Kim is clearly fighting hard to keep her voice even. “Ivy, what is so horrible about your father and I having a relationship?”
“Because you hate each other!” Ivy says again, glaring. “What happens thenexttime you get divorced?”
“Ivy,” Kim snaps.
“What?” Ivy snaps right back. “Are you saying you won’t?”
My stomach ties in knots. I look back and forth between Kim, who looks thoroughly miserable, and Ivy, who is possibly more upset about this than she was about her phone and computer. Lukas has backed up against the headboard of the bed like he just wants to get out of the middle.
I’ve done this to them. When I walked out on Kim, I hurt every single one of them, and it doesn’t matter that it isn’t what I intended.
All three of them deserve better than me.
“Ivy,” I say. “I think you need to calm down, and then we can discuss this.”
“I’m not going to calm down!” Ivy shrieks. “You’re ruining my life. Isn’t that right, Luke?”
Luke looks alarmed, like he was hoping to just blend into the headboard like a chameleon.
“I don’t think Luke is upset about this,” Kim says.
“He is!” Ivy insists. “Tell them how upset you are, Luke.”
“I’m upset,” Luke says. “Very upset.”
I believe he is, because Ivy is a force of nature when she’s angry.
“Why are you upset, Luke?” I ask.
Luke’s eyes widen like I’ve just asked him to make Sophie’s Choice, and he flattens himself even more against the headboard. Ivy glares daggers at him.
“Is it because Ivy’s upset?” Kim asks.
Ivy lets out another guttural groan. “You don’t even know how bad this is!” she shouts at Luke.
“Okay,” Kim says. “Tell us how bad this is.”
Ivy crosses her arms and emotes angrily at us. She’s always been good at that, ever since she was little. It was cuter when she was two.
I take a deep breath before I speak. “All right. You’re obviously too upset to articulate this right now. So I want you to make a list of your specific concerns, and then we will all sit down and address them.”
Luke brightens at this. “I want to make a list!”
Of course he does. “Excellent. Let us know when you have those lists made, okay?”
Ivy glowers at us. “It doesn’t matter. You’re just going to do whatever you want, anyway.”
“We’re adults, Ivy,” Kim says. “But if we can do this in a way that’s easier for you, we will.”
Ivy huffs and storms out of the room.The three of us physically deflate.
“Sorry about that, Luke,” I tell him.
Luke looks at me with wide eyes. “Can I go play with my Legos now?”
“Yes,” Kim tells him. “That’s a great idea.”
Luke flees the room and slams the door behind him. Or maybe Ivy was waiting to slam the door. I can’t be sure.
