Me and him (dating my dads best friend)

49

My foot taps on the floor as I look at the wine menu, no I don't look at it I'm staring at it. Anything I can do refrain from eye contact I will do. It's hard to even imagine what her reaction would be, what could be said really. It's not every day you find out your husband has been having an affair with your daughter. I swear you couldn't make it up, the whole situation is messed up.

Kenny puts his hand on my knee to calm my leg before it comes off. My nerves are shot but having Kenny here with me is a help. He almost looks as nervous as I do.

The waiter looks down at me with impatience as I clutch the menu with knuckle whitening force.

"Are you ready to order" he asks in a snippy accent.

"Sorry, Yes can I have a whiskey sour and keep them coming" he almost has to snatch the menu from my hand.

I know I have to tell Helen I promised I would but I want to delay it as much as possible.  I'm not stupid enough to believe this will go well, Helen will be angry. I don't think the fact that I didn't know joe was her husband will matter to her at all. Will she even believe that I could have been stupid enough to not know who joe was. Even now I can't believe I was so dumb.  How could I have been so blind.

"So what's going on, I only saw you yesterday not that I'm complaining about seeing you again" Helen smiles brightly. Oh god she has no idea what's coming. Maybe I should rip off the band aid and just get it all out in the open.

I open my mouth to speak but am interrupted by the waiter returning with our drinks. I down mine and hand him back the glass. My throat burns and it takes me a few seconds to gather the strength to speak.

Kennys hand is gentle against my knee, he looks at me and gives me a small sympathetic smile. He knows how hard this is for me but he needs me to do this so he doesn't have to worry about joe and me. I don't think we can really begin until my past ends. I have to close the chapter in my life and I can't do that until I've been honest.

"I erm need to talk to you about something serious" I mutter. I try sound confident but my voice is shaking as much as my hands are.

Helen isn't paying much attention to me, instead her attention is on her cell. Are there naked photos of Channing Tatum on there or something.

"Erm Helen" I urge.

Helen is lost in her phone , "Sorry what did you say"

Helen looks confused as she looks at her cell.

"Sorry I've got a few missed calls from Giuseppe"

Kenny looks at me with wide eyes. Is he thinking the same as me. Maybe joe has decided to be a man and fess up.

"So Helen I need to talk to you"

"About joe" I specify.

I see her ears pick up but she still messes with her cell.

"Sorry I have to take this" she leaves the table leaving us dumbfounded.

"Do you think he's told her"

Kenny shrugs he looks as confused as I feel. The air had defiantly shifted at the table like something had changed.

"You don't have to do this Roxy, I know you and him are over. It's just hard you know"

"I know" I know too well how hard it is. I've been living this it's been too long. This pain and hurt is building up in me making it hard for me to breath. Some day it takes all my strength to even talk to my friends, I feel like my life is shattering around my ankles. I feel like I'm drowning in misery, misery is eating me up alive and the fact that it's affecting Kenny too makes it even worse.

I know it's too early to say this but I think Kenny and I are meant to be. When I'm with him I feel free, I can be myself and I enjoy every minute I've shared with him. We both enjoy watching sports and going to the gym, we have so much in common. I could see us having a family and getting married, I see a future. A future that is built on trust and honesty.

It's hard to know what normal is because I've never witnessed a normal relationship.  I've downed my third drink and Helen still isn't back, I stand up and head to the bathroom in search of her.  I'm starting to worry that he has told her and she's somewhere freaking alone.

The bathroom is empty, I walk back to the table and see Helen outside with the phone still glued to her ear. Her face is pale and stained with tears.

"Kenny" I call

Kenny stands up and walks beside me, he looks and Helen then back at me.

"She's crying, should we go out there"

"I don't know babe, she looks mad. I don't want her to hurt you" he says as he puts his arm around my shoulder.

The tears start to fall from my eyes.

"I'll go, can you pay and get helens bag" Kenny gives me some cash before leaving.

I watch as he heads outside  to a shouting Helen. Helen literally has smoke coming from her ears. I think Kenny was right, if I had gone out there she would have killed me.

Helen slams the door behind after she takes the bag from my hands. Helen drives away without speaking a word to me.

"He told her"

Kenny shakes his head, "no"

"No so what's happening"

"Joes in the hospital, he's been attacked"

My head is spinning, what is happening. I can't even guess what's happened.

"Are you going to answer that" Kenny asks, I hadn't even heard the ringtone.

Kenny takes my cell from my hand and puts it to his ear, "right, shit yeah we will be right there"

"Your dads in hospital"