Little White Lies by Allan Deya (highly recommended books .TXT) 📖

She was sorry she had asked; she did not want to know, who would. Delaine had always had a gift, one that was further fueled by an insatiable curiosity. She could read emotions no matter how deeply hidden or expertly camouflaged so she had known there was something on her father’s mind when she walked into the house two mornings ago.

She had asked of course, but he had played it down telling her that it had been such a while since anything exciting happened in her life that she was now inventing issues to investigate. Her journalistic interest had been piqued by the fact that after he had told her that he had snuffed that emotion she had seen completely out.

They had had a wonderful Christmas Eve. They'd gone caroling with the neighbors around the neighborhood and then headed to the park to have a go at the ice rink. Movies had been on their mom and dinner at the Velvet Lounge courtesy of their dad.

'This would probably be the last time they were all together.' her dad had said, why not take advantage of the time, 'You never know what might happen tomorrow.' The words were disturbing enough, but the way he had said them had Delaine's heart clutching.

So she'd waited until after Church on the 25th to begin her investigation; and again while they made an appearance at the shop on Promenade Street and handed out the goodies, mingled with the workers; she made herself scarce to pursue her suspicions. They had just come back from a late lunch at the Thompsons; mother was in the kitchen seeing to preparations for the evening meal- the rest of them were in the sitting room having wine.

She excused herself for a bathroom break and resumed her search through the house for the secret her dad was so obviously hiding. She had come across it in a packed suitcase that was hidden out of sight; on top of the wardrobe. She had read the document in disbelief and then read it again and a third time before it occurred to her that the most prudent thing to do was ask her father.

When she walked into the living room her head was reeling. Mother was in the armchair; the one she knew their father liked, because it would get him in a sulky mood all evening. William was on the arm of it. Clara was still curled up on the sofa where she had been laying her head on her father's lap. He was standing about to make a toast.

He turned and saw her walk in the room. He started to smile but then she raised the folders so that all could see. "Well then, I guess there is no procrastinating it anymore." he said. "That had better be a cruise with my name on it." Melanie told him. "As if!" Clara told her, it's the lease to the apartment I will be living in now that I am officially a big girl, isn't it daddy?

"The stricken look on Deli's face says whatever is in that envelope was not meant for her, so I venture that you have vested controlling interests of the company to me." William Deduced. "No, Nothing as serious as that." he assured them. "What is it? What is it? Clara gushed." he took a sip of his wine and in a soft voice said, "Your mother and I are getting a divorce."

It led Delaine to wonder just how many times her dad had done just that; how long had it been since she had last been able to gauge him for real. He was standing before them; Delaine couldn’t even remember sitting down, but there she was on the couch looking up at her world falling apart.

“Daddy!” she asked. He smiled at her; a tired smile- almost as though he was giving up on something. “If this is your idea of a joke father, then it is in very poor taste.” William told him from where he was standing.

William had always been the strong one, maybe by virtue of the fact that he was the man in the family. He never faltered and even when in doubt about something, anything, he would not show it. “This is supposed to be a family holiday and this little farce you are putting on here in just spoiling the mood.”

But Clara was already in full blown tear mode. She knew, they all knew, that this wasn’t a joke. He was dead serious about his decision and with that look in his eye; there was just no coming back from it.

Their mother was by far the most shocked of the lot. Since he made the announcement, she had been holding her breath in the corner- the wine she'd had half raised for the toast long forgotten as it seeped into the white deerskin rug where it had dropped. "What is her name?" she asked him.

Mathew Daniel's stared at his wife as though she was speaking a foreign language. "I at least deserve to know the name of the woman who has just broken up my home."

"Daddy! Your petition cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split." Delaine said staring at the accursed piece of paper. "Are you having an affair?"

Her father shrugged, Clara burst out a new wave of bawling and William hurled his glass against the wall. "How could you?" Melanie wanted to know. "How could you? After everything we have been through, after what we have meant to each other for over 2 decades."

