That's what I said, too - there's no way to judge which statement is truthful.
His mother-in-law speaks
Charlene Davis, Oefelein's former mother-in-law, was cryptic about the astronaut's relationship with Nowak in an interview with the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Times quoted her a day earlier as blaming Nowak, at least in part, for the breakup of her daughter's marriage.
Davis said she has not met Nowak but knew that she and her former son-in-law "spent time together."
"Whatever choices they made, unfortunately, they will affect many lives," said Davis, a real estate agent in Hawaii, of Oefelein and Nowak. "Unfortunately, he's made some choices in life that put him in an uncomfortable position."
Davis said the family may be upset with Oefelein and his possible role in this bizarre drama, but they are standing behind him.
"He's the father of my grandchildren, and he needs to have people around him," she said.
Of Nowak, Davis said: "I don't know why somebody who is supposedly so smart could be so stupid."
Oefelein was married to the former Michaella Davis, a NASA contractor who lives with the couple's two children in Friendswood. She did not return the Chronicle's calls for comment.
Davis emphasized that Oefelein had a lot of pressure on him. "So many things were going on in his life, between the program and his family," she said. "Bill worked with that woman (Lisa Nowak) for years, but who's responsible for the demise of their (the Oefeleins') marriage? I have no idea."