Bad Girls [Rio]

Bedtime Story

Megan's current apartment.

People were resilient. Personally, I thought we were designed that way. It was embedded in our DNA to forge ahead, soldier on.
It was a whole lot easier to do with an army at your back. But sometimes it felt like we were on our own.
It felt like the world was conspiring against us at times. A test to see just how much we could take.

How do you get out?
How do you break the cycle?

"Yeah, she's here. She's taking a shower. Don't worry about her." I told Hen through the phone. She had called to make sure Karen was safe, hitting up everyone she knew, or at least the closest friends to the couple. "She seems pretty distraught. You didn't break it down to her too harshly, did you?"

"I didn't have to. She already knew. And she presented me with papers. My ex is suing us for custody."

"On what grounds?" I questioned.

"Cause she's the birth mother. And she gave up the baby under duress."

"She doesn't have a chance, does she?" I said, standing by the kitchen counter as my eyes trailed off, landing on Denny and Mac, now playing with the play station in the living room.

"Well, I read about a case in Michigan where they took a five-year-old boy away from the only family he ever knew and gave him to his birth father. I mean, her chances are slim but they're not zero. Now she's saying that... that Denny's living in an unstable home because... because I stepped out on my wife."

"With the same damn woman who's suing you for custody?" I said with a tone of irony in my voice. "That's laughable. Court's gonna love it."

"All I know is that I just feel like... covering myself in all that garbage we just dug through and letting the compactor just squish me into nothing." I could hear the distress her voice, although I knew she didn't mean what she said.

"You're gonna get through this. And I'm here to help. I mean, if you need the number of a good lawyer..."

"Divorce or custody?" Hen laughed. "Between my wife and my ex, I don't know who I'm-a face in court first."

"You know, my recommendation for you will be make divorce the last option. It's hard work, especially if you have kids."

"What about you? You never told me what happened the other night?"

I sighed deeply. I honestly preferred not to speak of it anymore. At first, I wanted my best friend to hear me out, give me some advice, but now? All I wanted was my sisters and that guy out of me head. Especially the latter. "It was just a guy I met through my sisters. He's been roaming around me. Caught me at a time where I was... I don't know. Full moon, Hen. Things went too far."

"Wow. Megan Buckley let some guy pick her up and take her home?" I rolled my eyes, knowing she was now grinning.

"Something like that. He definitely came to my place. Stayed the night. I'm not proud of it though. But he was so..." I sighed. "I needed to feel like a woman. I needed to feel wanted. And he did that for me. It was an one-hit wonder though."