He got up to go to his door when the doorbell chimed. “What’s up, Melanie?” he greeted after he opened his front door. He stepped to the side so that she could enter.
“Hey,” she said after she walked past him. She worked tonight, so she had on her uniform. “It smells like you cooked. What you cook?”
He passed her to lead her to the dining room. “I made seafood lasagna. You’re welcome to have some.”
“Thank you. Eloise raves about it. It’s about time that I tasted it. I thought I would have tasted it by now,” she said.
His face scrunched for a second before he caught himself. He could have said something, but he refrained. He didn’t understand why she would think that she would have tasted it by now. This was maybe the fifth time that she’d been in his house in over ten years.
“Eloise, your mother is here, “Alexander announced. “Let me fix her a plate, then we can talk.”
He watched his daughter and her mother love on each other. For all intents and purposes, they had a good relationship. At fourteen, Eloise started to smell herself like most fourteen-year-old girls did. They bumped heads on the usual teenage girl bullshit, from what he was told by either of them. His daughter’s newest unpaid position as the house babysitter might have been a strain between the two of them.
Alexander placed a plate of food in front of Melanie. When she reached out to put her hand on his, he discreetly moved it out of her way. “There you go.”
She snickered before she rolled her eyes and shook her head. Melanie knew about Alexander’s silly decision not to touch or be touched by her. She thought it was stupid as hell. Yes, they had their little fun when she first got married. It was what it was. She had to get her baby’s father out of her system. When she found out she was pregnant with Lawrence Junior anddidn’t know who the father was, Alexander was officially out of her system.
Melanie took a bite of the lasagna, and her eyes lit up. “Oh my God! This is amazing! If I knew you could cook like this, I really would have bagged you.”
Eloise’s face tightened. She’d never heard her mother allude to wanting her father. “Ma, that’s nasty, and you’re married to Lawrence. You’re bagged.”
Out of the mouth of babies. If anyone could get you together, it would be them. Melanie recoiled slightly at her inner thought that slipped between her lips.
Yeah, this was not what she was here for. Alexander wanted to get this conversation started. The faster it was started, the faster it could end. “Eloise, your mother and I wanted to talk to you about you coming to live with me for a little while.”
Melanie cleared her throat, which brought the attention to her. “You know that Lawrence lost his job, so things have been a little tough. We all talked and thought that it would be best if you stay with your father.” Her hands rose with her palms faced outward. “It’s only if you want to.”
“I want to,” Eloise blurted out.
Alexander closed his eyes. He wished that she would have taken a second to think about it. Her quick response to the proposition was guaranteed to add to the inadequacies that Melanie already had. When his eyes opened, like he guessed, he saw the hurt that radiated in Melanie’s eyes. He also saw the joy that was in his daughter’s.
“Eloise, you know that I’m moving to Charlotte in the next couple of months. That means that you will be uprooted out of your school. You will have to go to a new high school, learn a new area, and make new friends. I want you to think about that before you make your final decision, baby girl.” She needed to know everything that encompassed her decision.
Melanie sat there frozen. She prepared herself for her daughter to want to stay with her father, but she never thought that it would be with so much enthusiasm. Had the turmoil in her household been more noticeable than she thought it was? Lawrence and she had been at each other’s necks more than normal since he’d lost his job. Now that he had idle time, he filled it with bullshit. She questioned how hard his job search was.
Eloise looked between her parents. She didn’t want to hurt her mother’s feelings, but she didn’t want to live there. She loved being with her father. Yes, he spoiled her, but he still kept her in line. Her brothers were a handful, and she hated to deal with them. A lot of time she still sacrificed things that she wanted so there was enough money to go around for her brothers. With her one-year-old brother there now, it was worse.
“Um, I don’t have a problem making friends. I’m fine changing schools. Um, can I move in when I come on my next weekend?” She wanted to be here permanently as soon as she could.
Her request was another blow to Melanie’s heart. “Yes, I don’t think that will be a problem. We’ll still do every other weekend. The only difference is now you will be here permanently instead of with me.” Her hand covered Eloise’s. “You know that I love you, right?”
“I love you too, Mommy. Thank you.” That was a loaded thank you.
Melanie finished her food. “Well, let’s get ready to go, Eloise. Go get your things.”
“Mommy, can I just go to school from here tomorrow? I wanted Daddy to help me with my math homework.”
Melanie didn’t really mind, but in the same breath, she knew that she needed Eloise to come home to watch her brothers.Lawrence was there now, but he had something to do, or so he said. “Um, I wish you could, but Lawrence has something to do.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened then twitched. “Oh, did Lawrence find a job? Does he have a job interview tonight?”
She knew that Alexander would call it out. He made it clear at their last meeting that Eloise was not their babysitter. Melanie hated it herself, especially with her one-year-old. “Um, now he doesn’t, but?—”
“Then he can cancel his plans. If his plans do not pertain to bringing money in your house, then it’s not that important.” Alexander turned his head to his daughter. “Go get your homework so we can get it done.”
Present Day
Family Time . . .
