father.”
“I hope you’re right, Mom.” But as much as Annabel wanted to believe it, she was not so sure. After all, her mother had been married to the same man for over thirty years . S he had met Annabel’s dad in high school , and the two married right after college . They had lived their peaceful, quiet life happily together ever since. Theirs was a marriage of implicit understanding and appreciation . T hey were each other’s best friends and partners in this business called life. It was the kind of relationship Annabel had yearned for and had failed to find. Perhaps that was because she did not know how to go about finding it , or maybe there was just something plain wrong with her.
“Of course , I’m right . Y ou are beautiful, smart , and talented – and I’m not just saying that because you are my daughter, you know. You’ve accomplished a lot in your career . Yo u can do anything you set your heart on.”
“I don’t have a career, Mom . I write advertising copy, and I hate it. I was only doing it so that I could pay the bills while Jeremy wrote his book. And guess what . H e did write it, but now he no longer wants me.”
“Well maybe now is the time to think about what it is that you want to accomplish in life. Forget about being single and about men in general . I nstead, focus on your career. You know, you can’t just put your life on hold for someone , no matter how much you love him or her . S omeone who truly loves you would never let you do that either. So in a way , it is a blessing . A t least you found out in time instead of making the mistake of marrying him.”
“You do have a point there . T hat would have been even more mortifying.” Annabel took a sip of her now lukewarm chamomile tea.
“Do you want something to eat? You probably didn’t have breakfast.” Mrs. Green offered. “You look awfully thin. How about a grilled cheese sandwich?”
“Ok ay .” Annabel nodded, knowing that it was impossible to stop her mother when she was on a feeding mission. “Where’s D ad?”
“ He's out sailing. He won't be back until about eight or so. ”
“ Sailing? Since when does D ad sail? ”
“ We became friends with the Harrisons from next door . T hey took us out on their sail boat a couple of times , and your dad really got into it. ”
“ The Harrisons who moved into the house where Lilly used to live? ” Annabel interrupted curiously.
Mrs. Green nodded. “ That house has the highest turnover in the neighborhood. We never really got to know the people who bought the place after the Claytons left .” Mrs. Green paused awkwardly , not wanting to rehash the circumstances of the Clayton's divorce. “ Susan and Joe Harrison moved in a year ago , and we hit it off from the start. It started with random barbecue invitations , and now we see them at least once a week. Ever since the busy season ended, your dad has been hanging out with Joe at the sail club , learning the ropes, as he calls it. Who would have ever thought that a man so averse to travel could take so to the ocean? And that's not the end of it . H e wants us to go on a cruise to Greece for our anniversary . H e has this crazy plan of renting a sail boat to travel between all the islands there, and you know how much your dad hates to travel. I can't i magine what's gotten into him - probably the mid-life crisis. The next thing you know, he'll be buying a sports car. ”
“ I think you should go on the cruise, Mom . I t's nice that D ad wants to do something special for your anniversary. ” Annabel was well aware of her father's abhorrence of travel . H is idea of an exotic vacation was going to Lake Placid . Up until a year ago , he did not even have a passport, claiming that he did not need one since he had no intention of going beyond the U . S . border, and she was touched by the fact t hat after thirty- five years of marriage , her dad still wanted to do something special for her mom. And unlike her mother
“I hope you’re right, Mom.” But as much as Annabel wanted to believe it, she was not so sure. After all, her mother had been married to the same man for over thirty years . S he had met Annabel’s dad in high school , and the two married right after college . They had lived their peaceful, quiet life happily together ever since. Theirs was a marriage of implicit understanding and appreciation . T hey were each other’s best friends and partners in this business called life. It was the kind of relationship Annabel had yearned for and had failed to find. Perhaps that was because she did not know how to go about finding it , or maybe there was just something plain wrong with her.
“Of course , I’m right . Y ou are beautiful, smart , and talented – and I’m not just saying that because you are my daughter, you know. You’ve accomplished a lot in your career . Yo u can do anything you set your heart on.”
“I don’t have a career, Mom . I write advertising copy, and I hate it. I was only doing it so that I could pay the bills while Jeremy wrote his book. And guess what . H e did write it, but now he no longer wants me.”
“Well maybe now is the time to think about what it is that you want to accomplish in life. Forget about being single and about men in general . I nstead, focus on your career. You know, you can’t just put your life on hold for someone , no matter how much you love him or her . S omeone who truly loves you would never let you do that either. So in a way , it is a blessing . A t least you found out in time instead of making the mistake of marrying him.”
“You do have a point there . T hat would have been even more mortifying.” Annabel took a sip of her now lukewarm chamomile tea.
“Do you want something to eat? You probably didn’t have breakfast.” Mrs. Green offered. “You look awfully thin. How about a grilled cheese sandwich?”
“Ok ay .” Annabel nodded, knowing that it was impossible to stop her mother when she was on a feeding mission. “Where’s D ad?”
“ He's out sailing. He won't be back until about eight or so. ”
“ Sailing? Since when does D ad sail? ”
“ We became friends with the Harrisons from next door . T hey took us out on their sail boat a couple of times , and your dad really got into it. ”
“ The Harrisons who moved into the house where Lilly used to live? ” Annabel interrupted curiously.
Mrs. Green nodded. “ That house has the highest turnover in the neighborhood. We never really got to know the people who bought the place after the Claytons left .” Mrs. Green paused awkwardly , not wanting to rehash the circumstances of the Clayton's divorce. “ Susan and Joe Harrison moved in a year ago , and we hit it off from the start. It started with random barbecue invitations , and now we see them at least once a week. Ever since the busy season ended, your dad has been hanging out with Joe at the sail club , learning the ropes, as he calls it. Who would have ever thought that a man so averse to travel could take so to the ocean? And that's not the end of it . H e wants us to go on a cruise to Greece for our anniversary . H e has this crazy plan of renting a sail boat to travel between all the islands there, and you know how much your dad hates to travel. I can't i magine what's gotten into him - probably the mid-life crisis. The next thing you know, he'll be buying a sports car. ”
“ I think you should go on the cruise, Mom . I t's nice that D ad wants to do something special for your anniversary. ” Annabel was well aware of her father's abhorrence of travel . H is idea of an exotic vacation was going to Lake Placid . Up until a year ago , he did not even have a passport, claiming that he did not need one since he had no intention of going beyond the U . S . border, and she was touched by the fact t hat after thirty- five years of marriage , her dad still wanted to do something special for her mom. And unlike her mother
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