Truth, Lies, Entangled Ties
I’ll never forget those two days in mid-May. The sun was shining and light pink flowers were starting to blossom on the trees in my front yard. It was three-o'clock in the afternoon on a Sunday, and I was lying on my bed, with my legs outstretched, headphones in my ears, and a pencil in my hand, trying to write a stupid essay for history due the next day. I stared at the piece of paper, scanning over what I had written so far: Rebecca Hullman. I had been staring at that same blank piece of paper for years on end, and I still did not have one thing written down, except for my name, of course. I buried my face in my hands. “Ugh. Why do I have to do this? Who even cares about colonial society?” I complained to my 2-year-old yorkie, Trixie, as if she could magically help me write the essay.
After staring at the blank page for a few minutes, I gave up. I crumpled up the paper and tossed it into my small pink trash bin, with the words “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” printed on it. Yeah, I doubt that anyone would want a history essay about colonial society, I thought as I sat up and grabbed my phone off of my desk and texted my best friend Halle, “S.O.S.! I need help! It’s an emergency!” Within a minute she replied, saying that she would be right over.
***
“I came here as fast as I could. What’s the matter?” Halle asked, panting, as she walked into my room.
“I just don’t know what to write,” I groaned. “And I have this history paper due tomorrow, and I don’t even know where to start!”
“That’s the big emergency?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, laughing. Halle did not join in.
“Are you serious, Beccs? I ran out of my house as fast as I could, left my seven-year-old sister who was crying her eyes out because my parents were fighting again, all so that I could help you get a good grade on your history paper? I have worse problems, you know!”
“Yes, Halle, I do know. It’s not like you don’t constantly remind me about it!”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It’s supposed to mean that all you do is complain about everything.”
“Well, I’m sorry that I have bigger problems than a history paper that I have to write! You know, maybe if you paid attention in class or actually tried to do well, then you wouldn’t need my help!”
“Well, I’m sorry that I don’t bury myself in school work just to escape my messed up family!” I shouted. Halle stared at me, with her bright blue eyes wide open.
“That’s it, Becca. You and your perfect family can deal with this alone. Right now, I have to get back to my messed up one.”
“Wait...I-I..I didn’t mean that.” I said, but it was too late. Halle had already walked out of my bedroom, and slammed the door behind her. I silently listened to her run down the stairs, and took a deep breath, while tears streamed down my cheeks. What have I done? I thought as I took off my glasses, and wiped my eyes.
I took a deep breath, and walked out of my room and into the hallway. The hard, wooden floor creaked as I took small, dainty steps towards my parents’ room. “Mom?” I called as I walked into her room and sat down on the king-size bed.

