New England, New Romance

Chapter 17

Laney ran the shower and buried her face, sodden with tears, in a thick towel.  How had it gone so wrong?

She had the boys call Jeff, he was their father and they should speak to him.  They had been gone a week. Jeff hadn't spoken to them for long and in that short time he had done far too much damage to his children. Jeff had not said one nice thing to the boys; in fact he had gone out of his way to say something terrible about everything the boys excitedly shared with him.  He managed to put the blame for all the 'terrible things' squarely on Laney.

"It sounds so boring there.  All you've done is play in the park? Huh! If you were here I'd be taking you to Disneyland. No great theme parks there where your mother dragged you." 

When Alex was excitedly telling him about all the cousins his age and the other children he'd met Jeff's response was, "Alex, buddy, you must miss your friends. She's forcing you to play with all these kids, and even girls! Bet you can't wait to be home where you belong, right buddy?"

Alex had looked so hurt and disappointed. He looked at his mom watching for her reaction when he replied, "Sure, Dad."

What else was Alex going to say to his dad? Laney could not be upset at him. Her heart was breaking watching his excitement turn to dejected sadness.

God, how had it come to this.  Was Jeff always going to belittle her and discount anything the boys did with her? He was only hurting the boys. If he could have seen the looks on their faces. When they hung up they had moped to the living room and deflated onto the couch. Laney tried to cheer them up to no avail. She was so angry with Jeff she didn't really have any cheer to share.  She had feigned a need for a shower when the anger had become depression.

She couldn't stem the flow of tears. How had she misjudged him so badly for so many years? How could he betray her? How could he so casually hurt his boys? His own children?

Anger reared it's head again as her brain screamed, 'then he won't speak to the boys'. It was her job to protect them. He was clearly unfit. She would go to court and keep him away from the boys! Laney's vicious streak flamed out immediately after that thought. Her shoulders slumped and she buried her face in the towel again. She would never keep her children from their father. They were not pawns. 

They were hurt and it was his fault. Maybe he didn't know?  That had to be it. Laney pulled out her cell and called Jeff to explain to him kindly, that he had unknowingly hurt his sons' feelings.

Jeff answered on the second ring and barked, "I'm busy. Do you think I have all the time in the world to talk with you guys?"

Laney was shocked and her quickly inhaled breath caught in her throat causing her to cough.

"What the hell do you want?" 

I want the old Jeff, the one who loved us. The tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I wanted to tell you that after the boys hung up with you they were very sad and upset. I thought.."

Jeff cut her off, "That's your fault for dragging them there. They miss me and their home."

Laney bit her tongue to keep from saying, 'the one you are trying to take away'.

"That may be, and if that is the case I will certainly take them home, but I believe it was because you didn't share their excitement about what they have been doing here. I watched their faces and your comments hurt them. I mean it Jeff, they were really hurt."

Jeff made a dismissive sound.

"Please try to realize they are children, your children, and they are easily hurt," Laney pleaded.

"There it is. I did something wrong. It's you whose babying them and turning them into little wusses!" Jeff shouted. "I told you I'm busy I don't have time for your hysterics."

With that Jeff hung up on her.

Laney stared, stunned, at the phone. Where had the man she knew for the last seventeen years gone? How had she been so wrong about him?  This was going to be the longest non-shower in history she thought wryly as she sobbed into the towel.