Separated

3

"Sophie.. sweetie we have to go. You're going to be late for preschool" Alice yells upstairs to her daughter from the bottom of the stairs while slipping on her own jacket.

"Coming!!" The four year old yells back. 

Alice sat on the bottom on the stairs on the last step putting on her work heels when her daughter comes rushing down the stairs. "I was brushing my teef" Sophia tells her. 

"I told you to do that earlier about three times" Alice chuckles shaking her head at the young girl. She got her time management from her father. He was always late and procrastinating on  everything while Alice was always very time managed and well organized.

The two finished getting on their shoes, jackets and grabbed their bags and rushed out of the door in a rush. 

When Alice arrived at The Register after dropping Sophia off at school she was greeted at her desk with a cup of coffee. She hasn't had someone make her coffee in months. Well to be exact since FP. He would always make her favorite coffee as she was getting their daughter and herself ready for the day. But that doesn't happen anymore.

"I didn't know how you liked your coffee so I got you that one. I hope its alright" She hears behind her. 

She turns after placing her bag on her desk to face Hal Cooper. "It's fine. Thank you" She smiles.

She turns back to finish taking off her jacket and to sit down in her chair.

" I had a great time on Friday I was hoping we could do it again this weekend too if you're not busy?"  

Alice turns to face him after taking a sip on her coffee. "Look Hal.. you're great and Friday was nice too but I'm not looking to date anyone anytime soon" 

He frowns and takes a seat down on the edge of her desk beside her "I understand" 

"FP and I" She pauses . "We were together for so long and we're not even divorced yet. I don't have time to date right now. I would like to focus of myself and my daughter for now. I hope you can understand" she says feeling sorry for the guy sitting in front of her after turning him down.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We can go out for some dinner just as friends again if you would like so you're not alone after you drop your daughter off" 

Alice grins back at him "Yea.. that sounds nice"

Hal stands up from her desk and grabs his coffee "Great. I'll pick you up at around 7 on Friday?" 

"Sounds good" she agrees.

--

Later that afternoon, Alice and Sophia got back home from work and school and Sophia played with her toys in the next room while Alice made the two dinner. It still felt weird for her to only make dinner for two or sometimes just one while Sophia was with FP.  She got use to making a dinner always for three over the years. Usually while she was making dinner  and Sophia played with her toys that's when FP would come home from work and she would happily welcome him home with a kiss. But that doesn't happen anymore. That didn't even happen the last couple weeks they were still together.  FP worked a lot more those last weeks  and wouldn't get home until both Alice and Sophia were already asleep or about to go to sleep. 

Now the two girls were in Sophia's bedroom and Alice laid on her bed with Sophia next to her as the two read a night- time book. The girl may only be five years old but she was already a huge book worm just like her mother. 

"And that's when they lived happily ever after. The end" Alice says reading the last lines closing the book. She looks down at the young child on her chest thinking she was asleep she gave her a peck on her head. "Mommy?"

Alice looks down at her.  "Yes, baby?" 

"Why don't you and daddy have a happily ever after?" She asks. 

Alice was stunned by the question and took a minute to think about how to answer the question before speaking "Well.. erhm that's because mommy and daddy just didn't work out in the end" 

"Why not?" Sophia asks looking up to her mother curiously.

Alice pushes a strand of hair out of her daughter's face before speaking "I don't know baby. Sometimes people aren't meant to be together forever"

"But why? Don't you love daddy anymore?" 

"Baby no. That's not why" Alice cups her cheek to make the girl look at her "I loved your daddy. A lot. And I still do because he gave me the greatest gift ever. Do you know what that is?" 

The girl shakes her head "No" she replied quietly almost so quiet that Alice barely had caught onto it.

"He gave me you" Alice replies back looking at the sad child in her arms and pulling her as close as she possibly could needing to feel close to her daughter. 

She never realized how much the separation had affected the child. Her and FP always did everything they thought was right to make sure she was okay during it and they agreed to do their best to stay friends and very mutual so it wouldn't affect her as much. Their daughter was their top priority in everything.

Sophia smirks at her mother and Alice smiles upon seeing her smile. The separation wasn't easy on her or FP and it barely ever felt easier for the two but seeing her daughter sad about not having her parents together anymore broke her heart even more about the situation.

"I love you so much, Soph" Alice pulls her closer and pecks a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, mommy" Sophia cuddles herself into her mothers chest more needing the feel of her mother's comforting warmth that night.

After Alice knows the young girl is asleep this time she quietly slipped out from underneath her and gave her another peck on her cheek before she shuts the door, leaving the door open a little bit before walking to her own bedroom a couple feet away. 

She does her whole nightly routine. Shower, brushed her teeth, went through her very detailed orientated skincare routine and changed into her pajamas.

After she was done, she sat on the bed looking at the side that used to belong to FP and now sometimes belonged to their daughter. 

Days like these were lonely for her. She missed having someone to talk to about her day or someone to love and lye next to every night . This night was even more harder for her. Seeing her daughter upset about their new lives made her feel some sort of way. It was a feeling she couldn't put into words.  

She turns to her night table that sat beside the bed and pulls out a family picture of the small family of three out of the drawer. And as she stared at the picture she couldn't help but wonder.... Was them ending things the best decision? Could they have made it work if they continued to try or would that have made things even worse? Can they still make it work if they gave it another try? Does he even feel the same or did he move on?