Olivia muted her initial response of anger. Her realization about Simone speaking more than a few words to her kept her grounded. Drawing in and out three deep breaths calmed her from her inclination to react.
Malcolm took two steps to stand in front of their daughter. He shook a finger inches in front of her face. “Simone, you knew you weren’t supposed to let the dogs out. Apologize to your mother. Now.”
Shock crossed Simone’s face. She folded her arms, dropped her eyes to the floor, and pursed her lips before mumbling, “I’m sorry.”
“Raise your head, look at your mother, and apologize loud enough,” Malcolm demanded.
Olivia widened her eyes, surprised at Malcolm disciplining Simone. He always left it up to her when they all lived underneath the same roof. She guessed he learned something when forced upon him.
Reluctance made Simone’s head seem too heavy to lift. “I’m sorry,” she repeated and shifted her focus away.
Simone had grown into a spitting image of her mother. She also had the same temperament. Not a good thing, Olivia surmised.
“Apology accepted, Simone,” Olivia said. Unspoken pain shouted from her daughter’s eyes. A soulless shell emerged from the depths of her pupils.
Olivia noticed Mariah glaring at her from the chair where she sat. “What are you looking at?” She snapped at Mariah.
Mariah leaned against the back of the chair in her struggle to stand. “Don’t speak to me like you’re crazy when you are in my house.”
“This ain’t even a house. It’s a nasty excuse for a home.” Olivia glowered at her.
“Don’t make me kick you out of here,” Mariah threatened. “Or better yet, sic the dogs on you.”
“I wish you would try to make me leave. Watch how fast I roll your Weeble Wobble self onto the floor. I’ll make sure you fall and stay there.” Olivia balled her fist and stomped a foot toward Mariah.
“Olivia stop it. Don’t forget she’s pregnant. You can’t knock her to the floor. Mariah, go to the bedroom. You two stop acting like this in front of the kids,” Malcolm warned, jumping between the women.
Olivia forgot the kids were watching everything going on. Christian’s eyes were wide with surprise. Simone’s dull expression appeared to show she’d received confirmation of her mother’s bad temper. Olivia cleared her throat and loosened her stance before taking a step back from Mariah.
“Go to the room? Why are you telling me what to do Malcolm? I live here and she doesn’t. She needs to leave,” Mariah whined.
“Honey. We need to chat with the kids. I’m asking you to go to the room. Please.” Malcolm softened his tone although he kept enough firmness to let her know there was no room for negotiation.
Mariah sniffled and glared at Olivia. She turned and shuffled in her overrun slippers to their bedroom. The slamming of the door shook the thin-walled apartment.
THIRTEEN
Olivia
Malcolm turned off the blaring TV, which further calmed the chaotic apartment. “Let’s have a seat at the kitchen table.” He appeared embarrassed as he transferred dishes to the countertop to clear space. “Christian, grab a dishrag, and wipe off the table.”
“Why do I have to do it?” Christian whined. “I did it last time.”
“Because I said so. Hurry up. We don’t have all day,” Malcolm ordered.
Christian flopped to the kitchen sink and picked up a rag. He halfway wiped the table before tossing the cloth back into the sink.
“Uh-uh. Christian, you know you need to do a better job than that. Get the dishrag again and do it right,” Olivia scolded.
“Aww, Mom.” Christian grabbed the rag and cleaned the table again.
“Much better,” Olivia said.
“Olivia, please have a seat. Kids, come sit at the table. We have some things we need to discuss with you.” Malcolm lowered himself into a chair and waited for the rest of them to join him.
Olivia slid out the chair next to Malcolm. The kids sulked to the other two seats. Simone studied her hands as if pursuing an obvious avoidance of eye contact.
“Are you two getting back together?” Christian’s face lit with the hope of a positive response to his question.
“No, baby. We aren’t getting back together,” Olivia said. She darted her eyes at Malcolm to indicate her disgust with him.
“Aww. I want us to be a family again,” Christian replied with such sadness, his words cried.
