Transitioning

She

Meghan puts on her pink flip flops and heads to the car. Michael turns to Ezra, "did he touch her?" Ezra and Fortune look at each other and then away. "Ezra?" Michael asks.

Ezra sighs. "Steven slapped her and then drug her to her room downstairs. I don't know if anything else happened..."

Michael runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "Okay...umm...be good. I'll be back in a bit," he says before turning to me and grabbing my hand to leave.

"Can we go get makeup first?" Meghan asks as we get into the car.

"Of course love," Michael replies.

I glance over at Michael several times on the forty minute drive to a makeup store. He looks sad. And stressed.

I can't imagine the things he's gone through with his ex and her boyfriend. Not being able to have your daughter live in a home where she can be herself and having to live where she's not able to be herself must drive him insane. I wish I could help or do something, but I can't change their custody agreement.

Once in the small store Meghan grabs a basket and darts down an aisle. Michael glances down at his phone by the door. "I need to call Natalie. Can you keep an eye on Meghan?"

I nod and he's quickly exits the door.

"Need help?" I ask Meghan as I join her in an aisle. She's sitting on the floor staring at mascara. Meghan shrugs, so I sit down beside her.

I reach for a mascara, "this looks like a good one." I tell her and hand it to her. She smiles and reaches in the basket to show me the same one. We both laugh.

"I wish my dad would let me just stay with him. I hate my moms house. Her boyfriend..." Meghan starts, but stops. I can see her eyes filling with tears.

"Meghan," I sigh. "If it were up to your father I'm sure you'd be with him and not her. He loves you."

"I know," she replies. "Are you two dating?" Meghan asks with a smile, finally!

I giggle a bit, "I don't know. I'd like to, but we'll see I guess."

We finish up twenty minutes later in the shop. Michael showed up just as we cashed out.

"I got it," I tell him as he reaches for his wallet.

"No, I-"

"It's already paid for Michael," I tell him as I pull him out of the shop with Meghan.

"Did you get everything you needed Landon?" Michael asks Meghan.

Meghan stops and just stares at Michael. He's confused at first. I know his mistake. And once he realizes it he quickly tries to apologize to Meghan.

"Meghan, I'm so so sorry!" Michael says.

Meghan shakes her head and rushes to the car. I glare at Michael and chase after Meghan. She's yanking on the door handle.

"Open the door!" Meghan shouts at Michael.

"Not until you forgive me Meghan!" Michael replies.

"Sure. Whatever. I forgive you. Just open the door!" Meghan shouts.

"You don't mean it," Michael mumbles like a child as he goes to the drivers side and unlocks the car.

An awkward silence fills the car as we drive away. I can hear Meghan crying from the backseat. Michael just grips the steering wheel hard. I can tell that he's hurting too.

"Take me home," Meghan cries.

"Do you want clothes or not?" Michael asks. I can hear the frustration and hurt in his voice.

"Take me home!" Meghan shouts.

Michael grips the steering wheel harder.

"No! Moms!" Meghan shouts.

I look over to Michael. He rolls his eyes and whips the steering wheel. "Michael!" I shout at him as he just misses getting hit by another car as he does a u-turn without looking.

With my heart pounding I hold onto the grip handle on the door tightly. "I'm sorry," Michael says quietly.

--

Once we pull into Natalie's driveway Meghan immediately hops out of the car. Michael doesn't pullout of the driveway. He puts the car in park and just takes a couple deep breathes.

Before I can say anything to Michael, Natalie comes out of the house with a darker man. Well, I'm assuming it's Natalie and I'm assuming that that's her boyfriend Steven.

"Oh, just fucking great," Michael says to himself. He rolls down the window.

"Get out Michael," Natalie says rudely to him.

"Nope," Michael responds and locks the doors.

I laugh quietly to myself.

"You need to stop this Michael!" Natalie shouts at him.

"I'm not doing anything Natalie," Michael replies with a little bit of an attitude. Kind of sexy...

"I'm wasting money on therapy because of you!" Natalie says to him.

"Natalie, just let her live with me. That's what she-"

"That'll never happen," Steven interrupts.

"This has nothing to do with you," Michael says to him. "Wait, it does. You're the reason why she's not living with me. If she was living with me you wouldn't be able to hurt her and touch h-"

"Michael!"  Natalie shouts.

"I can't believe you Natalie. She's your daughter! And you just let him hurt her!"

"I don't know what the kids are telling you, but it's not true Michael. I promise," Natalie says almost sincerely.

"Can she at least stay the weekend?" Michael asks.

"I don't care. Go ask her though. She didn't seem too happy when she came in," Natalie says.

Michael unbuckles and gets out of the car. "You said she by the way," he says as he smiles and walks past her to the house.

Natalie smiles to herself. Steven follows Michael to the house. I take the opportunity to talk to Natalie, so I get out of the car.

"You must be Michael's new boyfriend," she says as she extends her hand to me.

I nod and shake her hand. "I'm Mika and you must be Natalie," I smile.

"I'm sorry that you had to hea-"

"Why don't you let Meghan be Meghan?" I interrupt.

Natalie sighs. "Landon is confused. He's not-"

"Meghan is not confused. She is who she is. I think you need to face it and accept it. She's your daughter and she is an amazing person."

Michael comes out with Meghan five minutes later saving me from an awkward conversation with Natalie about her relationship with Michael.