It begins with goodbye

by R. S James

  “What do you want from me? What can I do to make this better or easier for you and your sister?” Colton asks, sounding a bit annoyed.

  “I don’t know how else to say it, but you can’t do anything. The damage is already done. You had our trust and respect, and then you threw it back in our faces. It’s going to take time to earn it back, but I can’t promise that you will ever get it. You really hurt us, Dad. I know if I was with a chick then I would never be with her sister. That would be like mom dating Uncle Zander.” Carson says, reminding me of Colton’s brother, and how much I have hated him from the beginning.

  “That will never happen. We have problems being in the same room. How are you?” I say, stepping into the room.

  “Hey Momma. I’m okay. How are you?”

  “Really Carson?” I know I sound pissy, but I cannot believe this happened. In what universe is it okay, to allow a woman to threaten your child? “How am I? Well, let me tell you. My lawyer gets a call that you’ve been in a fight with your dad, and I need to come and get you, because Clarissa is pushing to press charges. So, I drop everything to rush over here. So, I’m not doing too good at the moment.”

  “Mom, you don’t need to worry. Dad isn’t going to let anyone press charges. Thank you for rushing to get me though. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. It’s my job, as your mom, to worry and to come get you, when you’re in trouble. Sometimes, when you’re in love or lust, you do and say things you wouldn’t normally say. I had no way of knowing for sure or not if your dad would or wouldn’t press charges, just because Clarissa asked him to.” Just then, Molly and Morgan walk through the doors.

  “There is my badass nephew! Dude, I told Morgan you get your badass genes from me.” She turns, looking at Colton, “I hope your face hurts cause it's killing me.”

  “Okay Molly, how about you and Morgan take your nephew and get a drink or something, so I can have a second with Colton.” “Why do I miss all the good stuff?”

  “Carson, go with Molly now and wait for me in the waiting room, and remember, best behavior, please.”

  They walk away, as Carson says, “I hate when she uses the mom voice. Good thing it didn’t happen to you and Carly, or your credit cards would be on fire from your retail therapy.”

  “Oh, look Morgan, we have our own comedian with us.” They all laugh, as they disappear around the corner.

  I wait a bit, before looking at Colton. “Well, what happened?”

  “Don’t worry about it, babe. We are guys, and we had a difference of opinion, but now, we are good.”

  “I’m not your babe, and I most certainly will be worrying about it, when your little lap dog is trying to get either my son or myself thrown in jail. Last time I checked, a difference in opinion didn’t lead to a broken nose and eye socket. So, one more time, what happened?”

  “I asked if Clarissa could go fishing with us, but he wanted to spend time with just me. She is very clingy, and she wants to do everything with me. She started talking about our honeymoon, and then asked if we could do a family one, after the one for just us. That also pissed Carson off. She then asked him, if he and Carly would host a baby shower, and if they would be the baby's godparents. She told him that we had asked you, but you had refused.”

  I can actually feel my blood pressure rising, and there’s no telling how red my face is. “Jesus fucking Christ, Colton! What the actual fuck were you thinking? Seriously, you cannot be this stupid! You break up our family, because you fuck up and get my sister pregnant, and then tell Carson he still needs to have a relationship with you and your girlfriend. Why would you think it was a good idea to take her? And a honeymoon? You’re not even divorced, and you’re talking about getting married already. Wow, I’m glad to know my level of importance now. You’re such a cock sucker, and I seriously despise you.” I stop for a minute, trying to catch my breath, before I continue.

  “No, you can’t take my kids on your fucking honeymoon. The reason Clarissa is so clingy is because you cheated with her, so she knows you will have no problem cheating on her. I told you no for the baby shower for all of us, and the same goes for being the spawn’s godparents. Use the fucking head on your shoulders for one second. If I cheated and got pregnant, would you want to be the godparent for that child? Would you want that thrown in your face at every turn? I don’t and neither do the kids, so for the love of God, fucking stop. Look, I think it will be best to wait a couple weeks, before you contact the kids or me again. We all need to get our emotions under control, because right now, every time I see you or her, I want to rip your dick off and shove it down your throat sideways. If you have any questions, then call my lawyer.” I turn not giving him time to say a fucking word.

