Page 47 of The Sounds of Her
“Wait, you lost me.”
I’ve kept it all bottled up for so long, I might explode. “Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask.
Archer studies me for a moment, then nods. He takes my empty glass and his bottle back to the bar, then heads to where I’m waiting. We set off toward the villas. We’re neighbours, even if they are spaced quite far apart.
“The call you overheard was from my boss. Mom called and told him I’m leaving the firm, to go work for my dad.”
“I guess by what I overheard, that isn’t true.”
“No. I spent my entire career making sure I never had to work for my dad. We don’t have the best of relationships. Mom is trying to force my hand. I haven’t spoken to her since she dropped her bomb on me in front of the Mayor.”
I explain what happened at the gala, and afterwards when Roman told me his side, as we walk along the meandering stone path.
Archer listens. Not looking at him, and him keeping quiet, makes it easier. I guess he meant it, he is a good listener. I almost want to apologise for dumping all of this on him.
“Fucking hell, your mom sounds lovely,” he says after I stop talking.
“The best,” I laugh sarcastically.
“What are you going to do? You can’t ignore her forever. If she is interfering with your job, what else is she going to do?”
“I don’t know what to do. I mean, who finds themselves in a situation like this? And Roman isn’t helping. He says it’s a good idea.”
“Families huh, who needs them?” he laughs, but it’s tinged with something a lot like sadness.
“Many people have it bad, I guess. Everyone has a story.”
I’ve often wondered about Archer’s family. He talks about his dad and his brothers all the time, or I’ve heard the others talking about them. I don’t want to pry, but I’m nosy, and I can’t help it.
“What’s your mom like?”
Archer looks at me, then his eyes go back to the water. We’ve walked onto the beach, which will lead us to the back of the villas. The ocean is choppier than it has been the last few days, the surf breaking hard against the sand.
“Been a while since I saw her,” he answers after a moment.
“Are your parents divorced?”
“When Daniel, my youngest brother was five, she left.”
My brows pinch. “Left?”
“Yeah, you know, the whole she went out for a carton of milk and never came back.”
What the hell? Wow, that must have been awful for them.
“We got by,” he says, reading my expression. “Me and Sam were older so we could help dad out with Tyler and Danny. I was in high school when she left. It was a long time ago. After dad confirmed she left us, not been kidnapped or killed, he sat us all down and told us she was sick. Bipolar.
“I saw hints of it when I was younger. She’d get depressed a lot, mood swings. After dad tried to explain it, I looked it up, realised a lot of it was how mom behaved. She sent divorce papers about three years after she left. Until that point, we had no clue where she even was.
“Dad signed them and sent them back to the attorney without questioning it. Figured if she could walk away, there was no point fighting for her.”
He is so very blasé about it all, but I’m sure that is a front. As the oldest of four, I figure a lot of weight fell on his shoulders. I can’t probe, we don’t know each other that well. Frankly, I’m surprised he told me this much. We’re both spilling some truths tonight.
I’m not sure why I thought Archer had a perfect upbringing. He’s always positive about his family. His mom leaving made it easier for them. Made them happier. But no kid wants to lose their mom that way. Me, on the other hand.
“Moms,” I huff out.
“Yeah, we got the shitty end of the stick, I guess.”