“Yes, sweetheart?” she called from the closet.
“I’m a terrible person,” I said. Mom walked out of the closet and over to her bed. She sat down next to me and kissed my forehead.
“What happened?”
“I got into a fight with Halle. She just keeps complaining about how her parents are fighting, and it just gets me so upset.”
Mom looked at me, and sighed. “Halle, you know that she is in a rough place. If you two talk everything will get better.”
“I know. I’m just too scared to face her.” I paused. “I told her that her family was messed up.” Tears started to make trails down my cheeks again. “Why did I have to be so mean?”
“Sometimes in the heat of the moment, our judgment gets clouded. We don’t think before we speak. The only thing we can do to make things better is apologize for our actions.” She explained as she leaned over and hugged me.
“Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Mom.” I said. I got up off her bed and started to walk out the door. “I love you,” I said softly as I turned around and looked at her.
“I love you too. Now go along, apologize to Halle.” As I was walking down the hallway I heard her call, “Hey Beccs, since you are heading down stairs would you mind plugging my phone in? It’s on the kitchen table.”
“Sure!” I replied as I ran down the stairs. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed my mom’s iPhone off of the round kitchen table, and plugged it into the charger by the kitchen desk. Her phone screen lit up, and a text message appeared from a number that I didn’t know. I’m the nosy type, so I couldn’t resist reading what it said. “Karen, I know you told me that I can’t write to you on here, but you weren’t returning my emails or responding to my letters. I know that things are complicated, but we can work it out together.”
I read the message two more times. This is a joke. I told myself. This isn’t real. It can’t be real. It just can’t. Mom wouldn’t do that to Dad. Mom wouldn’t do that to me. She loves me. My first instinct was to break down and start bawling, but only a few tears fell out of my eyes. I took a picture of the text with my phone, not even knowing at that moment why I did it. I just did. Maybe I needed proof. Maybe I needed to see that it was real, because in that moment, I didn’t even know what was.
I took a long, deep breath. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? What’s going to happen to our family? I closed my eyes, and buried my face in my hands. I could feel myself choking up, and before I knew it, I was bawling like a child who just dropped his ice cream cone. I tried to suppress the tears and the weird cries that were coming out of my mouth, but the cries just became louder and louder. The tears just came faster and faster. Be quiet, Becca. Your are not ready to face her.
I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked up and saw my mom, standing next to me, her dark brown eyes staring right into mine. “Becca, it’s okay, I’m sure that you and Halle will forgive each other and everything will be fine. Don’t be scared to face her. If you apologize, both you and Halle will feel better,” Mom assured me in a soft voice.
I took a long deep, breath and started to speak. “Oh, was that your plan for when me and Dad found out?” I snapped.
“Found out about what?” she said with a concerned look on her face.
“I can’t believe that you are trying to pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about!” I screamed, as tears shot out of my eyes. “When were you planning on telling us?” Her mouth opened as if she was about to speak, but no words came out. “When?” I yelled, as I wiped my eyes. “When were you going to admit to the fact that you are cheating on Dad?”
“Honey, I--”
“You were what?” I interrupted. “Waiting for the right time? Face it, Mom never in a million years would there be a right time. Do you even love Dad anymore? Do you even love me?”
“Of course I love you, things are just complicated. And...I-I still love your father, but not in the way you think. Sometimes people start to love other people. We can’t help who we fall in love with.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “I didn’t know what to tell you and your father. I was scared, and I still am.”
“Things are complicated? You are scared? That is your explanation?” I snapped. “So when are you planning on telling Dad? When he gets back from his business trip? I can’t even imagine how he is going to feel. You betrayed him. It sickens me,” I screamed at the top of my lungs, with messy tears flinging out of my eyes.
“Becca, please. I will tell your father when he comes back, I promise. I know that what I did is wrong, but I couldn’t control my feelings. I hope that one day when you are older that you will be able understand that.”
“I could never understand how you could just betray us like this. This whole time, I was living a lie!” I yelled. I could feel the blood rushing to my head. “How long was this affair going on? Weeks? Months? Years?” A moment of silence passed, and my mother stood there, trying to find the words to help me understand. “You know what, I don’t even want to know. Right now I can’t even call myself your daughter! Just stay out of my life!” I screamed as I ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs as fast as I could, while my mom chased after me.
“Wait! We need to talk!” she shouted. I kept running until I reached my room. I slammed the door shut and locked it.
“Don’t even try to come in here! Don’t even try to talk to me!” I wailed angrily, as I picked up a glass picture frame with a photograph of me and my mother inside of it from my desk and threw it on the ground. I watched as the frame shattered and pieces of glass flew all over my room. I collapsed onto the ground and bawled. How could she do this to us? I thought, as giant waterfalls burst out of my eyes. What am I going to do? Tell Halle? No--Halle can’t find out about this. She probably already hates me, and now...my family is the same as hers: messed up. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me if she finds out.
Five minutes passed. I grabbed my laptop off of my desk, walked to my bed, and sat down. I opened the laptop, and typed: “How Laws Affected Colonial Society”. I sat there for a second, thinking about what I should write, and then a light bulb lit up in my head. Frantically, I began violently typing as ideas and thoughts flowed out of my brain and onto the screen.
Two hours passed, and I heard my mom call me down for dinner, but I didn’t answer. I could not even face her. A minute passed, and she called for me again. “I’ll pass!” I yelled through the bedroom door.
“But I made you dinner for you!” she called up from below.
“Why don’t you just invite your boyfriend over instead! I’m sure he would love to have dinner with you!” I screamed. There was no response. I rolled my eyes, and went back to work.
***

The next day, as I was walking out of history, the last class of the day, my teacher, Mrs. Johnson, called me over. “Rebecca, can I speak with you for a moment?” she asked. I nodded and walked over to her desk. “Is everything okay?” she inquired, with a look of sincerity in her eyes.

