Betrayed

Dave appealed to Sherry once again in the confines of their bedroom. She wasn’t willing to listen. Her mind was set. Dave’s heart was crushed. Nobody was going to win. As the realization of his failure took root, he meandered down the stairs and traipsed to his home office. He closed the door as the window in his soul shut on his allegiance to Jonathan. There was no denying his overwhelming disappointment. It hurt to fail Andre repeatedly. Knowing he was letting his dear friend Jonathan down made the pain indescribable.

As he dialed Madeline at home, his heart bled tears. After several unsuccessful attempts to reach her at home, he tried the office and found her. “What are you still doing there?” he asked.

“Remember I have a big presentation tomorrow?”

“That’s right. On the East Coast expansion.”

“You got it. So what’s going on?”

“Why do you ask?” Dave said, stalling for time. He just wasn’t ready to share the news.

“Because you wouldn’t be calling me at eight o’clock at night unless there was a serious reason. I know this is about Andre. So what is it?”

Dave couldn’t stall any longer. He had to tell Madeline what she didn’t want to hear. “I need Andre to stay with you for a few days, until we can get him an apartment.”

“What are you talking about, Dave? The boy hasn’t been in your house a full week and you’re kicking him out already. You can’t be serious. I thought we’d come farther than this?”

“Me too,” he said.

Madeline would never know how badly he felt at this precise moment. Even when his baby died, it hadn’t cut as deeply as this. Perhaps sending Andre away to school was the original dagger in his heart. Sending him away again was like twisting the dagger deeper. His sorrow filled the room, strangling him relentlessly. He could barely eke out his words.

“Listen to me, Dave Mitchell. You cannot do this to Andre. If you do, I’m afraid he will hate you forever. Based on what his counselor said, I’m honestly not sure if he can survive the rejection.”

“What are you saying?”

“He could have a mental breakdown,” she said.

“Oh, come on, Madeline. Don’t you think that might be a bit extreme?”

“No, you come on. This is not a game. It isn’t some dress rehearsal that we run through and fix the mistakes the next time around. We’re talking about the life of a wounded young man. And, Dave, face it. We’ve contributed to his wounds. So I’m asking you to please let Andre stay in the house with you,” she said, pleading with him.

Dave was in a familiar miserable place, sandwiched between Madeline and Sherry. He knew grace was sufficient in tumultuous situations. He just couldn’t feel it.

“Madeline, I have to get him out of here. It’s not safe for Sherry and Andre to be in the same room together. There’s no way I can leave the two of them in the house together. It’s just not going to work. We have to accept this and come up with a solution.”

“No, Dave, you can’t do this to me. When the situation gets out of hand, the two of you want to drop this in my lap. I can’t fix this. You and I have to do right by Andre. Please, Dave, you can’t kick him out,” she said as her voice resonated.

“I understand why you’re upset.”

“Being upset is the least of my concerns. Dave, don’t you get it? It’s not about me or how I feel. Andre is not a piece of patio furniture we can move around as it suits us. Our children matter to me.”

“To me too, Madeline.”

“Then prove it. Who’s it going to be? Sherry and Joel or Andre?”

“Don’t reduce my commitment to a no-win choice between them. I love all of them equally.”

“Uh-huh,” she uttered. Madeline wasn’t going to let up. Actually, Dave probably wouldn’t have, either, if he’d been in her position.

“I have no choice.”

“You’ve always had a choice.”

“Not this time,” he said, giving in. Her pummeling was too much.

“You are wrong for kicking him out, and you know it.” She paused and then continued. “When are you planning to drop him off?”

“I don’t know if anyone is at home yet. The rest of the staff is gone for the evening at my house, and I can’t get home until nine,” she told Dave.

“I spoke with Tamara earlier,” Dave said. “She was doing her homework at home.”

“I guess she can let him in,” Madeline said, sounding sullen.

“I can always take him to the Westin for a few nights until we can regroup,” Dave told her.

“Is the Westin your answer for every tiff? Jeez, Dave, how many times are you going to bring him to your place and then ship him off somewhere else? You’ve dumped him for Sherry three times, and to make it worse, you want to abandon him at a hotel,” Madeline said, sighing. “Dave, you’ve gotten so much better with the children, but right now I think you’re being a lousy father. Drop him off, and I’ll deal with this when I get home. You and I aren’t finished with this subject. You can believe that.”

Dave ended the call and laid his head on the desk. He yearned for a touch of encouragement, the only comfort that could help at this dire stage.