Podczas kolacji mój syn powiedział: „Nie zawstydzaj nas więcej”, i przy stole zapadła cisza, więc wstałem, otworzyłem SMS-a, którego jego żona niechcący wysłała mi poprzedniego wieczoru, i czytałem na głos każdą linijkę, aż jej uśmiech zniknął, a ręce zaczęły drżeć. Wiadomość wcale nie była skierowana do mnie, tylko do imienia, o którym myślała, że ​​nigdy nie zostanie wspomniane w tym domu… ​​aż do następnego zdania, które miałem właśnie przeczytać.

„Synu, co cię trapi?”

„Myślę o tym, co się stanie, gdy uświadomi sobie, że przegrała. Evelyn nie jest typem osoby, która poddaje się bez walki”.

Jego słowa okazały się prorocze. Około południa zadzwonił dzwonek do drzwi. Wyjrzałem przez okno i zobaczyłem Evelyn na ganku. Nie była sama. Obok niej stał obcy mężczyzna w garniturze, wysoki, szczupły, z zadbanymi włosami. To musiał być Dominic.

Otworzyłem drzwi, zostawiając łańcuch.

„Czego chcesz, Evelyn?”

„Muszę coś załatwić w domu i muszę z tobą porozmawiać.”

„Wszystko co do ciebie należało, zabrałeś wczoraj.”

„Barnaby, rozwiążmy to po cywilizowaniu” – powiedział mężczyzna obok niej. „Jestem Dominic Hartwell, reprezentuję Evelyn”.

Reprezentujesz? Ciekawe sformułowanie dla kochanka.

„Evelyn nie jest już zainteresowana tym domem” – odpowiedziałem. „Ty też nie”.

„To zależy, jak na to spojrzeć.”

Evelyn próbowała przejść przez drzwi, ale łańcuch ją powstrzymał.

„Mieszkałam tu przez 3 lata jako właścicielka. Wkładałam w to miejsce pieniądze, dbałam o dom.”

„Okradli dom” – poprawiłem – „i planowali go sprzedać bez wiedzy właściciela”.

Dominic wyciągnął teczkę z kieszeni.

„Panie Cranwell, jesteśmy gotowi rozwiązać to polubownie. Evelyn nie ma żadnych praw do domu, ale chce sprawiedliwego odszkodowania za inwestycję w jego remont.”

Zachichotałem.

„Jakie inwestycje? Kupowanie zasłon za kradzione pieniądze.”

“You have no proof of the theft.” Evelyn said, “The phone records could be fake.”

“It could be, but the entries in your financial records are real, and the testimony of the antique dealers who bought my stuff from you is real.”

Evelyn’s face turned pale. She hadn’t expected me to scrutinize her activities so thoroughly.

“Besides,” I added, “I have an appointment with a lawyer. If you want to discuss anything, do it through a lawyer.”

Dominic frowned.

“Mr. Cranwell, why complicate things? We’re offering a reasonable solution.”

“Reasonable for whom? For the thief and her accomplice.”

“Dad, what’s going on?” Rufus appeared behind me.

Evelyn saw her husband and her face softened.

“Roffus, thank God you’re here. Talk to your father. He’s acting out of character. Inappropriate.”

Rufus stepped forward.

“E, you’re the one who’s been acting inappropriate for months or years.”

“Rufus, you don’t understand the situation. Your father turned you against me.”

“My father showed me the truth, which I should have seen for myself a long time ago.”

Dominic stared at Rufus intently.

“Are you Evelyn’s husband? My name is Dominic Hartwell.”

“I know who you are,” Rufus said coldly. “I’ve read your correspondence with your wife.”

Dominic’s face became tense.

“Haha. Look, we didn’t mean for it to happen this way.”

“Like what?” Rufus took a step toward his wife’s lover. “How did you plan to get rid of my father? How did you plan to sell his house?”

“Rufus, stop it.” Evelyn intervened. “You don’t realize the conditions I had to live in.”

“What conditions? In a beautiful house with a caring father-in-law who cooked and cleaned where you didn’t have to pay the mortgage because daddy helped us with the money.”

Evelyn took a step back.

“Rufus, I can explain if we talk in private.”

“Explain what? How you sold grandfather’s watch? How you planned to put your father in a nursing home? How you met your lover while I was working?”

Tears came to Evelyn’s eyes.

“Rufus, please, we can fix this. Start over with him.”

