Maggie uncorked the bottle of wine and sat back down at the small table in
the kitchen. "I don't know how much Robert has told you about his father
and I."
Lexie shrugged. "He hasn't told me anything. It always seemed like a sore subject to him so I left it alone."
Maggie nodded and took a drink from her glass. " William was a good man. He was always a hard worker and made sure that his family was taken care of. And in the beginning we were wonderful together. There has never been a more loving man on earth. When Robert was born you had never seen a prouder father. William was a doctor also and he worked long hours but always made sure that he was there for the major events in Robert's life."
Lexie smiled at the image of Robert playing baseball or in a school play. Maggie's words brought her back from her daydream.
"William ran a very successful family practice in Bellingham and for a time everything seemed ideal. But times change and the families started to pursue larger corporate practices due to the insurance changes and William started to fall into a deep depression. Then I got pregnant again. He never really gave any impression on how he felt about it but back in those days abortion wasn't really an option so we were going to go through with the pregnancy. William started drinking excessively and I threatened to leave on more than one occasion. He would stop for a few weeks and then as the bills rolled in he would start up again. Then one night he came home and announced that he was taking us out for dinner. I was thrilled that he was taking an interest in us again so I never saw that he was drunk. We went to dinner and he continued to drink but we were having a nice time so I left it alone."
Lexie physically shivered at the thought of what was to come. And she didn't fail to realize the mirroring of her life and Maggie's.
"I am afraid to ask what happened next." Lexie said in a hushed voice.
Maggie smiled a sad smile. "We hit an elderly couple head on. They both died instantly. We were rushed to the hospital. William was fine other than a few cuts and bruises but Robert had to have pins put in his leg and have his spleen removed."
"And you?"
"I lost the baby. I was into my 6th month and it devastated us all. But I had to be strong for Robert. William on the other hand sank deeper into a depression. He lost his medical license and was facing jail time and by the time Robert came home from the hospital he had locked himself in the attic with his scotch and a gun."
Lexie found herself fighting back the tears in her eyes. That could have easily been Robert. "Don't get me wrong, I loved my husband. But I loved Robert more. So I left. I couldn't let him watch his father kill himself."
"What happened to William?" Lexie asked afraid of the answer.
"His business partner found him that night. He had shot himself in the head and bled to death."
Lexie closed her eyes as the tears trickled down her cheek.
"That was about the time that Robert started to shut down. He would never say it but he blamed me for leaving. In his mind if we had stayed we could have saved him but I knew the reality. No one could have saved him." Maggie poured another glass of wine and took a large drink.
"What happened after that?" Lexie asked in shock.
"I went on with my life eventually. Robert closed down all of his emotions little by little. He had worshiped the ground his father walked on and I am sure that even though he knows the truth now he still blames me. He would never say it out loud but I see it in his eyes."
Lexie sat back stunned. She had always guessed that Robert had some pretty big demons lurking in his heart but her imagination paled in comparison to the truth.
"And you and he never talked about it?" Maggie shook her head.
"No, we have a Romano tradition of wiping things under the rug when we don't want to deal with them. I think Robert felt that if he never let his emotion come through he would never hurt like he did that night. He didn't worry about the loneliness of his life or the damage he could do to others, he just never wanted to care about anyone again."
"And what about you? Did you ever remarry?"
"I had a long-term companion for almost 15 years and Robert refused to even acknowledge his existence. He died four years ago and Robert wouldn't even fly out for his funeral. So our relationship has always been one that is based on the fact that I am his mother, never out of love but of responsibility."
Lexie didn't know if she wanted to go wake Robert up and hug him or strangle him.
Maggie could sense her emotional conflict and touched her hand again. "But you changed that in him. I saw something in his eyes that I hadn't seen in almost 20 years. He found love again and I can go to my grave a happy woman. I feel totally confident in leaving him in your hands." She took another drink. "Have you set a wedding date yet?" Lexie shook her head. She wasn't about to tell her that until 48 hours ago she wasn't sure that there would even be a wedding. "That would be the one thing that I would love to see before I die. I would love to see my son marry the woman of his dreams." Maggie said wistfully.
"What if you could?"
Maggie looked at her and laughed. "I wasn't hinting Lexie. I was just thinking out loud."
Lexie shook her head. "No, I'm serious. I don't want a huge gala affair and if my family has their way that is exactly what will happen. I want to get married surrounded by the people that I love the most in a simple candlelight ceremony."
Maggie grinned at her. "It is possible you know." Lexie grinned back and both women looked up at Robert as he stretched and walked into the kitchen.
