Let’s Keep It RealThey had been careful, discreet, and determined not to give anyone at the college a reason to talk. Robert had been especially afraid of hurting Susan, who adored him and would have been devastated by the truth. Now the mistakes of his younger years had come back at the worst possible time, and he had no idea how to untangle the mess.
When he got home, he went straight to Mike’s room and knocked firmly. By then, Mike had slept a little, steadied himself, and managed to regain some control. He had no appetite for a serious talk, but he wasn’t going to ignore his father.
The conversation was brief, but it settled everything. Before his father could ask much, Mike said in a low voice that Eleanor had a large birthmark on her chest. He explained that it was shaped like a star and matched one that had belonged to his late grandmother, Laura.
Mike reminded his father how self-conscious Laura had always been about that mark and how relieved she had been that it had not shown up in him. Then he asked, with quiet desperation, whether his father understood that this was not the kind of thing a person could simply shrug off as coincidence. Robert was not surprised his son had put the pieces together. Otherwise, he would never have fled his wedding night in such a panic.
Overcome with guilt, Robert apologized to his son. He blamed himself for allowing the marriage to happen when he knew he had once had an affair with Eleanor’s mother. He admitted he should have thought more carefully and asked harder questions long before any wedding plans were made.
Out of all the young women on campus, Mike had fallen for Eleanor almost at once. Before long, he had realized life made no sense to him without her in it. Afraid someone else might win her heart, he had told her how he felt without waiting too long.
To Mike’s great happiness, Eleanor had returned his feelings almost immediately, and that had only deepened his certainty. He wanted to marry her before graduation and start building a life together. Everything had seemed to line up: a good future, steady work ahead, and the love of the woman he believed was meant for him.
He had thanked God for that good fortune and never imagined disaster was waiting just around the corner. While they were dating, he had behaved like a gentleman, knowing Eleanor came from a traditional family with clear values. The modern idea of moving in together first or treating commitment casually did not fit either of them.
Now that same restraint seemed, to Mike, like the cruelest irony. If they had been intimate before the wedding, the truth might have come out quietly, without the ceremony, the vows, and the rings. Instead, they now faced an annulment and the hard work of trying to piece their lives back together.
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