Trigger alert: lots and lots of talk about drug use. Also the first flashback is kind of like a monologue in Stevie's head. I don't know; I just went with the flow on that one.
August 1976
The drugs; god the drugs were magical. They could make her forget about Lindsey. They could make her forget about the horrible things they said to each other. They could make her feel happy. She loved them.
Now love, that was a strange word, wasn't it? You could love a lot of things in a lot of ways; like how she loved her drugs or how she loved her mother, or even how she loved Lindsey.
She loved Lindsey, but she hated him too. He brought her down; the way she felt when the drugs were gone. She didn't like that.
She didn't really like Lindsey anymore. She didn't really even like herself.
He yelled at her. He yelled at her a lot. She yelled back, of course. She wasn't weak. He accused her of cheating. He accused of cheating so much that one time she just went out and did it because she might as well if he already believed it.
He had forgiven her and she had promised not to do it again as long as he promised to stop accusing.
He was weak.
He didn't know it, of course. Does anyone ever really know if they're weak? He definitely did not know. She would never say he was weak when it came to many things.
He was only weak when it came to her.
December 1999
"Lori, I don't know what it means, okay? He kissed me. He tells me he wants to stay. I want to believe him." Stevie said into the phone as she made dinner.
She heard the front door open and said, "I have to go. Love you." Before hanging up the phone.
Lindsey walked into the kitchen with Max, who had spent the night with Lindsey at Kristen's so they could spend time with Will.
"Hey boys! Did you have fun?" She asked with a bright smile.
Lindsey set Max down, who ran right to his mother, "mamas mamas mamas!!!"
Stevie caught him when he nearly leapt into her arms and kissed his forehead. She glanced at Lindsey.
"We had a great time, but around breakfast he realized you weren't there and he's been asking for you since," Lindsey explained.
"Chunky monkey! I'm right here!" She said as the baby threw his arms around her neck and hugged her tight. "How's Kristen?"
"She's good. She used last night as an opportunity to go out on a date and I did not see her until morning," Lindsey said, waggling his eyebrows. Stevie giggled.
"Where my girl?"
"She's upstairs sleeping. She should be awake by now though. If she's not, you'd better wake her up so she doesn't keep us up all night." Stevie said as she put Max on her hip and went back to making dinner.
Lindsey took the stairs two at a time to get Lizzie. It was the first time he'd been away from her overnight since she'd been born.
Stevie was setting the table when Lindsey came back with the baby girl. He was smiling so big, Stevie wondered if his face would break in half.
"She was wide awake, trying to fit her foot in her mouth. I changed her diaper and told her she'd have plenty of chances to put her foot in her mouth if she's anything like her old man."
