The War of the Roses: The Children (18 page)

“You mean expel him?”

“It hasn't reached that point yet, Victoria. But it could.”

“Never,” Victoria snapped, her voice rising. “They had better not.”

He was surprised at her militancy.

“It's their right.”

“Never mind their right. They will never expel him. Take my word for it.”

Her comment was puzzling. He could hear her hard breathing at the other end of the line, which seemed strange.

“Are you all right, Victoria?” he asked, genuinely concerned, as if they were still devoted spouses.

“I'm fine,” Victoria said belligerently. “Why do you ask?”

“Never mind,” he sighed, waiting through another long silence. “Are you still there?”

She cleared her throat.

“I was thinking about that other matter… the thefts.”

“They are only objects, Victoria. Things.”

Shades of his parents, he thought suddenly. Just things. In the end it killed them.

“You're being self-righteous, Josh. It doesn't become you.”

“Victoria,” he muttered, angered by her words and his memories. “I really don't give a shit about your fucking ink wells or hats or whatever.”

“I'll ignore that remark. And I'd advise you to watch your help. She could be pulling the wool over your eyes.”

From where he stood, he could see Evie bustling around in the kitchen.

There was another long pause at both ends of the line. He had no wish to pursue the matter further. Not at that moment.

“You're a hard woman, Victoria,” he said.

“I tried the other way. A lot of good it did me.”

The phone went dead.

***

Later, he sat alone in the den while Evie cleaned the kitchen. His expression had given him away and Evie had suggested that he might need some solitude. He was thankful for her sensitivity. Thinking about the situation, he felt mired in frustration and failure. Worse, he sensed that a profound depression was beginning to afflict him. He wanted to cry but the tears would not come.

“Was Mom angry?” It was Michael's voice. He had come downstairs followed by Emily, who carried Tweedledee in her arms. From their rooms came the sounds of television.

“A little,” he sighed.

“At us?”

“That's only part of it, children,” he said, reaching out and embracing them both.

“We're sorry, Daddy,” Emily said, still holding Tweedledee. “We talked it over. We're going to work real hard, aren't we, Mikey?”

“Real hard.”

“I know you will.”

He continued to hold them, wondering how it would all turn out in the end. He was not optimistic.

“It's only natural, kids,” he reassured them. “Probably a consequence of what you're going through. Things were much better when we were all together.”

Josh felt comforted by their presence and this show of affection. There was also another factor becoming more and more apparent to him; their solidarity. It reminded him again of the bond between Evie and himself.

“You'll make it, guys,” he said. “I know it.”

“We'll get better, Dad,” Michael said. “You'll see.”

Emily nodded and kissed Tweedledee on the head.

“I'll never let you down, guys.” He drew in a deep breath. “Neither will Mom.”

“We know that, Dad.”

“But we do have a question, Daddy,” Emily said.

“Maybe I should ask it, Emmie,” Michael whispered.

“No. I want to ask it. You said I could.”

“It's a very hard question,” Michael persisted, raising his voice.

Josh braced himself.

“Why don't you and Mommy live together anymore?” Emily blurted.

“We told you. Because we were unhappy living together,” Josh said. It was the party line that he and Victoria had agreed to.

“No you weren't,” Michael said.

“Now how would you know that?” Josh asked gently. It was obvious that the explanation hadn't made its point.

“We live here too, Dad,” Michael said.

“Yes we do,” Emily seconded.

“Did something happen?” Michael asked.

“What happened was… well, she got to be unhappy is all,” Josh replied, realizing that his answers were becoming more and more evasive.

“We think you should get together again,” Michael said, glancing at his sister as if they had scripted the remarks.

“If you really love us, like you say you do, then you should do that,” Emily said. Both children were serious and unsmiling.

“Easier said than done.”

“We should all get another chance, Dad,” Michael said.

“Maybe we all deserve another chance. Mommy, too,” Josh said, surrendering to the idea. He gathered his children to him and embraced them.

“We need to be together, Daddy,” Emily said. “Like it was before.”

A lump began to grow in Josh's throat.

“I couldn't agree more.”

“Then why don't you make it happen?” Michael said, his words firm, as if it were an order. “You're the father.”

