Chapter 13 #2
Eden’s laugh was a sound that reminded him of his childhood. It brought him back to a time when the world had been simple. He could only stare at her, wanting to hear more of it.
“I’ve lived alone for so long that I’m used to fending for myself. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll let you know if I’m hungry. And, oh, by the way, I’m hungry.”
He smiled as he held open his arm to the pantry. “Help yourself. I can have some fresh food delivered, too.”
“Don’t do it on my account,” she said as she walked past him.
Maks watched as she shifted through the cans of soup. “I’d prefer not to have anyone come here that isn’t supposed to, but I want to make sure there’s food to eat.”
She lifted a can of tomato basil soup. “Like I said, I’m good at fending for myself. When this is all over, you can take me to dinner.”
“Deal.”
She raised her brows and eyed him. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I’m the one who’ll be holding you to going with me. The bowls are on your left.”
He also chose soup and poured it into a bowl as she heated hers in the microwave. It wasn’t until his was done, and he was sitting beside her at the island that she said, “You seem very comfortable in this life.”
“I’m not sure I’d say comfortable. It’s more you get used to it.”
She thought about that for a moment. “Yes, I can understand that. I saw it with my parents for a long time. When my mom finally left my dad, I asked her what had taken her so long. She said she’d gotten used to things.”
“Was he abusive?”
“No. At least, not how you’re thinking. He came from a family where the men decided everything and had control of everything.
My mother was a very passive person. She didn’t need to have that control, and she trusted him.
That was her mistake. You see, my father was a banker, but despite that, he didn’t know how to handle money.
As soon as he had it, he spent it on things we didn’t need instead of paying bills. ”
Maks was surprised that there were still men like that in this day and age, but he guessed it was partly because of the dynamic of the parents.
Eden took a bite and swallowed, rolling her eyes.
“Mom had an allowance every week. She didn’t have access to the actual bank account where his money was.
Only he had that. Instead, he opened her an account and would transfer money each week so she could buy groceries.
Everything else, including filling her car with gas, had to be done through him.
I don’t know how, but he was able to get a lot of credit cards, and as soon as he did, he racked up the debt.
We could never answer the phone because there were always creditors calling. He filed for bankruptcy twice.”
“That had to be hard on all of you.”
“It was just me, Mom, and Dad. He didn’t see a problem with any of it, but it caused a lot of stress for Mom.
Especially when he wouldn’t have enough to give her for groceries.
That’s when she took a stand. Not that it did any good.
She didn’t leave him until I was out of the house, and he’d been fired from his job.
The cars were repossessed, the house was foreclosed on, and they barely had money for anything.
I sent Mom funds for food. She never asked, but I wasn’t going to let her starve.
Dad asked me for money all the time, but I refused to give it to him since I knew he wouldn’t do the right things with it. ”
Maks watched Eden, noting the lines of stress around her mouth as she talked about her father. He didn’t know how many years had passed since she’d left home, but she still carried a lot of that around with her. That much was clear. “At least your mom left. I hope she got on her feet.”
Instantly, Eden’s face curved into a smile.
“She did. My mom was an amazing woman. I gave her a little to get an apartment and a few things, but she paid me back. When I tried to refuse the money, she told me that I was the one who gave her the strength to start again, even in her early fifties. Those few years we had together were some of the best of my life. She really came into her own then. She could always make the best out of any situation, but I could tell she was genuinely happy.”
“A good ending to the story,” he said and stirred his soup before he took a spoonful into his mouth.
Eden looked into her bowl, still smiling. “She used to tell me that as much as I gripe about my father, it was how we lived and the mistakes he made that showed me what not to be.”
“Your mom sounds like she had the right thought.”
Hazel eyes met his. “I know she did. I didn’t think of it that way until she said it. Even now, when I think of my dad, I still get angry at what he put us through.”
Maks took two bites of soup before he looked at her. “Do you have any contact with him?”
“After he asked for money and I wouldn’t give it, he told me I was no longer his daughter.
He stopped calling, which was a relief. Mom and I never really discussed him.
It was like we both wanted to put him out of our lives.
After she died, I realized I only had one parent left, but I didn’t really consider him a parent.
He was selfish and egotistical and a slew of other things.
It always felt as if he sucked all the good out whenever I thought about him.
I knew it was better if we didn’t have a relationship.
Besides, he knew where I was. He could have called at any time. ”
“Did he?” Maks usually didn’t prod into people’s personal lives like he was, but he couldn’t seem to help himself when it came to Eden.
She shook her head. “I received a letter six months ago from a hospital in Oklahoma. They wanted to let me know that my father had died, and as his next of kin, they wanted to know what I wanted them to do with his body.”
“What did you do?”
“I found the mortuary closest to the hospital and had him sent there to be cremated. And, no, I didn’t go for the funeral. I told the state to do whatever they wanted with his ashes. I suppose I should feel guilty about it, but I don’t.”
Maks shook his head. “You shouldn’t feel guilty. Your father made his decisions and lived with the consequences. It cost him his wife, his family, his job, and everything else. He shoulders all of that. Not you.”
“Thank you,” Eden said with a soft smile.
They went back to eating, the silence easy between them. Maks was comfortable with her, and he was rarely comfortable around anyone. He always had his guard up, searching for any tell, any word that would alert him that someone was being untruthful.
“I’m sorry,” Eden suddenly said. “I didn’t mean to blurt out all my family drama.”
He glanced at her as he swallowed his soup. “No need. I like hearing about your life.”
She had just taken a bite and laughed, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. After she swallowed, she met his gaze, shaking her head. “You like learning about my catastrophe of a family?”
“It’s what made you who you are. Why wouldn’t I want to know? No one has a perfect life. Each of us has problems. Just when you solve one, another arises. That’s life.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it like that. It’s…eye-opening.”
Warmth spread through him at her smile. He quickly returned his gaze to his soup and spooned several bites into his mouth. When it came to Eden, he suddenly became philosophical. What was it about this woman that made him say and do such things?
“What about your family? Was it as crazy as mine?”
The minute her words reached him, he froze.
“I’m sorry,” Eden hastily said. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
His soup now finished, he set down his spoon. “It’s fine.”
Her face wrinkled with regret. “It’s not. Forget I said anything.”
He watched as she rose and went to the sink to rinse out her bowl.
Maks waited until she shut off the water before he said, “I had a great family. My parents are still married and will celebrate their thirty-seventh anniversary this year. I have two sisters and two brothers. They all have kids of their own. Both of my sisters are divorced, one of my brothers is married, and the other has a woman he’s been with for over twelve years.
Neither of them wants to get married. It’s a big family, so get-togethers are loud and chaotic, and of course, we bicker.
Because that’s what families do. I’ve not seen them in over a decade, though. They think I’m dead.”