“That’s because you are a proven liar in my book,” Joanna snapped back.
“Joey, I was just screwing around before. I was kidding. It was a joke,” Grant yelled. “Why do you have to make some connection to the fire? I know you don’t believe me about what happened that night. I know you think I did it, and you have no idea how much that hurts me. Why can’t you believe that I had nothing to do with the fire at that gas station…that I had nothing to do with that old man nearly being killed? Do you have any idea how scared I was that night? I didn’t do it.”
“I think you did,” Joanna gulped.
“That’s enough, Joanna,” Nora interceded.
Emotion shone all over Grant’s face, and he looked as though he was about to cry, but Joanna was uncertain if that emotion was the painful recollection of the tragedy that night could have resulted in, the plea of an innocent boy to have the sister he loved believe that he wasn’t involved, or simply the guilty eyes of a habitual liar.
“No,” Joanna sighed. “Grant, I love you, but what am I supposed to think? I don’t think you meant to start that fire. I think it was an accident. I think it’s one time when your screwing around, as you say, got way out of hand. I believe that you’re sorry that it happened, but, I’ll be really honest with you. I have no idea if the tears you cried on the witness stand in front of that judge were any more real than that production on the floor. When you looked that judge in the eyes, you looked like the picture of innocence, and, thank God, she bought it…but I don’t…I think you’re just an amazing actor who conned his way out of a heap of trouble.”
“I’m telling the truth,” Grant said softly.
“I hope so,” David replied. “Because your word is the most important thing you have, Grant. I know you were kidding earlier, and that doesn’t bother me, but, what does bother me, is the fact that you can’t seem to tell the truth when it counts.”
Grant said something to Joanna in a quick string of German that left Joanna’s mouth hanging open.
“Don’t talk that way to your sister, Grant,” Randy butted in.
“Grant, what did you say?” Nora begged.
“Grant, there’s no need to get upset,” David shook his head. “Nobody is attacking you. We just want to help you, man, and, in order for us to do that, you have to be truthful.”
“I always tell the truth,” Grant replied.
“Grant, I don’t think you know how to tell the truth,” David replied.
“David, don’t,” Melissa sighed. “You weren’t there that night, and you don’t know what happened.”
“She’s right,” David nodded. “I wasn’t there the night of the fire, but I was there last night, Grant, when you found yourself in another situation that you thought you could lie your way out of.” David looked past Grant to his father. “Get this,” he began, “Grant wanted me to have mercy on him last night, so he fed me this messed up story about how…”
Grant shot up out of bed. “Shut up, David,” he demanded.
“Spare us the theatrics, Grant,” Joanna broke in.
“Are you embarrassed for everyone else to know what you had the nerve to tell me last night?” David chuckled. “I’m telling y’all, this kid has no shame.”
“Shut-up,” Grant begged.
“Oh, calm down. They need to hear this one,” David insisted. “Last night, he fed me this whole sob story about walking in on Dad and some chick named Cindy… doing it at the house. How messed up is that?”
Grant ran his fingers through his hair. “Gosh, you’re dumb,” he sighed.
“Can you believe he would suggest something so despicable?” David turned to his father, expecting his face to be full of fury; instead, he found his dad staring down at the table, looking rather forlorn.
Nora rose from her perch on the bed. “Randy?” she sighed, her voice cracking.
Randy stood, his jaws and his fists clinched. “Nora…”
“Cindy Brooks?” Nora cried. She stared at her husband, but all she could see were flashbacks of the past couple months, and, in her head, the lies all seemed to come together like scenes from a movie.
“I love you, Nora,” Randy said, sounding more vulnerable in that moment than any of his children had ever heard him sound before. “You have to believe that. I love you, and I love our kids, and I’ll do anything…”
“Get out,” Nora pointed.
“What just happened here?” Emily cried as she tried to make sense of the moment.
“I didn’t…” David stuttered. “I can’t…” He couldn’t form the words to express the shock that had taken over his entire body.
“Dad?” Joanna exclaimed. “I don’t believe this! Who is Cindy Brooks? What have you done?”
Randy forced himself to meet the heartsick eyes of his children. Mortified, he could only nod a confirmation of their suspicions.
“Get out,” Nora cried, her entire body shaking.
Grant lunged at David. “Grant, stop it,” Randy sighed as he pulled his youngest son off of his oldest. “It’s not his fault. He didn’t know.”
“I would never lie about something like that!” Grant screamed as he got in one last kick at David as Randy pulled him away.
Randy held Grant in a bear hug so tight that Grant could feel his dad’s heart pounding against his chest. “He didn’t know, Buddy. He didn’t know,” Randy sighed as Grant struggled to break free.
David focused only on his brother, who stood staring back at him as he remained trapped underneath their father’s massive arms. “Grant,” he asked, his voice steady now, “how did you know about it?”
“I told you,” Grant said softly. “I saw them.”
“Come-here, Sweetheart,” Nora cried, motioning Grant toward her. “Randy, get your hands off of my son and get out of this room.”
“Nora, please give me a chance to make you understand,” Randy begged as he continued to hold Grant off of David.