He felt as if his heart would break.

“Maybe I have to go back to Daddy school,” he replied quickly, swallowing hard. At that moment, an idea popped into his head.” Maybe you should be having this discussion with Mom.”

“We're going to, aren't we, Emmie?” Michael said.

“Yes we are, Daddy,” Emily said firmly.

“Good.”

He gathered the children together in a tighter embrace, kissed their heads, and then patted them both on their rears.

“Now get on upstairs and stop trying to figure out the weirdness of adults.”

***

When they had gone, Evie emerged from where she was standing nearby.

“I heard, Josh,” she said. “It broke my heart.”

“How do you respond to such an appeal? I feel so helpless.”

“Josh. They're part of this family. They had every right to have something to say about what is happening to them.”

“Unfortunately, divorce is about adults, not kids. The sad fact is that they don't get to vote, Evie.”

“Maybe they should.”

“We didn't,” Josh sighed, his vision blurring with tears.

One evening during her two-week stint, Victoria, her mother, and the children went to the performance of
Annie
at the Pendleton Hall auditorium, which they all seemed to enjoy. After the show, the audience gathered in an adjoining room and Mr. Tatum, looking his usual patrician self, made a short complimentary speech about the performance. Victoria listened with a combination of amusement and disgust, recalling the image of him in the car, penis aroused, demanding sexual favors. At one point, their eyes met and she could see the sudden stab of fear in them as he quickly diverted his attention.

As Tatum mingled with the crowd, she felt him observing her, and soon he was moving in her direction. It struck her as odd, since she thought he would have gone to great lengths to avoid her.

“How are you, Mrs. Rose?” he asked.

“Very well, thank you,” she said without expression, noting that her mother and her children were a safe distance from them.

“We've got a problem, Victoria,” he whispered. He was unsmiling and seemed genuinely anguished. “I was going to call, but I feared your reaction.”

“You were very wise,” she said belligerently.

“We have to talk,” he whispered.

“Not again, Tatum.”

“It's serious, Victoria.”

“He'll improve. I guarantee it.”

“It's not that.”

“Not that?” She was startled.

“I've been trying to keep a lid on this,” he said, looking genuinely upset. “I can't any longer. It's out of hand.”

“What is?”

“Not here,” he said quickly. Mrs. Stewart came to join them, and Victoria introduced them.

“I loved the play, Mr. Tatum,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said, turning to Victoria. “So nice seeing you again, Mrs. Rose.” Then he moved away.

She felt her mother inspecting her.

“My God, you've turned ashen. What's wrong?”

“I'm fine, Mother.”

Later, after they'd gone home, Victoria went into Michael's room.

“Mr. Tatum wants to talk to me,” she said. “Is there anything I should know?”

Michael looked up at the ceiling, as if he were mulling possibilities. Finally, his eyes met his mothers.

“I'm gonna do better, Mom. I told you that.”

“It wasn't about your report,” she said, closely observing him.

“It wasn't?” Lines of concern creased his forehead.

“Is there something I should know, Michael?” she asked.

“About what?”

“Must be something,” she mused aloud.

He shook his head and shrugged. She kissed him and left the room.

In three days, she would put the household back in Josh's hands. For the first time since they had put the system into effect, she was having second thoughts. She was tempted to call Josh at the office and discuss the situation, but she decided against it. In her present state, she knew she would get emotional and accusatory.

Tatum called early the morning after the play and she agreed to meet with him, but only in his office.

“Of course in my office, Mrs. Rose,” he said officiously. “This is school business.”

“I've heard that before,” she said with a sneer before hanging up.

***

She was ushered into his office. Instead of directing her to the chair in front of his desk where he had made his initial proposition, he directed her to the conversational grouping where they had had their meeting with the Crespos.

“I'm in a bind, Mrs. Rose,” he said, his voice barely audible. She noted that he looked fearfully toward his office door.

“That's pretty obvious, Gordon.”

“Please, Mrs. Rose, let's keep this formal.”

“Whatever you say. Now what's this all about?”

“Believe it or not,” he paused and offered an expression of total frustration, “it's about candy.”

“That again.”

“Can you believe it? My world hangs in the balance over….” He leaned over the desk, his eyes meeting hers, “damned candy.”

