Linda had always liked Mike and had never doubted he would be a dependable husband for Eleanor. There was, however, one troubling detail from long ago, and over the years she had trained herself not to dwell on it. She believed the past was best left alone, and for a long time she had pushed those memories into the farthest corner of her mind.
But after Eleanor, through tears, described what had happened in the bedroom, Linda immediately understood the gravity of it. She knew she would have to speak with Robert, Mike’s father. The reason for Mike’s reaction became painfully clear to her, though she had spent years hoping such a possibility would never become real.
Still hoping there had been some terrible mistake, she did her best to comfort her daughter, who sat sobbing on the couch. Eleanor kept saying her mother had no idea how badly she had been humiliated. She said her husband had walked out on her on their wedding night and wounded her more deeply than she thought possible.
In her distress, she even blamed her mother for raising her to be so careful and old-fashioned. Eleanor cried that she had followed every rule, avoided casual relationships, and saved herself for the man she loved, only to end up with heartbreak. Her husband had barely crossed the threshold of their bedroom before turning around and running from her.
She kept asking what she had done to deserve something so cruel. Linda sat there in silence, because the real reason behind the disaster was tied to choices she herself had made years before. It was a secret only she and Robert shared, and she knew it could not stay buried any longer. By morning, she had decided she would meet with him and tell him everything.
Robert was caught off guard by the unexpected call from a woman he had not spoken to that way in years, though he told himself that now, with their children newly connected by marriage, a phone call was not exactly suspicious. When he heard Linda’s voice, he asked, plainly enough, why she wanted to see him. If this was about the fight between the kids, he said, he knew no more than she did.
He explained that Mike had come home near dawn, ignored every question, and shut himself in his room, where he had stayed ever since. He asked whether Eleanor had told her anything useful. Linda brushed past the question and insisted they meet in person right away. Her tone made it clear this was not optional.
Robert agreed, but he refused to have the conversation at his house. He said his wife Susan was always home, noticed everything, and would pick up on any unusual conversation in a heartbeat. Linda understood and, without argument, met him at the restaurant he chose.
Once they were seated, she got straight to the point. In a steady voice, Linda said they needed a DNA test because there was a very real chance Eleanor was his biological daughter. She believed that was exactly what had sent Mike running from the bedroom in shock…
