“He’s confused,” he stammered. “Kids say strange things.”
But Brian’s mother was staring directly at him.
“Why,” she asked slowly, “would you be buying expensive handkerchiefs for Brian’s nanny?”
Gasps spread across the room.
“It’s not what you think,” the man said weakly.
“Then explain it.”
Before he could answer, Brian suddenly pointed toward the entrance.
“Here’s Miss Tammy now! She came!”
Everyone turned.
A young woman had just walked into the gym, looking confused by the sudden attention.
Brian’s mother stepped toward her.
“Tammy,” she said sharply, “have you been receiving gifts from my husband?”
Tammy froze.
Her eyes flicked toward Brian’s father, who shook his head slightly, silently begging her not to answer.
Then she straightened her shoulders.
“Yes,” she said calmly. “For months.”
The gym exploded with whispers.
Brian’s mother’s expression slowly hardened.
Tammy turned to the man.
“You told me you were unhappy,” she said. “You said you were planning to leave her.”
Brian’s father rubbed his forehead.
“Honey, listen. This is being blown out of proportion.”
His wife removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her purse.
“You’ve been sneaking around behind my back?”
He said nothing.
