“So, you thought you’d help your wife deal with whatever is going on with her by playing marriage counselor for your son and his wife?” Charlie prods.
“If we want things to get back to normal, then they need to sort out their shit.” All of this seems so obvious to me, I don’t understand why he didn’t think of it too. The look on his face is making me question how I’m seeing everything.
“Griff, what the fuck is normal? Have we ever been normal? I’m not even talking about the fact that your wife used to be your daughter-in-law, or that I’m kind of your uncle now. Both of us have stepped in where we shouldn’t have over the years to try to protect Liam to the point where that is what you think of as normal. It hasn’t even registered with you that your wife took off after finding out that you kept her from learning about Liam’s cheating earlier than she did. Instead, you’re still sitting here wondering if he made up with his wife yet.”
He digs into one of Wren’s potted plants and pulls out a plastic freezer bag with a pack of cigarettes inside. I wish he’d quit for good, but at least he’s only able to do it now when he can sneak one in. I know better than to interrupt him when he’s jonesing for nicotine, so I wait for him to continue talking.
“Liam is thirty-five years old. If he can’t manage his own relationships now, then he shouldn’t be in one. More importantly, you really need to be figuring out how to make up with your own wife,” he says.
“Good point,” I agree. I stand up and pull my keys out of my pocket. “I should go get her now and make her forgive me.”
Scott reaches across me and snags the keys from my hand. “Yeah, we would actually like her to forgive you, so I’ll take these,” he says and dangles my keys in front of me.
“You’re overreacting. All I need to do is find her so we can talk,” I argue back.
Charlie puts his hand on my shoulder and pushes me back down into my chair. “Okay, listen, asshole. This is not one of those times you can just go off half-cocked and swing your dick around until she gives in. The last time you prioritized Liam, you drove her all the way to Florida. Be glad she only went across town. Follow after her, and that could change.”
I stop fighting against his hold. The memory of racing across states to get to her hasn’t faded enough not to hurt yet. I wonder if that is what she feels every time I jump to help Liam with something. Does she remember all the harsh words I threw at her before they split? Maybe every time I do something for Liam, or shit, even have him over for dinner, does she think I don’t care about how he’s treated her in the past?
Happy that I’m no longer trying to get up from the table, Charlie pats my shoulder before letting go. “Glad to see the thought bubble forming over your head, even if it is only filled with ellipses right now. You just sit with it until a thought forms.Maybe then, when she comes home, you’ll have something to say.”
Scott clears his throat. “I agreed with everything Charlie said, except for coming up with something to say. I think you’ve said enough over the years. You need to listen. You’re a quiet guy, you should be pretty good at that.”
Charlie opens his mouth to argue, then promptly closes it. “The kid has a point. When she comes home, and she will this time, listen and really hear her. Most of all, don’t try to convince her to feel a different way.”
“Kids,” Scott called up the stairs, “grab your stuff. You’re going to help me finish decorating the nursery at my house.”
My boys don’t need to be told twice to go anywhere with Scott. They’ve definitely got a lot of hero worship going on for him. Parker isn’t far behind them with her little sister cradled in her arms. She’s quiet around Scott, but being a preteen, I’d imagine she’s got a little crush on him. It’s not like she’d see that as weird with all of us here. I don’t worry, though, because Scott is hopelessly in love with Harlow.
Actually, of all of us, he’s the only one who didn’t fuck up on the way to winning his wife. If there’s one person I need to take advice from, it would be him. That means I’ve got until Wren comes home to figure out how to really listen without bulldozing over her.
The silence unnerves me while I wait for Wren to come home. I could go watch the game, but I’m afraid that I’ll miss hearing her come down the drive if I do. The last thing I want is for her to think she’s interrupting something.
I don’t have to wait very long after Charlie and Scott leave, though. They were probably communicating with their wives, so they knew exactly how long to keep me busy. If I’d have left when they did, all I’d have done was pass her on the road. I’m sure that wasn’t a coincidence.
I’m still sitting at the table when Wren walks in the back door. She freezes when she sees me. Up until this moment, I think a big part of me still hoped we could avoid this talk. This feels like one of those cans-of-worms events where once we crack this problem open, we’ll never put everything right again.
Now, I see that I’ve been fooling myself that anything is right without saying anything. The only thing we’ve got right now is a lot of pretending.
I stretch my leg out and push the chair across from me away from the table. “Baby Bird, I think it’s time we talk.”
She sighs and sets her purse down at the end of the table. Without a word, she takes a seat. Already, I’m off to a poor start considering she’s waiting for me to speak and I’m supposed to be listening.
“Talk to me, Wren. I’ve been told I’m not a great listener, but I’m going to do better. I can’t do anything unless you start speaking and tell me what’s wrong.”
“I don’t think you really want to know,” she says in a small, quiet voice.
“Let me be the judge of that. You won’t know what I think until you start talking, and I can’t fix it until you tell me what’s broken,” I prod her.
“That’s the thing, you’re trying to fix thingsisthe problem.” She stops talking, like that is enough to end this conversation.
In the past, I would have started pushing her until I got her to elaborate. Then I’d have done something to fix things. Now I’m wondering how many times she’s told me what I wanted to hear, gave me some puzzle I could solve, and misdirected me away from what was really going on for her.
Instead of pushing, I wait. Listening is hard. Hearing is easy, but actually letting words sink in is something else. While we sit in the growing silence, she starts to squirm in her seat. I’m not stopping her from getting up and leaving. Scott and Charlie areright that we need this. Wren needs this above all, and I just have to let her work up to it at her own speed.
“I know tonight was a mess,” she finally starts to say.
Again, she pauses, and I fight the urge to fill the silence with useless sound. I could jump straight out and start offering explanations or apologies for my past actions. She certainly deserves both. I silently remind myself that I need to be quiet in order to listen.
