The Fling

57

I was almost afraid to ask Bert what he'd done to his parents that was so bad, but I had to know. "Tell me what else you did."

"Remember when my dad was on me at Thanksgiving? That was because he asked me to pull his money out in early September after it doubled. He wanted to take the money while he was ahead. I told him I would handle it since he'd given me power of attorney, but at that point it was still skyrocketing. I left it in there against his wishes, hoping to make them even more. Then the whole thing crashed, and I didn't know what to do. He confronted me about it since I hadn't turned it over to him."

"You obviously didn't tell him this when you were here."

"It was a family holiday, and I knew he'd lose his mind, so I lied. I said the money was in a holding account for tax purposes and that I would transfer it when I could. I didn't tell him the truth until Friday when he called asking about me why he still didn't have it."

"Did Reagan know all this time? I've sensed things were off with you two."

"Not to the full extent until we got the eviction notice. She's been unhappy since I've been stressed and gone until late at night working overtime," he explained woefully. "She suspected I was cheating."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course she did. It was my first thought, too. And you were cheating, just not sexually. You've been lying to your wife and parents for months, which is almost as bad as what you did to me!"

"I know. Believe me, I know, Abi. I hate myself so much, but I am positive I can get out of this mess with your help."

"I need time to think. In the meantime, what should I expect with the kids? Were they shaken up last night? Do they know what's going on? Should I try to book an emergency therapy session?" I asked.

"I lied to protect them, so I think they're okay. I said that Reagan had to go back to Florida for a family emergency and that we had to leave the house because of a gas leak, just like I told Jared. I'm pretty sure Lizzie knows something is up, but she kept quiet, probably for her little sister and brother's sakes. I knew you'd want us to sit down as a family to explain the change in my living situation, no matter what it ends up being."

"As much as I hate lying, I'm glad you did that. I might speak with the therapist before we tell them the truth, but Lizzie needs to know before then. Being kept in the dark isn't going to help her insecurities."

"At least I didn't something right," he said. "If we're done for now, I need to get to the office."

He left for work and said he'd be home really late since he'd taken half the day off, so I gave him the spare key to insure he wouldn't wake us up and instructed him to take the guest room.

Looking at my phone, I saw that I only had three hours until I had to pick the kids up from school which wasn't enough for a hike. I called Shawn to let him know our plans were off.

"What's going on with Bert?" he asked.

"I'd prefer to talk about it in person, but the short version is that he's in serious financial trouble. Can you come by for coffee tomorrow morning so I can pick your brain?"

"Of course. Are you okay honey? You sound stressed."

I choked back my sobs. "I'm not, actually. This situation is terrible and I'm torn about what to do."

He was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm coming over now."

"You don't have to do that."

"You need me, so yeah, I do. I'll see you soon."

While I waited for him, I unpacked my suitcase and started a load of laundry, crying all over again when I thought about how Shawn and I were planning to wash our clothes together. He was supposed to stay over tonight and that was no longer a possibility. Unfortunately I forgot to tell him that, and when I opened the door, he had an overnight bag.