LUVIE [fin. / unedited]

f i f t e e n

l u v i e

"C'mon," I say, leading the boys into my parents house. I can feel my eyes start to water at everything. Tomorrow. We leave, I think to myself. I lead the boys upstairs into the joint bedroom, connecting us with Eric. "Mommy, are we leaving soon?" Allen asked his big eyes looking up tiredly. "Yes, you guys have school next month."

"School? What's school?" He asks. "It's where you go learn, and be smart. Like me!" I say sarcastically, not the smartest person in the world. He smiled, "Mommy's smart," Allen tells me, "Then why does Mommy work in a cafe?" I ask him, he only giggles, "Because Mommy likes cookies, and coffee," Allen says with a smile, closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep. I cover them up, placing tiny butterfly kisses on each of their foreheads. "Love you," I whisper, grabbing the bags. I start packing them. Shirts. Then pants. Then socks. Then underwear. Finally shoes, placing them heels up on the top. I sigh, I lean back against the dresser, I let out a strangled sob. I feel a small head in my side, looking down I see Alek. His hands around me, nuzzled into my stomach. I smile at him picking him up, we sit in a chair cuddled up against each other.

The next morning I was sitting at the table, drinking a caramel-colored coffee, and pushing eggs around my plate. "Hey," Eric said from behind me, I glanced up at him, "Hey," I said back, "So, we're leaving today, do you want to stay behind with Keith?"

"Yeah, I actually like him. I feel as if he's different." I smiled at the thought.

"Who's different?" Matthew asked behind us. "No one," I grumbled getting up.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You," I say with an eye-roll.

"Okay," He drawls, taking a seat at the table. I go back up stairs, checking the clock:

11:42

The big clock reads. I smile, "Alek. Allen." I whisper. "What?" A harsh tiny voice asked. "Time to get up,"

"But I don't want to." He mumbles, protesting. "But you have to," I say. I go over to the curtains. Opening the curtains, I look at the bed. Only noticing one tiny body instead of two. "Alek? Where's your brother?" Alek only peeks up at me, "I don't know,"

"Get up, and get dressed. Your clothes are laid out on the chair. After you're done, go downstairs and hang out with Uncle Eric." He mumbles something, and I smile, taking that as his okay. I run downstairs, now my brain and body in mom-mode. "Allen?" I call downstairs. I don't see him in the kitchen. Nor the living room, nor the front yard.

A light bulb goes off in my head. The tree-house! I smile, that was my tree house when I was smaller. I ran over to the back yard, looking over at the tree-house. I start to climb, I climb all the way up. Poking my head up through the small slit, I smile at the little bundle on the cushions in the corner. "Allen?" I gently ask. "Mommy?" He says, I climb through the slit going over next to him. I sit beside him. I notice his blotchy-face, "What's wrong baby?" I ask my son, his teary eyes turn to me, "Do you love Alek more than me?" He asks.

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Because last night, you were cuddled with him."

"He was comforting me, after we finished talking Mommy was crying."

"Why was Mommy crying?"

"Because your Daddy is a butt hole." He giggles at me, "Am I a bad Mommy?" I ask him starting to tear up, your child isn't supposed to think you love one child more than the other. "No," He giggles. He wipes my face, curling up beside me I place a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry, sometimes Alek just needs more love, because I don't think he feels loved by everyone."

"So, he needs more love, so you love him more?"

"No, silly. It's just that Alek is less talkative than you, and more closed-off. But you talk to everyone, which isn't bad. So, he just needs more Mommy love. I promise forever and always I'll love you both the same." He smiled at that. "I think that makes sense."

"Great, because you confused Mommy too." He laughed. "Maybe when we get back or soon, me and you can go do something."

"Awesome!" He said.

So we stayed there, in my childhood tree-house curled up against each other. I smiled, wanting to remember this forever.

"Time to say your goodbyes boys," I say smiling. I was standing next to my dad, who took the morning off for the goodbyes. Allen hugged everybody, telling them his own little goodbyes. Alek, to everyone's surprise hugged everybody, taking extra long to say goodbye to Amelia, Georgie and my Mom. He smiled and everything, I giggled next to my father.

"Bye," I whispered to Eric.

"Bye,"

"It's going to be weird without you at home." He tucks his face into my neck. "Love you," He says kissing my forehead. "Love you," I say back, kissing his cheek. I only smile, "Go get your man," I whisper. He lets out a breathy laugh. I turn back to the boys, noticing all the luggage in the trunk. "Let's go," I say, turning to walk out the door, "Bye everyone!" I yell behind me, we jump into the car. The boys buckling up, getting onto the interstate we head back to the apartment.

Hours later when we reach the apartment, I head into my room sitting my luggage down and put the boys' stuff in their room. They go into the living-room playing with the cars in there, I smile. "Mommy?" I hear a small voice behind me, "Yes?" I look down at Allen standing next to Alek. "We're hungry." I only smile, sitting them up in the bar stools. "What do you want for lunch?" As I ask that, there's a quiet knock on the door. "Let me grab the door," I tell them walking over to it, when I open the door I'm met with bright amber eyes, "Hello." I say to her, "Hi, I'm so very sorry to bother you, I just moved in across the hall and I saw you walking up and I was hoping that I could meet you."

"Come in..."

"Sealy," She finishes for me.

"Come in, I was about to make lunch. Do you want anything?" I ask her, she only smiles. I look down at her, noticing her big stomach. I see her fingers spread across it, "Are you...?" She only nods, "A little girl, her name is going to be Sage." I smile, "That's such a pretty name. Alek! Allen!" I yell to the kitchen, "We have a guest," I see Alek disappear in the living room. Allen just walks up to us, "Hello," He says to Sealy, "What's that?" He asks, poking the belly. "That's a baby, she's not going to be born yet." Allen puts his ear up to it. Giggling at what I guess is a small kick to the stomach. I see Alek poking his head around the corner and I wave him over.

"Alek, this is Sealy." He gives her a small smile.

"We're having mac and cheese, would you like some?" She smiled, "Are you sure?" I only nodded my head with a smile. Allen grabs her hand and leads her to the kitchen. I follow after with a smile, and Alek walks behind me.