“The Crespos…,” she began.

He nodded and shrugged.

“Them and every other parent.”

“You're not making much sense, Gor….” She checked herself. “Mr. Tatum.”

“At first it seemed so trivial.” He shook his head. “Someone was just handing out candy bars. Simple as that.”

“Milky Ways,” Victoria said in a kind of knee-jerk reaction.

“Yes.” He paused and offered a wry but joyless chuckle. “And Snickers. Mars Bars, Tootsie Rolls, Good and Plentys. Look how expert I've become on the confection industry. Call it the attack of the candy bars, Mrs. Rose. Somebody was handing them out on a daily basis.”

“To whom?”

He paused and swallowed hard as if it were painful to articulate.

“The children in Michael's class.”

“Free of charge? Just handing them out?”

He nodded.

“Is that an infraction of the rules?” she asked with some sarcasm.

“Not exactly. At first I thought this was just a passing trend. I didn't like the idea, of course. It's the very reason why we do not have candy vending machines in the school. But we've been through all that, haven't we, Mrs. Rose?”

“I'm afraid so.”

She suddenly felt as if she had entered a surreal world as far removed from reality as the earth from the nearest star. What does this have to do with me, she wondered? Or was this another of his subtle ploys?

“As you know there is no specific rule barring candy bars from the school, and it goes without saying that we do not encourage our students to eat candy per se. Nor do we restrict students from eating candy bars in the cafeteria.”

“Get to the point, Tatum,” Victoria snapped.

“It starts as a trickle, then accelerates and becomes a flood.”

“What does?”

“Parental complaints.”

“If I'd known, I'd be the first to object. They're absolutely right. I think I've made myself very clear on the subject.”

“Yes you have.”

“Am I here because I've been chosen to lead the charge against the practice?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what?” Victoria said, wondering again if the man was brazen enough to begin his little game again. It crossed her mind that perhaps he had developed some sexual obsession about her, some uncontrollable impulse.

“I'm afraid the benefactor of all this candy largesse is, as you might have guessed, your Michael.”

“Michael!” she cried. “You can't be serious.”

Was this déjà vu? Candy? Was this a monstrous joke being played on her?

“Considering the situation,” Tatum said, lifting his chin and scratching his neck in contemplation. “I thought we should talk. The truth is, Mrs. Rose….” He paused and whispered: “Victoria. I'm being pushed. Look, I'm completely at your mercy. I've been a fool. Worse. I've put my career and my family on the line. You can destroy me, Victoria.”

“Have you talked to Michael about this?” she asked, ignoring his appeal. His pleading embarrassed her.

“Yes, I have. Very tactfully, of course. Not accusatory. I did not tell him about the pressure I'm getting from the parents.”

“What did he say?”

“He admitted to giving out the candy. He hadn't intended it to be a secret.”

Victoria was astonished.

“Did he say why?”

“Proudly, he said: ‘Food is love. Candy is sharing and friendship.'”

“Evie!” she cried, rising to her feet.

“I don't understand.”

“My sister-in-law.”

“I still don't understand.”

“This practice will stop, Tatum,” Victoria said. “I guarantee it.”

“And you're not angry that I brought it up?”

“Hell no,” Victoria said.

“I'm greatly relieved,” he said.

“I'm not.”

She felt the full fury of this revelation. Evie! Of course. Fat little Evie. This explained why the children were gaining weight. Evie was the help and Josh had deliberately kept it from her. It was an outrage, exposing the children to Evie's destructive obsessions and influence.

For years she had tolerated her cultish madness about food, her erratic and repugnant lifestyle, her stunted philosophy and behavior. Long after she had forbidden the children to visit with her she had tolerated Josh's sentimental attachment with this obviously unbalanced woman.

She berated herself for her naïveté. Once again, Josh had betrayed her. Worse, he had enlisted the children in this conspiracy. To her, that was the most terrible infraction of all. He had used them, abused her own magnanimity and fairness to corrupt her teachings and rearing principles.

Driving home, she tried to work out some way of extracting them and herself from the dilemma she had unwittingly created. There seemed no point now in ignoring what she saw as the evil being perpetrated against her and her offspring. Josh was deliberately alienating her children from her, creating subtle animosities and, she was certain, stealing for the sheer pleasure of aggravating her.

