Chapter 27

“Yes, I asked and she said she’d ask him. So whaddya think?’ I said. She shrugged.

“I think you’re looking to be hurt once again. But if it’s what you want I’m onboard. But you did tell her that we would reciprocate if they wanted.”

“Okay, then. I guess we wait for a call. Probably hear from one or the other of them tomorrow. Their big day is Thursday. And yes, I did offer to reciprocate if they wanted to join us; well, once we actually had an anniversary.”

“One more thing,” said Willa. “I’m going to start looking for a job. Maybe part time. Gotta do something besides clean house and cook. That okay by you?”

“I guess, sure. But, really, we don’t need the money. If things go right on Thursday, well, I know the man can get you a job easy enough. Probably one that pays pretty good too,” I said.

“Really?”

“Yes, no doubt about it.”

“Yes, that’s what he said,” said Riley.

“Honey, I’m willing to give the man almost anything to right all of the wrongs we piled on him over the last three decades, but this is one of the ‘almost’ things. Our anniversary is our anniversary not a vehicle for him to vent or decide whether or not he will ever feel good about us again,” said Rodney.

“You’re considering turning the man down!”

“No, I am turning the man down, sort of.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Thursday will be just for the two of us, like we planned. But, Saturday, we will have a nice soirée to kind of recelebrate our anniversary and invite everyone, and he and Willa will have a place of honor at the table. That way, everyone’s needs are addressed. And by everyone, I really mean his and ours.” “Rod, I’m telling you that’s not going to fly. He was not real enthused with seeing me at the park. But, then he thought up this ridiculous, and it is ridiculous, plan to kinda get a bit of payback is the way I see it, but to do it in a ‘friendly’ way. I’m certain it is him wanting to see us as giving in to him on something meaningful. And for him this is it. Turn him down, and it’s over, all over—forever,” she said. “I think I can get him to see reason. I’m going to try. If it looks like he’s gonna play hardball, okay, I’ll give him what he wants. But I really do want to have our night be our night and no one else’s.” She was shaking her head, but her tone was a giving in tone. “Okay, you best try to sell him that you have a new and improved version of what he wants, not just a party to avoid giving him what he thinks he wants.”

Well, I was right. But I didn’t get a call; I got a visit, and that at my worksite, Allied. It was Tuesday, the day after my talk with Riley. I was just getting off work. He came up to where I’d parked my car. It was 5:45 p.m. give or take a minute; I was already off and about to pack up and go home. “Riley told me about your request. Be all right if we talked a bit?” said Rodney. “Sure. But...” “Abby’s? I’m buying.” I nodded. He turned and headed over to where his Eldorado was parked. We ended up parking near each other ten minutes later and headed inside for drinks.

Seated, Agnes, our late twenties bartendress, was touring the floor and took our orders, Miller Lites.

“So,” he said, “like to ask if you would be open to an alternative choice of dinner dates with me and Riley?”

“No,” I said. “I have a purpose in mind for me per my request. I explained my purpose to Riley.”

“Would you be okay with maybe hearing me out before shutting me down?” he said.

“Figure I owe you that do you?” I said.

“No. The truth is, as both she and I have stated a hundred times, we owe you more than we can ever pay.”

“So, let me have my little, what, two hours of self-testing time; because that’s what it’s for, well, for me.”

“Adam, it makes no sense!” he insisted.

“What makes no sense was me sacrificing my whole life so that she could be happy and in return getting fucked over by the both of you,” I said.

“Adam, our anniversary, is something that she and I have held as kinda sacred. Sacred is the wrong word, but yes sacred all of these almost twenty years. It’s the day that we turn off the phones get lost somewhere in town, in some bar and grill and kinda reup our marriage vows. I need to ask you to let us have something that we have no right to ask for, but are anyway.” I remained silent. He picked up the slack.

“Thursday is the day, but Saturday I have arranged a major soiree to celebrate our anniversary in a more or less formal way. You and Willa will be recognized as special guests and honored as you should be for your, well, willingness to forgive us, especially me, for everything we have done to you. Everyone will be there including those you have helped almost as much as you helped Riley: Margo, Leonard, even Parker; well you get the idea,” he said. “Please, whaddya say.” I remained silent.

“Will you at least consider my proposal here?”

“I’ll talk to Willa, but no promises,” I said.

“Great, great,” he said. “I’ll be hoping.”

We finished our beers and headed on home. I would talk to Willa, but I had in fact already made up my mind. We wouldn’t be attending either of their dos. He’d inadvertently, I suppose, let me know what “ ... do anything humanly possible to make thing right...” meant to him.

If I wasn’t going to be content with money in recompense for their crimes against me; then, I was to be considered the unreasonable one, and there would be no place for me in their family universe. I was done.

I actually had to smile. Neither of my enemies, and that’s how I’d be seeing them from here on out, were stupid. The time would come when they would realize how bad they actually were, not just wrong in what they continued to do, but actually bad. I couldn’t wait for that time to come. The bad news for me was the possibility, the remote possibility, that I was wrong and that they actually were stupid. But, no, “remote” really was the operative term in that scenario.

“So whaddya think?” said Riley.

“I don’t know. He seemed to be thinking about everything even as we talked. But the truth is I really don’t know. I think in the end he will give us what we need, and cut us some slack.