Little White Lies by Allan Deya (the reading list book .TXT) 📕

dad.” William told her. “You can try and act stoic about daddy leaving and flippant about the divorce and what not but we know you; what type of teenagers would we have been if we could not read our parents. You still care for him deeply, even past the sacrifices he made to keep us grounded; as one. You love him as a man, a husband and we will be damned if we sit back and let you slide back into that cocoon thingy you told us about. We will push the two of you together until you have no choice to brace your weight against each other.

So like it or not you will go after father and you two will work this out; failure to which we will lock the 2 of you in a dark windowless room and hold you there until you come to your senses. We know exactly how to push your buttons and fair warning we will pull out all the stops.”

“Excuse me!” Melanie asked. “Just what do you think you are playing at?”

“We are playing towards making sure that our parents do not throw away almost 26 years together. No no no no no,” Delaine cut in when Melanie would have objected. “I know you want to go with the sacrifice he made or the way he has the right to move on or some such nonsense. Well we also have the right to ensure our parents don’t do dumb things in their old age.

And what could be dumber that walking away from each other, especially at this point in time? So we are not his kids by genes; so fucking what, huh, so what? He still was our father enough to raise us so that is not the reason he left- if it was he would not have left the door open for us. This is about you telling him you are sorry and making amends for the betrayal from 20 years ago. Daddy just wants to know you still love him.”

Clara came out of the closet travelling bag in hand with a long coat draped over her arm. “I have been around for 20 years been aware even shorter but even I can tell he is still madly in love with you. All you need to do is show him you love him too. You have proven that you are sorry for what you did by being the best partner any man could hope for; you were a dutiful wife and a devoted mother- now all that is left is for you to tell him. Now that the dirty laundry is all out in the open tell him how you feel, about then, about now and about tomorrow.

Here put this on.” She offered helping her mother into the long coat and ushering her out of the room. “You really think I still stand a chance?” she inquired of her kids.

“No.” Clara told her dumping her travelling bag in the passenger seat of the car that William had already driven up to the front door. “We don’t think so, we know so which is why we took the liberty of calling Aunty Jaimie and finding out that daddy is checked in at the Hilton room number 1382 for the next 2 days and that he is just as miserable as you are.”

“So what do you want me to do, force my way into room 1382?” Melanie put forward.

“Hell NO!” they shouted at her in unison.

“What then?” she asked in vexation, “What am I all packed up for then?”

Sighing in exasperation William explained. “How exactly did you get daddy in the first place? Or is it that your era of dating and mine are so completely different? You do not hit after a man directly, especially not when he is being emotional- leave that to us. You just make your way to the cabin and make yourself at home.”

“The cabin always did help me relax and sift through the dregs of time. The gentle breezes and the fresh fragrances…”

“Yeah right, okay mother nature you and father time can go do your drudging through time at your own convenience, right now we have a timeline to beat. Go make up the cabin the way you would if it was only you and dad going there for a weekend getaway and spend the time before he arrives thinking about the happiest memories you have shared this past quarter of a century; trust me you will need every one of them if you are to succeed in getting him to go back in time with you.” Delaine told her strapping her in.

“Oh okay! But are you sure he will be there? At the cabin, I mean.”

“He will be so you head straight to the airport, go to Fly 540 and ask for the ticket under your name. Once you land there will be a car at Kenatco also under your name.” Clara said slamming the door. “Now go.”

As their mother drove off to try and save her marriage, Deli and Bill turned to their baby sister. “Are you sure about this?” he asked. “I mean she was pretty torn up about this whole thing if the sobbing we heard all evening is anything to go by. If this backfires it will totally do her in.”

“You aren’t doing this out of some misguided sense of revenge, are you?” Delaine asked her. “I know you love dad, as do we, but she does not deserve to suffer any more than the loss of him will certainly make her suffer. Maybe we should…”

“Relax grandma and grandpa. I might hate what she did all those years ago, and I will never forgive her breaking my father’s heart that way and no matter what the reason may be, having something this monumental hidden from me still stings but after all is said and done, she is still my mother and I do want the best for her. And the best, as we agreed at the impromptu family crisis meet, is daddy. As for him, don’t you worry- I have daddy figured out.

One of the perks of being the baby of the house is that you old man dotes on you, especially if you are as cute as I am; I have daddy wrapped around this little pinky right here. Now can we go back inside, this cold is killing me. Hand me that phone Deli, we need to start on him right away when he is most vulnerable. Trust me, mom and dad will be back here by new years. And they will be back together. ”

*** E.N.D.*** Imprint

Publication Date: 06-03-2010

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