Chapter 7 - Julia Had Been Angry With Vanessa Too
Ava expected another betrayal.
An affair.
A secret agreement.
Some clean explanation for why Vanessa had lived in the middle of their family before Julia died.
The truth was smaller.
And uglier in a different way.
Vanessa had been trying to fix their marriage.
Without being asked.
“Julia called me after the first argument,” Vanessa said.
They were still sitting among the boxes.
“She told me what Daniel said about custody.”
Daniel looked away.
“What did you do?” Ava asked.
“I called him.”
Daniel nodded.
Vanessa said:
“I told him he was being an idiot.”
Ava almost smiled.
“Then?”
“I told him Julia didn't mean half of what she was saying.”
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“She didn't.”
“You didn't know that.”
Vanessa accepted it.
“No.”
Ava understood.
“You told Dad what Mom meant.”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“I called Julia back and told her Daniel didn't mean the custody threat.”
Rachel, standing near the door, laughed sharply.
“You really couldn't stop.”
Vanessa looked at her.
“No.”
Ava said:
“What did Mom say?”
“That I was doing exactly what Daniel did.”
Daniel frowned.
Vanessa continued.
“Deciding which of her words counted.”
Ava looked at her father.
Then Vanessa.
Same instinct.
Different packaging.
“Did she tell you to stop?”
“Yes.”
“Did you?”
“For about an hour.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
Vanessa looked at him.
“When Julia came back to the house, she was angry that I'd told you she was going to Rachel's.”
Daniel's head rose.
“You told me?”
“Yes.”
“I don't remember that.”
“You were in your car.”
He thought.
Then remembered.
“You called while I was driving.”
“Yes.”
Ava asked:
“What did Dad do?”
Vanessa answered.
“He turned around.”
Daniel stared.
Ava felt the shape of the night changing again.
“You came back?”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“I did.”
“Did you see Mom?”
“No.”
Vanessa looked sick.
Daniel turned toward her.
“What?”
She didn't answer.
“Vanessa.”
“You pulled into the driveway.”
Daniel waited.
“I told Julia.”
Ava said:
“Was she still here?”
“Yes.”
Daniel's voice dropped.
“You told her I was coming.”
“Yes.”
“What did she do?”
“She left through the side door.”
Silence.
Daniel stared at her.
Vanessa continued quickly.
“She wasn't running from you. She said she didn't want another parking-lot argument. She wanted one night.”
Daniel stood.
“So I was here.”
“Yes.”
“She was here.”
“Yes.”
“And you kept us apart.”
Vanessa looked up.
“I thought I was keeping you from making it worse.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You decided.”
“Yes.”
Ava thought of every time Vanessa had said she knew what was best for the house.
The habit had not started with Ava.
Rachel asked:
“Did Julia know Daniel had turned around because he wanted to apologize?”
Daniel looked at her.
“I did.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“You never told me that.”
“I told you I needed to see her.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
Daniel stared.
Ava said:
“You're doing it again.”
Both adults stopped.
She looked at her father.
“You expected Vanessa to know what you meant.”
Then at Vanessa.
“And you decided what everybody meant anyway.”
Nobody argued.
Ava reached for the envelope.
Her sealed page was still inside.
She had carried it upstairs.
Rachel said:
“Are you opening it?”
Ava looked at her mother's handwriting.
Not yet.
“I want to know one thing first.”
She looked at Vanessa.
“When Dad came back, did Mom know he was outside?”
Vanessa nodded.
“What exactly did you tell her?”
Vanessa hesitated.
Then:
“I said, ‘Daniel came back. He wants you to stop this before you ruin everything.’”
Daniel's face changed.
“I never said that.”
“I know.”
Ava stared at Vanessa.
“What did Mom say?”
May you like
Vanessa looked toward the old photograph of herself and Julia.
“She said, ‘You just did it again.’”
