Till death do us part

Chapter 37: Deal with it - Age 33

Cora's POV

Since my conversation with Hope, I understood the problem. I understood why Hope was being distant from Rose. I understood. But Rose didn't.

All evening, I could see how Hope was trying to avoid Rose. How she was ignoring Rose. How she was focussing all her attention on me. And I could see how upset Rose got from that.

I tried my best to make sure that Hope tried to be polite to Rose. I tried my best to keep Rose comforted. I tried my best to keep the peace in our home. But I failed. I could tell how Rose got more upset as the evening progressed. She didn't understand the situation, she didn't know why Hope was acting this way to her. And Hope wasn't going to talk.

When it was time to get Hope to bed, I told Rose I would do it. She easily agreed, probably because of Hope's behavior.

"There you go," I said as we had dressed her for bed. "Get in, muffin."

Hope jumped in bed and smiled at me. It's odd how she was her amazing self with me and so distant with Rose.

"We have to talk, muffin," I said as I sat down on her bed. I sighed. "I know the situation at school isn't good, I'll talk to the principal tomorrow to get it cleared out," I said and gained a nod from her. "But it's just not fair how you're acting towards your mom."

She looked away then.

"Your mom didn't do anything wrong, it's not her fault kids are making fun of her," I let out a breath. "I think she's really upset because you're avoiding her."

She looked at me then. "I'm sowwy."

"I know, muffin," I smiled a bit at her. "I think you should be honest to your mom. So she knows what's going on."

She looked away again.

"Despite what those kids are saying, your mom is trying her best to get better," I said, gaining her attention again. "She's really trying hard."

She slowly nodded. "I know."

"Then why are you acting this way to her? Doesn't she deserve better?"

"Yes," She sighed. "It's hawd because of those kids."

"I know, muffin," I caressed her face. "We'll fix that issue at school tomorrow, ok?" I said, gaining a nod from her. "But, in return, I would like you to be nicer to your mom."

She let out a breath but nodded. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Deal?" I asked, presenting my hand.

She smiled more. "Deal!" She shook my hand.

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After my conversation with Hope, I put her to bed and left the room. Rose and I watched some tv until we got to bed too.

I got dressed faster and got in bed already. I watched Rose and noticed how she was seemingly down. "Come here, Rose."

Rose sauntered to the bed, it almost seemed she didn't want to get in bed with me. When she got in, she let out a deep breath.

"Hey," I said and scooted closer to her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me. "I thought you loved being in bed with me."

"I do," She sighed. "I'm upset, Cora," She looked down a bit before looking at me again. "I don't understand what I did wrong to Hope."

I gulped then. How I would love to just be honest with her so she would know it wasn't anything she did. But I couldn't. I couldn't risk breaking her heart. She put in so much effort to get better, I didn't want to break her progress. Not because of haters.

She sighed again. "It doesn't matter." She mumbled.

"It does," I scooted closer, resting my forehead on hers. "Hope is probably going through a phase," I said softly. "But it's got nothing to do with you, Rose. You have to believe that."

She shrugged.

"Hope can only be proud of her strong mother," I said and leaned back a bit so I could look into her eyes. "You're the strongest person I know, Rose."

She smiled a bit. "You're the strongest person I know, Cora," She looked down briefly. "It hasn't always been easy with me," She sighed a bit. "I manage because of you. You give me the strength to go on."

I smiled then. "I love you."

"I love you too."

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The next day, I took Hope to school. On our way over, Hope seemed eager to go to school. It made me happy to see how hopeful she was.

When we arrived, I guided Hope to the playground. She smiled at me, waved at me, and ran to the other kids. I watched her for a while. I enjoyed seeing my little girl all happy. And I couldn't help but smile.

After a couple of minutes, I walked to the principal's office. I knocked and entered.

"Hello," The principal got up and walked to me. "I expected you." He said as he was shaking my hand.

I nodded. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

"Of course," He then motioned to the chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat."

"Thank you," I walked to the chair and sat down. "I'm here because of my daughter, Hope," I paused a bit. "She's being bullied."

He nodded slowly. "Our school is very upset about that and we don't allow bullying here. It's good you came to us with this."

I nodded. Standard lines... "I hope we can really address this issue with the kids," I said, gaining a nod from him. "They're laughing with my wife. They don't know the situation. They shouldn't be harassing Hope with it."

"I completely agree," He then took a piece of paper. "I've written down the names of the kids you told me on the phone," He said and showed me the names. "I'll have a conversation with them and their parents today to make sure they understand what's going on."

"Wait," I said. He was going so fast... "I don't feel like sharing that private information with those kids. They shouldn't know what's going on, they should know bullying isn't right. Period."

He frowned a bit. "But how can we tell them their actions are wrong if we can't explain what's going on?"

"Listen, sir," I then sat up. "My wife has been through a really hard time. She's been battling her brain. I refuse to have those kids make life harder for her or my daughter," I then got up and leaned on his desk, standing over him. "If you can't take care of this issue in your school, I will find someone above you who can. Am I clear?"

He gulped and nodded.

I then nodded and left his office.