“Don’t be stupid, Christian,” Simone snarled. “You know we’re going to have a new mom now.”
“Christian is not stupid, Simone,” Malcolm snapped.
“And Mariah will only be your stepmother. I’ll always be your mom.” Olivia jumped in to protect her position.
“Yeah, whateva,” Simone mumbled below her breath.
“Excuse me?” Heat rose on the back of Olivia’s neck. “You’d better stop mumbling, young lady. Whether you’re angry with me or not, I will always be your mother. Do you understand me? Look at me and answer my question, Simone.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Simone responded in a low voice.
“Look. Kids. We know our separation has been difficult for both of you. We aren’t getting back together. You’ll be glad to know I have good news.” Malcolm’s top lip began sweating.
“What is it, Dad? Stop keeping us in suspense.” Oblivious to the crisis at hand, Christian bounced in his seat.
“Okay. We’re moving to Miami, Florida.” Malcolm announced as if they’d won a trip on a game show.
“Moving to Miami?” Simone screeched with a bewildered look on her face. “You can’t be serious, Dad.”
“Yay. We’re moving to Florida.” Christian jumped up and down. His smile radiated his excitement. “Disney World is there, right?”
“Yes, in Orlando. It’s not too far from Miami. Yes, Simone. I’m serious,” Malcolm responded.
“No. I don’t want to move away from San Antonio,” Simone pleaded. “Dad, I want to stay here. I’m beginning to make new friends again. You’re going to ruin my life forever.”
“Simone. Stop being dramatic. Your life will be fine,” Malcolm replied. “You’ll make new friends again.”
“But, why? We’re fine where we are.” Simone’s bottom lip trembled as she often did to hold back from crying. She slumped in the chair with folded arms.
“Settle down. Here’s the deal.” Malcolm paused and took a deep breath. “Mariah and I decided it’s best for us to all move to Miami. We need to be there with her other kids and sick mother. You’ll get to meet your new brothers and sister.”
“Mom. Are you moving to Florida with us, too?” Christian asked with optimism.
“No, baby. I’ll be staying in San Antonio,” Olivia murmured in monotone.
“You won’t be there? How will we see you? When will you be able to come to my basketball games?” He pouted as the reality of the situation set in. His anguished eyes showed his conflict about whether he should be happy about moving to Florida or sad about moving away from Olivia.
“I’ll visit as soon as I can. You’ll also come back to spend time with me,” Olivia consoled although her chest swelled with holding back her true emotions.
“I don’t want to leave you, Mama.” Christian leaned into her lap and began weeping.
“Oh, Christian. It’s okay, honey. We are going to work this all out.” Olivia stroked her son’s back to comfort him. She glared at Malcolm and anger seeped into her pores with the deeper revelation of the stress on the kids.
Aside from Christian’s sobs, silence thickened in the kitchen. A clock ticked above the stove. The dogs whimpered outside, which added to the family drama.
“This is unfair. Our whole lives are falling apart. I don’t have any of my stuff anymore and now you guys are taking me away from everything and everyone I know. None of this would even be happening if she didn’t set our house on fire,” Simone stated with dramatic flair. She jutted her thum
b in Olivia’s direction. “This is all her fault.”
“Simone. You better think twice before you disrespect me again. Don’t you dare refer to me as ‘her’ when I’m sitting here.” Olivia shook her finger beneath Simone’s nose. “Let me tell you something, little girl. You may be angry with me and think I ruined your whole life. The regret I feel about setting our home on fire with you and Christian in the house consumes me daily. I never intended to harm either one of you. It may be a long time before you forgive me. It doesn’t change the fact I’m your mother. You will show me respect.”
Simone bunched her eyebrows and her lips drew into a frown. Her face contorted with a dark expression. Her chest rose and fell with rapidness from her constrained anger. The transformation in her daughter scared Olivia as she remembered Dr. Hennings’s words about how much Simone resented her.
“Can we live with you, Mom?” Christian raised his head from Olivia’s lap. “I mean. Dad, I don’t want to be away from you either. I don’t want to lose Mom.”
