“I see,” Mom replied while tilting her chin up. “And you’ll be gone for how long?”
“Two weeks. But I’ll be back. I always come back,” Hamilton promised. There was something ominous about the way he emphasized always.
I looked between them and decided that this was too dramatic for my tastes. “Come on. Let’s go see Joseph,” I told my mother before grabbing her slender arm and pulling her toward her husband at the head table in the front of the room.
“See you tomorrow, Vera,” Hamilton called, loud enough for the neighboring tables to hear. It was like he wanted people to know.
I nodded politely, my lips fixed in a tight smile.
Just before we got to the front table where a positively political Joseph was politely smiling, Mom pulled me off to the side. “Are you trying to punish me? Is that what’s going on, Vera?” she asked in a hysterical whisper while side-eyeing the room. “I know that I hurt your delicate feelings last weekend, but I thought you were going to stay away from Hamilton, not disappear with him for forty-five minutes doing God knows what. I raised you better than this. You start college next week. Now is not the time to start going crazy and sleeping around. You cannot seriously be this selfish.”
She didn’t look at me as she spoke, her gaze too busy watching the room to make sure that no one was eavesdropping on us. “I was doing nothing. I seriously don’t understand why you’re upset,” I lied.
Mom exhaled and parted her mouth, giving me a determined, speculative glare. She then reached up and spun one of my fallen strands of hair on her finger, her expression turning scarily calm. “I wasn’t going to tell you this. I know how sensitive you are, dear, but you must know. Hamilton has been trying to ruin this family ever since his mother died.” Her voice was a gossipy whisper.
“What?” I sputtered.
“You heard me. He planted drugs in Joseph’s locker in high school and got him suspended. He also tries to ruin every public event with some sort of scandal. I mean, he had an orgy at our wedding, Vera.” She looked around. “He’s got some sort of vendetta. Joseph thinks he’s just jealous. Jack’s always been close to Joseph. They have more in common, you know? Hamilton is a selfish, self-absorbed asshole. You need to be careful.”
“Why would he try to ruin his family? What did Joseph and Jack do?” I asked.
Mom tilted her chin up and inhaled. “My husband and Jack have done nothing to deserve this behavior.” Her haughty tone made me pause. “Apparently poor Jack has spent his entire life covering up Hamilton’s mistakes.”
I absorbed her words and shook my head absentmindedly. “I don’t know. He doesn’t seem—”
“You’re so naïve, Vera.” Mom rolled her eyes, making me cringe. “Maybe I’ve done you a disservice by protecting you from the evils of the world all these years. I didn’t want you to grow up too fast. I wanted you to enjoy being a child, something I wasn’t allowed. But you can’t live in la la land anymore, baby. Hamilton is bad news. He wants to bring down our family, and he sees you as the weakest link. You don’t think he actually likes you, do you? He’s ten years older than you, and according to Joseph, he could have any woman he wants. You’re just a stepping stone.”
There was a lot of cruelty to unpack in her statement. I might not have had a difficult childhood, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t exposed to the horrors of the world. What about all the times we had to split meals off the dollar menu because we were afraid that we wouldn’t make rent? What about Child Services constantly dropping in unexpectedly to check in on us?
And as far as being wanted by Hamilton, that was already an insecurity I was dealing with. I knew in my gut that someone like him couldn’t possibly want me. And hearing it from my mother made that wound fester deep in my soul.
“Do not talk to him anymore, Vera. I’ve asked you nicely, but now I’m telling you. I’m still your mother, and my husband is the one paying for your college. Joseph doesn’t like it when we associate with his brother. I mean, gosh, he works on an oil rig. He’s going nowhere in life. Jack resents him. Why would you want to spend time with such a loser?”
“Jack invites Hamilton to dinner every week,” I replied, my voice too loud. “That doesn’t sound like a man who resents his son.”
“Jack is too soft,” Mom replied. It didn’t sound like her, though. It felt like regurgitated words she was brainwashed to repeat.
“Is there a problem here?” Joseph asked. I hadn’t even noticed him approach. Mom rolled her shoulders back and held her stomach with her hand, smiling blindingly at him.
“Not at all, honey. Vera and I were just talking about your brother. I just think it would be wise for her to stay away from him, you know?”
Joseph nodded while tugging at the lapels of his jacket. He looked bright and handsome, his green eyes glimmering under the lights of the chandelier. My stepfather was put together, his suit tailored to perfection. But all that perfection didn’t feel authentic. It felt like a mask. “Ah. Yes. Hamilton is somewhat of a problem in our family. It’s sad, really. But it’s not a conversation for right now.” Joseph eyed me, his cold gaze sending shivers through my body. “I just want you to be safe. I’m glad your mother told you. Trouble follows Hamilton wherever he goes.” I felt it in my gut, that this didn’t feel right. It felt like a politician’s lie, a tool used to make his opponent look bad. But what was Joseph’s platform?
