PART 3
My mother’s hand went to her mouth.
My brother, Daniel, stared at Julian as if he had suddenly become a stranger.
Julian leaned back.
“You’re making this sound worse than it was.”
“How could it sound worse?” I asked. “You took my car.”
“Our car.”
“My father gave it to me.”
“And you’re married to me.”
There it was.
That sentence.
The one Julian had used so many times that I had almost stopped hearing how cruel it was.
Marriage, to him, seemed to mean ownership.
My father folded his hands on the table.
“Julian.”
Something about Dad’s voice made him stop.
“You said the car was given to your mother?”
“Yes.”
“Physically handed over?”
“Yes.”
“Title transferred?”
Julian hesitated.
“That’s paperwork. We’ll handle it.”
My father nodded.
“Interesting.”
Julian frowned.
“What?”
Dad didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he reached for his phone.
I watched his thumb move across the screen.
Julian laughed nervously.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a phone call.”
“To who?”
Dad looked up.
“To someone who handles paperwork.”
Julian’s smile returned, though it looked forced.
“There’s no need for this. Elena and I can deal with our marriage ourselves.”
My father stared at him.
“I agree.”
He pressed the phone to his ear.
“But this isn’t about your marriage.”
The room became completely silent.
My father spoke to someone for less than thirty seconds.
He gave a name.
He gave a vehicle identification number.
Then he said four words.
“Please confirm the current status.”
He listened.
His expression didn’t change.
“Thank you.”
He ended the call.
Julian leaned forward.
“Well?”
Dad looked at him.
“The vehicle is still legally registered to Elena.”
Julian’s face tightened.
“So?”
“So you had no authority to transfer ownership.”
“I didn’t transfer ownership.”
“You gave possession of someone else’s property to another person without permission.”
Julian scoffed.
“It’s a family matter.”
“No,” Dad said. “It was a family matter when you asked my daughter if she would help your mother. She said no. After that, it became something else.”
Julian pushed his chair back slightly.
“This is ridiculous.”
I finally spoke.
“Where is the car?”
Julian looked at me.
“At Mom’s.”
“Where?”
“Why?”
“Because I want it back.”
He laughed.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“You’re actually going to make your mother-in-law give the car back?”
I felt something inside me become very still.
“No.”
Julian smiled triumphantly.
“Good.”
“I’m going to ask you to give it back.”
His smile disappeared.
“I don’t have it.”
“You took it.”
“I gave it to Mom.”
“Then call her.”
He stared at me.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Everyone watched him.
He pulled out his phone.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
Then he looked at my father.
“This is unbelievable.”
Dad said nothing.
Julian called Brenda.
She answered almost immediately.
“Julian? Honey?”
He put the call on speaker.
“Mom, where are you?”
“At home. Why?”
“Where’s the Camry?”
A pause.
Then Brenda laughed.
“Why are you asking me? You gave it to me.”
My stomach turned.
“I need it back,” Julian said.
“What?”
“Tonight.”
Another silence.
“Is Elena there?”
Julian looked at me.
“Yes.”
Brenda’s voice changed.
“Oh.”
Just one word.
But it carried so much contempt that I felt my face grow hot.
Then she said, “So she’s finally complaining.”
My mother closed her eyes.
My father remained perfectly still.
I said, “Brenda, I didn’t give you the car.”
“You didn’t have to. Julian did.”
“It belonged to me.”
“No, Elena. You are married. You don’t get to divide everything into mine and yours whenever it suits you.”
I stared at the phone.
Those words were so familiar.
Almost exactly what Julian had said.
I suddenly understood.
He had not been making his own arguments.
He had been repeating hers.
Brenda continued.
“I’ve been using that car every day. I already sold my old one because Julian told me you were giving me this one.”
I looked at Julian.
His face had gone pale.
“You sold your car?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
My heart dropped.
“You didn’t tell me that,” Julian said.
“Because you said Elena wasn’t going to make trouble.”
Silence.
Nobody at the table moved.
Then my father finally spoke.
“Mrs. Mercer.”
Brenda went quiet.
“This is Harrison Vance.”
“Oh.”
Her voice immediately became smaller.
“I didn’t realize you were there.”
“I gathered that.”
Dad’s tone remained calm.
“The vehicle is legally owned by my daughter. She has requested its return.”
Brenda said nothing.
Dad continued.
“I suggest you arrange that tonight.”
“What if I can’t?”
“Then I suggest you contact an attorney before you make any further decisions regarding the vehicle.”
The line went silent.
Then Brenda said, “Julian told me—”
Dad interrupted.
“I am not discussing what Julian told you.”
His voice was still quiet.
“I am telling you what my daughter has told you now.”
The call ended.
Julian slowly placed his phone on the table.
Nobody spoke.
Then my aunt whispered, “Good Lord.”
