Lisa because of this one incredibly stupid decision.
“I get it. Just like her, I had to juggle motherhood while I put myself through college. But I would
have taken a zero on any assignment rather than endanger my son,” she countered. “And yes, I know
Willow wasn’t in danger today because William’s a good guy, but she didn’t know that. What happens
the next time?”
“There won’t be a next time,” I insisted. I still had no clue what I was going to do, but the more
Lisa’s comments from today replayed in my mind, the more convinced I became that we were going to
have a hard talk about Willow’s living arrangements. But I needed to figure out how to do that without
making Lisa feel even worse about herself. That wasn’t the goal here. My stomach churned as I
realized I might not have an option other than to quit working at the club. It paid better, but then I’d be
paying out for both preschool and childcare at night. “Let me ask you a question.”
“Shoot. Not sure if I’ll have an answer, but I’ll try.”
I wasn’t a fan of sitting around while Gen busied herself getting dinner started. I joined her at the
counter, holding out my hand for the knife. “Let me do that, unless there’s something else you need
help with.”
“You’re sweet, but you don’t have to.”
“I know, but it’ll give me something to do other than get lost in my own mind,” I admitted.
She quickly told me how she wanted everything cut and moved to the other end of the counter.
“So, what’s your question?”
Oh yeah. Fuck, this was hard.
“I don’t even know if I can make it work, but I think Lisa needs a break. Maybe giving her some
time to focus on school will make it easier for her to spend time with Willow,” I rambled, not looking
up from the pile of veggies in front of me. “She hasn’t been happy lately, and there’s probably
something deeper going on, but she knows she’s not being a good parent. Would it be wrong of me to
suggest keeping Willow most of the time and setting up visitation? Will it be bad for Willow to not be
with her mom?”
“I think that would be a great solution,” Gen responded. “Maybe Lisa will sort out her life and
realize what she’s missing, maybe she won’t. The question is, are you ready for that sort of
commitment? Right now, you’re justifiably upset with her, but I wouldn’t recommend doing anything
when you’re so emotionally charged. Sit down and think about everything you would have to give up.
