Episode 787: The Whisper

“Nate's at mathlete practice,” his dad replied, taking a seat on the cushion beside Nate while his mom sat on the nearby chair.

“So you just called a family meeting at the time you knew one of the family wouldn't be here,” Jesse noted. “Kind of suspect.”

“We wanted to talk to you alone,” his mom said.

“I can see that. But, I don't want to talk to either of you alone.” He knew it was stupid. He knew walking out wouldn't stop it from happening, still, he tried it. He stood up. His dad pulled him right back down.

“We've been well aware that you're not in the mood to talk,” his dad said.

Since he'd overheard his mom and Dr. Marques he hadn't much to say to his parents. He didn't know what to say. His mom had cheated on his dad, which sucked. His dad had been like, that's the past, which seemed maybe kind of weak. Jesse guessed he should just get over it, too, but he hadn't managed to yet, he couldn't figure out how the two of them had gotten over it so easily. That's when it hit him that maybe it hadn't been as easy for them as it seemed. Maybe that's why they wanted to talk to him alone. He was the older one, maybe they thought he'd handle it better.

“You can't do this,” Jesse blurted. “I shouldn't have given you guys such a hard time. Forgiveness isn't that weak, it actually takes a lot of guts. And mom, everybody messes up. Nate's just a kid, he needs his mom and dad together. You can't divorce.”

“We're not,” they said together.

“Jess,” his dad said. “We just wanted to talk this situation out with you.”

“Since you're clearly upset with me,” his mom added.

“Upset with both of us,” his dad amended. “We wanted to sit you down one more time and make it clear this is behind us, it's not a threat to our family.”

Jesse caught a look between his parents that he didn't find the least bit reassuring. “You're not telling me something.” He waited for their response, when nothing came, he whispered, because he could not bring himself to say it loudly. “Is Nate like me? Does he… does he have a dad who isn't, you know… dad?”

Episode 788: Maybe He'll Know