it isn’t. When I lift it and look at the caller ID, I see it’s Mom calling. Truly, I don’t think I can speak to anyone right now. I let it ring off and put the phone down.
It’s past six when there’s a knock on my door. With the energy of a slug in a puddle, I push myself out of the chair and meander to the front door. When I open it, Milly’s standing there.
“Mom wants to see you,” she says, without any greeting.
“Yes, well,” I say, turning back into the house. “I’m not in the mood to speak to anyone right now.”
I feel her grabbing my arm, and I spin around, frowning. “What the—?”
“Now, Troy. Mom and Dad want to see you now.”
“I don’t care.”
“Don’t you think you owe them this much?” Milly says adamantly. “After everything you’ve put them through, don’t they deserve an hour of your time?”
I’m about to argue with her when I realize she’s right. But then, it’s not often that my sister is wrong. When I left, Mom and Dad were devastated. While I’ve apologized a thousand times, that doesn’t change the fact that they lost their son for ten whole years. I didn’t even tell them the reason I was leaving; I just left.
“Fine,” I huff. I grab my keys off the hook and turn back to Milly.
“We’ll take my car. I’ll drop you off later,” she says, turning away and walking up the driveway.
No doubt, this is to ensure I can’t leave Mom and Dad’s until they’ve said their piece, but right now, I don’t even care. I’m going because I have to. I’ll listen to what they have to say, and then I’ll leave.
As soon as I walk into the house, Mom throws her arms around me and gives me the tightest hug. “Oh, sweetheart,” she gushes. “I’m so sorry.”
I wrap my arms around her and drink her love in. I’ll admit, this was not quite what I was expecting. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. Dad’s standing behind her, looking at me sadly. It’s only now that I realize this is some sort of intervention.
Mom has tried calling me a few times over the last couple of days. I haven’t answered. Milly’s texted me, too, and I haven’t replied to her, either. I suppose something like this was inevitable if I refused to let them know I’m all right.
We settle in the living room, where Mom’s set out sandwiches and finger foods. It all feels a little strange, but I’m too indifferent about everything to care.
“So,” Mom says, after handing me a glass of iced tea. “What’s going on?”
I shrug and avoid eye contact.
“Troy, sweetie. This isn’t like you. Please, won’t you talk to us?”
“There’s nothing much to say,” I mumble.
“We’re worried about you, son,” Dad adds. “I came to see you at the restaurant yesterday, but there was no sign of you. I couldn’t help noticing a few days’ mail lying on the mat inside.”
“I haven’t been there. There’s been a lot on my mind.”
“Meaning Charlie,” Milly deduces.
I heave a sigh, but I don’t answer. Sipping my tea, I wonder what I’m supposed to tell them. Even if I decided to talk to them, what’s the point? It’s not like they can change what’s happened.
“What happened between you and Charlie?” Mom presses. “Things seemed to be going great.”
They’re not going to let this go. Besides, I’m stranded here, thanks to Milly’s genius idea of bringing me in her car. Maybe I can just get this over and done with, then get back home to my moping.
“I messed up,” I say. “I messed up big time. After Grandma’s party, I invited Charlie over for dinner. We sat and talked a lot, and then the conversation turned to why I’d left. I wanted to tell her the truth. I wanted to be honest with her. But I’d already found out that she and Mr. Woods seem to have patched things up over the years, and I didn’t want to be the one who drove a wedge between them. So I lied.”
“And Charlie found out,” Dad says solemnly.
“Yep,” I growl, more frustrated with myself than Dad’s question. “When she finally let me talk to her, she told me that her dad had told her the truth. So it’s over.”
“What did he tell her, exactly?” Dad asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. That he told me to leave, and I left. The conversation didn’t last that long.”
“Hang on,” Milly interjects. “I was talking to Charlie the other day, and that’s not all her dad said. In fact, what she told me didn’t sound quite right, but I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t say anything.”
I frown at my sister. “What else did he say?”
“Something about him giving you two choices. That you either had to clean up your act if you wanted to be with Charlie, or you had to leave. The rest is what you told me all those years back—that if you didn’t go, Mr. Woods would take Charlie somewhere you’d never find her.”
I should be seething with rage; I should be jumping up and shouting indignantly, but I don’t have the energy for that. I just feel dead inside.
I shake my head. “That’s not what happened at all. There was no mention of cleaning up my act to be with Charlie. He just threatened me. If I didn’t go, he and Charlie would leave Cherryville, and I didn’t want that for Charlie. I didn’t want her torn from the town she loves, and to be torn away from her best friend.” I nod to Milly.
“So he lied?” Dad balks, clearly more annoyed than I have the strength to be. Dad pushes himself up from the chair. “That conniving, sneaky little sh—”
“Sit down, darling,” Mom says. She has a way of being commanding without raising her voice. “Getting all flustered about what Mr. Woods said isn’t going to help our son. Troy needs us right now.”
Dad takes a huge breath in and looks over at me. Nodding, he drops back down into his chair. “Fine. But this isn’t over, Marjorie. I will be having words with that snake. He’s had it in for Troy since—”
“Dad,” I say, raising a hand. “It’s fine. Really. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”
“Maybe we can invite Charlie over, and you two can talk it out,” Mom suggests.
“No,” I say firmly. “You’re right, Dad. Mr. Woods lied, but at the end of the day, so did I. That’s why Charlie is angry, and she has every right to be. Now, I just need to figure out what I’m going to do.”
“What do you mean, what you’re going to do?” Milly looks at me with a frown of concern.
I’ve been thinking about this for the last day or two, but as I look from Milly to Mom, and then Dad, my resolve wanes a little. Still, they need to know. I can’t do this to them again.
“I’m thinking of moving from Cherryville.”
“What?!” Mom and Milly blurt together.
All three of them are looking at me with huge, wide eyes, and if it wasn’t so serious, it would be hilarious.
“You can’t move,” Milly commands. “You just came back.”
“I’m not going back to Europe, Milly. I just can’t stay here.”
“What about the restaurant?” Dad cries.
“I can sell it. Buy another place wherever I end up moving to. I’ve got everything I need to fit another one out. It would just be a case of moving it all.”
“Oh, just like that,” Mom says with a tinge of sarcasm.
I take a deep breath and look from one parent to the other. “I don’t think you really understand how I’m feeling. I told you the other day that Charlie and I were taking things slowly. That was the truth, but the thing is, I’m in love with her. I’ve never stopped loving her. I might never stop loving her for years to come. I just can’t do it. Do you understand? I can’t stay here and watch her moving on with her life when I can’t move on with mine.”
I can see Mom tearing up, and then Milly jumps off her chair and comes and sits beside me. Threading her arms through mine, she rests her head on my shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Troy.”
“Yeah. Me too.”