22 

Tom waited a few moments to let the words sink in. The shock of what he’d shared was all over Uncle Henry’s face. But he’d held his peace, picked up his Reuben, and taken a bite. “I brought you an extra pickle,” Tom said.

He could see in Uncle Henry’s eyes he was working through all that Tom had said, trying to figure out his next move. He took another bite. Tom glanced over his shoulder; Frank and Regina still had everything well in hand. “I guess you heard me.”

Uncle Henry nodded.

“I suppose you’re wondering why. Why I haven’t told Jean yet, I mean.”

“I am. You said five months, right? You’ve been out of work for five months.”

Tom nodded.

“I’m sure you have your reasons, Tom, but do you really think that’s wise? I can’t think of a single thing I would keep from Aunt Myra for more than a few days. Maybe if she was out of town or wasn’t feeling well.”

Tom had no idea how to explain this. He held little hope he’d come up with something Uncle Henry would buy. “I never intended for it to take this long. I thought I’d find a new job within a week or two at the most. I mean, I’m an IT guy. It’s a cutting-edge line of work. There’s this guy, Fred, who used to come in here every day like me, looking on the internet for work. He’s an IT guy too. He got a new job within three weeks. I thought it would be like that.”

Uncle Henry finished chewing. “But you’ve been looking for five months?”

Tom nodded. He saw where this was going. “Fred got the job right away because he had this certification I’m working on. I think that’s why I keep getting overlooked.”

“That could be the reason,” Uncle Henry said.

“I’m sure it is. I should’ve taken care of this certification thing years ago. Dad wanted me to right after I got the bank job, but I kept putting it off. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. I had just gotten my bachelor’s degree and they hired me at the bank without the certification, even promoted me twice. I can do the work either way. This certification thing is really just a formality.”

Reaching for a pickle, Uncle Henry said, “And you think that’s the only reason you keep getting overlooked in these interviews?”

“I’m sure it is.” Tom could tell Uncle Henry thought it might be something else.

“This Fred guy you mentioned, you think he told his wife he’d lost his job?”

There it is, Tom thought. Uncle Henry thinks I’m being punished for hiding this from Jean. “I’m pretty sure he told his wife,” Tom said. “In fact, I know he did. But that’s not why he got the job. It’s this certification thing. He had it, I didn’t. End of story.”

Uncle Henry chomped on his pickle. His smile said he didn’t think so. “So let me get this straight . . . every day you leave the house, and Jean thinks you’re heading off to work?”

“Pretty much,” Tom said.

“And you’re okay with this?”

“I’m not okay with it, Uncle Henry. But for now I’m kind of stuck. What choice do I have?” He instantly regretted saying that.

“I can think of one.”

“I can’t tell her. Not now. Not after all this time.”

“You think it’ll get easier if you let more time pass?”

“No, I’m sunk no matter what I do at this point. But I think I’ll be less sunk if I have a new job lined up when I finally do tell her.”

“But you’ve got a new job now. Here at the coffee shop. Why not tell her now?”

“This isn’t a good job.” Tom looked around, realizing how that sounded. Frank and Regina were too far away to hear. Still, he leaned forward and said in a lower voice, “I don’t even make enough here to pay our mortgage payment. It’s barely enough to cover everything else in our budget.” Then he remembered. “Well, not everything. I can’t even think about adding health insurance back in yet. My plan is to work here a few months until I get my IT certification. Then I’ll get the right kind of job, and then I’ll break the news to Jean.”

Tom studied Uncle Henry’s face. Disappointment was written all over it. But it was something less than disgust, which was what he’d see on his father’s face if he were here. “Like I said, I’m sunk with Jean either way. We’re probably gonna need to go in for marriage counseling to get through this, once she finds out what I’ve done.”

“Wives do put a lot of stock in that thing we call trust,” Uncle Henry said.

Tom turned to see how things were doing at the counter. A few more people had come in, but it still wasn’t bad. But it might give him an excuse to cut this conversation short. “Well, look, I’m real sorry you had to come in here and find out about this, this way. I can tell you’re disappointed, and I don’t blame you.”

“It’s not that, Tom.”

“You’re not disappointed?”

“Well, yes, I guess I am. I’m not saying I can’t understand why you thought you needed to keep this from her. I’m guessing it had something to do with trying to protect her, right?”

“That was certainly it at the beginning,” Tom said. “But as more and more time passed, I began to realize how upset she’d be with me not being straight with her all along. I can see her being really upset. What am I saying? She’s going to totally freak out. After I climb out of the rubble from that earthquake, I just know she’d insist my parents get involved, which means my dad would find out. He’d insist on looking into my finances, which are a total mess right now.”

Tom’s fingers began to tremble. His heart began to pound. “I can’t have that. Do you understand? I can’t.” He was raising his voice. “You’ve got to promise me, Uncle Henry. You won’t tell my dad.”

“Tom, your father’s in Italy now, I—”

“Promise me you won’t tell my dad!” Tom was almost yelling. “I’ll tell him. And Jean,” he said. “But not now. Not until I get this situation under control.”

Henry felt so bad for his nephew. Tom was so upset, he was shaking. “Okay, Tom, settle down,” he said gently. “I won’t say anything to your dad for now, or Jean. But I love you too much not to say I think you’re making a terrible mistake. The longer you let this thing go on, the worse it’ll get. For you, for Jean . . . for everyone involved.”

Tom slid his chair back. It seemed he was about to get up. “Maybe I am. No, I’m sure I am. But it’s too late now to turn back. I’ve got a plan, and I’ve got to see it through. And I need to know you’re not gonna do anything to interfere.”

That stung. Is that what Tom thought Henry was doing here? Interfering? But he had to set his personal feelings aside. They weren’t important. His poor nephew had fallen into a pit. A deep one. That’s what mattered. He was lashing out because he imagined Henry might do something to make the hole even deeper. Lord, give me wisdom. “I can assure you, Tom, I would never do anything to hurt you or Jean. Your aunt and I love you, Michele, and Doug like you were our own kids.” Henry had to get control of his emotions. Wouldn’t do for him to start getting weepy right now.

“I know you love me. Really, I do.” Tom was talking much more quietly. “But for now, I need you to love me in a different way . . . by letting me do this thing my way. Can you do that for me?” He stood up.

“Tom, I won’t talk to anyone else except Aunt Myra without talking to you first.” Uncle Henry didn’t like it, but he felt he could at least agree to that much.

After all, what choice did he have right now?