"What's going on, Donnie? You sounded frantic on the phone," my father said.
I didn't hold back. I told them everything—every last detail about Ethel's affair, laid out in a single breath.
When I finished, my father looked like the ground had shifted beneath him.
"Donnie, is there any chance this is a misunderstanding? Everyone can see how good Ethel is to you. The girl adores you."
"And you know how her job works—she's a surgeon. She's on call around the clock. Maybe there really was an emergency she had to handle?"
"That post... couldn't it just be a coincidence?"
My mother slammed her palm on the table.
"Coincidence? Are you out of your mind?"
"The post said the car was parked sideways. Ethel parked sideways."
"Donnie walked in without calling first. The post described the exact same situation."
"The post said the wife snuck out to drive the lover home. Ethel made up an excuse and left."
"And there just happened to be another man's hair on the bed? You think all of that is a coincidence?"
My father frowned. "But Ethel has treated Donnie like he's more important than her own life all these years—"
My mother scoffed. "So what?"
"Just because she's been good to him means she can't cheat?"