Rufus nodded at Dominic.

Evelyn looked at her lover, then at her husband. There was confusion in her eyes.

“Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe we could.”

“Uh, Evelyn,” Dominic took her hand. “We’ve talked about this. You said the marriage was over.”

Rufus laughed bitterly.

“You see, even he’s not ready to let you go back to me. And you want to play on two fronts.”

“No, I don’t,” Evelyn exclaimed. “Honor Rufus, give me a chance to explain.”

“Evelyn,” I said firmly. “You have exactly one minute to get off my property. Otherwise, I’ll call the police.”

Dominic looked at me appraisingly.

“Mr. Cranwell, there’s no need for threats. We can resolve this in a civilized manner.”

“There are no issues between you and me, Mr. Hartwell. There’s theft and plans to commit fraud. The rest will be up to the lawyers.”

I closed the door and opened it again, removing the chain. Rufus stood beside me.

“Evelyn, go away,” my son said. “There’s nothing more for you to do here.”

“Roffus.” She held out her hands to him. “Don’t let your father ruin our marriage.”

“You ruined our marriage with your lies and your stealing and your cheating.”

Evelyn lowered her hands. A look of anger appeared on her face.

“All right, if that’s the way you want it, that’s your way. But remember, it’s all because of him,” she pointed her finger at me. “Your precious daddy ruined our family.”

“You ruined our family,” Rufus said calmly. “And the more you keep denying it, the worse you’re making it for yourself.”

Dominic took Evelyn under his arm.

“Let’s go, dear. There’s nothing more for us to do here.”

“No.” Evelyn broke free of him and took a step towards the house. “I won’t let that old man ruin my life.”

“Your life was ruined by you,” I said. “When you thought you could steal and lie with impunity.”

“Stealing? I took things I didn’t need. You didn’t even remember them.”

“Yes, I did and valued them. Everything you stole was part of my story, and you turned it into money for restaurants with your lover.”

Evelyn stopped talking, realizing she was losing the argument.

“Evelyn, come on.” Dominic insisted. “We’ll work it out through the lawyers.”

She looked at him with irritation.

“Dominic, don’t boss me around. You’re the reason everything’s gone wrong.”

“Because of me,” he was surprised. “Evelyn, you’re the one who suggested dating and you wanted to divorce your husband because you promised to marry me. You said we’d be happy together.”

Rufus watched the scene with disgust.

“E, listen to yourself. You’ve turned into a hysterical woman.”

“Hysterical?” Evelyn turned back to her husband. “I put up with your father for 3 years cooking, cleaning, smiling when I wanted to scream. And now I’m hysterical.”

“You lied for three years,” Rufus said tiredly. “And stealing. And you planned to get rid of the man who helped us buy the house.”

“He didn’t help. He was controlling. He interfered in our lives.”

“I’m tired of this argument.” Evelyn was ready to blame anyone but herself.

“Evelyn, last warning. If you’re not off my property in a minute, I’m calling the police.”

I pulled out my cell phone and started dialing the emergency number.

“Barnaby, stop,” she exclaimed. “Okay, I’m leaving. But this isn’t over.”

“It is for me,” Rufus said. “I’m filing for divorce tomorrow.”

Evelyn looked at him with hatred.

“Good. Then I’ll have to go to court and ask for half of everything.”

“Half of what?” I put the phone away. “The house is mine. The car is in Rufus’s name. You have no joint savings. What exactly do you want?”

Evelyn was confused. Indeed, they didn’t have much in common.

“I want compensation for emotional distress.”

“What damages? For the fact that you were caught stealing?”

Dominic took her arm again.

“Evelyn, please. We’ll discuss this at home.”

“At home?” She looked at him. “At your house? Where is my home?”

“Your home never existed,” I said. “It was my house where you lived as a guest.”

Evelyn finally realized she had lost. Her shoulders slumped.

“Roffus,” she said quietly. “I’m asking you one last time. Give us a chance to talk alone.”

My son shook his head.

“No, Ev, it’s too late.”

She stood for a few seconds, then turned and walked toward the car. Dominic followed her. A minute later, they drove away.

Rufus and I were left standing on the porch.

“Is it over?” my son asked.

“No,” I answered. “Now it begins.”

Rufus looked at me questioningly.

“Now we have to learn to live again. No lies, no mistrust, no trying to please someone who doesn’t appreciate it.”