  When I walk out, Clarissa starts running her mouth, and I tell her three times to shut it. She isn’t letting up, and she even pokes her nasty finger in my chest. “Stupid, bitch. I can say what I want.”

  I’m done letting her talk to me like that, so I get close to her face, letting her have it. “How did my pussy taste, after you sucked it off his cock? I’m sure you’ve had my sloppy seconds plenty of times now. Think about this even though you guys have been fucking for a year and a half, if I wanted him, he’d still be with me. No, you didn’t win, I did. I deserve so much more, not only from my husband, but more importantly from the person I shared a womb with. You can forget about me and my kids because we are done with the two of you.” I turn to walk away, and she grabs my arm. I try jerking it away, but she has a tight grip. We struggle back and forth, and my hand finally slips free, but not before it connects with her nose, and blood starts spraying everywhere. Shit, this is not good. She is pregnant and will probably have my ass thrown in jail, even though it was an accident.

  “I didn’t mean to hit you, Clarissa. Are you okay?”

  “Get away from me, you psycho.” She turns, running back towards the room, leaving me to realize that my hand is starting to throb.

  “Shit,” I mutter, as I walk to the waiting room, holding my hand. Carson sees me first, and he jumps up, running to me. “Momma, what did you do? Is your hand broke? You have to get it checked out.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Carson. I’m a nurse I know it’s probably broken or fractured, but I’m not staying here. I’ll go to a different hospital to get it checked. I think I might have broken her nose, too. This is not good.” I explain to everyone what happened between Clarissa and I in the hall.

  “I’m not worried about her nose. We need to focus on your hand.”

  “Well, can you drive me to my hospital, so we can get this checked out, please? Oh, and grab my phone out of my purse, so you can call your sister.”

  “You know I love you more than anything, but I’m not touching your purse. I’m sorry, it just feels wrong to do so.”

  “Molly, please get my phone, so Carson can call his sister.” Instead, he ignores both of us, as he uses his phone to call.

  “Hey Carly. Mom wanted me to let you know we are at the hospital. Dad and I had an altercation, and I broke his nose and eye socket. I’ll tell ya later all about it, but right now, I’m taking Mom into her hospital, because she thinks she might have broken her hand. Clarissa grabbed her arm, saying a bunch of horrible stuff, and Mom kept asking her to let her go. Anyways, long story short Mom jerked, and ended up breaking Clarissa’s nose and possibly her own hand.”

  “Carson, I hate to cut your commentary short, but my hand is throbbing, so can we move this along? Just tell Carly to meet us at the hospital, please.”

  “Let’s roll. You want me to still drive, or sit in the back with you?”

  “Please drive, and Molly can sit with me. I need some meds. God, this hurts so bad.”

  “Morgan, do you think she will press charges against me?”

  Looking over, I see Morgan and Molly, staring into each other’s eyes. He never takes his eyes off of her, as he says, “She won’t because you can press them on her, so it’s best to
just drop it. We need to get your hand checked out. Come on, babe.” He says, grabbing Molly’s hand and walking out the door.

  “Well Carson, I guess I’ll be sitting up front with you.”

  When we get to the car, as predicted, Molly and Morgan are in the back seat, as I get in the front. “Let’s go get Rocky checked out!”

  “Wow Molly, not only did he get your badassness, but he also got your smartassness, too. It’s a hell of a combo. Do you think we can hold the jokes though, until I get some pain meds?”

  “Sorry, Momma.”

  “It’s okay. Let’s just go. Your sister is probably there waiting for us.”

  We finally make it to the hospital, and Carly is there already. “Oh, Mom. Are you okay? What am I going to do with you? Carson, how could you let this happen?”

