The Sugar Queen by Tess Thompson

18

Trapper

That evening,we headed to my parents’ for dinner to celebrate our engagement and talk over a few details about the wedding. As we pulled in the driveway, Brandi let out a gasp. “That’s my parents’ car.”

“What are they doing here?” I asked.

“I’ve no idea. When I left them this afternoon, they seemed adamant about not attending the wedding.”

“Maybe they’ve changed their minds,” I said.

She smiled at me and then leaned close to kiss me. “Always the optimist.”

We walked around to the back of the house hand in hand. My parents and the Vargases were on the patio.

“Hello, kids,” Dad said, standing when he saw us.

“Is it official?” Mama asked.

Brandi held up her hand. The diamond caught the light and made a pattern on her neck. “It’s official.”

Mama gave me a hug, then one to Brandi. “We’re so happy.”

Dad patted me on the back before pulling me into an embrace. “Good work,” Dad said. He opened his arms to Brandi. “Welcome to the family.”

Mr. Vargas stood to shake my hand. He kissed Brandi on the cheek, then shuffled his feet looking uncertain. Mrs. Vargas remained seated.

An awkward silence followed, broken by my father asking if he could get everyone something to drink. When no one answered, he said, “I’ll open some wine then.”

He disappeared inside the house as Brandi and I settled into the love seat. I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her against my side. She was trembling. Damn her mother.

“Mom, what are you guys doing here?” Brandi asked.

“I invited them,” Rose said. “I thought it was time we reconciled. Especially since our children are marrying tomorrow.”

“And you know how it is,” Mrs. Vargas said. “When Rose says jump, we all say how high?” She sounded pleasant enough, but the venom behind her light tone came through loud and clear. That’s what jealousy and bitterness did to a person, I thought. The object of your envy wasn’t hurt. Only you.

Dad returned with a bottle of wine. Mama fetched glasses from the outside table, which had been set for dinner. No one spoke as Dad opened and poured the wine. I grabbed glasses for Brandi and me.

Dad crossed one leg over the other, then reversed them. “Is everything set for the big day?”

“Yes, we’re all ready,” I said. “Even the church is booked.”

“I’m happy you decided on a wedding at the church,” Mama said. “It’ll be lovely.”

“You’re really going through with this?” Mrs. Vargas said. “If so, you can consider this the last time you’ll ever see us.”

Mama blanched. “Malinda, don’t be like this. The kids are in love.”

“You expect us to accept him into our family?” Mrs. Vargas asked. “After all that happened?”

“They’ve been through enough.” Mama’s voice had gone from pleading to angry in a heartbeat. “It’s time we come together and support them.”

“You’re wasting your breath, Rose. She won’t.” Brandi’s tone was resolute and distant. She was done, I thought. Her mother couldn’t hurt her any longer.

“What did you think would happen, Rose?” Mrs. Vargas said. “Your son got Brandi pregnant and then left. We took care of things while the perfect Trapper Barnes became a hockey star.” She whipped her head around to look at me. “While you joined a fraternity, the girl you left behind gave birth to a dead baby.”

Mama gasped as her face drained of color. “Malinda, stop.”

Dad’s eyebrows knit together. “What in God’s name is wrong with you?”

“If I’d known, I would’ve been here,” I said.

“I highly doubt that,” Mrs. Vargas said.

My entire body tensed. “What gave you the right to decide what I would or wouldn’t do?” I asked through gritted teeth. “You lied to me about my own baby.”

“I’m her mother,” Mrs. Vargas said. “You were a spoiled brat who took advantage of a girl like Brandi.”

“A girl like Brandi?” I unwrapped my arm from around Brandi’s shoulders and scooted forward, leaning over my knees with my fingers laced. “What does that mean?”

“She could barely read,” Mrs. Vargas said. “If it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t have graduated from high school.”

Next to me, Brandi shook, silently sobbing. There it is, I thought. Mrs. Vargas had found another way to hurt Brandi. Evoke her insecurities. Call her stupid.

“Don’t ever say that again. Do you understand me?” I squinted, trying to focus, but it was as if the blood in my body had rushed to my eyes, splashing the world with red. “There’s nothing wrong with Brandi. Other than you never supported her.”

“Screw you,” Mrs. Vargas said. “You have no idea how I’ve sacrificed for her. I gave up my entire life for this girl, and this is how she repays me.”

Mr. Vargas touched his wife’s thigh. “Malinda, we should go. You’ve said enough.”

“What about you?” Mrs. Vargas asked. “Why do you never say anything, Jack? You hang me out to dry every single time. The nice one. The silent father.”

