When I agreed to do this, I sent Rita a text and asked if she could somehow tie it in with the military. I’d given her the name of the guy in Japan who’d arranged for me to spend some time on base there. He had asked that I do more for the military. I’d received a text from Rita today saying, ‘mission accomplished.’ I looked forward to seeing what she’d come up with.
In the evening, we planned to go to dinner as a family, which included Brook and her parents—if they were speaking. Then it was the premiere and after-party being held at a hotel close to the theater.
Friday, I wrapped up filming my part in
I remembered that halfway through the week. Actually, Lexi caught it and told Mr. Otsuki of my dilemma. He already knew, and we would shoot crowd scenes in the morning and the play at the matinee showing Haru’s and my first date.
I was distracted from my thoughts when there was a soft knock on the door. I thought it might be Brook, so I stripped down to just my boxers. When I opened it, I was shocked to see Ava. She pushed her way in and gave me a small smile.
“Pineapple.”
I froze, and Ava must have taken that as a go-ahead. My brain engaged, and I held her off.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said as I backed up.
I could see her suddenly deflate, and then the tears started.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said again as I took her in my arms.
We sat down on the edge of my bed, and I let her cry it out. Women must have a sixth sense when one of their own is in pain because I soon had Brook, Mom, and Lexi in my room.
“I got this,” I said to kick them out.
They reluctantly left, but I noticed the door was still partially open. I was sure they were lurking in the hall.
Ava began a monologue, and I just shut up and listened.
“I’m the only one to blame for Ian looking for something on the side. I’m the reigning queen of bad decisions. He and I haven’t …” she trailed off and left the rest unsaid.
In my mind, that wasn’t an excuse for what he did.
“Things haven’t been good for a while. I realize now that I’ve been lying to myself. Sometimes the hardest truths to swallow are the ones that hit too close to home. Ian and I have grown apart. I think I’ve been in denial about how he would handle it. And now, I’ve found out I can be replaced.
“I’ve backed myself into a corner of my own making. Too much time has gone by, and through my inaction, I’ve slowly killed what we once had. I simply ignored it, and it slowly became our normal. The problem is, it isn’t normal. I guess Ian receiving attention from someone as beautiful as she is was just too much for him. How can I blame him?” she asked and looked up at me.
I wasn’t about to touch that one. Ava gave me a weak smile and patted my cheek.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into all this; I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s just that you tease me sometimes and make me feel like I used to. Now I worry that I might have damaged my relationship with my daughter by hitting on her boyfriend.”
“Don’t worry about Brook and me. She knows how I feel about her, and she realizes you only did what you did out of pain,” I assured her.
“You must not think much of me. I mean, how dumb do you have to be to bury your head in the sand like that? What’s the matter with me?” she asked.
Again, not touching that one.
“I honestly have no idea why he fell in love with me in the first place. He surely knew that I would someday break his heart,” Ava said and began to cry again. “How do I fix this?”
I felt her pain as I rocked her in my arms. I murmured all the things I’d heard girls tell their friends when a boy broke their hearts. Of course, I knew Ava wasn’t really listening to me. I expect that what she needed was someone just to hold her and stroke her hair. When she finally was able to get it together, I sat her up straight and looked her in the eyes.
“I suspect that you still love him, or you wouldn’t be as upset as you are right now. Someone once told me that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. Take one of the cars and go to him. I’m willing to bet he wants to talk about all this as much as you do. Tell him what you told me. Be prepared for him to be angry, but remember what I said. If he’s angry, then he still cares. Hang onto that, and it’ll help you get through the hard part.
“I would bet that at some point, he’ll realize what he’s about to lose, too. I can’t see him walking away. If you make the first move, he’ll see what he really wants, and that’s you,” I said.
“Do you think so?” Ava asked.
God, I hoped so.
“Yes.”
She got up and walked to the door. My mom took her in her arms, and the crying started again. This time, they left me in peace, or so I thought. The next thing I knew, Brook was wrapped around me, in tears. Lexi stuck her head in and smirked at me. She could bite me.
