up
the ying-yang.”
Jamie could see her point but also couldn’t help feeling sorry for
another baby whose dad wouldn’t exactly be father of the year. Not the way Nate
was.
“What about the girls? Does Shannon know? Or Cassie?” Kat asked, referring
to Danielle’s sixteen- and twenty-one year old daughters.
“Cassie knows and she’s not saying much, but that’s no shocker. These
days she doesn’t say much anyway. I think this will probably affect her harder
than Shannon. You know, Cassie has always been daddy’s little girl and the
competition has stiffened with Stacey and then the twins and now a new baby. If
this new baby is a boy, that will only make things worse for her. Al always
wanted a son more than he wanted his daughters.”
“Funny enough though, she always defends him because he gives her
whatever the hell she wants. She’s learned how to work him and he gives in to
her. I am always telling him that spoiling her with clothes, money, and a car
isn’t the way to raise a happy, self-sufficient child. She hates me right now,
because I told her that she had to get a job this summer.” Danielle popped a
strawberry in her mouth, washing it down with a sip of wine. “I know it might
sound mean or wrong, but I can’t help hoping that Al’s new family at least brings
Cassie back to me.”
“What do you mean?” Alyssa asked. “She’s your daughter. She may be acting
like a teenager, but I think her actions are normal. I didn’t like my mom all
that much at sixteen either.”
Danielle nodded. “The problem is that everything her dad does is
wonderful. That’s only because of the money and gifts. I know that I shouldn’t
take it personally, but it’s hard not to. Everything I do is wrong in her eyes.
Every time she speaks to me it’s in this adversarial tone, like I’m to blame
for all the wrongs in her life and in her world. As if I’m to blame for the
divorce! In her eyes, I might even be the one to blame for Stacey and the twins
and now the new kid. The other day she suggested that I needed new clothes and
a makeover. She even muttered something about how her father might have stayed
if I’d worn better clothes!”
“She did not!” Jamie said.
Danielle shrugged. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to do it all over
again, but tell you what, I do miss the days when I was on a pedestal. This too
shall pass right? And Shannon will be home next month. I never went through any
of this with her. Maybe she can talk some sense into her sister. What about you
all? What’s going on in your worlds for the last couple of weeks? I feel like
I’ve been out of touch working in the lab and getting ready for harvest.”
“I found out my mother is coming to visit for the summer.” Kat lifted her
glass up to toast. “Woo-hoo, doesn’t that sound like a reason to celebrate?”
“From everything you’ve told us, it sounds like a reason to drink,”
Alyssa replied, and refilled Kat’s almost empty glass.
“Venus is coming?” Jamie asked.
“Yes. Birkenstocks and Ram Das aplenty. She suggested I get a wheat grass
juicer and told me where I can order the freshest, most chlorophylled wheat
grass. She hinted that I may possibly want to start growing it myself.”
“Oh, no.” Jamie picked up a piece of cheese.
“Oh, yeah. And I’m making you all go to Bikram yoga with us. It’s only
about a hundred and five degrees in the room, and they say you usually stop
puking after the first few sessions if you drink lots of water. My mother will
tell you it’s so powerfully Zen.”
“Sounds like a blast. She’s coming for the entire summer?” Danielle
asked.
“We’re still negotiating the terms,” Kat replied. “That’s my big news,
and of course, Perry has another new girlfriend. This one is even old enough to
buy alcohol. The boys say she’s twenty-two, and she is not a stripper but a
receptionist in a hair salon.” She touched the ends of her shoulder length,
chestnut colored hair.
the ying-yang.”
Jamie could see her point but also couldn’t help feeling sorry for
another baby whose dad wouldn’t exactly be father of the year. Not the way Nate
was.
“What about the girls? Does Shannon know? Or Cassie?” Kat asked, referring
to Danielle’s sixteen- and twenty-one year old daughters.
“Cassie knows and she’s not saying much, but that’s no shocker. These
days she doesn’t say much anyway. I think this will probably affect her harder
than Shannon. You know, Cassie has always been daddy’s little girl and the
competition has stiffened with Stacey and then the twins and now a new baby. If
this new baby is a boy, that will only make things worse for her. Al always
wanted a son more than he wanted his daughters.”
“Funny enough though, she always defends him because he gives her
whatever the hell she wants. She’s learned how to work him and he gives in to
her. I am always telling him that spoiling her with clothes, money, and a car
isn’t the way to raise a happy, self-sufficient child. She hates me right now,
because I told her that she had to get a job this summer.” Danielle popped a
strawberry in her mouth, washing it down with a sip of wine. “I know it might
sound mean or wrong, but I can’t help hoping that Al’s new family at least brings
Cassie back to me.”
“What do you mean?” Alyssa asked. “She’s your daughter. She may be acting
like a teenager, but I think her actions are normal. I didn’t like my mom all
that much at sixteen either.”
Danielle nodded. “The problem is that everything her dad does is
wonderful. That’s only because of the money and gifts. I know that I shouldn’t
take it personally, but it’s hard not to. Everything I do is wrong in her eyes.
Every time she speaks to me it’s in this adversarial tone, like I’m to blame
for all the wrongs in her life and in her world. As if I’m to blame for the
divorce! In her eyes, I might even be the one to blame for Stacey and the twins
and now the new kid. The other day she suggested that I needed new clothes and
a makeover. She even muttered something about how her father might have stayed
if I’d worn better clothes!”
“She did not!” Jamie said.
Danielle shrugged. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to do it all over
again, but tell you what, I do miss the days when I was on a pedestal. This too
shall pass right? And Shannon will be home next month. I never went through any
of this with her. Maybe she can talk some sense into her sister. What about you
all? What’s going on in your worlds for the last couple of weeks? I feel like
I’ve been out of touch working in the lab and getting ready for harvest.”
“I found out my mother is coming to visit for the summer.” Kat lifted her
glass up to toast. “Woo-hoo, doesn’t that sound like a reason to celebrate?”
“From everything you’ve told us, it sounds like a reason to drink,”
Alyssa replied, and refilled Kat’s almost empty glass.
“Venus is coming?” Jamie asked.
“Yes. Birkenstocks and Ram Das aplenty. She suggested I get a wheat grass
juicer and told me where I can order the freshest, most chlorophylled wheat
grass. She hinted that I may possibly want to start growing it myself.”
“Oh, no.” Jamie picked up a piece of cheese.
“Oh, yeah. And I’m making you all go to Bikram yoga with us. It’s only
about a hundred and five degrees in the room, and they say you usually stop
puking after the first few sessions if you drink lots of water. My mother will
tell you it’s so powerfully Zen.”
“Sounds like a blast. She’s coming for the entire summer?” Danielle
asked.
“We’re still negotiating the terms,” Kat replied. “That’s my big news,
and of course, Perry has another new girlfriend. This one is even old enough to
buy alcohol. The boys say she’s twenty-two, and she is not a stripper but a
receptionist in a hair salon.” She touched the ends of her shoulder length,
chestnut colored hair.
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