Laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as the blade spun around in a quick loop, Stevie listened intently to the sound of little feet scurrying down the hallway.
She had been in bed all day, only getting up to pour herself another drink, and check to see if Lindsey ever returned home... He hadn't, but that wasn't actually uncommon for him.
He spent a lot of time out, doing whatever it was that he did to keep himself occupied. And to save herself from any extra heartache, or unnecessary pain, she simply didn't question it. It was just so much easier that way.
It was only a couple of minutes later when that little pitter patter going back and forth stopped, and then there was a soft knock on the door. "Mommy?" That sweet little voice echoed down the hallway, causing the older woman to push herself up against the headboard.
Grabbing her cup off the stand, Stevie slid it behind the lamp before she ran her fingers through her tangly curls. "You can come in, honey." She mumbled, half heartedly tossing her heavy legs over the edge of the bed to stand up.
She didn't want Clancy to see her like that- still in bed at four in the afternoon... It wasn't fair, nothing a child should have to worry about, even if she didn't actually understand it all completely.
There were some days that her mommy was just extra sad- that was all.
Pushing open the door, the little girl hurried through the room. "Mommy, look what I drew at school today!" She held the piece of paper in both hands, showing it to her mother with a proud smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Bending down to be level with Clancy, Stevie's eyes scanned over the stick figure family. It was everyone- even grandma and grandpa were outside in a field of bright green grass, picking flowers and smiling. Such big smiles, such happy smiles...Smiles that only a child could dream of.
"That's very sweet, baby." She assured, trying to smile but it was so hard. Harder than normal. "I bet, if you ask nicely, Lola will help you put it on the fridge." Her voice cracked as her eyes stayed locked with Clancy's. "That deserves to be on display." She added with a soft, yet almost forced chuckle.
Showing off her missing front teeth, the little girl gave her an almost shy giggle in return. "I've really missed your laugh, mommy." She stated, which caused Stevie's heart to sink into the very pit of her stomach.
It had been a long time since life had been normal... sometimes she didn't feel like she was supposed to laugh, smile, or even enjoy the sweet moments that life still gave her.
Wrinkling her forehead, Stevie kissed the top of Clancy's head. "Go ask your sister or your brother to hang that picture up for me." She whispered in a low murmur, lightly turning her youngest child around, and motioning for her to hurry back out of the room.
Putting one foot in front of the other, Clancy almost ran right into her father, who had, unbeknownst to Stevie, been listening at the door the entire time.
"She misses your laugh..." he lingered, deep blue eyes melting into the pair of orbs he'd fallen madly in love with many years earlier... He wasn't sure that was even the same woman anymore. "We all miss that laugh." He added, taking in all her facial features from across the room.
She was still so beautiful, even at fifty with a couple of gray hairs coming through and a few small wrinkles under her eyes... She had always been the prettiest woman in the entire world to him. But after twenty years, four kids and more heartbreak than either of them had ever predicted, things just changed.
They changed as people, which almost seemed inevitable in a way.
"Yeah, right." Pushing herself up off the floor, she gave him that look- the one that meant he was really pushing his luck. "Where have you been all day?" She creased a brow as she wrapped her sweater around herself a little tighter.
His eyes followed her through the room, watching as she took a seat in her vanity chair to stare at herself in the mirror. "I was working." He had become so accustomed to lying, it didn't even feel wrong at that point in their marriage... It just felt normal in a weird way.
Not giving it a second thought, Stevie gladly changed the topic. "I can't take her to the park alone, Lindsey." She admitted, finding it hard to even recognize the woman looking back at her. "I've been drinking." Pursing her lips to one side, she rolled her eyes at herself... All she ever seemed to do was disappoint, these days.
That woman was the queen of empty promises.
Running his hand from his forehead to his chin, Lindsey's jaw settled, not at all surprised to hear that. "Well, Carrie's out with Lola and I'm not going to the park, Stevie." He wasn't trying to necessarily be mean, even though his voice was harsh and even a little cold. "It's not my responsibility to pick up the slack all the time." He repeated the same thing he had said a million times before.
It got old... It was the same shit, different day, like always.
Throwing her hairbrush to the marble vanity top, Stevie's eyes melted into her husbands through the glass. "Then leave." Her voice shifted in a split second- that's all it took, really.
With a small chuckle, he shrugged his shoulders lightly. "You don't have to ask me twice."
~~~
Leaning back against the kitchen island, Lindsey's eyes stayed focused on the television that sat across the room on the counter. He was watching the nightly news, and eating leftovers from a couple of nights earlier... The night Stevie had shocked everyone and actually made dinner.
"Dad?" Lola's voice snuck up from behind as she lingered in the doorway.
Lindsey set his plate down, a gentle smile trailing across his face as he turned around to greet them. "Hey, kiddo." He watched his oldest daughter venture further into the room, while the nanny followed not too far behind. "Did you have fun?" He wondered, eyes instantly melting into Carrie's.
Nodding lightly, Lola set some of the shopping bags in a bar stood. "Yeah, look at my new shoes!" She motioned towards the floor, totally unaware that her fathers attention was drawn else where.
Glancing down, Lindsey smiled lightly. "Those are cool." He mentioned.
With another little grin, Lola kicked up her heel. "I'm gonna go hang up my new clothes now." She didn't look that happy often... Maybe once in a blue moon, actually, so to see her face light up like that really made Lindsey's day.
Sometimes kids just needed to be kids, instead of worrying about all the crazy adults around them. That just wasn't very fair, not for a sixteen year old.
"I've missed you." Carrie whispered that as soon as Lola was out of earshot. "You look so handsome today." She added with a soft smirk as she wrapped one arm around Lindsey's waist loosely.
Biting down on the inside of his cheek, he stared into her deep blue eyes. "I-"
"Lindsey?" Stevie yelled from the top of the staircase, which caused a space to form between the two immediately. "Lindsey, Crew just called and needs to be picked up from his friends house." She added as she stared at the family picture hanging above the fireplace with a really blank expression.
They looked so happy then.