“Yeah,” I replied. I looked at her with a confused expression on my face.

“Are you sure?” She paused, expecting me to change my answer, but I didn’t say a word. “Well, during class I was reading your essay, and it was evident that something is going on at home.” she explained.

“What do you mean? Nothing is going on,” I said defensively.

“It’s just that in your essay, you wrote something and I don’t know if it means anything, but if you need to talk someone I...” she started to say, but then she saw me open my mouth, about to speak.

“What did I write?” I asked as I started biting on my fingernails. She picked up my essay and began to read.
“In colonial society, the laws helped the colonies prosper. The colonists followed laws that ensured that they would be successful and work hard. However, some colonists ignored these rules, just as people in our society ignore rules today as well.” She paused. I looked down at the ground to avoid eye contact. She continued reading. “For example, there have been instances where husbands or wives have ignored the rules of marriage. When two people become married, they vow to love each other forever, and be loyal to one another. However, many times people ignore this, and are unfaithful. This happened with the laws in colonial society, and it explains why punishments for disobeying the laws were created.” I took a breath, and tears fell out of my eyes. I quickly tried to wipe them so Mrs. Johnson would not notice, but it was too late.
“Have you talked to anyone about this?” she asked quietly.
“I have no one to talk to,” I muttered so quietly that even I could barely hear the words that came out of my mouth.
“Of course you do. You can talk to your guidance counselor, your teachers, and your friends. Everyone will listen and will help you,” Mrs. Johnson said with a small smile. I nodded, and started to walk out of her classroom. When I was halfway out the door, I turned around and faced her.
“Thanks,” I said, and continued walking.
***
As I walked home from school, I inhaled the sweet scents of the flowers that were blooming on the trees above me. I passed an old, empty park, that looked over a lake, quiet and still. It was a place where all my troubles could be forgotten. It was a place where I could sit there, silently, and push aside everything. Immediately, I turned around and walked towards the lake.
I stepped onto the brown, dry grass and looked at the lake. It sparkled as rays of sunlight danced across the murky blue water. I stood there for a moment, taking in my surroundings. The park looked as if no one had been there in ten years. The benches were rusted, and the trash cans were overflowing with empty cans and plastic bags. I closed my eyes, and held them shut for a few seconds.
“It’s peaceful, isn’t it?” I heard someone say behind me. I opened my eyes and turned my head around to face them. It was Halle. “When I was little, I used to come here all of the time with my family. Now I come here to escape them,” she explained. “It’s not the prettiest, but it’s better than nothing, right?” I nodded. A moment of silence passed, and Halle and I stared into each others’ eyes.
“I’m sorry about what I said,” I apologized. “I had no right to involve myself in your family situations. I just feel so bad about everything and wish that I could take it back. It’s been bothering me all day.” I said as tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Then why didn’t you apologize sooner?” she pondered.
“I wanted to but I-I...Nevermind it’s nothing.”
“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t tell you. You would hate me forever,” I gulped as more tears fell out of my eyes and my breaths became very heavy.

“Please tell me,” she begged. “What happened?”

“I saw something,” I said between hiccups. “My-my-my mom got a text from this number that I didn’t know and I read it. I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. The text said something...” I stammered, trying to find the right words.
Halle’s eyes widened. “What did it say?”
“My mom is cheating on my dad. There, I said it. My mom has been cheating on my dad. I couldn’t tell you because I acted so nasty towards you for complaining about your family, and now here I am doing the same thing,” I admitted.
“Oh.” she responded. “But are you sure you didn’t misinterpret it? Maybe that’s not what happened.”
“It is. I know it is. I confronted my mom about it. She admitted it, but I wouldn’t let her explain herself.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my glasses and my phone. I clicked on the picture of the text and handed my phone to Halle. “Here, you can see for yourself.”
She studied the photo for a long time and her eyes were open wide. Her mouth was gaped open, and she looked as if she was about to break down and cry.
“Becca...” she sniffled. “That’s my dad’s number.” My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but at the same time I knew that it was the truth. So...I put on my glasses ---- looked out over the lake and my life was never the same again.