“You seem like a decent enough guy, Jude, so I'm going to tell you the truth about my mother,” I said. “What you choose to do with what I'm about to tell you is your choice, of course. But, you at least deserve to know what you're getting yourself into here.”
He nodded, not looking at up me, a tension filling his body. He continued to stare down at his hands, his jaw clenched tight and a grim look on his face. It was as if he's preparing to take a blow to the midsection and was bracing himself for it.
“She married you for your money,” I said bluntly. “Most of the men she married were okay with that. They wanted the perfect trophy wife, someone pretty on their arm for social occasions. It was a decent arrangement until they grew tired of each other, and she left with just enough money in her bank account to keep her going until she finds the next victim – err – I mean, husband. You just happen to be the fifth man to fill that role for her. Marlon is her one true love, and you'll never compete with him. If you two have a disagreement or she feels slighted in any way, she will always run back to his arms, no matter what.”
“Why doesn't she just marry this Marlon, then?” he asked.
“Because he's not that wealthy, for one,” I said. “If you haven't noticed, my mom requires a certain lifestyle to be happy.”
A small smile pulled at the edge of his lips. “I have noticed that, yes,” he says. “She certainly seems to enjoy the finger things in life.
“Marlon isn't interested in the whole marriage deal anyway,” I say. “Like the old saying goes, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, right?”
Jude sighed, then ran a hand over his face, as if the reality of the situation was finally sinking in. There was a resignation in his eyes though. It was almost as if he already knew – or at least, suspected – what I was telling him, but having me confirm it, just made it all the more real and concrete for him.
“Tell me, Jude, are you in love with my mother?” I asked.
I sat up, bottle of sunscreen in hand, coming to the realization I wouldn't be able to reach my back. I contemplated asking Jude for help, but that might come off as rather forward. I didn't think we were quite there in our “bonding” time yet, so I put the sunscreen down and laid back down against the lounge chair.
“I honestly don't know, Ember,” he said quietly. “I thought I might be in love with her. Or that maybe, I was at least, getting there. I didn't want to lose her.”
“Ah, she gave you an ultimatum, didn't she?”
I lowered my sunglasses enough to give him a sympathetic look. It was a common enough tactic from my dear mother. Get them hooked and then threaten to take away their new toy unless they give into her demands. Her demand of course, being a marriage proposal.
It was a cheap and shady ploy to get what she wanted, but damn if it wasn't effective.
“She did,” he said. “And at first, I told her I wasn't okay with ultimatums. But, not all that long after, I thought about it and I realized I'm not getting any younger. I was tired of being alone.”