Malcolm’s eyebrows raised in concern. “Son, I have custody of you and your sister. You can’t live with your mom.”
“For now,” Olivia chimed in and shot Malcolm a daggered look. She focused on Christian and responded. “Mommy has to finish taking care of getting counseling and establishing my practice again. You’ll live with your Dad for now and we’ll see what we will do later.”
“I don’t have any friends at my school anymore. I’m fine if I can’t stay here now. I wish we could all be together.” Christian leaned on Olivia’s shoulder.
Olivia’s heart seemed to stop beating after hearing Christian’s words. It bothered her knowing the effect on her kids’ friendships. On the flip side, a change of schools would at least put them around children who wouldn’t refer to her as ‘psycho mom’. The people in Miami wouldn’t know what happened in San Antonio.
“Oh, my Gawd. I can’t believe this. This is unfair,” Simone whined.
“Simone. Since you’re finishing elementary school, you weren’t going to stay where you are anyway,” Malcolm explained.
“Oh, my Gawd. You don’t get it. This means I won’t be able to go to East Alamo Middle School next year. I’ve been looking forward to being on their swim team,” Simone complained. “I don’t want to swim if I have to move to Miami.”
“Stop using the Lord’s name in vain, Simone,” Christian corrected his sister.
“I said Gawd, not God,” Simone said.
“You meant God though,” Christian pressed.
Olivia raised her hand to let Christian know to back down. Any other time, Olivia would’ve addressed the issue. In this scenario, she wanted to be sensitive to what Simone was expressing. The change in schools would be significant. As a competitive intramural swimmer, she’d placed first in several swim meets and would no doubt continue to be successful in middle school. She would have to build her confidence to excel in the Miami community as she had in San Antonio.
“Kids. We’ll worry about the schools later. This is something beyond our control for the moment,” Malcolm stated.
“It is in your control. If you weren’t engaged to Mariah, we wouldn’t be in this situation. I can’t believe you want us to go be with her kids,” Simone cried. “We don’t even know them and they won't like us.”
Christian jolted his head upward from Olivia’s shoulder. “Dad, will we have to share you with them?”
“Um. Yes. We’ll make it fun. Some of the kids are the same age as you and Simone. You’ll have playmates in the same house. Their friends will be your friends, t-too,” Malcolm stammered. The confused expression on his face showed he hadn’t considered these types of concerns.
“But what if they don’t like us?” Christian asked in a panic.
“Son. Calm down. You’ll be fine. You’ve always been able to make friends. It will be the same in Miami. Everything is going to work out,” Malcolm consoled.
“No, it won’t,” Simone screamed and stood with her fists balled. “I hate both of you. I wanna run away and kill myself.” She stormed to her room and slammed the door.
“Simone,” Malcolm yelled. “What did I tell you about slamming doors?”
“Leave her alone, Malcolm. Let’s give her some space.” The fact Olivia allowed Simone’s behavior to go unchecked, made her realize her own state of shock.
Malcolm’s face softened. “Okay. I’ll check on her.”
“I think I better go now. We’ll discuss this later to figure this all out. They need an appointment with Dr. Hennings as soon as possible.” Olivia lowered her voice to change the atmosphere in the room.
“Yeah. Good idea,” Malcolm agreed.
Olivia reached for Christian’s hands. Her eyes darted back and forth across his face to assess his emotions. “Honey. we both love you and your sister. This is an adjustment in all our lives. It’s going to work out. Okay?”
Christian nodded. “Yes, Mama. I know it will. I’ll be okay and Simone will be, too.”
Olivia hugged him. She struggled to swallow past the painful lump in her throat to hold back the tears until she could be alone in her car. “Thank you, baby. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Mama. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Olivia squeezed him tighter and kissed the top of his head before letting him go.
After Christian sulked to his room, Malcolm and Olivia stared at each other in spent disbelief. Olivia’s emotions emptied from her core and left her speechless. Malcolm broke the silence.
“I didn’t think it would turn out like this,” Malcolm stated.