“We encouraged her to go the adoption route,” Mr. Vargas said slowly as he placed his hands on his knees. “We all just wanted to put this behind us and move forward. And that’s what we should do now. The past is the past.”

“If we’d known,” Mama said to him, “we would’ve helped.”

“The great Barnes family swoops in for the rescue,” Mrs. Vargas said before her husband could answer. “Isn’t that how the story always goes in this godforsaken town?”

“Is that what it was about?” Dad asked. “You wanted to keep us out of it?”

“You bet I did,” Mrs. Vargas said. “If I’d allowed you in on the decision, it would have been all about another Barnes child coming into the world. Let’s all throw a parade.”

“It wasn’t your right to keep it from Trapper,” Mama said.

“Neither was ready to be a parent,” Mrs. Vargas said. “All Brandi knew how to do was bake cookies. Your son was too busy chasing a puck to care about anyone but himself. Someone had to be the adult and make the decision. You two would’ve just made things worse.”

Mama had risen from her chair. She pushed the sleeves of her linen shirt up to her elbows. “Malinda, you need to leave my house.”

I took in a deep breath as I looked at Brandi. “These toxic people do not deserve to be in your life.” I pointed at Mrs. Vargas. “Go home. Brandi’s part of my family now.”

Mrs. Vargas stayed where she was, glaring at me with hatred in her eyes. “Over my dead body does she become a Barnes.”

“Malinda, enough.” Mr. Vargas scooted forward in his chair. “You’ve done enough. I’ve let you hurt our little girl for too long. You’re really mad at me, not Trapper. Yes, I got you pregnant. We moved here to be with my family instead of doing what you wanted. I’ve been punished ever since. No amount of couples therapy seems to make a difference.” He said the last part as if he were talking only to himself. He lifted his chin and set his gaze on his wife. “I know you’ve already been to an attorney.” He drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “After all these years and all the discussions we’ve had about whether or not to stay together, you owed me more than to be blindsided with papers.”

We all stared at him. No one made a sound. Even Brandi had stopped crying.

“Unlike you, I’m tired of being in limbo,” Mrs. Vargas said. “You’re right, no amount of counseling can fix us.”

“Daddy, what’s she saying?” Brandi asked.

“What I’m saying is that your father and I are separating,” Mrs. Vargas said. “The details haven’t been worked out yet, obviously. This may come as a shock, but we’ve been discussing it for a long time.”

“Separating isn’t the right word,” Mr. Vargas said. “We’re divorcing.”

“Finally? You’re giving in?” Mrs. Vargas asked.

“You’ve won, yes,” Mr. Vargas said. “I won’t fight you if this is what you want. But I’ll be damned if I give you my family’s house.”

Mrs. Vargas rose to her feet and barked out a bitter laugh. “That’s all you have to say? You want your precious Emerson Pass house? Your little part of history. This was always part of the problem. You chose this town and a bunch of ghosts over what was best for our family.”

“Raising our daughter in Emerson Pass was the best thing we ever gave her,” Mr. Vargas said. “God knows we haven’t done much else right.”

Mrs. Vargas opened her mouth as if to blast him but seemed to change her mind at the last second. Exposing their marital troubles in front of us had to be the last thing she’d wanted from this evening. I almost felt sorry for her. She was alone and angry by choice. Brandi and Mr. Vargas loved her, but it wasn’t enough. Instead, she clung to her rage and resentment. They would not keep her warm at night.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Rose,” Mrs. Vargas said. “Brandi, you’ve clearly made your decision. I hope you’ll be happy a year from now when it’s sunk in how hard it is to extricate yourself from a bad marriage.”

I stole a glance at Mr. Vargas. His head hung low. Clenched jaw muscles hinted at the amount of effort it took to keep from losing control of his emotions. He was hurting and probably would be for a long time.

Next to me, Brandi was trembling. “Yes, Mom, I’ve made my decision.”

“Goodbye, then,” Mrs. Vargas said.

Dad stood, his good manners still prevalent even in a time like this.

“No need to walk me out, Fenton,” Mrs. Vargas said. “Jack, don’t come home tonight. I’ll be gone by morning. You can have your beloved house all to yourself. Brandi, I’ll call and let you know where I’ve landed.”

Brandi didn’t answer, other than to place her hand on my knee.

Mrs. Vargas walked across the patio with her head held high and her back straight. I suspected she was holding her breath. When she reached the French doors, her shoulders shuddered, so quickly I might have imagined it.