“No, Dad, of course not. How are you feeling?”
“I’m feelin’ better, son. That’s why I have this amazing idea I want to share with you two. Tell me you’re on your way home, ‘cause I’d hate to wait when I have a surprise to tell.”
“Yeah, I am. Guess I’ll be seeing you two in a bit. I’ll talk to you guys then.” After cutting off the call, I had to make another to cancel dinner and drinks with Katie and her friend Nina. The invitation was a spur of the moment kind of thing, and knowing there wasn’t much waiting for me at home¸ I had thought a night of laid back fun amongst friends would be a good thing to end a taxing day. Then my father had decided to pop up with other plans.
I hoped whatever the surprise was didn’t involve Lily and I interacting much. She had been rather cold and unfeeling lately. With the kind of stress I was having at work, I would rather avoid that altogether.
Less than forty minutes later, I found out what the “surprise” was.
“Mexico? You want to go to Mexico?”
“Yes, and your mom and I would love for you both to join us,” my father calmly responded. If he was shocked from my odd reaction, he didn’t show it.
“Hugh—” Lily was about to say something, but I cut her off.
“We have a busy schedule, Dad. Besides, I don’t think the doctor will allow you to go out of the country just yet.”
My father gave me an impatient look. “Do you honestly think your mother would agree to this if we hadn’t gotten a clear from the doc? You know how your mother is; the second I barely thought of it, she made an appointment to see the physician.”
Lily was giving me a look that said I should stop trying to intervene when she was trying to say something. That was the thing, though, I wasn’t sure what she would say to my parents. That was why I didn’t want her to speak up.
The moment I had entered the house, Lily had given me a scathing look as she congratulated me for making it into a magazine spread before snapping a snide remark about how Katie and I looked perfect together. I wasn’t sure where she was going with that, but the discussion was far from over.
Back to my parents’ ordeal, I sure as hell didn’t want to go on a vacation with a wife who kept giving me accusing looks and making untruthful remarks about me.
“Is that okay with you, Patricia? Do you think Hugh should travel?” Lily gently asked my mother, genuinely appearing to be concerned about my father’s health. She had always been so close to them I sometimes wondered if they preferred her as their child compared to me back when we had been growing up. I was the opposite of her perfect manners and stellar grades. I knew my parents doted on me, but I had occasionally considered if they wished she was their spawn. I guessed it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together and discover they wanted me to end up with her. To them, she was already the daughter they had never had, and by marrying her, it made it official.
Well, good on them. I was happy they all got along. However, Lily and I had been on the outs for weeks on end. It was about to hit the two month mark of continuous spite and cold treatments.
My mom responded to Lily’s question with a familiar, loving gaze. “I was worried at first, but then I thought that you’d be giving birth in a few months’ time, and God knows when you and Drake will be able to get away after that. Being parents is a wonderful thing to experience, but little luxuries such as spontaneous vacations will be a thing of the past. I think it’ll be marvelous for us to all go. I think we all need it, don’t you agree?”
“I suppose so,” Lily murmured, clearly understanding my mother’s good intentions yet ignoring the glaring protest of my eyes for her to hold her tongue. “Well, I think it’d be a lovely thing to go somewhere, don’t you think so, Drake?” She gave me a saccharine smile, taunting me further.
Hell to the no. “It’s a brilliant idea. I mean, who doesn’t love a vacation, right? But, as I said before, I’m busy with work and can’t fancy going on a last minute trip just because it’s a ‘good idea.’ Maybe you should join them, Lil. I’ll stay here and hold down the fort while you guys enjoy the sun and sand of the Mexican Riviera.”
There was a sudden shift to her demeanor before she gave me a fake loving smile. “Awe, come on, babe; you know you’d love to go! Besides, I’m sure you can find another person to handle the workload. What do you think, Hugh?” She directed a pleading look at my father. “Can’t you guys find another person to help out? I’m sure there’s someone…”