My son nodded. There was relief and sadness in his eyes at the same time. Relief that the truth had finally been revealed. Sadness that the marriage he believed in had turned out to be an illusion.

We returned to the house. It now belonged to us again. Father and son, who had lived under the same roof for 3 years, but had been separated by someone else’s lies. We had to rebuild relationships, learn to trust each other, build a new life on the wreckage of the old one.

I brewed fresh coffee, and we sat down in the kitchen. The sun was shining outside the window, illuminating a house where there was no more room for deception.

It had been 6 months since the night I’d read Evelyn’s correspondence with her lover aloud. 6 months was enough time for life in the Cherry Lane house to change dramatically. The house became a home again, not a battleground where every word could cause conflict.

Rufus filed for divorce a week after his wife’s revelation. The procedure went relatively smoothly. Evelyn tried to claim the division of property, but her lawyer quickly realize that the case is hopeless. Jointly acquired property of the spouses were practically not, and the facts of theft and adultery made Evelyn’s position extremely vulnerable. In the end, they divorced without dividing the property, each left to his own devices.

Evelyn compensated for the damage from theft, not fully, returned only $1,200 out of 2,000. The rest of the money she spent on a lawyer and on settling into a new life with Dominic. I did not seek full compensation through the court. It was more important for me to close this page and move on.

My son walked around like a lost man for the first few months after the divorce. He blamed himself for his blindness, for believing his wife, for distancing himself from his father. He tried several times to find Evelyn to talk and finally understand what had brought their marriage to a crashing halt, but she categorically refused to meet, and Dominic even threatened to go to the police if Rufus did not leave them alone.

Gradually, my son began to come around. We talked a lot in the evenings, repairing a relationship that had been damaged by years of mistrust. Rufus talked about his doubts that had surfaced in the last months of the marriage, about how Evelyn had skillfully directed his resentment toward me. I tried not to judge him. He was as much a victim of manipulation as I was.

Work helped Rufus take his mind off his personal problems. He started staying in the office longer than usual, taking on additional projects. Management appreciated his diligence. 4 months after the divorce, my son was promoted to superintendent with a corresponding raise.

My online carpentry courses were expanding too. After the house was calmer, I was able to focus on work. I started a new beginners program and began conducting workshops via video link. The number of students tripled and my income increased enough that I could afford some home improvements. The first thing I did was renovate the workshop in the basement. I bought new machines, updated the lighting, and installed a ventilation system. Now I could not only teach online but also fulfill orders for furniture making. Several clients approached me online after seeing examples of my work in video lessons.

Rufus watched my activities with interest. It turned out that in his youth he was also interested in carpentry, but Evelyn considered this hobby too noisy and dusty. Now my son started coming down to the workshop in the evenings, helping with simple operations, learning to work with tools. It became another way of repairing our relationship.

The house changed, too. Gone was the atmosphere of tension that had hung in the air for the last few years. My son and I began cooking dinner together, discussing the news, making plans for the weekend. Rufus turned out to be a good conversationalist when he wasn’t under the influence of his wife. He had his own opinion about many things which he had not expressed before for fear of conflicts with Evelyn.

The changes were also in the everyday details of life. I could cook the meals that my son and I liked without having to adapt to my daughter-in-law’s whims. I could turn on music while working in the workshop without fear of noise complaints. I could invite old friends to visit without fear of a cold reception from Evelyn.

One such visit was particularly memorable. Ted Harrison, a former colleague of mine from the construction company, came to visit. I hadn’t seen him in 4 years, and he was surprised at the change in my life. When I told him the story about Evelyn, Ted shook his head.

“Barnaby, I told you there was something wrong with that girl. Remember at Rufus’s wedding? She looked at everything as a temporary inconvenience.”

I remembered that wedding. Evelyn did seem uncomfortable with the modesty of the gala, but at the time, I put it down to the bride’s nervousness.

“I guess I should have trusted your instincts more,” I said.

“Don’t beat yourself up. Parents always want to see the best in their children’s partners. It’s normal.”

Ted stayed for dinner and we spent a lovely evening reminiscing about old times. Rufus joined the conversation as well. It turned out that my son listens with interest to stories about my youth, about working on construction sites, about the projects I was involved in. In the past, Evelyn always interrupted such conversations, finding them boring.

Relations with the neighbors have improved, too. Mrs. Bradford, who used to complain about my morning noise, it turned out, never made a complaint. It was Evelyn’s concoction, a way of making me feel uncomfortable in my own home. When I happened to meet an elderly neighbor at the mailbox and apologized for the disturbance, she was surprised.

