Journey

Chapter 15

May 2018

The door to the apartment swings open and Lisa steps inside while she expertly switches the one year old to the opposite arm and hastily hangs her keys at the right spot on the decorative hook by the entrance.

"You're something else, Lisa."

Jennie blurts out from further down the corridor. She is behind Lisa but hot on her wife's tail. Lisa nonchalantly walks deeper into the home. Jennie hangs back by the door, waiting for the two and half-year-old to make her way to the doorway. Costia, uninterested in whatever argument her moms are knee deep in, takes her time.

"Costia, today!"

Jennie hurries her from the door. Costia rolls her eyes and keeps her current pace utterly unbothered by the request. The toddler eventually reaches the entrance and Jennie gently pushes her in order to be able to shut the door behind her.

When Jennie walks into the apartment, she can't immediately spot Lisa. She hears Rose babbling from the nursery and stomps in that direction, leaving Costia fiddling with the tablet she found on the coffee table.

Lisa hovers over Rose as she peels back the straps on her diaper. The baby rattles on unintelligibly and Lisa responds.

"I know. She is a little mean sometimes, isn't she?"

"Mean."

"Yeah. So mean."

Jennie pushes the door open and stands at the threshold.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Lisa doesn't respond and continues changing Rose's diaper in silence.

"Don't ignore me."

Jennie asserts firmly. When Lisa doesn't respond, Jennie grows exponentially frustrated.

"Lisa!"

"You need to stop yelling."

"I don't need to do anything! Don't tell me what I need to do." Jennie retorts at an even higher volume than she had spoken previously. "What I need..." Jennie huffs. "You almost got my friends arrested! What I need is for you to -FOR ONCE- ONCE Lisa make an effort with the people I care about."

"I do make an effort." Jennie laughs bitterly.

"Bull. Shit!"

"Stop screaming."

Lisa very monotonously asks of her wife.

"One time! All you had to do was pretend you weren't miserable when we're with my friends. How is that so fucking hard?"

"We're with your friends all the time."

"That's a load of shit!"

"When was the last weekend they weren't here or we weren't somewhere else with them?" Lisa looks at her wife defiantly but doesn't give her a chance to answer. "It's not even them. I don't have an issue with your friends. You guys just act like you're still in college when you're not. Some maturity and common sense would be nice."

"Lisa fucking Manoban! Queen of being fucking mature! How nice!"

"You know what? I'm not having a conversation with you unless you tone it down." Costia runs into the room as Lisa picks up Rose from the changing table.

"Can I has apple, mama?"

Costia has learned it's easier to get her way if she approaches the mother who isn't most obviously upset, and in this case, it's Lisa.