walls were closing in on me even more. I needed to get her moved to that other room. That was what I should have done before, whether or not Joe liked it.
“Of what?” She sat up with the tears raining down her innocent face, gluing the shattered pieces of my heart back together.
“Everything, Sky. This is all new to me, too. I didn’t expect this to happen.” Cupping my head in my hands, I let myself cry a little. “But, I wouldn’t change it at all. I can’t let anything else happen to either one of you again.”
“Keri, I like it here. And I don’t want to leave.” She crawled over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. Her soaked cheeks were being dried by my t-shirt. “I don’t want to ever leave. I like it here with you.” Her cries had come harder and faster until the fury of the storm finally unleashed, drenching my cotton covered shoulder.
I held her. I wrapped my arms around her and silently cried with her. “I’m so sorry that I can’t give you everything. I am so sorry that he walked out on us. Sky, I am so sorry. I just want you to be safe and protected. I never want anything to happen to you again.”
Getting our crying calmed down, I brushed away my tears as I let out a little giggle. Wrapping her in my arms, pulling her tight to my chest, I gave her another hug.
She rested back on her legs and used her fingertips to wisp away her salty valleys. “What was your mom like?”
“She was…” The salt burn was coming forth again. How I missed that woman. She was an older version of me, so beautiful, and I still remembered how gorgeous she was all dressed up and her hair perfect in that twist. The dress that she wore on the last night I saw her was long and sliver; clung to her womanly curves. Her makeup was light and accented the strong, graceful features of her face; the beautiful higher and well defined cheekbones, and the bright gunmetal eyes that were lined with just the right amount of liner and decorated with just a simple touch of dark brown, the same color as her perfectly wrapped hair. When she came out of her room, sliding her hands down her hips to smooth out the dress, I swore that I was looking at one of the actresses from a nineteen-thirties when the women were impeccable. “She was beautiful and strong and graceful. I still remember her when she left that night. She was nervous and thrilled and happy. I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid to wrinkle her.”
“Do you have any pictures of her?”’
“I do. There’s one on my dresser of her, and I have some more in my closet that I will bring out someday.” Taking those photos out of the container would open the healed wound I was left with on the day we buried her, and picking off the scab wouldn’t help matters right now, either. Not when I needed her to help me follow through with my decision on keeping the two kids. “I’ve been thinking...”
“About what?”
“This weekend … why don’t we move your room across to that other one? This is just way too small for you.”
“This is fine, Keri.” Her eyes scanned over her neat piles of clothing, her favorites on top and displayed to where she could easily get to them.
“No.” Shaking my head, I forced a smile and swallowed down the heavy, thick, and sticky guilt lump. “No, it’s not. And it never should have been.”
The teary smile widened on her innocent face, her eyes lighting up with the new hopes of finally finding a family. “I would really like that.”
“Okay. Then that is the plan.” My voice cracked as the cries tried to poke their way through the plastic wall I threw up in the tousle of thoughts about my mom.
Retreating to my bedroom as fast as I could, I pushed the wood door closed and sat on the edge of my bed. The slow brewing storm swung back around for another round-about as I looked at that beautiful, poetic face of my mother through a sheet of salty rain. Picking the brass frame up, I brushed my fingertips over her
“Of what?” She sat up with the tears raining down her innocent face, gluing the shattered pieces of my heart back together.
“Everything, Sky. This is all new to me, too. I didn’t expect this to happen.” Cupping my head in my hands, I let myself cry a little. “But, I wouldn’t change it at all. I can’t let anything else happen to either one of you again.”
“Keri, I like it here. And I don’t want to leave.” She crawled over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. Her soaked cheeks were being dried by my t-shirt. “I don’t want to ever leave. I like it here with you.” Her cries had come harder and faster until the fury of the storm finally unleashed, drenching my cotton covered shoulder.
I held her. I wrapped my arms around her and silently cried with her. “I’m so sorry that I can’t give you everything. I am so sorry that he walked out on us. Sky, I am so sorry. I just want you to be safe and protected. I never want anything to happen to you again.”
Getting our crying calmed down, I brushed away my tears as I let out a little giggle. Wrapping her in my arms, pulling her tight to my chest, I gave her another hug.
She rested back on her legs and used her fingertips to wisp away her salty valleys. “What was your mom like?”
“She was…” The salt burn was coming forth again. How I missed that woman. She was an older version of me, so beautiful, and I still remembered how gorgeous she was all dressed up and her hair perfect in that twist. The dress that she wore on the last night I saw her was long and sliver; clung to her womanly curves. Her makeup was light and accented the strong, graceful features of her face; the beautiful higher and well defined cheekbones, and the bright gunmetal eyes that were lined with just the right amount of liner and decorated with just a simple touch of dark brown, the same color as her perfectly wrapped hair. When she came out of her room, sliding her hands down her hips to smooth out the dress, I swore that I was looking at one of the actresses from a nineteen-thirties when the women were impeccable. “She was beautiful and strong and graceful. I still remember her when she left that night. She was nervous and thrilled and happy. I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid to wrinkle her.”
“Do you have any pictures of her?”’
“I do. There’s one on my dresser of her, and I have some more in my closet that I will bring out someday.” Taking those photos out of the container would open the healed wound I was left with on the day we buried her, and picking off the scab wouldn’t help matters right now, either. Not when I needed her to help me follow through with my decision on keeping the two kids. “I’ve been thinking...”
“About what?”
“This weekend … why don’t we move your room across to that other one? This is just way too small for you.”
“This is fine, Keri.” Her eyes scanned over her neat piles of clothing, her favorites on top and displayed to where she could easily get to them.
“No.” Shaking my head, I forced a smile and swallowed down the heavy, thick, and sticky guilt lump. “No, it’s not. And it never should have been.”
The teary smile widened on her innocent face, her eyes lighting up with the new hopes of finally finding a family. “I would really like that.”
“Okay. Then that is the plan.” My voice cracked as the cries tried to poke their way through the plastic wall I threw up in the tousle of thoughts about my mom.
Retreating to my bedroom as fast as I could, I pushed the wood door closed and sat on the edge of my bed. The slow brewing storm swung back around for another round-about as I looked at that beautiful, poetic face of my mother through a sheet of salty rain. Picking the brass frame up, I brushed my fingertips over her
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