Aunt Luchie nodded and snatched the phone from my mother.
“Here,” she said, handing it to me. “Talk to your husband.”
“Kerry,” I heard Jamison say before I put the phone to my ear.
“Yes,” I said.
“I. . . . Look, it’s not what you think it is. She’s . . .”
“She’s what? Your friend? Let’s not start this by lying. That’s not why I’m talking to you.”
“Okay, you’re right,” Jamison said. “But I need you to know that it’s over between me and her. It’s been over.”
“It?” I asked. My throat tightened. “So you admit it?”
Everyone moved in closer around me. My mother placed her hand on my arm.
“I—” he started.
“You cheated? Is that what you’re about to say? Because I don’t want to hear anything else. I can’t. I need to hear the truth from you right now.” I folded into the table and started crying again.
“Is that what you want me to say?” he asked.
“Want? I want you to tell me it never happened. That you didn’t cheat on me. And ruin our family. I want you to tell me that you loved me too much to cheat on me. That I’m too important to you. That we’re too important to you. That’s what I want you to say.”
“Kerry, you’re making yourself upset,” he said. “I didn’t want this to happen this way.” His voice cracked.
“Why didn’t you just say something to me? To me? Why couldn’t you just tell me about this and . . .”
“And what?” he asked. “And all of this could happen?”
“Do you love her?” I asked.
“I told you it was over,” he said. “I broke it off the moment I found out you were pregnant.”
“That’s not what I asked you.”
“Kerry, let’s not do all of that.”
“Do what?”
“You’re just setting this up to be an argument. I don’t love her. Of course not.”
“Breathe,” Aunt Luchie said, taking my hand. That’s when I realized that all of the women had their hands on me. My mother was holding my arm. Ms. Edith was rubbing my back.
“I want to talk to you about this,” he said, “in person.”
“Jamison, I don’t know about that.”
“Breathe,” Aunt Luchie said again. She looked into my eyes and nodded meaningfully.
“Kerry, baby, I just want you to come home. Can you do that? So I can talk to you? You don’t even have to say anything. I just want you to hear me out. So I can tell you everything. Can you do that?”
Aunt Luchie nodded again.
“Breathe,” she said.
Family Gathering