At the Water's Edge by Harper Bliss

strike up a romance with another woman, always coming back to the same old reasons. I also know that, while it was the direct catalyst for the destruction of our family, at the core of it all, it wasn’t the main reason.
    “I was only thirteen and I didn’t really understand what was going on, but Nina took it hard. He was her hero, you know? The guy she adored most in the world. After that, she went off the rails. Fell in with a bad crowd. Blew her college applications. It’s hard to say why some people never bounce back. She’s very much like Mom in that respect. Very proud. Extremely stubborn. Would rather hold on to a super-destructive grudge than forgive. Not budging an inch.”
    I glance at Kay. She has narrowed her eyes, appearing fully absorbed by the sordid details of my family’s secrets.
    “Mom made it seem as if she was making a huge sacrifice by not leaving him. By standing by his side and not kicking him out. That first year, not a day went by that she didn’t rub it in all of our faces. Dee Goodman, the biggest person on the planet.” I shake my head. “But let’s just say that, from then on, dinner was quite a frosty affair. Every moment bathed in an accusatory silence and every word drenched in blame. They dealt with it the way they deal with everything: by not addressing it, by keeping up appearances at all costs, and by ignoring it until the problem goes away.” I fix my eyes on Kay. “Have there never been any rumors about this in town?”
    Kay shrugs. “It happened so long ago, but no, not that I know of.” She spreads her arms. “And, growing up here, I’ve heard a lot of gossip. Even at an age when I wasn’t supposed to.” She flashes me a grin, her bright white teeth glittering in the dusk. “There was talk about Nina, of course. About her and the Hardy boy. How that turned out.”
    “The final nail in my Mom’s coffin. God, you should have heard her. As if all the suffering of the world had been piled upon her. ‘After all I’ve done for this family.’ Endless litanies like that. The problem with Mom is that she has always believed that she’s the only one who ever had the courage to do the right thing. Not that it’s all Mom’s fault.” I sigh deeply. “And now they’re both retired, still living in the same house, spending most of their time together—well, minus the hours Dad spends at The Attic. Can you believe that?”
    “True love and all that,” Kay says in a sarcastic tone.
    “Love?” I snicker. “If I know one thing in my life with absolute certainty, it’s that love has nothing to do with it.” I let my gaze drift over the water.
    “Tough day today, Little Ella,” Kay says, as if reading my mind again. “Swim?”
    “God yes.” I glower at Kay, unsure if she means a repeat of our nude night swimming session of the day before. Night hasn’t fully fallen yet, and I’m a bit hesitant to shed all my clothes.
    She pulls her t-shirt over her head, revealing the white bikini top that suits her skin tone so well.
    “I’m not wearing my bathing suit.” I watch Kay step out of her shorts and I feel it again. I feel glad to be alive.
    “Just jump in in your underwear.” Kay turns and leers at me. “Or naked.” Coquettishly, she brings her hands to her hips. “You won’t get any complaints from me.” She walks to the water’s edge and dives in.
    Perhaps because of all the memories I’ve dug up today, and how everything about them seemed to be about being in control and curbing the sense of freedom needed for happiness, I take off all my clothes and, naked, jump in after Kay.
    “Bold move, Goodman.” Kay is treading water in the middle of the lake. “Not that I was watching.”
    With the water flowing all around me, unobstructed by any fabric, I feel almost as one with the lake—and I never want to wear my bathing suit again.
    As the sky turns a shade darker, I glare at Kay. She’s so easy to be around. So uncomplicated. So pure. So everything