Finally he says, “Mike. Can you do me a favor? Can you do me a solid and just go along with this? For now, at least. We’ll just take it a day at a time. Mom is really determined to take Makayla away with her. I think it helps her conscience, somehow. But there will be no peace if we fight it. And I really do think it will be best for you and Makayla to be apart for a while. Can you do it? For me?”
My heart melts a little. I feel sorry for my dad, especially since mom has been cheating on him. I know he must be hurting inside, too. After thinking about it for a beat, I say, “Yeah, dad. I will do it, for you.” I say.
Dad pat me on the shoulder. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this. You take a weight off of my shoulders. Thanks, son.” He stood, ready to leave. “Good night, Michael.” With that he walks out the door.
I must admit. It feels good to help dad out like that. Dad has reason to be hurting more than I do, I realize. It makes me feel like a real man. Maybe it would be better for Makayla and I to be apart for a while. Like dad says, take it a day at a time. I lay there thinking, trying to imagine the new future. How often would I get to visit Makayla and mom? Next year, I’m sure Makayla and I will enroll in the same college. After 20 minutes, my door opens again. This time, I can see Makayla’s silhouette in my doorway.
“Come here, Makayla!” I exclaim in a whisper. She comes in, closing the door and slides into bed beside me. Without saying a word, she put her arms around me, put her head on my shoulder and began to cry again. We embrace and I rub her back, trying to soothe her. I thought of how Makayla and I have been arguing more. It all seems so petty, now. Finally I say, “Maybe they are right. Maybe it would be better for us to be apart for a while.”
“How can you say that!” Makayla shot back. “I can’t make it without you! Why do they want to separate us?” And she breaks into fresh sobs.
I let her cry, not saying anything. In her voice and in her sobs I hear nothing but despair. After a time, she seems to be running out of tears. I say, “We will see each other every weekend. It will just be a year and then we can go to college together. We can get jobs and move into the dorms.” Makayla doesn’t say a word. She seems to be totally spent and apathetic, now. Then I add, “Dad thinks that mom has been cheating on him with her boss. He has seen inappropriate emails between them.”
Makayla’s breath catches, then she says, “OK, that makes sense. I mean it doesn’t make sense, but it does explain a few things. Like why she has been working late most nights. And why she is moving to Greenville. And why she seems so detached about home and about us. But why can’t she just leave us alone and let us stay here together with dad? Why does she have to take me away?”
“Dad says that she is doing it to relieve her guilt,” I say. “She has not been a great mom, lately, and now she is busting up our home. She wants to start fresh and make it up to us. If that is true, then there is no use fighting her on the matter. I think I could convince dad to let us stay together, but mom won’t have it.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid you are right about that.” We remain in each other’s arms, quietly contemplating the future. “Are you planning to go to Greenville for college, Mike?”
“I was leaning that way, but I will go wherever you want to go.” I say.
Makayla replies, “I was thinking that way, myself. But now I don’t know. If mom lives in Greenville, she might want me to stay with her while I go to college. I kinda want to get away from her. Let’s just see how it goes. We don’t have to make a decision, yet.” Then Makayla kisses me tenderly on the cheek. “Ow, you are stubbly!” and Makayla giggles a little. Her laughter is a huge relief to me. Perhaps there will be life after separation. Then she gets serious again and looks into my eyes. “I miss you already.” Makayla says.
“Yeah, I miss you, too. Why do things have to change? I just can’t imagine mom opening her legs for that old creep of a boss. What made her do that?”
Makayla says “I can’t imagine. Dad is so sweet. I wonder if mom did it so that she could get ahead with her job? Or some women do it because they are bored with their husband. That is especially true if the husband is sweet. I will ask her about that, sometime.”
We sit in silence awhile, still embracing. Makayla finally tears herself away, saying, “I better get to bed. Mom says we need to start packing tomorrow. Somehow our talk tonight makes me feel better. I understand a little better why things are as they are. That, and we have a plan. I still don’t like it, but at least I understand. Thanks, Michael.”
“Love you, Makayla. We are tough. We’ll get through this.” With that, Makayla disappears out into the hallway. I feel much better, knowing that Makayla has conquered some of her despair. With that, a dreamless sleep overtakes me.
***
Makayla:
In the morning, wakefulness comes drifting in gradually. I remember the events from yesterday as if in a dream. For a moment, I wonder if it really happened or was it a nightmare? As awareness settles in, I know that it is reality and that I am really leaving Mike and dad and moving away with mom to Greenville. I feel despair begin to overwhelm me, and I am on the brink of tears again. I am sick of tears. Pulling myself together, I say out loud, “We are tough. We will get through this.”
