5
Susan coughed, and Gary finally noticed us.
<
“Molly, what are you doing here?”
What am I doing here? How ironic. We were
unwanted, poor relatives, not his wife and
daughter..
Susan stepped in. “Gary, what kind of
greeting is that? Molly’s been in the country
all these years, working hard, looking after
the house. She comes to see you, and you
don’t even act happy?”
Gary mumbled an apology. He came over,
gave me a weak smile, trying to say
something, but he couldn’t find the words. He
looked at Lily, and then said, “Lily’s grown so
much.”
He shouldn’t have spoken. It only hurt more.
He was a stranger. How could he know how
much Lily had grown?
“Why don’t you all catch up? I’ll make dinner,”
Susan said.
She went to the kitchen and sent Chloe to her
<
room. Just Gary, Lily, and me were left.
After a moment, Gary said, “Molly, you should
have called ahead. I got a new car, you know.
If you ever want to come see me, just call. I
can pick you up.”
Of course, I didn’t know he had a new car.
And he didn’t know that his $300 a month
was barely enough to cover Lily’s school fees,
let alone our other expenses. I had to work
late after my farm work to make extra money
to get by. Our phone was disconnected.
I didn’t bother telling him any of this. I asked,
“Why does Chloe call you Daddy?”
He pulled me close, trying to be charming.
“Honey, don’t worry about it. It’s just for
appearances. You know, since my brother
died, Susan and Chloe have been vulnerable.
Chloe’s been bullied at school. I couldn’t
stand it anymore. It’s just a title for outsiders.
You’re my most beautiful, kind, understanding
<
wife. You won’t mind, right?”
I had fallen for that in the past. He showered
me with sweet words, while giving everything
to Susan. This time, I wouldn’t be so naive.
