“Traitor.” I said, as I brushed past him to pour myself a cup of coffee.
“You look like hell.” My mom said, as she accepted a plate of food from my dad.
“Good morning to you too, mom.” I said, rolling my eyes when she couldn't see me.
“Care to explain yourself young lady?”
“You know, I'd really like to... but dad and I have a train set to put together.”
“Veronica Locke!” She chastised. “Stop shutting me out. You can't just put your problems in a box and duct tape the lid on.”
“I've got flex tape, I'm good.”
My dad chuckled, and I smiled as I sat down beside him. He handed me a fork, and I tossed my hash browns around my plate before taking a small bite. My stomach wasn't exactly cooperating with me right now, but I was starving. Since I was eating, my mom decided to stop berating me for now. But, I knew as soon as my plate was empty I'd be fair game again.
The three of us sat, and ate in an oddly comfortable silence. It wasn't like my parents didn't get along, but it often felt awkward when we all shared the same space for too long. I'm sure they talked about me at length this morning, and decided their best course of action would be to create a united front. After all their only child showed up half naked, and then got herself so drunk that she nearly tossed her cookies in the spare bedroom.
When I was sure I couldn't hold the conversation off any longer, I took my plate and set it in the sink. I tried to kill time by rinsing the other dishes, but my mom clearing her throat multiple times told me that her patience was wearing thin. It didn't matter how old I got, when mom gave me the look I still felt like a small child being scolded.
I sighed heavily, before reclaiming the seat beside my dad.
“Derek cheated on me.” I said, devoid of any emotion. Just cut, dry and to the point.
My mom's eyes grew wide, and my dad's hands clenched into fists beside me. Two equally appropriate reactions, although I was leaning towards dad's. The thought of my dad giving Derek a black eye, or two suddenly crossed my mind and I outwardly smiled.
“Ronnie?” My mom asked, bringing my attention back to her. “Did he apologize?”
I looked at her as if she had horns growing out of her head.
“Did he... apologize?” I scoffed. “That's what you want to know?”
“Well, it's just so out of character for him. Was he drinking? Was it an accident?”
“Tell me something mom, how do you 'accidentally' let another woman ride your cock in the bedroom you share with your fiance?”
“Language!” My mom said, as she sucked in a sharp breath.
“No wonder you were so upset last night.” My dad chimed in.
“Last night, the whiskey made me think that I had over reacted. But.. now that I've slept on it-”
“Of course you have to give him a second chance.” My mom interrupted. “You're moving to New York in less than three months! What do you expect him to do?”
“I expect him to fuck off!” I said, with anger.
“Veronica! What has gotten into you?” She gasped.
I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation.
“This is exactly why I came to dad's.”
“That's not fair. Derek has been in our lives for years. I just find it hard to believe that he could do something so... so sinister.”
“Well, believe it. His exact words were that he was a man, and had needs.”
My dad looked at me like I was the one with horns this time.
“He said what?” He asked, with anger. “It's idiots like that who give men a bad name.”
“What will you do then? Cancel the wedding? Your dad has already paid for-” my mom started, but my dad held his hand up stopping her.
“It's only money. I won't make my daughter marry a man who would be so careless with her heart.”
“What do you know about matters of the heart?” My mom snapped. “The last time I checked you were still single!”
“This isn't about you, and I. This is about Ronnie, and what's best for her.”
“Derek, is what's best for her!”
“Derek is a cheating bastard!” He spat back.
“Enough!” I yelled, and they both looked at me with embarrassment.
“Sorry, honey.” My dad said.
“Thank you.” I said, running my hands through my hair. “Look, I don't know what's going to happen. But what I do know, is that I can't marry Derek. Not anymore.”
“What about couple's counseling?” My mom offered.
“If he was able to be intimate with someone else, then he never really loved me. How does that saying go? If you have a choice between me, and someone new pick them. Because if you loved me, there would never be another option.”
“Life isn't always so cut, and dry Ronnie. Lot's of couples go through rough patches. Especially young couples. The two of you are unique in that you were each other's firsts. That has to mean something.”
“It did mean something. To me.”
“What did Morgan have to say on the matter?”
“I haven't told her yet.”
“I'm calling her right now.” She said, pulling her phone from her back pocket.
“No. You're not.” I said, snatching it from her hands. “You're going home, and I'm getting in the shower. Then, I'm calling a moving company.”
“You're going to move in here?” She asked, crinkling her nose.
“I'm moving to New York.”
“Now?”
“Why the hell not?”
“Sew New, isn't set to open for three more months!”
“All the more reason to go early. I'll have more time to set my apartment up, and get acquainted with the city.”
“Alone?”
If you didn't know her, you'd think that she was worried about my safety. That the thought of her child running off to New York on her own was terrifying, but that wasn't it. Her concern was that I was single. Being the smart girl never