“What disturbance, Mr. Cranwell? You’re a very quiet neighbor. I don’t even know when you’re home and when you’re not.”

This conversation finally convinced me that Evelyn was methodically building a system of lies designed to make me feel unwelcome in my own home.

In the spring, I decided to renew the garden. Rosemary had left behind a beautiful flower garden, but I hadn’t given it enough attention over the years in my son’s house. Now, I had the time and inclination to take care of the plants. Rufus helped me with the hard work, digging, hauling bags of fertilizer, installing new trelluses for the climbing roses. Working in the garden proved therapeutic for both of us. Rufus was gradually releasing the bitterness of the divorce, and I was releasing the resentment of years lived in an atmosphere of latent hostility.

We didn’t talk much while we worked, but this joint activity brought us closer together than long conversations. By summer, the garden was transformed. The roses I had planted in Rosemary’s memory bloomed. There were new beds of annuals. Rufus built a small gazebo in the far corner of the property, a place to sit with a book or just think about life. Neighbors often stopped to admire our garden. Mrs. Bradford even asked for advice about her roses, which were not blooming well. I gave her fertilizer and explained the feeding technique. A month later, she brought us a cake to thank us for our help.

These little things, good relations with neighbors, working together with my son, being able to do what I love without looking at other people’s opinions, constituted a new quality of life. I realized that for the last few years, I had been living in constant tension without even realizing it. Now that the tension was gone, I felt 10 years younger.

My online courses continued to expand. I launched a series of video lessons on antique furniture restoration. This proved to be a very popular topic. Many people wanted to restore family heirlooms or treasures found at flea markets. The income from the courses grew so much that I was able to invest some of the money in expanding the workshop.

Rufus suggested we set up a second workshop in the garage specifically for training purposes. We could hold face-to-face workshops for those who prefer group learning to online courses. The idea seemed interesting and we began planning the remodeling of the garage. Working on this project gave us another opportunity for bonding. Rufus took a vacation and helped me with the renovation for two weeks. We installed additional windows for better lighting, ran a separate power line for the machines, and insulated the walls.

By the end of the summer, we had a full-fledged training workshop with four workstations. I held the first group classes in September. Six people signed up, two pensioners, a housewife, a college student, and two middle-aged women. The classes were held on Saturdays lasting 4 hours with a lunch break. Rufus assisted me in the role of an assistant making sure that safety procedures were followed and helping the students learn the tools.

The success of the first group exceeded my expectations. All the students successfully completed the basic course and made their first projects. Simple stools and shelves. Two signed up for the advanced course. The local newspaper wrote a small article about my classes, after which a second group signed up. By the end of the year, my carpentry classes had become wellknown in town. I was getting orders not only for training, but also for furniture making. Several local interior designers began recommending me to their clients as a craftsman capable of creating unique pieces to individual designs.

Rufus, too, has changed over the year. The divorce, painful at first, ended up being good for him. He got rid of the constant stress of trying to please a disgruntled wife, became more self-confident, began to express his own opinion, stopped constantly apologizing for his actions and preferences. At work, he was promoted once again. Now he was in charge of a small security department. His salary increased so much that his son could afford some of the pleasures he had never dreamed of before. He bought a new car, joined a gym, and started learning French simply because he had always wanted to.

Rufus’ personal life had not yet improved, but he was in no hurry to start a new relationship. He said that he wanted to first fully understand himself, to understand what mistakes he made in his marriage with Evelyn so as not to repeat them in the future. Sometimes he met women he introduced to his colleagues or old friends, but he didn’t build serious relationships yet. I like this caution from my son. Too many people throw themselves into new relationships immediately after a divorce, trying to numb the pain and loneliness. Rufus chose the wiser path of giving himself time to recover and rethink his life.

Jeśli chodzi o Evelyn, nie wiedzieliśmy o niej prawie nic. Od czasu do czasu ktoś, kogo znaliśmy, opowiadał nam, że widział ją i Dominica w restauracji albo w centrum handlowym. Mówili, że przeprowadzili się do innej części miasta, że ​​Evelyn zmieniła pracę, ale nikt nie znał szczegółów i nie byliśmy tym zainteresowani.