After washing my face and getting dressed, I join Mike and dad in the kitchen for breakfast. “Morning,” I offer in greeting.
“Good morning, Princess.” Dad says. His voice is cheerful, but there is a look of sadness in his face. He is probably hurting from mom’s betrayal. There is a special bond between a father and daughter. Not as complete as the twin bond, but pretty strong. It makes me sad to see my dad hurting so. I love that he calls me ‘Princess’. Many people address us as, ‘the twins’. Dad’s term of endearment shows that he recognizes me as an individual, apart from Mike. My heart swells with love for him.
“Where’s mom?” I ask, noting her absence.
Mike replies, “She’s back in her room, packing.”
“Oh,” I say, and everyone falls silent. Another layer of sadness fills the room, because it is a reminder of what is to come. We sit in silence, each mechanically eating our breakfast. After eating I go in search of mom. I find her in her room, tossing clothes into suitcases, boxes and garment bags. She doesn’t look up as I come into her room. “Good morning, mom”, I say, trying to be civil.
“Oh, hey'” mom says, still not looking up. “You started packing, yet?”
“Not yet. I just finished breakfast,” I reply. “We aren’t moving until tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. But I want to take our clothes over to the house by noon, today. Furniture is being delivered to the house this afternoon and I need to be there to show them where I want it placed” mom says. “Tomorrow we can make another trip with the rest of our belongings. I figure we can do it all with two trips.”
“Sure,” I say without enthusiasm. “I’ll get my clothes ready to go.” Then I add, with a tone of finality, “But I’m spending the night here, tonight.”
Now mom looks up at me. “Sure, honey. That will be fine. I know we sprung this on you rather suddenly. We just need to get the move done before the weekend is up. I have to be ready to start my new position Monday morning. That is what has pushed this along so fast. I am looking forward to our new life together in Greenville.”
I move slowly down the hall to my room, to begin the job that I do not want to do. As I lay my clothes out on my bed, I reflect on the change in my world. I went from a yearning to have more independence from Mike and his influence in my life, to being terrified how I will cope without him. What a contradiction!
“Hey, sis. Can I help you?” Mike comes into my room and closes the door.
“Sure. I would be glad for your company.” I reply. “I don’t really want to do this job. This is happening too fast. Tonight is my last night in this house! If you want, you can help by taking the clothes out of my dresser and pack them into these boxes.” I turn to get my things from the closet.
Mike opens my top dresser drawer and begins taking clothes out. He says, “Yeah. You would think we could have had a warning of at least a couple of weeks.”
Looking from the corner of my eye, I see that Mike is holding up a pair of my panties at eye level, examining them. Then he spreads them on my bed, refolding them before carefully placing them in a small cardboard box. I swallow down an uncomfortable lump in my throat and feel the heat in my face, aware that I’m blushing. I say, “Mom starts her new position in Greenville, Monday morning. Apparently that is the reason for the big rush.”
“Hum,” Mike grunts. He doesn’t sound too impressed. I might be inclined to look at things more from mom’s perspective, since I am going to have to live with her.
I have a few hats, caps, scarves and sweaters on the top shelf of my closet. I will need to get a stool to reach them. Mike must have seen me studying them, for he comes up behind me. “Let me get that for you.” Placing a hand on my shoulder, he reaches over me to grab a stack of caps. I feel his body press into my back side. It feels hard and muscular. He smells uniquely masculine. His deodorant, his shampoo, his shaving cream. A tingly warmth spreads throughout all my lady parts. All of a sudden, the room is getting very warm. I feel a little lightheaded. I notice that I am holding my breath and can’t seem to exhale.
Mike suddenly registers the contact between us. He senses that my body has gone rigid. He sweeps my hair over one shoulder and I feel the warmth of his breath on the back of my neck. He surprises me by planting a kiss on the side of my neck, just below my ear. Time stands still as my pulse pounds in my ears. I turn around to face him, wanting to embrace him, to cover his mouth with mine and kiss his lips. I want to give him a real lover’s kiss. But when I turn to him, he hands me a stack of caps before I can make my move. Then he moves to the closet to retrieve more stuff from the high shelf. I still feel the spot on my neck where he kissed me. My body trembles a little as I put the caps into a box.
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