  “Can you please hold off on yelling at me. I’m really starting to hurt now. Oh, and your brother has something to tell you. Good luck, Carson. I’m going to see, if they can see me.”

  Molly

  I watch, as Carly stands there looking so much like Claire, waiting for Carson to tell her the story.

  “What do you need to tell me? Did something else happen today?” He begins telling her everything that has happened, since him and Colton went fishing.

  “Oh my God, Carson. You could have gone to jail. What were you thinking?”

  “I know, but he pushed me, and then he kept pushing, saying things like she is going to be our mom. I don’t fucking think so, and that spawn they are having is not our sibling. It’s just us, sis. You, me, and Mom. I know you and Mom worry, but I couldn’t stop myself. I love you and will try to be better, I promise.”

  “I love you, too, and I’m sorry this is just so hard for me. I feel like this is all my fault for some reason, like I’ve let everyone in the family down. What did I do wrong for Dad to hate us?”

  “Carly Lynn, come with me to the lady’s room. Carson, you go with Morgan and check on your mom.”

  We walk arm in arm the entire way, and I open the door, looking under every stall door, making sure we are alone. Once I’m satisfied, we walk back to the door, and she leans her back against it, as I stare into her eyes.

  “What makes you so sure that your mom and dad splitting is your fault? Shouldn’t it be their fault? What if they weren’t meant to be together?”

  “I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that someone, who is always supposed to be there and love me, Carson, and Mom, can just walk away so easily. It’s like we don’t mean anything to him. That’s what hurts me the most.”

  “Your dad made his choices, and I know it hurts, but you’re not taking the blame for this. You had to have known that they weren’t happy for a while now. You’re a smart girl Carly, but you need to let this go. I know your mom talked to Dr. Savage, and she is making her face her demons head on. It may take her a while, but she is at least getting her feelings out. I also think that would help you as well. Maybe grab a journal and write out how you are feeling about everything lately. Please just know, I’m always here, and I’m on your side. I just need you to jump. Don’t be afraid because I’ll catch you.”

  “Oh, Molly. I love you so much, and I will get a journal, as soon as we get Momma home. Once I’m done, will you read over it for me? I don’t really believe it’s my fault, but it just hurts to know I’m so easily replaceable. I know it has to be much worse on Momma. Ugh, I have probably made it hard on her, too. Damn, why do I always have to cause more problems?”

  “You don’t cause problems, and your mom is fine. She already knows how you feel, and how you work through problems. Just like she knows how Carson, Frank, and I do. Yes, I will read over whatever you decide to write, if you want me to. Come on, let’s go see your mom.”

  We leave the bathroom, walking down the hall, when Carly’s phone chirps with a text. I watch her, as her smile is one of true happiness. “Everything okay, kiddo?”

  “Yes, but I can’t wait to tell you about Xavier. He is so awesome,” she looks at her phone again, frowning before looking back up at me. “Dad and Clarissa are here to check on Mom.”

  I let out a sigh, as Carly looks back at her phone, typing quickly. “I just asked Xavier to come here. I need a friend right now. This is a lot of drama, and I just need someone to lean on.”

  “I’m so proud of you, and I can’t wait to meet him. I’m not excited about how this is going to go down, so let’s go make sure your brother doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  We both laugh, as we walk towards Claire’s room. We hear people talking, so I take a deep breath and square my shoulders, as we walk in together. Claire is sitting in the chair with her nook. I swear that thing is connected to her. The sky could crash down around her, and she wouldn’t even notice. Carson is laying on the bed, playing on his phone, as Colton and Clarissa stand there looking between the two of them.

  “Claire, has the doctor been in, yet?” I ask with my voice full of concern.

  “Yeah, but I’ll tell you about it, after dumb and dumber leave. They have no right being here, much less knowing any more of my business.”

  “You are still my goddamn wife, and I deserve to know.”

