My Adobe Hacienda

"Dad. What the hell are you doing here? You have to come home."

I had no reply for an opening like that. I sat down and motioned her to do likewise.

"Can you be more specific?"

Sylvia looked a little frustrated and we hadn't even got started yet. "You left without telling anyone and you took everything with you."

"Yeah. So what?"

"What about your wife?"

"What about her? I asked her to come with me and she told me that she wanted to stay with Jackson." I lied, but Sylvia didn't know that. There was no way she could prove or disprove what I said.

"But you took everything; all the ready money and the retirement account. What was she supposed to do?"

"She seemed to be getting along fine when I left. In fact, she didn't want anything to do with me. Why are you here now?"

"You can't just desert her. She is your wife."

"The last time you came to Wagon Wheel Acres, before I left, you spent three hours with Jackson and your mother and no time at all with me. Why?"

"I tried to find you, but you were not in your room."

"You tried to find me after three hours. What was I? An afterthought? Some kind of obligation?"

"Don't be so dramatic. Mother was happy with Jackson. She wanted me to get to know him."

"Fine. Let him take care of her. You know, of course, that she was sleeping in his room with him?"

"Yes. She said that you no longer wanted to share a bed with her."

"Did you actually believe that? What do you want Sylvia? Why did you go to all the trouble to find me and then come down here? I am not going back. I will not allow her to shove her infidelity in my face. It was humiliating and degrading and if you can't see that, you need help."

"Barry and I can no longer afford to pay her fees at Wagon Wheel Acres. Her Social Security doesn't cover half of the expenses and they won't allow her to stay without full payment."

"What about good old Jackson? I thought that he was going to be helping out."

"Jackson Milhouse was moved into the Alzheimer wing three months ago. The rules do not allow mother to stay in the room with him, and we can't afford to keep her in a unit by herself."

"Hold it! Hold it! Are you telling me that you want me to give her money so that she can continue to stay at Wagon Wheel Acres and be close to her lover?"

"Dad. She is comfortable there. She wants to stay there because it is safe and familiar."

"Bullshit! She wants to stay there so that she can be close to him, even though he probably no longer knows who the hell she is. You are crazy if you think that I am going to let her use me for something like this."

"You are not being fair."

"Why don't you let her live with you? She can babysit for you and other stuff. Your house is big enough."

"We offered. She turned us down. She wants to stay at Wagon Wheel Acres."

I slowly got out of my chair and walked to the front hallway. As I took my hat from the peg by the door, I looked at my daughter. She traveled over a thousand miles for nothing. Her mother had hung the horns on me and now my daughter was trying to make me feel guilty for not accepting the humiliation.

"I am going down to the market. Close the door on your way out."

I knew exactly where I could find Darlene.

I never did find out what had motivated LaRue to act as she did. I no longer care. I am happy in my adobe hacienda.