Lies

Chapter 2:

I strapped Harper, my three year old daughter, into her car seat in the back of my van. She was squirming and sticking her tongue out at Ryan, her twin. He was playing with a car and driving it around in his car seat. Nolan, my youngest, was in his car seat, crying his eyes out.

"We aren't going to go see grandpa and grandma if you don't stop." I warned, closing the van door and walking to the drivers side of the van. I opened the door and noticed complete silence within. I lived for moments like these. After being in a house with two three year olds and a one year old, silence was a gift. I smiled and turned on the car. It slowly rumbled to a start and I pulled out of the driveway.

I turned on the radio and started to sing to myself. I heard Harper start to sing and then Ryan chimed in. Nolan was quiet. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Nolan, chewing on a toy. He was in that stage at the moment. Biting anything that he could get his hands on. Colton, my husband, and I needed to watch him twenty four seven, otherwise, he would probably be biting through our expensive furniture like a dog. I shook my head and turned onto the highway.

"Mommy?" Harper asked.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?" She wondered.

"We are meeting grandpa and grandma for lunch, remember? They want to see you guys. They are tired of putting away stuff at their house." I explained. Harper made a sound to show that she understood. The truth was that they hadn't seen their grandparents in a year. My parents had been living in their house in Luxembourg for that long and never got the chance to come visit. But now they were back and ready to see their grandkids.

I wasn't even sure if my kids would remember what they looked like or what they were known for. Harper and Ryan and even Nolan were way too young to even piece together that my father was rich and that our town was named after him. They didn't necessarily care either. Most of their thoughts were occupied by their TV shows and the playing they did at home.

"What do grandma and grandpa look like?" Ryan asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"You'll see soon, buddy." I answered, turning off of the highway. It was a beautiful day; not a single cloud in sight. It was a contrast to the weather we had been getting. Mostly cloudy with rain, falling scattered across Ranglewood. It became depressing after awhile. It was like being into a dark room for hours without any kind of lights and then finally making your way out into the hallway that was shining with bright lights. But I wasn't complaining.

I pulled into the parking lot of Olive Garden and parked the car. The parking lot was busy and the entrance was blocked. Somehow I knew my father had been able to get a reservation. People with money seemed to be able to do that and especially ones as important as my father. I didn't like it because I felt terrible towards the others that had to wait. I tried to put myself in their shoes but it was just too hard. I had grown up a rich girl and would always act like one.

I got out the van and opened the back door. Ryan was smiling at me and waving his truck in the air. Harper was holding a book upside down and Nolan was babbling to himself. I tried to listen in to his one year old talk but got lost. Nolan was still developing but we never got discouraged. Harper and Ryan were already considered very smart for their age and we already expected Nolan to be the same. He was getting there.

"What are you going to do while we are eating?" I asked, unhooking Harper, then Ryan. They both jumped out of the car and started to yell. I raised an eyebrow at them.

"We use our manners." They said in sync.

"That's right." I replied, getting on my knees so they were eye level with me. They smiled at me. "Now, give mama a big hug." They squealed and ran into me, almost knocking me over. My laughs were loud and I kissed the tops of their heads before I stood up to grab Nolan. He was silent, watching me as I unbuckled him from his seat. He put his arms around me and held on as I grabbed him out of the car. Nolan was the clingiest of them all. I could never get him to walk on his own. He always had to either hold my hand or be held. It was such a bad habit and I know my parents wouldn't mind. But I did. I wanted to raise my children in the best way possible and do it exactly like my parents did. Except I craved the affection of my children's love and showed them in that way. My father would be overly uncomfortable.