美国青少年故事（26）

Hi, I’m Caroline. And this is my story. 

One day, I got a message from my mom while I was in class. I just read it in my notifications instead of opening it. It said: “Tom has left, come over now.” Tom is my dad’s name. I was shocked! This message clearly wasn’t meant for me. My heart pounded as I considered the possibilities. Was my mom having an affair?I wrote back asking my mom about the message, but she’d already deleted it from our chat, and she told me it was just a mistake. She was being so shady! I knew she had to be cheating on my dad. I was so angry I could barely breathe. I told the teacher I didn’t feel well and left class. Then I bolted home, determined to find out what was going on. I hid in some bushes by my house where I could see the driveway. I had my camera ready.I had no idea what I would do once I found out who my mom’s mystery man was. How could I tell my dad? He’d be devastated. Especially since things had been going so well for him recently—he’d just gotten a big promotion at work, and had been walking around whistling, he was so happy. And what would I say to my mom? I wanted to scream at her. 

Finally, a familiar SUV parked across the street, several houses down. That confused me even further. How did I know that car? Then the driver got out. It was my Uncle Jim! If I’d thought I was angry before, it was nothing compared to now. How could my mom cheat on my dad with his own brother? I tried to think back to family gatherings we’d had. Had my mom and Uncle Jim ever seemed too friendly? Had they ever snuck away together? I couldn’t remember. My dad was going to be so furious. He might not even believe it—I barely believed it myself. But what other explanation was there for my mom’s message? And for my uncle parking so far away, like he didn’t want to be seen?I started snapping pictures of Uncle Jim walking up to the house. I wished I’d screenshotted my mom’s accidental message to me. Once he was inside, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to take more pictures through the window, but was afraid I’d overhear something I definitely didn’t want to hear. Finally I gathered my courage and went to the window, peering in carefully. My mom was pouring champagne into flutes, and she handed one to Jim. My eyes filled with tears as I realized I hadn’t been wrong: my mom really was romantically involved with Uncle Jim. 

I snapped a couple of pictures, then ran back to the bushes. I started rehearsing my speech to my mom, but I couldn’t get any further than “How could you?” I tried rehearsing my speech to my dad instead. “I’ve got some really bad news.About mom.” I didn’t want to be the one to tell him. But he deserved to know.I was almost crying with anger as I wondered what would happen to our family now. Would he and Mom get divorced? Who would I live with? I hoped my dad, since I’d never be able to trust my mom again. But what if my mom hated me for telling him? 

I was mad at her, but I didn’t want her to stop loving me. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything, and try to get my dad to figure it out on his own. By the time my dad arrived home, I was in a panic. Uncle Jim still hadn’t left. I couldn’t let my dad just walk in on them—he needed to be prepared. I raced up onto the front porch just as he was putting the key in the door. I had my phone ready so that I could show him the pictures.  He was startled to see me. “Hey, Caro!” he said, turning the key and pushing the door open. “I didn’t know you were out here.”“Don’t go in there!” I told him, trying to grab his arm as he stepped inside. “I have to tell you—”But just then, my mom and uncle and a bunch of my dad’s friends yelled “Surprise!” They were standing in the kitchen next to a huge cake, holding flutes of champagne. Uncle Jim handed one to my dad, slapping him on the shoulder. 

“Congratulations on the promotion, little brother!” my uncle said.My dad looked shocked—but not as shocked as I was! This had been a surprise party for my dad all along. And if I’d paid attention to all the cars parked on the street, I would have seen that a lot of them belonged to family friends.  My dad was walking around, thanking and hugging everyone, and I just stood  there feeling so stupid.