The Man Who Has No Sight (Soulless 4)

“Yeah,” Tucker said in agreement.

“And he should see what happens when someone crosses his grandmother,” Mom retorted. “Talking to my son that way, calling me a bitch… I’m an advocate for civility, but there’s no tolerating that horrendous woman. Maybe you need to give up on this dream of having the three of you be in the same room together. Maybe it’s best for Derek to have two separate parents and separate lives, because she’s a toxic person. Sometimes, it’s appropriate to cut out that toxic person in your life.”

“You deserve more,” Tucker said. “You stayed in a marriage you didn’t want to be in. You put up with her even when she’s a nightmare. You’ve tried everything, man. Now that you’ve gotten what you need, maybe it’s time to give up.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at my family, the people who just wanted me to be happy. Then I turned to Cleo, the person who had taken that video and finally given me my freedom. “What do you think?”

She seemed caught off guard by the question. “I…I don’t think what I think matters.”

“It matters to me.”

She brought her hands together in front of her stomach, adopting her professional posture. “I’m not going to tell you what to do. But you’ve bent over backward for this woman, made every sacrifice you could to do the right thing—and the result is always the same. Maybe it is time to move on.”

I turned back to my family. “I’m sorry about everything that happened today. I just wanted us to have a nice holiday.”

Mom smiled and patted my cheek. “It was nice, honey.”

“Yeah,” Tucker said. “You just got your life back. It’s the best holiday we’ve ever had.”

We finished all the dishes, packed all the leftovers, and cleaned up the kitchen.

Cleo took another slice of pie and leaned against the counter as she ate it, like she was exhausted from the long day and had worked up another appetite.

I glanced to the living room where Derek was sitting on the floor watching TV. He had his toys around him.

She kept eating. “I think this is the best pie I’ve ever had…” She didn’t talk about the incident with Valerie even after my family left, like she didn’t want the conversation to happen in front of Derek.

“I’m gonna put him to bed…have a little talk with him.”

Her eyes shifted to me, like she knew what the subject of that discussion would be. “I’m pretty tired, so I’m probably going to go to bed too.” She finished the last bite and left the dirty dish in the sink, like she was so tired she couldn’t even wash one more dish.

“I want you to sleep with me tonight.”

She stilled beside me, as if she expected to sleep alone like usual. “Even with Derek here?”

“We’ve done it before. I’m sure Valerie does it with Jake.”

“Alright…” She moved into me and hugged me before she walked away and headed down the hallway to my bedroom.

I moved to the living room. “Derek, it’s time for bed.”

He usually argued to stay up a little later, but after the shitshow today, he knew I wasn’t in the mood for a negotiation. He was already in his pajamas and had already brushed his teeth, so he picked up toys and carried them to his room.

I turned off the TV and most of the lights before I followed him.

He left his toys on the dresser before crawling into bed.

I turned on the lamp on his nightstand and sat on the edge of his bed.

He lay on his side toward me, the covers to his shoulder. Instead of asking me questions or talking to me about his day, he just lay there, like he knew something was wrong…and it wouldn’t be right for a long time.

“I’m sorry about what happened today.” There was nothing I wanted more than for Valerie and me to get along, not for my sake, but for his. Maybe it was easier for me to deal with Valerie because I was pragmatic and logical about the situation, keeping one goal in mind. But she was the opposite. She was emotional, unpredictable, spontaneous…or maybe that was giving her too much credit.

“Why do you and Mom hate each other?”

That was the last thing I wanted him to think. “We don’t, Derek.”

“You’ve never gotten along, even when you lived together.”

“Because your mother and I aren’t right for each other. We don’t love each other the way two people should when they’re married. We don’t hate each other either. It’s just…complicated. It doesn’t change the way we feel about you, though.”

“You and Cleo love each other.”

I nodded. “We do. That’s how a relationship should be. That’s what you should look for when you’re older.”

“Why can’t you and Mom have that?”

I would never be able to explain this to a five-year-old, regardless of how advanced he was. “Because we don’t love each other. We’ve tried being friends, but it’s too difficult for us. So, from now on, I think you’ll spend time with Mom on your own…and then me on your own.”