Taylor Everlasting

C.26

****

Amaya stood at the top of the stairs looking for Fatima who was calling her name. "Yea?" she hollered down. Amaya was sporting a slight attitude because she wanted to go to the mall with her friends but Fatima said no because there would be no adult supervision.

"Now you know better. Go see what she wants." Pop Pop reminded Amaya.

She looked at him with the saddest set of eyes. "Yes. Sir."

"Oh don't you use them eyes on me." he scolded her slightly but smiling. "How are you gonna get them to give you more responsibility if you pout like a baby when you don't get your way?"

"But Pop. They're not even listening." Amaya said still pouting."

"And pouting is gonna work?" he countered. "Uncross your arms and get going. You don't want her to call you again.

Maya huffed and dropped her arms to her sides sulking down the stairs to the family room. "Yes?" she asked making her presence known to the Taylors.

Fatima looked at the young girl in front of her and initially started to get an attitude about the way she was standing with her arms crossed in front of her. Remembering that she too was once a teen with "a social life" Fatima let her preteen attitude slide for the moment. "Be ready by five please. We're going out for dinner tonight."

"Ma. What if I promised that there would be no boys there with us and no one is gonna misbehave or get kidnapped or anything like that?"

"My, sweetie drop it. We talked about it, and we don't think that 13 is old enough to be out alone. Go get ready." Zac told her backing up Fatima.

Amaya turned and left the room with tears of frustration in her eyes. When she thought she was out of earshot she grunted under her breath "my dad would have let me go."

Although Fatima heard her, she chose not to engage. Her stomach was already in knots knowing what the day was going to bring. She hated that they were about to turn her over to her father as if it were an ill-fitting sweater she was returning. Zac placed his hand softly on her shoulder. "It's gonna be ok. Imma go make sure this boy isn't tearing up this house." Zac said remembering that Zane decided to do a volcano for his extra credit science project.

"Zac, I really do not like this." Fatima admitted to her husband, stopping him from leaving. "I know that's her father, but the way he wants everything to move so quickly is pissing me off. And so secretly. Like yes, surprising her is beautiful, but everything else...." She let her words trail off.

Zac pulled her into him hugging her tightly. He agreed with everything she was saying. It was unfair to the children to yet again whisk them off into yet another transition after just getting comfortable in the situation they were currently in. Neither spoke. They just stood there being there for the other. Zac kissed her atop her head and released her. He was heading downstairs in hopes of talking some sense into Rich but he didn't want to tell his wife abut it just in case it did not work out.

Upstairs, Amaya was throwing clothes around her room in anger but also trying to find something to wear. She was pissed, she hadn't spoken to her father since getting back from Paris and it was unlike him. She wanted to ask Fatima to check on him, but they'd been at odds all day and now she was being forced to go out to dinner with them when all she wanted to do was to hang out with her friend. All her friends had normal families and they were all allowed to hang out with their friends. Amaya picked up her phone again checking to make sure the ringer was on for the 100th time so she wouldn't miss her father's call. She tossed the hone back onto the bed and flopped down on screaming into her pillow,