Jedyny raz, kiedy Evelyn próbowała skontaktować się z Rufusem w tym roku, to był listopad, tuż przed pierwszą rocznicą ich rozwodu. Wysłała długiego maila z przeprosinami za przeszłość i sugerowała spotkanie, żeby porozmawiać o sprawach dorosłych. Rufus pokazał mi tego maila. Evelyn napisała, że ​​zdała sobie sprawę ze swoich błędów, że jej związek z Dominikiem nie ułożył się tak, jak sobie tego życzyła, że ​​przez ten rok wiele rzeczy przemyślała. Zasugerowała, żeby nie odnawiać małżeństwa, tylko po prostu porozmawiać, zamknąć bolesny temat i iść dalej.

„Co o tym myślisz?” zapytał Rufus.

Przeczytałem list jeszcze raz. Myślę, że chce wiedzieć, jak się masz. Może jej własne życie nie potoczyło się tak dobrze, jak planowała. Więc nie powinniśmy się spotykać. To twoja decyzja, ale przemyśl ją. Co chcesz od niej usłyszeć? I co możesz jej powiedzieć?

Rufus rozważał odpowiedź przez kilka dni. W końcu napisał krótki i uprzejmy list, dziękując Evelyn za przeprosiny i odmowę spotkania. Wyjaśnił, że uważa tę kartę swojego życia za zamkniętą i nie widzi sensu jej otwierania. Evelyn już nigdy nie napisała.

Zima przyniosła nowe plany i projekty. Postanowiłem napisać książkę o podstawach stolarstwa. Wielu studentów prosiło o usystematyzowany materiał, który można by przerabiać między zajęciami. Ponadto książka mogłaby być dobrym uzupełnieniem kursów online.

Rufus zaoferował pomoc w kwestiach technicznych, układzie, projektowaniu i przygotowaniu do druku. Okazało się, że ma talent do projektowania graficznego, o którym nie wiedział. W młodości marzył o zostaniu architektem, ale rodzice nalegali na bardziej praktyczną specjalizację. Teraz te kreatywne skłonności znalazły zastosowanie w naszym wspólnym projekcie.

Pracowaliśmy nad książką wieczorami i w weekendy. Ja pisałem tekst i robiłem szkice. Rufus rysował i diagramy, projektował strony. To była żmudna praca, ale oboje czerpaliśmy z niej przyjemność.

Pod koniec zimy mieliśmy 200-stronicowy rękopis z ilustracjami i szczegółowymi instrukcjami. Znalezienie wydawcy było łatwiejsze, niż się spodziewałem. Jeden z lokalnych drukarzy, specjalizujący się w literaturze edukacyjnej, zgodził się wydać naszą książkę w małym nakładzie. Wiosną „Podstawy stolarstwa dla początkujących” były już w sprzedaży w kilku księgarniach w mieście.

Sukces książki przerósł nasze skromne oczekiwania. Pierwsze wydanie wyprzedało się w dwa miesiące. Musieliśmy dodrukować kolejne egzemplarze. Kilka szkół zamówiło podręczniki do nauki technologii. Sklepy internetowe zaczęły oferować naszą książkę w całym kraju. Rufus był równie dumny z sukcesu jak ja. Po raz pierwszy w życiu brał udział w tworzeniu czegoś znaczącego, czegoś, co będzie przydatne ludziom przez wiele lat. To pozwoliło mu na nowo docenić własne umiejętności i talenty.

Pod koniec roku zdałem sobie sprawę, że moje życie potoczyło się dokładnie tak, jak miało. Lata spędzone w domu mojego syna pod rządami kłamliwej synowej okazały się nie straconym czasem, ale wyzwaniem, które ostatecznie zbliżyło mnie i Rufusa. Oboje wyciągnęliśmy wnioski z tej sytuacji i staliśmy się mądrzejsi. Nasz dom stał się teraz miejscem uczciwości, wzajemnego szacunku i wspólnych zainteresowań. Nie mieszkaliśmy już tylko pod jednym dachem. Byliśmy jak ojciec i syn, wspierając się nawzajem i dążąc do wspólnych celów.

To było dokładnie to, o czym marzyłam, sprzedając dom na ulicy Wiązów. Evelyn dostała to, na co zasługiwała: życie bez stabilizacji i zaufania, zbudowane na oszustwie. A Rufus i ja dostaliśmy to, o co walczyliśmy: prawdziwą rodzinę, w której wszyscy się cenili i nikt nie planował pozbyć się bliskich.