Chapter 21
Chapter 21
After speaking, Clayton felt a sharp tug in his chest. He wasn’t even sure what that emotion was–frustration, maybe, tangled up with a strange restlessness. He had the sudden urge to kick a tree by the roadside, no
r how ridiculous he might look.
was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Audrey
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denly laughed. “I guess I had too much time to think during my stay in shwood. Clayton, I’m divorcing you.
“Whatever you owe Valerie, whatever you need to make up to her, that’s your business, not mine. I don’t owe anyone a damn thing.”
Clayton opened his mouth to respond, but the line had already gone dead. He gripped the phone tighter, forced himself to take a long breath, then turned and got into the car.
Audrey unwrapped a piece of chocolate and popped it in her mouth.
Noticing Ivan staring at her, she handed him one and warned him, “Bad grades are fine, but don’t be a mean guy, you know?”
Ivan nodded. “Well.”
Audrey would tutor Ivan for an hour and a half, with a ten–minute break in the middle.
They’d barely gotten through a few math problems when the sound of a meat grinder buzzing came from the kitchen.
Audrey told Ivan to work on the problems, and she headed out to check what was going on.
Brooke was hunched over the grinder, feeding in chunks of meat. She glanced at Audrey and turned her head. “Sorry if it’s too loud. I’ll finish it
soon.”
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“Don’t they sell ground meat at the supermarket?” Audrey asked with a polite smile.
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“They do, but who knows if that stuff’s even been cleaned properly. I wash the meat myself and do everything at home. More hygienic, right?” Brooke replied, her eyes bright with a kind of eager anticipation.
“Yeah, you’re such a good wife and mother,” Audrey replied.
Hearing that praise, Brooke beamed even more. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear and added, “Ever since Ivan was born, I’ve been a full- time mother. Taking care of the house and making sure everyone eats well is my biggest accomplishment.”
The grinder was small, so she had to feed in the meat bit by bit. Not long after, it ran out of power.
Brooke rummaged through drawers looking for batteries. When she couldn’t find any, she changed clothes and headed out to buy some.
Audrey went back to Ivan’s room, checked his work, and continued the lesson.
Half an hour later, Brooke returned and picked up where she left off with
the meat.
Audrey stayed in the room this time. But from the clatter and crashing in the kitchen, it was obvious Brooke was still hustling around. When the lesson was done, she still hadn’t started cooking the patties.
When Brooke signed the tutoring sheet, she gave a sheepish smile and explained, “The grinder was out of power. Had to run out and get batteries.”
She looked toward Ivan, but he walked back to his room without a word,
his face blank.
Brooke’s eyes instantly welled up, and she shook her head. “Look, that kid
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doesn’t care at all. I do everything for him so he can eat right and study well.
“Audrey, he listens to you. Could you talk to him? I’m not asking for hugs. or anything. Just a little respect. Can you tell him at least eat the food I cook?”
A loud thud came from Ivan’s room–something had clearly been thrown.
Brooke turned her head away, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
Audrey handed Brroke a tissue and said, “Mrs. Gomez, I’m happy to help. But I need to hear both sides before I say anything.”
That clearly wasn’t the answer Brooke was hoping for. She paused and then gave Ivan’s door a resentful look. “Well, why don’t you stay for dinner? We can talk more about Ivan’s learning plan.”
Audrey offered to help, but Brooke turned her down, so she hung around peeling garlic, handing over spices here and there.
It was hard to tell if Brooke was meticulous or borderline obsessive. Every meat patty had to be the same exact size. Seasonings were measured down to the gram.
The frying time is carefully controlled by a timer. Ratios were calculated like she was baking for a chemistry class.
By the time the patties were ready, it was already 8 p.m. Brooke said, “I’ll just make some corn chowder, and we can eat.”
Ivan was slouched in the corner of the couch, playing games, not even looking up. Brooke looked like she wanted to say something, but after glancing at Audrey, she headed back into the kitchen.
Finally, dinner wasn’t served until 8:55 p.m.
Brooke placed a patty into Ivan’s bowl and said, “Come on, try it. They smell amazing.”
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She turned to Audrey. “You too, Audrey. Just be at home.”
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Ivan took a bite and then immediately spit it out onto the table. He asked, “You put ginger in this?”
“Yeah, it makes the patties taste better,” Brooke said, glancing at Audrey for backup.
“I’ve told you a hundred times. I hate ginger,” Ivan snapped.
“It gets rid of that raw meat smell. You just need to eat it a few times, and you’ll get used to it,” Brooke shot back, her voice rising.
Ivan tossed his fork onto the table with a loud clang. “I’m done eating,” he muttered, pushing back his chair so hard that it screeched. Then, he stormed back to his room.
Brooke turned away, covered her mouth, and tried to hold in the tears, but they came anyway.
Her voice trembled as she said, “Did you see that, Audrey? I bust my ass cooking for him, and this is what I get. I’m not asking for gratitude, just
that he eats what I make.
“I know he’s embarrassed of me. All the other parents in his class are either government officials or hotshot professionals. He won’t even let me go to his parent meetings.”
Ivan suddenly yanked open his door, snapping, “I didn’t stop you, okay? You’re the one who said you didn’t have anything decent to wear and you’d embarrass me.”
Brooke cried out, “Was I wrong? Ever since I became a stay–at–home mom, I stopped going to events. All my clothes are from years ago. You say you’re not ashamed of me, but you told your teacher I was sick, so I couldn’t be there.”
Ivan was about to fire back, but Audrey shot him a look that made him
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stop.
Audrey said gently, “Mrs. Gomez, why don’t we go out for a walk?”
She led Brooke out of the neighborhood and into a nearby mall. She suggested, “How about we shop at that store? Their clothes would look great on you. Let’s check it out.”
Brooke muttered, “That’s not necessary.” However, she still followed Audrey inside the store.
Audrey picked out two outfits and handed them over.
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When Brooke came out of the fitting room, she was taking selfies. A clerk complimented her, and her smile lit up. But when it came time to pay, she refused and dragged Audrey out of the store.
“With your husband’s income, getting a dress that costs hundreds of dollars shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Audrey asked casually.
Brooke patted Audrey’s hand and replied, “Even if it were thousands of dollars, we could afford it. But money doesn’t fall from the sky. We have money now doesn’t mean we’ll have it tomorrow. We gotta think ahead and have a backup plan.”
Then Brooke pulled Audrey into a high–end sportswear store.
Brooke smiled, “I can scrimp on myself, but not on my kid. You don’t know most of the kids in Ivan’s class come from rich families.
“They all wear the same uniform at school, but their shoes are limited editions, crazy expensive. I can’t let Ivan feel like he’s less than anyone.”
This time, Audrey pulled Brooke out of the store. “Mrs. Gomez, let me be blunt for a second.”
“Go ahead,” Brooke said, her hands clenched without even realizing it.
Audrey replied, “If you buy Ivan those shoes, I bet you’ll say something
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DDD
like ‘I couldn’t even bring myself to buy a hundred–of–dollar dress, but I bought you these thousands–of–dollar sneakers.
“I’m just a housewife, not someone who deserves fancy clothes. But for you? I’d spend anything. I just hope you understand how much I care.”