“You didn’t think. Period. You didn’t consider what this means to them in an already difficult time. I had to be away from them for thirty days while locked up in jail. Now, you are ripping them from me and their world in the only city they’ve ever known. Did you even consider the distance?” Olivia spat her words in anger.
“Look, I don’t want your opinion.”
“No. You’re going to listen to me.” Olivia slammed her palm on the table. “You are a sorry excuse for a father.”
“Olivia, I’m a good father,” Malcolm said.
“How do you expect us to fly the kids back and forth to visit? Huh? Oh, wait. Let me guess. Your plan includes me buying airline tickets every time. Correct?”
“Keep your voice down, Olivia. The kids hear you,” Malcolm warned.
“I’ll do you one better. I’m leaving. I can’t stand being around you. This right here is a major fail on your part. You’d better pray our kids will recover from this trauma you’ve caused.”
Olivia didn’t wait for Malcolm’s response. She darted to the door and exited without another word.
FOURTEEN
Savvy
“Watch your back, Christian.” Savvy cupped her hands and yelled from the stands. She and Olivia stood along with other basketball parents in the Sportsplex.
“Oh, come on, Ref. You know it’s a foul,” Olivia bellowed and slapped her hands on her jeans. “We see that with our eyes closed.” Half of the crowd moaned along with Olivia in disbelief and others cheered.
“Get up, Christian. Keep moving. You’ve got this,” Savvy coached.
Christian scrambled from the floor. He caught up with the other players in time to receive a pass from the point guard.
“You have an open shot, Christian. Take it and make it,” Olivia hollered and clapped her hands. She jumped on the wooden bleachers in nervous anticipation.
The ball flew from Christian’s hands and hit the backboard. Time stood still as the ball bounced onto the rim and circled three times. Olivia and Savvy held their breaths along with the crowd anticipating what would happen.
The home team erupted into a joyful cheer after the ball dropped through the hoop for the point right before the halftime buzzer sounded.
“Yes,” Savvy and Olivia yelled in unison and high-fived.
Savvy shouted, “Awesome job, Ch
ristian. Way to go Armadillos.”
Olivia raised two-thumbs-up when Christian scanned the crowd to make sure they hadn’t missed seeing his shot. His face beamed with happiness as he sprinted to the locker room with his team.
“Alright. Whew,” Olivia said as she and Savvy sat on the bleacher. “I didn’t know if the ball would go in or not.”
“I know, right. He’s doing great in this game.” Savvy readjusted her scrunchy, which held her braids back into a ponytail.
“Thank God. After everything we’ve dealt with following the disastrous discussion with the kids about moving to Miami, I’m glad Christian is handling things well. I wish the same could be said about Simone.”
“What’s happened since you visited them last weekend?” Savvy asked.
Olivia greeted one of the basketball Moms. “Hi, Bonnie. Gavin is playing an awesome game tonight.” She turned back to Savvy. “Well, for starters, not only is she not talking to me, now she isn’t speaking to Malcolm either. She keeps saying she is going to run away.”
“Oh, no. I remember you telling me how traumatized she is about having to move.”
“Malcolm took her to an appointment with Dr. Hennings tonight. He requested the court’s permission for me to pick up Christian for the game. That’s why they aren’t here,” Olivia
said. “If it were up to me, we would have her see the therapist daily. Christian told me she gets out of school and stays in her room until time to eat dinner.”
“I hope her visit with Dr. Hennings will be good for her. She has a lot of anger to work out.”
“Like mother, like daughter.” Olivia wrung her hands. Her eyebrows drew together adding years to her face.
“Come on. Let’s discuss something else right now. You don’t want Christian to come out of the locker room and see your pitiful face.” Savvy patted Olivia’s shoulder. She whipped out her phone. “Hey. Let’s take a selfie.”
“Good idea. Does my hair look okay?” Olivia ran her hand across the back of her head.
“Fabulous.” Savvy removed the scrunchy from her ponytail and spread her braids across her shoulder. “Here, you hold the phone. Your arms are longer.”
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