Linda's Story

True Family

Winter, 1988

Linda watched as Tony walked out the door, "bye, Papa. Have fun at work!"

"Yeah," he scoffed. "Fun."

She thought nothing of his answer, "you're going to another conference?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah. Conference."

"Good luck."

"Yeah," Tony left out the door without another look at his daughter.

Linda walked into the kitchen where Jimmy was eating a snack. "I guess he's doing really well," she peered into the fridge for a somewhat healthy snack.

"Who?"

"Papa. This is like, the twelfth conference this month." She decided to have a cupcake instead of an apple or an orange.

"You really are naive and trusting, aren't you?"

She looked confused, "what do you mean?"

Jimmy looked around the kitchen before lowering his voice. "He's not going to any conference."

"Yes, he is. He's-"

"No. He's not. He's having an affair."

"With who?"

"I don't know. Some chick."

"But he- no, he's at a conference."

"I guarantee you he's not."

She frowned, Jimmy had to be wrong. He just had to be! Sure, things were definitely sour between her parents, but she never thought it'd be as bad as this.

***********

Winter, 1990

Linda sighed as she twirled her cold pasta noodles around her fork. It was official- Tony and Marni were officially getting divorced after two years of a trial split, yelling and screaming at each other, and kid swapping and moving.

"Hey," Danny's voice was quiet. He could tell his girlfriend had been sad all week long.

"Hey," she scratched at her sweater clad shoulder.

He sat down with his lunch tray, "are you okay?"

She didn't even try to hide her sadness, shaking her head morosely.

"You've been sad all week- what's wrong?"

"My parents are getting a divorce. They've been separated for two years now- Jimmy and I have been bounced from parent to parent like a hot tomato."

Danny bit his tongue from correcting her simile. "That must suck... what's it like?"

"Hm?" She touched her shoulder again, seemingly zoning back in from a daze.

"I don't know how anyone could divorce- I don't understand it."

"They were cheaters. Tony was a xerox salesman, and went on conferences all the time. And- Ugh! I am so stupid! I actually believed there were Xerox's he was inspecting!"

"You're not stupid, Linda."

"And Marni- all those times she went to her sister's!" She made a big gesture, wincing when it pulled on her shoulder. "And they keep coming back to each other! He'll leave for... months!... then come back and they'll be okay, until she does something he doesn't like."

He was afraid to ask, "What happens then?"

"Someone gets a beating. Usually m- Marni."

"You were going to say 'me'..."