in announcing that he does, in fact, have another daughter living less than ten minutes away! He was eager to meet her but wanted to know if her existence was going to cost him the family he already had.
Willa didn’t know how to answer that. She knew Miles well enough to know he would never abandon his child and that Jewel would have been in his life from the very beginning had he known about her. Willa just didn’t know if she wanted to deal with someone else’s child. The new baby would be enough of an adjustment without adding another kid, especially one her own daughter hated. It was too much to handle and Willa didn’t know if she could or if it was something she should even be considering.
“You lying!” Katrina shouted when Jade told her the news.
“I wish I was lying. Can you believe that crap? Out of all the people in the world, stupid Jewel is my sister! I hate that girl! And then my dad threatened to beat my butt if I said I hated her one more time because she’s my sister and we’re supposed to love each other. And how exactly did that happen, Mr. ‘I only loved you, Willa’, Mr. I’m Perfect,” Jade said, as she rolled her eyes. “He’s such a liar. The whole time they were broken up he swore he hadn’t been with anybody else. And now, all these years later, here comes Jewel!”
Jade was only repeating what she’d heard Willa saying to friends. And she didn’t even understand it all but it made her feel like a grownup to talk like that and have Katrina hanging on her every word.
“So she coming to live with y’all?”
“No, don’t even think that,” Jade frowned then stuck her tongue out in disgust. “That idiot is supposed to come for visits so my dad can get to know her. I keep hoping he’ll hate her too and tell her not to ever come over again. But I guess that won’t happen since he already likes her better than me. All he says is Jewel is so pretty. Jewel is so smart. He doesn’t know anything about that stupid girl and he
already bragging about her!” Jade’s voice quivered. “I never heard my dad tell me I’m pretty or smart. All I ever hear is how I need to do better! If I get an A- on a test then it should’ve been an A+. If I get second place in a race it should’ve been first. Even when I got picked to perform in my modern dance class he wasn’t happy for me because it should have been the lead role. I can’t do nothing right but this stranger comes along and he thinks she’s perfect!” Jade began to cry. “I hate him and I wish he and Jewel would just go away!”
“I think you pretty and smart,” Katrina said, as she hugged her best friend tight. “Jewel ain’t nothing compared to you!”
Jade smiled and wiped her tears away, grateful for Katrina’s comfort. If only that had been enough to ward off the merciless teasing she got at school once students found out about Jewel.
“Ew, Jade, your daddy nasty! He did the oochie coochie with Jewel’s mama! Your daddy the oochie coochie man, your daddy the oochie coochie man,” a group of kids chanted for weeks every time they spotted her.
Jade was miserable and all anybody had to say about it was, “Oh, just ignore it.” The teacher was too busy to deal with it and Miles and Willa were too caught up in what they were going through to care. Besides her granny, the only other adult that even noticed how unhappy she’d become was Cicely. She gave Jade big hugs and told her she was beautiful and smart and incredibly special. And when Miles and Willa didn’t pay much attention to the honor roll certificates and other awards their daughter received, Cicely put them in frames and hung them up on her wall. She made Jade feel safe and loved and that drew her closer to the woman, something her parents would grow to resent.
The week before Thanksgiving Willa sat on Cicely’s couch explaining why she was leaving Miles!
“Oooh, girl, you just don’t need this kind of stress,” Cicely said, as she
Willa didn’t know how to answer that. She knew Miles well enough to know he would never abandon his child and that Jewel would have been in his life from the very beginning had he known about her. Willa just didn’t know if she wanted to deal with someone else’s child. The new baby would be enough of an adjustment without adding another kid, especially one her own daughter hated. It was too much to handle and Willa didn’t know if she could or if it was something she should even be considering.
“You lying!” Katrina shouted when Jade told her the news.
“I wish I was lying. Can you believe that crap? Out of all the people in the world, stupid Jewel is my sister! I hate that girl! And then my dad threatened to beat my butt if I said I hated her one more time because she’s my sister and we’re supposed to love each other. And how exactly did that happen, Mr. ‘I only loved you, Willa’, Mr. I’m Perfect,” Jade said, as she rolled her eyes. “He’s such a liar. The whole time they were broken up he swore he hadn’t been with anybody else. And now, all these years later, here comes Jewel!”
Jade was only repeating what she’d heard Willa saying to friends. And she didn’t even understand it all but it made her feel like a grownup to talk like that and have Katrina hanging on her every word.
“So she coming to live with y’all?”
“No, don’t even think that,” Jade frowned then stuck her tongue out in disgust. “That idiot is supposed to come for visits so my dad can get to know her. I keep hoping he’ll hate her too and tell her not to ever come over again. But I guess that won’t happen since he already likes her better than me. All he says is Jewel is so pretty. Jewel is so smart. He doesn’t know anything about that stupid girl and he
already bragging about her!” Jade’s voice quivered. “I never heard my dad tell me I’m pretty or smart. All I ever hear is how I need to do better! If I get an A- on a test then it should’ve been an A+. If I get second place in a race it should’ve been first. Even when I got picked to perform in my modern dance class he wasn’t happy for me because it should have been the lead role. I can’t do nothing right but this stranger comes along and he thinks she’s perfect!” Jade began to cry. “I hate him and I wish he and Jewel would just go away!”
“I think you pretty and smart,” Katrina said, as she hugged her best friend tight. “Jewel ain’t nothing compared to you!”
Jade smiled and wiped her tears away, grateful for Katrina’s comfort. If only that had been enough to ward off the merciless teasing she got at school once students found out about Jewel.
“Ew, Jade, your daddy nasty! He did the oochie coochie with Jewel’s mama! Your daddy the oochie coochie man, your daddy the oochie coochie man,” a group of kids chanted for weeks every time they spotted her.
Jade was miserable and all anybody had to say about it was, “Oh, just ignore it.” The teacher was too busy to deal with it and Miles and Willa were too caught up in what they were going through to care. Besides her granny, the only other adult that even noticed how unhappy she’d become was Cicely. She gave Jade big hugs and told her she was beautiful and smart and incredibly special. And when Miles and Willa didn’t pay much attention to the honor roll certificates and other awards their daughter received, Cicely put them in frames and hung them up on her wall. She made Jade feel safe and loved and that drew her closer to the woman, something her parents would grow to resent.
The week before Thanksgiving Willa sat on Cicely’s couch explaining why she was leaving Miles!
“Oooh, girl, you just don’t need this kind of stress,” Cicely said, as she
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