"What?" He asked sleepily. Both women laughed, he had no idea what he had just walked into.
Lexie shrugged. "He hasn't told me anything. It always seemed like a sore subject to him so I left it alone."
Maggie nodded and took a drink from her glass. " William was a good man. He was always a hard worker and made sure that his family was taken care of. And in the beginning we were wonderful together. There has never been a more loving man on earth. When Robert was born you had never seen a prouder father. William was a doctor also and he worked long hours but always made sure that he was there for the major events in Robert's life."
Lexie smiled at the image of Robert playing baseball or in a school play. Maggie's words brought her back from her daydream.
"William ran a very successful family practice in Bellingham and for a time everything seemed ideal. But times change and the families started to pursue larger corporate practices due to the insurance changes and William started to fall into a deep depression. Then I got pregnant again. He never really gave any impression on how he felt about it but back in those days abortion wasn't really an option so we were going to go through with the pregnancy. William started drinking excessively and I threatened to leave on more than one occasion. He would stop for a few weeks and then as the bills rolled in he would start up again. Then one night he came home and announced that he was taking us out for dinner. I was thrilled that he was taking an interest in us again so I never saw that he was drunk. We went to dinner and he continued to drink but we were having a nice time so I left it alone."
Lexie physically shivered at the thought of what was to come. And she didn't fail to realize the mirroring of her life and Maggie's.
"I am afraid to ask what happened next." Lexie said in a hushed voice.
Maggie smiled a sad smile. "We hit an elderly couple head on. They both died instantly. We were rushed to the hospital. William was fine other than a few cuts and bruises but Robert had to have pins put in his leg and have his spleen removed."
"And you?"
"I lost the baby. I was into my 6th month and it devastated us all. But I had to be strong for Robert. William on the other hand sank deeper into a depression. He lost his medical license and was facing jail time and by the time Robert came home from the hospital he had locked himself in the attic with his scotch and a gun."
Lexie found herself fighting back the tears in her eyes. That could have easily been Robert. "Don't get me wrong, I loved my husband. But I loved Robert more. So I left. I couldn't let him watch his father kill himself."
"What happened to William?" Lexie asked afraid of the answer.
"His business partner found him that night. He had shot himself in the head and bled to death."
Lexie closed her eyes as the tears trickled down her cheek.
"That was about the time that Robert started to shut down. He would never say it but he blamed me for leaving. In his mind if we had stayed we could have saved him but I knew the reality. No one could have saved him." Maggie poured another glass of wine and took a large drink.
"What happened after that?" Lexie asked in shock.
"I went on with my life eventually. Robert closed down all of his emotions little by little. He had worshiped the ground his father walked on and I am sure that even though he knows the truth now he still blames me. He would never say it out loud but I see it in his eyes."
Lexie sat back stunned. She had always guessed that Robert had some pretty big demons lurking in his heart but her imagination paled in comparison to the truth.
"And you and he never talked about it?" Maggie shook her head.
"No, we have a Romano tradition of wiping things under the rug when we don't want to deal with them. I think Robert felt that if he never let his emotion come through he would never hurt like he did that night. He didn't worry about the loneliness of his life or the damage he could do to others, he just never wanted to care about anyone again."
"And what about you? Did you ever remarry?"
"I had a long-term companion for almost 15 years and Robert refused to even acknowledge his existence. He died four years ago and Robert wouldn't even fly out for his funeral. So our relationship has always been one that is based on the fact that I am his mother, never out of love but of responsibility."
Lexie didn't know if she wanted to go wake Robert up and hug him or strangle him.
Maggie could sense her emotional conflict and touched her hand again. "But you changed that in him. I saw something in his eyes that I hadn't seen in almost 20 years. He found love again and I can go to my grave a happy woman. I feel totally confident in leaving him in your hands." She took another drink. "Have you set a wedding date yet?" Lexie shook her head. She wasn't about to tell her that until 48 hours ago she wasn't sure that there would even be a wedding. "That would be the one thing that I would love to see before I die. I would love to see my son marry the woman of his dreams." Maggie said wistfully.
"What if you could?"
Maggie looked at her and laughed. "I wasn't hinting Lexie. I was just thinking out loud."
Lexie shook her head. "No, I'm serious. I don't want a huge gala affair and if my family has their way that is exactly what will happen. I want to get married surrounded by the people that I love the most in a simple candlelight ceremony."
Maggie grinned at her. "It is possible you know." Lexie grinned back and both women looked up at Robert as he stretched and walked into the kitchen.
"What?" He asked sleepily. Both women laughed, he had no idea what he had just walked into.
