Oliver Crum Box Set by Chris Cooper

Author:Chris Cooper [Cooper, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dreadful Media
Published: 2020-03-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

No matter how hard he tried, Oliver couldn’t rid the conversation with Anna from his mind. He tried to work up the courage to approach his mother several times, and finally, several days after their visit to The Parlor, he swallowed his nerves and broached the topic of his dad with his mom. Although their relationship was still jagged around the edges, both he and his mother had made efforts to bridge the rift that had existed between them for some time.

He asked her to join him out on the back porch. “I should have said this the other night after our roaring success of a welcome dinner.” He leaned in close to her.

His mom chuckled. “Can’t say it was the warmest welcome, but you apologized, and that’s all that matters.”

Oliver looked down at the table. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. I am sorry for keeping the move from you, but I don’t regret my decision to move here, and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. I have friends and family here, and I’ve learned a tremendous amount in the past year, helping Izzy with the bakery and the hives. I know how to take care of bees now. Bees! Remember how afraid of them I used to be?”

His mom paused for a moment. “You know I’ll always love you, but I can’t pretend that I approve of what you’re doing. I just don’t understand it.”

“You don’t have to understand. That’s the best part about it. You don’t have to accept it either. You just have to accept me.”

She sat back in her chair and scowled. “For you to sit here and insinuate that I don’t accept you—I can’t believe it.”

Oliver rubbed his temples hard. “If that’s what you want to take away from this conversation, then there’s not much I can do about it.”

His mother pursed her lips.

“You judge,” he blurted out.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s what you do. I tell you the truth, and I feel like you judge me for it. Everything is a massive guilt trip with you. I feel like I’m a constant disappointment—always have.” He’d said too much too quickly, and the truth spewed from his mouth as if it were a leaky faucet.

“Well, I guess I’m just a terrible mother,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“See! You’re doing it right now! I can’t have a conversation with you that isn’t passive-aggressive and guilt ridden.”

“I am not being passive-aggressive,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You treated Dad the same way.”

The line seemed to catch her off guard.

“I know it’s no excuse to lie to you, but I’m hard enough on myself without you piling on, and so I distanced myself, especially after what happened to Dad.”

Her expression softened somewhat. “His death was hard on both of us, but that’s hardly an excuse,” she replied.

“Do you know how painful it was to find out Dad had been gone for a week and you hadn’t bothered to tell me? I apologized

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