Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“And what did she say?”
Skye sighs. “She said something that surprised the hell out of me.”
I lift my eyebrows.
“She said that leaving wasn’t my father’s idea.”
“It wasn’t?”
She shakes her head. “We didn’t have a lot of money in those days, but that year we had a bumper crop, and we needed extra help. So Dad hired a hand. His name was Mario. I didn’t remember him for the life of me, but then she told me to think back to that day I ran off chasing a praying mantis. She said Mario is the one who found me.”
“But you don’t remember being found.”
“Right. I don’t. All I remember is waking up later in my bed. Then she dropped a bomb on me.”
My heart skips. Clearly this is a turning point for Skye.
“She told me,” Skye continues, “that Mario is the reason I ran off.”
I absently clench my hand into a fist. If Mario hurt Skye in any way, I will hunt him down and make him pay.
“No, no, no.” Skye shakes her head, seeming to read my mind. “Nothing happened with Mario. At least not to me.”
I heave out a sigh of relief. “Thank God. Go on.”
“So I started thinking, and then something appeared in my mind. I wasn’t sure what it was yet, but Mom kept talking, telling me I had hit my head really hard and that I had a concussion.”
“A concussion can cause retrograde amnesia,” I say. “Maybe that’s why you don’t remember Mario.”
“That’s probably part of it, but I think I repressed what I saw.” She gulps audibly. “I saw my mother. In the bed she shared with my father.” Another gulp. “With Mario.”
“God, Skye.” My heart breaks for her. “I’m so sorry. So it wasn’t your father who had an affair.”
“No.” She sighs. “My mom said I broke a plate and ran out. And I remembered. I remembered breaking some of her good china, but mostly I remember the praying mantis. I was a tomboy back then, and I loved bugs. My mom always tried to dress me in girly things, but I just got them all dirty.”
“I can totally see that,” I say, smiling.
“Anyway, my mom admitted to me that she was the one who had the affair, not my dad.”
“Skye…”
“No. I want to finish, Braden. I have to finish.”
I squeeze her hand. “Okay.”
“Apparently my mom and dad fought a lot back then. I don’t remember a lot of it because I was only seven, and I spent so much time outdoors. But it turns out they disagreed a lot about how to raise me…and they disagreed about having more children. Dad wanted more. Mom didn’t. That led to Mom’s affair with Mario, which led to their separation.”
I nod, prompting her to continue.
“Anyway, apparently after I discovered my mom with Mario, she asked him to leave the farm. She said her affair with him wasn’t worth losing the respect of her child. And I fought her on that, Braden. I accused her of being okay with losing the respect of her husband. Then she started crying. Telling me I should have left it in the past.”
“Like I’ve told you about and Addie and me,” I say, more to myself than to Skye.
“Exactly, so you can imagine how I took those words.”
“You got angry.”
“You bet I got angry. But then I realized that this wasn’t my problem. It was my mother’s. She called my dad that day because I had been hurt. And he came back, but he didn’t move back into their bedroom yet. He needed a little more time to deal with the Mario situation, and Mom says she understood.”
“Your parents seem to love each other a lot now.”
She nods. “They do. Mom says Dad eventually forgave her, and she claims they became even closer after the whole thing. But there was still one more thing I didn’t understand.”
“What was that?” I ask.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Skye doesn’t reply.
“You want to take a break?” I ask.
“No. I need to get this out.” She breathes in and then exhales sharply. “I wanted to know why my mother didn’t want to have more children. But then I realized I already knew the answer. It was because of me.”
“Oh, baby…”
“No, it’s okay.” She rubs her forehead. “I’m dealing with it. My mom finally told me everything. She told me how smart I was but how I was also very stubborn.”
“Shocking,” I can’t help saying.
“Right. I know. I figured she didn’t want more children because they might be just like me. But then my mother told me how much she loved me and that wasn’t what she meant.”
“What did she mean, then?” I ask.
“Being a mother was difficult for her. My father even offered to give up the farm and become a house husband. But my mom knew how much my dad loved farming, and she swore up and down that she loved me and wanted to be with me. She said I wasn’t the problem. She was. Mario was an escape for her, and she should have controlled herself.”