"Can I have a hug?" I've been following her around the house since the kids left for school. "Just a hug?" I plead she hasn't worn her ring at all since last night and she hasn't looked at me let alone acknowledged my existence. Mercy really set something off for her and it's like she's afraid to be around me. She's been picking things up cleaning doing the dishes and just down right ignoring me all morning. "All I want is a hug? Please, you're leaving soon and I don't want you to leave until I get at least a cuddle from my princess." I walk closer towards where she sits in the couch assuring I get there before she gets up.
"Will you please leave me alone?" She gives me a sigh as if she never wanted to speak to me, as if she's been playing a game with herself this whole time and she just lost.
"Not until I get a hug? Or a kiss? And eye contact would be nice too?" I grip her hands. Her hands don't wrap back around mine like usual. I sit on the ground drinking my coffee while she gulps at her own. She plays on her phone and I just watch her. Her messy bun, shirt shorts and hush socks that cover her legs up till just below her short along with a sweatshirt.
"I'll pat you on the head," she shrugs pushing my head back.
"That's not a pat on the head? That's not even affectionate you look repulsed." I pout at her. Mercy's really been throwing a wrench in our relationship and every time I dodge it, it hits Reese and I wish I could stop it.
"How about this." She starts and my eyes go wide almost making her smile. "One night every week we'll go out together and we can show each other affection then."
"That's stupid," I huff. "Am I just supposed to be fine with never seeing you? I don't ever see you as it is and when I do get to see you, you're asking me just not to want to hug you and kiss you and hold you in my chest all night while we sleep together?"
"Well, kinda." She shrugs sadly. "I don't wanna get in any more fights with Mercy," she sighs and I roll my eyes.
"It's better to fight with me?" I stand and she sighs. "I'm not ok with that, I wanna hug and kiss you every morning when I wake up and I want to cuddle you all day when the kids aren't around, I want to hold you when we sleep." I stare deep into her faltering eyes. "And if that doesn't work for you, then leave me. Because I'm not willing to make that deal with you." I shrug.
-
Reese and I spent all night waiting for Mercy and apparently just fell asleep in the stairs. There's a blanket over us and a smiling Davi in my lap so I assume it was him. Reese's phone's been going off, it was her alarm that she never woke up to. I seriously debated just bringing her in and putting her on the plane even if she'd be late she'd still get there but I couldn't, I have no strength left.
After checking Reese's phone to see about two hundred messages a look at my own seeing three or four from the police department. Listening to the I gather Mercy's been arrested for more things than one and it also gives me her court date saying I won't be able to see her before. They're keeping her in a holding cell for now saying I can pick her up whenever I want. I bring Reese and Davi to the couch laying them down and going to the car so I can pick Mercy up. "Why would you do that?" I shake my head at the girl in my car.
"What does it matter?" She scoffs. "You dot really care about me anyways. It's all about mom." She crosses her arms.
"Well it's all gonna be about you when we get home." I shake my head. "Your mom,"
"And here we go again." She rolls her eyes. "You never ask me about my life anymore. You just care about mom, your moms sick, your mom hasn't slept well, your mom this your mom that. Don't you ever think that maybe I have problems too?" I sigh driving into the garage.
"Yes," I nod and she rolls her eyes.
"When was the last time you payed attention to me." Her arms cross.
"Yesterday? The day before, there are a lot of kids in the family and if you didn't notice we drop everything for you guys." I speak sternly.
"You'd drop nothing for me." She huffs.
"When you were seven," I start and her eyes roll again. "You got sick, you go so sick you couldn't move and your mom was terrified, I was in Australia for a concert. I made Andrew change the dates and I stayed with you for the two weeks it took for you to recover." She just gets out of the car completely ignoring me.
"It's not always about you!" She yells at Reese.
"Mama just said she was worried." Davi defends.
"Mama doesn't care," Mercy kneels down to the level of the child. "She doesn't care about me or Jericho or Kaiden or Adam, and soon, she won't care about you either." Mercy warns. "She's gonna start leaving you behind, forgetting to go to your games forgetting your birthday, everything." Davi sobs holding onto Mercy even while Reese tries he hits her hands away.
"You're gonna forget!" He yells running away. "You promised me you wouldn't." He goes up to his room.
"She promised me the same." Mercy shrugs walking down the stairs. Reese cries on the ground but her eyes were already stained with tears.
"This is not my day." She sighs.
"You'll be fine," I reassure.
"No I won't be," she gasps a little. "My kids don't think I care," she sniffs. "And I got fired."
