I think they'll mostly be grateful y'all even showed up at all.
Considering it was right up at the edge for a sec.
As we head out the door, his phone buzzes. “Hi Mommy,” he says, his voice calm and infused with affection that seems foreign to me now.
I listen as he has a perfectly normal conversation with her, where she’s excited about our visit, and he pretends he didn’t just act like a toddler on steroids for the past however many hours.
As if the chaos that has me on edge and afraid simply never happened.
CHAPTER 21
A HOUSE OF POLISHED GLASS
MARGAUX
By some miracle, we make it to the airport and find our gate.
He demands a drink at the airport bar.
I’m so paranoid he’s going to run out of the complex and refuse to visit his parents again, that I acquiesce, hoping to pacify him.
On the plane, he alternates between moments of charm and bursts of irritation.
Flight attendants hand out complimentary punch cocktails.
Timmy takes his eagerly and drinks it in two big sips.
“You’re such a bitch,” he mutters, but he’s smiling, as if we’re playing some twisted game.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Then he reaches over and smacks the plastic cup containing my cocktail out of my hand. Pomegranate-colored liquid soaks my pants.
Outraged, I smack him on the arm, hard.
I feel like I’m constantly around a very large, very cruel, five-year-old.
But maybe once we get to Montana, he’ll feel at home and he’ll be so excited to see his family that he’ll remain calm for the visit.Please let that be the case.
I think back to when I met up with his ex, Jennifer, and her friend, and she told me about how Timmy behaved when they visited Montana together. How he ended up lashing out and behaving so badly that police had to be called, and he was arrested.
A shiver creeps up my spine.
Please don’t let that happen this time.
When we get to Montana, Phil is waiting to pick us up as promised.
From the moment we arrive, Timmy slips seamlessly into his best-behavior mode, his demeanor upbeat as he fills his dad in on Sunset Cay life as we drive back to his parents’ place.
The home is large and inviting, and his mother is waiting for us at the front door. She embraces me warmly. “It’s so nice to have you here, Margaux,” she says. “We’ve heard so much about you! It’s wonderful to finally meet you!”
I smile, immediately feeling welcomed. Her kindness is a balm to my frazzled nerves, and for a moment, I let myself believe that everything might actually be okay.This isn’t so bad, after all. Fuck the events I can’t go to anymore. This is so much better.
We all sit in the living room, and Timmy cracks open two hard seltzers and hands me one.
I’m mortified as he makes an announcement I wasn’t expecting.
“Margaux was on a game show,” he says proudly. “We have to watch her episode! She did so well!” He gazes at me with admiration, placing his hand on the small of my back. “She’s brilliant!”