  “What language do you actually speak? I have stated it several times in English now, and you still don’t get it. We are over and done, so move on. I may legally still be your wife, but you don’t deserve to know anything about me. You lost that right, when you cheated, and I was dumb enough to give you another chance, but you kept on doing it. Who knows how many times you cheated, when I didn’t find out. Then on our anniversary, I find out you are fucking my twin sister, and she’s pregnant with your baby. How does it feel Clarissa listening to him call me his wife still, if you guys are so in love? You don’t like, huh? Well me either, so once again, I’m done with you. Get the fuck out!”

  Holy shit!

  Claire’s badass side just came out, and she just looks back down at her tablet, like nothing happened. I look over at Carson, and he has a huge smile on his face.

  Carly walks in a minute later, “Hey Mom. You want anything from the cafeteria? Oh hey, Dad. I didn’t know you were here, and look, you brought it with you. I was hoping you had come to your senses and wanted our family back. Guess that’s just wishful thinking on my part.”

  “Yes, Carly. It’s wishful thinking because your daddy has a real woman now, and we are going to be a family. All five of us.”

  I’m completely shocked that Colton just let Clarissa talk to Carly that way. She has always been a daddy’s girl. Looking at her face, I can see the devastation written all over it. I’m praying so hard that this doesn’t cause her to start having trust issues with men.

  “Clarissa, I don’t know what kinda drugs you’re on, but they can’t be good for the baby. Carson and I will never be your family. I honestly feel sorry for the spawn. I also almost feel sorry for my dad, but he made his choice, so he has to live with it. Besides, you will never be half the woman my mom is.”

  “Carly, my girl. Come see me. I missed you today, baby girl. Where were you this morning, when your brother and I had our argument?”

  “Are you seriously asking me that? To think, I thought I was special, and that you loved me. I had a track meet that you were supposed to be at with my brother.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic. Your dad has a new family now, so he can’t come to your silly meets.” Clarissa chimes in.

  “Wow Dad, I didn’t realize your voice had changed so much. Maybe, you should check and see, if you have a vagina also. Clarissa just so you know my dad ran track, which is why I do it. It’s our thing, like fishing is with Carson. It’s fine I don’t need him to come to anything else of mine ever again. I hope you both get what you deserve.”

  We all turn, when there is a knock on the door. It slightly opens, revealing a nice-looking young boy. No wonder Carly was so giddy earlier.

  “Hey Carly. You okay, sweet girl?” He walks right over to her, lik
e nobody else is in the room, wrapping his arms around her. My heart sighs at how adorable they are together.

  Carson finally speaks up, “Hey Xavier. What are you doing here, man?”

  “Your sister needed a friend, so I came. So, don’t get all big brother on me now. I told you man-to-man that I like your sister, and I’m going for it.”

  “Yeah you did, but I still don’t have to like it.”

  “You can both put your penises away. I’m right here, and I can make decisions on my own. What is it with guys who think a woman can’t make a simple decision without their input? First, the one man I thought would never betray and hurt me this deep does, so thanks for that, Dad.” She glares at him, as she continues, “Now, I have my brother acting like I have to get permission to date, or hell, even be friends with someone.” She turns, looking at Xavier, “If you think I need you...”

  He puts his finger over her lips, stopping the words. “Babe, I don’t think you need me, but I hope you do. When I have a good or bad day, I need to tell you. Sometimes, when I’m just sitting around the house, I need to hear your voice or to see you. So, do I think you need me? No, but I need you.” He leans down, brushing his lips over hers, as he grabs her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Let’s go talk.”

  Looking at Claire, I say, “Wow, I have never seen Carly or Carson like that.”

  “Listen Molly, Xavier used to be a major player, and then one day I was waiting for Carly to finish her track practice. I was sitting on the bleachers, and he came and sat with me and asked, which chick I was waiting for. I pointed Carly out, telling him she was my sister. He hasn’t had a girl anywhere around him since, and he has been trying to get Carly to go out with him. He has been to every track meet, he stays over for her practices, brings her favorite Gatorade, or whatever she wants. I tried to keep them away from each other, but they are like magnets and metal. If this goes south, I’m going to feel responsible.”