12 Family Affairs

“So you convinced him to keep you around?” Melissa asked venomously as she sat back and stared at Anna as if she were a piece of crap on her designer shoe.

“Probably just spread her legs for him, John is pretty susceptible to that.” May chimed in as she slurped her coffee. She leaned back and her Ann Klein blouse pulled up revealing her midriff. She smiled at Anna and put her leg over the edge of her chair getting comfortable.

“That is none of your business, either or you.” “And anyway whether John and I have sex and where is our business.” Anna said with all the patience she could muster. This was so typical of them. Go for the throat the minute John’s back was turned.

“But It is our business, “Melissa said cattily as she sat with her fingers steepled as she examined Anna as if she were a bug under a microscope “We can’t have any gold diggers in our family and you my dear are a gold digger.”

One, Two, Three, Four Anna counted to herself as she tried not to let go on them. Although she had only held back before because she felt like she was less, Anna knew now that she had no reason to feel inferior to these women or anyone else. John loved her and that was more than enough for her. Probably just an old pattern that was easy to fall into she mused as she stared them down.

“I’m sorry, I’m sure I didn’t hear you right!” Anna said with a big fake smile and plenty of teeth as she leaned forward to meet her mother in laws stare “how dare you talk to me like that? I am the best thing that ever happened to John.”

May snorted and smiled at her mother as if the statement were a big joke. “You mean the worst thing. John should have married someone else, someone who did not come from a trailer park. At least Isabel had a real home growing up. Even she would have been better than you.

“How dare you?” Anna hissed as she jumped to her feet rattling the Fenton china.

“Oh come now dear,” Melissa said with a fake smile “Surely you knew that we always wanted John to marry Isabel, at least her family had some money and she had two parents to show her how to act.”

Anna opened her mouth to scream out a denial but then old insecurities came rushing back. Her mouth opened but no words came out. The door opened just then and John stood in the doorway cell phone in hand.

“Everything alright here? I thought I heard screaming.”

John went to Anna and put a strong arm around her shoulders. He tipped her chin up to have her look at him but she didn’t want to. John knew well enough that when Anna didn’t want to look at him that there was something deeper going on.

“I said what’s going on here?” He said in a demanding voice.

Melissa and May immediately put on looks of concern and confusion that couldn’t have been better if they’d been actors in a play. “I don’t know:” Melissa said softly as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin “We were sitting here talking about last night and your anniversary and she just jumped up and got so upset.”

“Anna what happened?”

“I need to go now.” Anna said angrily “Before I kill someone.”

John stroked her face and kissed her gently. Anna could feel the daggers of malice that were being glared at her by Melissa and May. They were always so good at pretending to be concerned and caring and John always bought it. Today she was going to change all that.

“We need to go somewhere private, now.” Anna hissed in his ear.

‘Let’s go.”

John pulled Anna outside to the side garden. He quickly sat down on a bench and pulled her into his lap.

“Anna what happened in there I was only gone a few minutes.”

“They said they wanted you to marry Isabel.” She murmured sadly as she began to cry.

“What!”

“Yeah, and your mom said I am a gold digger.”

John’s silence was deafening and Anna hoped John would believe her. In the past John had brushed off her worried and claims and she guessed if she were honest it was part of the reason she wanted to leave. Isabel was the last straw.

“Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand them? He asked quietly “sometimes my Mother takes her criticism a bit too far or talks before she thinks.”

“Are you really defending her after I just told you what happened?”

Anna pulled back not giving him time to answer. She pushed to her feet and began to pace in front of him.

“Do you think I’m lying?”