unwinding the thread

Before she could decide to call her Mom or just talk to her Dad, her cell rang. It was Kyle.

"Damn," she sighed. She guessed she'd take it. Maybe it would be a good idea to tell him first what she planned to do, but then she wasn't sure what she was planning.

"Listen, I need to tell you something," he started.

"Tell me what? Is this going to be bad? What happened? You get an STD from Roxie?" As if she wanted to know his love life.

"No." He sighed. "This is not about Roxie. I didn't call you to talk about her. Its not about her."

"Then what? I was just on the phone with Eric. You think he's OK, don't you? You two haven't done any-"

"What? He's fine. Well, as fine as he can be. He gets on my nerves sometimes about you, but still. He's all right. He's a good guy."

"All right." She sighed. "What could you possibly tell me."

"Well," his words were slow as if he really hated to say it. "Your Dad has been seeing my Mom."

Ellie sat down in the bathroom floor then.

"What?" She didn't believe him. This had to be a joke. "How do you know this?"

"Because, he's here right now, and I'm pretty sure he stayed the night." His words were low as if her Dad might hear him right now.

"How long has this been going on?" Ellie winced. She had no idea her dad even knew his mom.

"I don't really know," Kyle sighed. "I'm not sure. Weeks. Maybe."

"Weeks?"

"Maybe longer, I don't know. I know I'd hear my Mom on the phone with him, sometimes, but I just thought it was about me or something. And I can't keep an eye on her, all the time, you know." Kyle went on to say.

Ellie kept quite. She didn't know what to say.

"You don't hate me, do you?"

"No."

"I should have said something sooner, but I kept thinking I was wrong, and well, I'm pretty sure its happening."

"Its happening?"

"Yeah, your Dad left your Mom." Kyle told her.

"He left her?"

"Looks like it," Kyle said. "He was saying to my Mom that she'd lied to him a bunch, and well, I guess its pretty much over."

"My Mom's still with my sister?"

"This is the kicker," Kyle almost laughed. "She went to the justice of the peace with that Geo, dude and they got hitched, finally."

"What?" Ellie squinted. "She married him?"

"Yeah, cause he went into the Army and now they're moving to Texas. I guess your Mom is really busy with her, or something."

"Evidently." Ellie rolled her eyes. Why hadn't anyone told her this? At least about her sister. Now her Dad.

"Are you all right?" Kyle wanted to know.

"Rex is here." Ellie sighed staring at the black and white tiles on the floor. They were starting to blend together the longer she stared.

"What the fuck?" Kyle sounded shocked. "Does Eric know?"

"Yeah, I told him."

"I think you should come home."

"I want too." She pushed her black bangs away from her face, wondering if any of it really mattered what she might know about her Mom. Would she ever know the truth?