my duties.” He waved a dismissive hand in the air.
“You don't get it, Jake. I'm not the one relieving you. That was your decision. I'm just enforcing it. Put my children in your truck, and I call the police.” She sat down, and opened a file, flipping through the invoices inside.
“This is ridiculous!” Now Jake pushed himself up, his chair nearly toppling over, and he scrambled to catch it, sloshing a little hot tea on his hand. He set the cup down on the counter behind him and pushed his chair in. “What about you? Why should I let you anywhere near my children with your violent streak? How do I know you're not going to throw a cup at my son's head?”
“Now who's being ridiculous?” Nora's derision emanated from every pore. “By the way, thank you for cleaning that up. I was glad to see it gone when the kids got home. I would not have wanted you to have to explain it to them.”
“Argh! This conversation is exhausting! You are so manipulative. I can't tell whether you're grateful or sarcastic, whether you're angry or disappointed. I can't tell whether you care about me or hate my guts! You're impossible!” Jake was pacing now.
“Well, well, well. There’s another thing that hasn’t happened since your drinking days. I don't think you've called me impossible in over ten years, Jake. Funny how the two seem to go hand-in-hand. You drink, and I'm the one who becomes impossible. Why does that not make any sense to me?”
“Fine. You win.” Jake raised both hands in surrender.
“No!” Nora slapped her hand hard on the table. “No, I don't win!” She was yelling again. “I lose! You lose! Your children lose! We all lose because of you, Jake!” Fists clenched at her side, her whole body trembled with her anger and frustration. “We all lose.”
“Mom?” Leslie stood in the hallway, her hair soft and messy around her face. The innocence there was marred by worry, and Nora's heart twisted inside her .
10
“It's okay, honey.” She hurried to Leslie’s side and slipped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. She tried to steer her back to her room. “We're just working some stuff out.”
But Leslie resisted, looking over her shoulder at her father. “Dad? What's going on?”
“ It's okay, Les. Go back to bed.” He stayed where he was, his arms akimbo, obviously at a loss for words.
“It doesn't sound like it’s okay.” Leslie was still not convinced. “You were yelling, Mom.”
“I got frustrated, honey. I can't seem to catch up with things, and I got impatient. Your dad just stepped in the way of my frustration for a bit.”
“Well,” Leslie said, walking toward the table where Nora’s work was spread about haphazardly, files splayed out like over-sized playing cards. “Why can't you help her, Dad? You seem like you have a lot more time than she does. She's always working. Maybe she'd be around more if you helped her. Look at all this,” Leslie indicated the mess on the table. “Can't you pitch in?”
“What is this?” It was more an exclamation than a question. “You, too? Does everyone in this house think I'm a loser?'
“I don't think you're a loser, Daddy. I just thought you might be able to help Mom some more.” Leslie scowled, but Nora could see she only did so to hide the hurt from his outburst.
“Les,” She touched her daughter's cheek. “Daddy doesn't understand my work. It's not quite that easy.”
“I don't get it. You didn't go to school for this, did you? I mean, you taught yourself how to do this, right?” She pointed at the table again.
“But I have a gift for it. It comes naturally to me.” She didn’t want to have this discussion right now. Not only was it futile suggestion, and filling Leslie with false hope, but Nora had so much she needed to get finished before morning. She longed for the quiet of her office.
“You mean , you took the time to figure it out, right? That's what you always say to us.”
“You don't get it, Jake. I'm not the one relieving you. That was your decision. I'm just enforcing it. Put my children in your truck, and I call the police.” She sat down, and opened a file, flipping through the invoices inside.
“This is ridiculous!” Now Jake pushed himself up, his chair nearly toppling over, and he scrambled to catch it, sloshing a little hot tea on his hand. He set the cup down on the counter behind him and pushed his chair in. “What about you? Why should I let you anywhere near my children with your violent streak? How do I know you're not going to throw a cup at my son's head?”
“Now who's being ridiculous?” Nora's derision emanated from every pore. “By the way, thank you for cleaning that up. I was glad to see it gone when the kids got home. I would not have wanted you to have to explain it to them.”
“Argh! This conversation is exhausting! You are so manipulative. I can't tell whether you're grateful or sarcastic, whether you're angry or disappointed. I can't tell whether you care about me or hate my guts! You're impossible!” Jake was pacing now.
“Well, well, well. There’s another thing that hasn’t happened since your drinking days. I don't think you've called me impossible in over ten years, Jake. Funny how the two seem to go hand-in-hand. You drink, and I'm the one who becomes impossible. Why does that not make any sense to me?”
“Fine. You win.” Jake raised both hands in surrender.
“No!” Nora slapped her hand hard on the table. “No, I don't win!” She was yelling again. “I lose! You lose! Your children lose! We all lose because of you, Jake!” Fists clenched at her side, her whole body trembled with her anger and frustration. “We all lose.”
“Mom?” Leslie stood in the hallway, her hair soft and messy around her face. The innocence there was marred by worry, and Nora's heart twisted inside her .
10
“It's okay, honey.” She hurried to Leslie’s side and slipped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. She tried to steer her back to her room. “We're just working some stuff out.”
But Leslie resisted, looking over her shoulder at her father. “Dad? What's going on?”
“ It's okay, Les. Go back to bed.” He stayed where he was, his arms akimbo, obviously at a loss for words.
“It doesn't sound like it’s okay.” Leslie was still not convinced. “You were yelling, Mom.”
“I got frustrated, honey. I can't seem to catch up with things, and I got impatient. Your dad just stepped in the way of my frustration for a bit.”
“Well,” Leslie said, walking toward the table where Nora’s work was spread about haphazardly, files splayed out like over-sized playing cards. “Why can't you help her, Dad? You seem like you have a lot more time than she does. She's always working. Maybe she'd be around more if you helped her. Look at all this,” Leslie indicated the mess on the table. “Can't you pitch in?”
“What is this?” It was more an exclamation than a question. “You, too? Does everyone in this house think I'm a loser?'
“I don't think you're a loser, Daddy. I just thought you might be able to help Mom some more.” Leslie scowled, but Nora could see she only did so to hide the hurt from his outburst.
“Les,” She touched her daughter's cheek. “Daddy doesn't understand my work. It's not quite that easy.”
“I don't get it. You didn't go to school for this, did you? I mean, you taught yourself how to do this, right?” She pointed at the table again.
“But I have a gift for it. It comes naturally to me.” She didn’t want to have this discussion right now. Not only was it futile suggestion, and filling Leslie with false hope, but Nora had so much she needed to get finished before morning. She longed for the quiet of her office.
“You mean , you took the time to figure it out, right? That's what you always say to us.”
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