“What's going on?” Mrs. Stewart asked when she arrived home. “You look like you've been through the wringer.”

“Leave me alone, Mother,” Victoria snapped. “I'm too furious to talk.” She went into the den and poured herself a stiff drink.

“Must be serious business for a belt like that,” her mother said.

“I've been fucked,” Victoria cried, blurting out the story in bits and pieces.

“That fat bitch,” her mother said. “And the kids were in on it.” She shook her head.

“They won't get away with this,” Victoria cried, upending her glass.

***

When the children came home from school, she had already worked up a good head of steam. She summoned them to the den and they came obediently with odd expressions of curiosity on their faces as they exchanged glances. She ordered them both to sit on the couch. She did not sit down. Instead, she paced the floor in front of them while her mother observed her.

“Above all, children, I want the absolute truth. No more lies. No more denials. I've had enough.” She looked pointedly at Michael. “Do you understand what I'm saying?”

Both children looked at each other in confusion.

“Who has been living here and helping Daddy?”

She had expected a thunderbolt reaction. None came.

“Aunt Evie,” Michael said calmly.

“Yes, Mommy. Aunt Evie,” Emily said.

“Why haven't I been told?” Victoria scolded.

“Because we know you don't like Aunt Evie,” Michael said as if it were merely a passing comment on the weather. “We didn't want to upset you. Did we, Emmie?”

“No, Mommy.”

“And what has she been stuffing into your fat little mouths?”

“
Ragoût
,” Emily began, “
de
veau
….” She looked helplessly at her brother.

“What are you trying to say?”

“
Aux
champignons
,” Michael added in bad French.

“Rich French food,” Mrs. Stewart sneered. “She's been feeding them that slop.”

“I don't believe this,” Victoria cried.

“Lots of sweets and cakes and pies, right?” Mrs. Stewart said, raising her voice. “You were keeping it a secret from your mother, weren't you, children?”

“Mommy doesn't like Aunt Evie,” Emily said, looking at her grandmother with obvious disdain.

“She's been brainwashing them about food being love and candy sharing a sign of pure friendship and nonsense like that,” Victoria fumed as she paced in front of them.

“It's disgusting,” Mrs. Stewart sneered.

The children frowned and looked at each in confusion.

“I spoke to Mr. Tatum today,” Victoria said, directing her attention to Michael. “He informed me about your little candy caper. How could you defy me in that way, especially after that other episode with the Crespo girl?”

“All I did was give candy to my friends,” Michael protested.

“Their parents are complaining, Michael. Mr. Tatum says he may be forced to take some action. Hasn't my teaching meant anything to you? I thought we had an understanding. You were taught the difference between right and wrong.”

“Ask him where he got the candy,” Mrs. Stewart interposed.

“That's pretty obvious, Mother,” Victoria said, pausing and shaking her head. “What I can't understand and what boggles my mind is how you conveniently neglected to tell me about Aunt Evie being here.”

“We didn't tell Dad about Gramma,” Michael said with an air of defiance.

Victoria observed her son curiously. Suddenly she saw him in a strangely different light and it startled her. What had earlier been merely disappointment was now compounded by another more frightening vision. He seemed a complete stranger, someone who was not at all like the child she thought she knew.

“I think this child hasn't got a clue to what's going on here,” Mrs. Stewart said. “And I believe he ought to be told.”

“Told what, Mother?” Victoria said, her mind still dealing with the unanswered questions of her parenting.

“About why this is happening, Victoria,” Mrs. Stewart said, rising from her chair. “If you won't tell them, Victoria, I will.”

She was unstoppable now, and Victoria was too psychologically exhausted to make the effort. Mrs. Stewart faced the children, her eyes wandering from one face to the other.

“Your father betrayed your mother,” she began, pausing to watch their reaction. Victoria agonized over the revelation, but said nothing. “He broke up his family by violating the marriage contract, having sex with another woman. You may not yet understand what I'm saying. But someday you'll remember what I said, and you'll know what I meant. He was unfaithful to your mother. He lay with another woman. He is a selfish, evil, bad man.”