Chapter 2
It didn't take Isabel Hofstadter long to see that something was troubling her oldest daughter.
When Leonard left the house to check on his granddaughters, Isabel said to her daughter, "Okay, what's wrong?"
Mom, how do you know something's wrong?"
"Because I'm your mom, I love you, I always want the best for you, and I have a sixth sense for these things."
"A sixth sense for these things? Is that how you and dad have stayed married all these years?"
"I'm sure that's helped" Isabel said as she smiled.
"Mom, can I get something cold to drink?"
"Of course you can. You know where everything is; just get what you want."
When Marie returned with a glass of iced tea, she took a big sip and said, "I want to have another baby but Frank doesn't."
Isabel just sat silently with her oldest daughter and waited for Marie to tell her more.
Finally, Marie said, "Frank and I haven't been getting along well for quite a while. All the little things I used to think were endearing, now just get on my nerves. It's like we're leading two separate lives. We tried marriage counseling but that just led to more fights because we both thought the things they wanted us to do were stupid. We tried doing more things together as a family, but both of us got called in to work so many times that we gave that idea up. We even tried to spice things up in the bedroom, but that led to an embarrassing visit to the emergency room. I just keep thinking about how happy we were when the girls were born and how close we were then. We were so in love then and now we're not. I thought that a baby would fix all of our problems, but Frank said he doesn't want any more kids. He says the twins are enough for him. Mom, we've even talked about separating and possibly divorcing."
Isabel looked deep in her daughter's eyes and said, "Honey, you know Frank's right about the baby. A baby isn't going to solve your problems; it will only make them worse. You already know that. Every marriage has its problems, it's ups and downs, its good and bad times. You must look deep inside yourself and decide if you want your marriage to work or not. Frank has to do the same thing. If one of you no longer wants to be married, then there's nothing the other person can do. If you both agree you want to stay married then you have to be honest with each other about what each person needs in the relationship. Marriage counseling can help, but it sounds like you didn't find the right counselor. Frank isn't cheating on you, is he?"
"God no, Mom. Frank would never do that."
"And you haven't cheated on Frank, have you?"
Marie looked away for just a second, and then with her head bowed said, "I almost did, not too long ago. I was at a medical conference in another city. Frank and I were going through a particularly rough patch. I felt old and unattractive and a younger doctor I met there made me feel young and beautiful and desirable. We had dinner and drinks and he invited me up to his room for a nightcap. I went and things got heated, but I didn't sleep with him. I almost did, but I just couldn't do it. I went back to my room and left the conference early to go home."
Isabel rose slowly from the couch where she had been sitting with her oldest daughter and walked to the large window on the opposite side of the room. As she looked out the window, she could see Leonard getting ready to ride horses with his granddaughters and a smile automatically appeared on her face. God, she was so angry and so disappointed in her oldest daughter's actions. She could not believe her daughter would do something like that. She simply did not know what to do or say to her at that point. There was only one person who would.