Blended Family

Pippa

Clarita was apparently at her wit's end with Joey. If she thought this new arrangement was going to be a cakewalk, then she was truly delusional. We had all hoped she'd adjust to her new living arrangement but now two months into it, she was still a mess. She called Lin crying at least once a week because of an argument with her mother or because she missed us all so much.

I'd talked to her a couple times myself when Lin wasn't available. Clarita was frustrated with her and thought she was acting like a spoiled brat. I of course didn't agree with her arguing with her mother and talking back, but I could understand why Joey was so upset.

I got a phone call out of the blue from Clarita one day while Alex and Jack were down for a nap. I'd talked with her on the phone maybe twice.

"Clarita?" I asked, sitting at the couch.

"Pippa," she sounded upset. "I'm sorry. Is this a good time?"

"Sure, what's up?" I asked her. It sounded like she'd been crying.

"I can't...I can't keep going like this," she confessed to me. "Joey's being completely insufferable. It's like she's trying to make my life miserable."

As the mother of a teenager I could relate. "Yes, she can be challenging," I agreed. "What happened?"

"Nothing in particular, it's just a culmination," she explained. "She's always in a bad mood. She locks herself in her room and when she does talk to me she has an attitude. I know she didn't really want to come but I thought she would have made some friends by now."

Joey was a stubborn kid for sure. The fact she hadn't made any friends was probably purposeful. She was easy to talk to and seemed to make friends easily in New York. It was like she didn't want to get settled and be happy in Chicago.

"Well, she has a school break coming up in a couple weeks," I pointed out. "She'll be back with us, so maybe a break will be good."

She was silent for several long moments. "Pippa, I'm thinking about...letting her move back to New York."

I waited for several moments. "Really?"

"But I'm torn," she went on. "I don't want her thinking she can act like this to get her way and then be rewarded with it. But what's the point of having her here if she's just going to be miserable? Maybe if she's only with me for the summers we'd have a better relationship."

I knew Lin would be over the moon about this, but I didn't want to sound too eager. This would be a major decision.

"That's definitely an option," I said. "And what Joey wants is important. I think she's old enough to decide where she's happiest."

"Well, she's definitely not happy here," she mused. "Sorry to unload on you like this. It's just, I didn't want to talk to Lin because I knew he'd just want me to send her back. You're more level-headed about it."

"Well I'm glad you called," I replied. "I'm happy to talk it through."

"I'm glad too," she said. "I'll think some more and call Lin later in the week."

We said our goodbyes just in time to hear crying from down the hallway. As I walked down the hall I could tell it was little Jack. I pushed his door open to find him sitting in his crib, bawling. I scooped him up and could immediately smell the problem. We went to the changing table and I got him cleaned up. I sat in the rocker with him hoping he'd fall back asleep but it was a futile effort. After fifteen minutes we went to the kitchen to get a snack.

When Lin got home later that afternoon it felt like I was lying, keeping my conversation with Clarita from him. Still, she had told me all this in confidence and I didn't want to betray her trust. I kept it to myself.

After putting the kids down I walked out to the kitchen and was surprised to hear Lin and Elliott laughing together on the couch. My son had been warming up to Lin quite a bit lately. Lin was a pretty cool adult, really. He knew all about hip-hop and rap music and was hilarious. As his mom I wasn't very cool anymore, so it seemed he was choosing to talk to Lin more now. That was fine, as long as he had an adult to talk to.

"Alright, I've gotta finish some homework," Elliott announced, checking his phone. He disappeared to his bedroom and I took his place next to Lin. Lin kissed me gently and ran his fingers through my hair. I never got tired of the way he looked at me; like I was the most important person in the world. We started making out when his phone buzzed with a FaceTime call from Joey.

He pulled his phone out and held it horizontally so we could both see her. When she appeared on screen, she looked upset.

"Hi, sweetheart," Lin greeted his daughter, who offered a small smile.

"Hi, Daddy," she said, and I could tell she'd been crying. "Hi Pippa."

"Hey, kid," I offered a small wave. I could sense they needed a private conversation so I told Joey goodbye and went to the kitchen to get some wine. I eavesdropped a little bit as they talked. Some other argument with her mother.

I disappeared to our bedroom before I could hear much more. About half an hour and a few chapters in my book later, Lin came to the bedroom. He crawled onto the bed on his belly, laying his head on the pillow with his arms tucked beneath.

"Drama, drama," he reported.

"Big surprise," I commented, playing with his hair a little. He sighed contentedly, closing his eyes.

"She'll be back in two weeks anyway," he said. "I can't wait."

"Neither can Elliott," I quipped, marking my page in my book. I settled on my side next to him and he propped himself up on his elbows. Soon we were kissing slowly and gently. Man, could he kiss. We were interrupted by his phone buzzing again. Joey.

Lin groaned a little but picked up. He always picked up for Joey.

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

He was silent as she told him something tearfully. I could hear the tone of her voice from where I was and Lin's eyebrows were crinkled.

"Joey, slow down," he urged her.

More talking on her end.

"No, you're not coming home now," he told her, getting up from the bed. He paced around at the foot of the bed a little as she complained to him. "No, sweetheart."

Lin looked at me, confused as she went on. "No," he said a bit more firmly. "Put your mom on please. Josephine."

The phone transferred hands and soon Lin was talking to his ex. Apparently she'd had more than enough. So much for thinking for a few days.

"Clarita, calm down," he urged her, still pacing. "Of course she can come back. I'd love that."

His face changed when he realized he was going to get his daughter back. Back where she belonged.

"She should finish out the quarter in Chicago," he said, which was less than two weeks away now. "Okay. Thanks, Clarita. Bye."

He hung up and a huge smile crossed his face. "Clarita's had it with Joey," he reported. "They're fighting constantly. They're both miserable."

I grinned. "So, she's moving back?" I asked. He nodded, beaming.

"The end of the quarter at school," he reported. Lin climbed back on the bed and we kissed happily at the good news. After kissing for several minutes we heard a loud yell from the next room.

"Wooooo!!!!" Elliott screamed. We grinned, glad Elliott also approved of the news.