Tears were streaming down her face. Her world had just crashed around her. What the hell was she supposed to do now; where would she go? She did not want to be alone, no that wasn't it, she could be with anyone else in the world and still be alone; she did not want to be without Mathew.

"Mat, why?" she wanted to know. "Was it something I did? Something I said?" Again he shrugged. "Talk to me please Mathew, we still have a chance to salvage what is left of our union. Please." she sobbed when he moved away towards the door.

"It's over." he said simply. "We've been over for a while Melanie, a few random words; a little more time cannot heal the rift that is between us."

"I have tried Mat." she shouted at his retreating back. "I have been in a one sided marriage for more years than I can remember. It has always been about what you wanted and what you needed, you never took the time to..."

"I did not ask you to." he interrupted her. "I never wanted your love, didn't ask for it and did not need it but you gave it anyway. Don't blame me just because your ambition didn’t gel with my own."

"You son of a bitch!" she shrieked. "You fucking son of a bitch, if you think for one minute that I will let you walk away as easy as that you have another thing coming. I will take you for everything you’ve got. You will regret this."

"You can have it all." he told her. "The accounts, the businesses, the cars, the houses- they are all yours. I want no memories of this life; no reminders of us or..." he stopped abruptly and though it was just a split second, William saw it; he'd looked at the 3 of them. “I’ll keep the restaurant and the freight line, my personal checking account and the Chrysler, you can take everything else.”

Delaine hugged him from behind. "Daddy please doesn’t do this, don't go." "I will always love you honey and no matter what, you will always be my little lioness, but what is done is done." Clara also launched herself at him, tears running down her cheeks, "Then undo it, surely if you did it you can undo it."

"I can't" he told them, "I... I just can't." "You can't or you won't?" William asked his even tone matching that of his father. "Whatever... this is, it has something to do with us. Don't even bother denying it; I did not make detective in a year by missing the little things."

Their mother had been quiet since he told her she could have everything. She looked up then. "I saw you look at us in turn when you mentioned memories, so I figure since we apparently play a central role in this entire mess, the least we deserve to know is why we do and what the role means in this entire saga."

"Ma..Mat...Matty!" Melanie stammered, raising her hand towards him and then letting it fall limply back to her lap. "I'm sorry Matty, I'm so sorry."

“There really is no need for that. It cannot take back what happened and I cannot reclaim the time I have lost. So let’s just call it even; you took what you wanted from me and I had what I needed from you.” He cracked a smile and damn it if it didn’t make her heart flutter.

“But it hasn’t been all bad. There are days I will always carry in my heart and things I will forever look fondly upon but I cannot do this anymore; I am sorry.” At that point he turned his face and looked at his children, “This does not change the fact that I love you with all my heart and with all my strength; you will always be mine, my treasures.”

Melanie remembered just then why she had fallen in love with him; it was the breadth of his heart, the depth of his soul. It was obvious that he had known for a while, but for some reason, he had lived with it until just then. She suspected his reasons and for that she could only be sorrier.

There was a knock at the door and Delaine who was closest went to open it. “Aunty Jaimie! You are having an affair with Aunty Jaimie?” She accused her father.

“Jaimie! Jaimie how could you? You know how much Mat means to me, how much this family means to me. How could you betray me like this, betray my trust? I…I let you into my home, my family and this is the thanks I get for it!” Melanie shrieked.

Conscious of the fact that she was 2 steps away from planting a boot firmly up her friend’s ass, Jaimie addressed the children instead. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions Deli, I’m just here to pick your father up. He asked me to because…” she trailed off at the warning look from Mathew. “Anyway, this is not whatever it is you think it is, trust me.”

“But you do know what it is about, don’t you?” William said. “As father’s best friend, you are privy to all the goings on in his life. There is no way you can’t not know why he would be willing to throw away 25 years of marriage.”

She could have denied it; she would have had the question come from anyone else but her god children. She loved those children as much as she could have loved her own had she ever had any. She understood full well why Mat had to leave; the fact that he had stayed as long as he had was a miracle in fortitude in itself but still the ripples his decision would cause would most definitely