Prologue
June 1, 2005
Cat POV
"Do you, Cateland Peters Valentine take Wayne Allen Grant to be you lawfully wedded husband?" Pastor Bruns asked as I stood behind my aunt Katie. My flower girl dress is beautiful; it's almost like my moms. Both my cousin Ashley and I are in my mommy's wedding. She's marrying my new step daddy Wayne. Mom let Ashley and I help her get dressed this morning. She's wearing a white dress with see through sleeves and a pretty flower pattern all on the dress. Wayne let my brother Jace help him get dress. All my family is here and Wayne's family is too.
"I do". My mom says holding her left hand out while my new step dad slips a really pretty ring on her finger. Our pastor at our church Pastor Bruns nods and says "With the grace of God I now pronounce you man and wife. Wayne you may now kiss the bride." He said and my mom and Wayne kissed. Ashley and I giggled and everybody clapped and cheered. Aunt Cynthia and grandma hugs mom really tight and my uncle on daddy's side hugged Wayne and shook his hand. Some of my daddy's family came, like my aunt, uncle and nana. They don't really get along, ever since daddy left mommy to go live with my old baby sitter.
Sometimes when my dad still lived with us I saw daddy and Linda sleeping in mom and daddy's bed. When I asked mom how come Linda sleeps in her room during the day, she sent me upstairs with coloring books and red velvet cupcakes. Later when dad came home they got into a really big fight. I got scared and snuck downstairs to make sure they were okay because they were really loud.
Flashback
"How dare you sleep with our babysitter?!" mom yelled. Dad has his head in his hands and banging them on the dinning room table.
"Cate it was an accident, I was drunk." Dad said really upset.
"You dog!" mom said in a voice I almost never hear. I call it her angry voice. "I forgave you when you slept with your sectary. I did it because your mother begged me to take you back saying 'oh, no ones perfect!' mommy said still in her angry voice.
"Cate baby, it was an accident. I was angry at things going on at work when I came home. Linda put Cat down for a nap and one thing let to another. I didn't mean it." Dad said really sorry. Mom had a sad look on her face.
"Well…Linda is not good at her job because Cat was not sleeping for long." Mom said in a soft voice.
"Cat..." Dad said sad.
"Yes Carl. Cat, your daughter. Remember her?" mom said and dad look defeated. "Carl, today I had to listen to my daughter asks me 'why does Linda get to sleep with dad in my bed'. Mom said what I told her to daddy. Dad looks really sad and whispers.
"Cat saw us…?"
"Yes! Cat saw you! Lucky for you and your whore she doesn't understand what she saw." mom says. I don't understand; they were just sleeping. Was Linda not supposed to sleep here?
"I forgave you when slept with you sectary." She said shaking her head. "But I refuse to allow you to poison and taint our daughters' innocence." Mom says as I see tears on her face.
"I would never taint my child." Dad said in a scary voice, his face and voice were scary. I've never seen look like that before.
"Linda is only 17, a minor and I will never let you." Mom says. I didn't want to hear them arguing anymore and ran upstairs.
Mr. Purple and Mr. Longneck comforted me while I tried to take a nap.
I woke up when my mom crawled in bed with me. I felt her tears on the back of my pink shirt.
She's crying.
"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked as I turn around and lay my head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat. She caresses my brown hair.
"It's alright baby. I'm fine." She says and kisses my head.
"Are you and daddy still fighting?" I ask, mom looks down really sad and pulls my cover over us.
"No baby, we aren't fighting anymore, but dad has left." I gasp a little. She hugs me close.
"Left? But why?" I ask her as tears well.
"It's adult business sweetheart. Once you are older, you will understand. Ok."
"Is it because I told you–" she didn't let me finish.
"No!" she said loudly. I jumped a little but she held me close. "You aren't the blame baby. I promise." She said.
"Mom?"
"Hmm?"
"Is daddy a bad man?" mom inhaled really quickly.
"No baby, dad just made some bad choices."
"But dad is a grownup." My dad is a good daddy, he doesn't make bad choices.
"I know sweetheart, things will be changing soon. Daddy won't be sleeping here anymore." I was going to say something but mom stopped me with her finger on my lip. "That does not mean that you won't see him anymore. You'll see him on weekends." Mom says, I didn't want to believe it. Daddy's leaving us; he's leaving me.
A month later he sent for me and brought me to his new home in Granada Hills. Dads' new house is big and he let me pick my own room. Linda was there, she said she was there to keep an eye on me. At night I heard weird sounds coming from my dads' room. I closed my ears and Mr. Porkstache helped me sleep. During breakfast the next morning Linda was still there. She was wearing night clothes. They were kissing and…touching.
I noticed that when they went to dads room, he wasn't wearing his ring like mom where's on her hand. That Sunday night when dad dropped me off he kissed me and said that he loved me. We spent weekends together for a few months. Then dad was really busy and couldn't come get me. Not long after that, he stopped calling and mom said that she and daddy wasn't married anymore. Then we found out that dad married Linda when she was eighteen.
End Flashback
Dad has really hasn't seen me afterwards. He doesn't even send me gifts for my birthday anymore. Uncle Calvin said that dad takes good care of a baby boy Linda gave him. They named him Carlton Jr. after my dad. He came to our home a year after he stopped calling. When I had made seven, he and mom had a huge argument. I sat at the top of the stairs listening to them going back and forth at each other. Mom yelled at him for not coming to see me and Jace, but he takes good care of his other son.
"You don't have the right to spend money on a bastard!"
Dad yelled back saying my brother Jace frustrates him because he's mentally ill. Then he said that I'm too messed up and that I irritated him. I gasped so loudly that they heard me. I covered my mouth and ran back to my room locking my door. I heard another minute of yelling from mom and the front door to our home slammed shut. Mom came and knocked at my door and asked if I can let her in.
I stayed silent as I went to my window and watched my Uncle Calvin and my dad argue in the street. I was positive that dad doesn't like me anymore. He says I'm messed up and that I irritate him. I questioned myself for hours after that. Mom came knocked on my door every hour after I locked myself in my room. I stayed there for two days, not eating, not sleeping, wanting to know why does dad not like me anymore.
Before I knew it, moms' arms were around me. She got Jace to break in my room with one of her hair pins. She bathed me and gave me a red velvet cupcake. She, Jace and I slept in her room. I asked her why dad hates me. She shushed me and said that dad was not the same man she fell in love with. I cried myself to sleep in her arms.
That next year when I was eight she brought home a boyfriend. His name is Wayne Grant. He is so sweet to Jace and me. He doesn't even mind that Jace is special. Wayne helps me with my homework and tickles me and helps me bake cupcakes. He says that I don't have to call him dad and that he loves me and will never leave or hurt me.
"Cat come on!" Ashley said scaring me from my thoughts. My mom and step dad has walk back down the aisle. They were standing on the church steps about to take a wedding photo with the family. I ran up and stood between my mom and Wayne, Jace came too. The photographer had mom's family stand behind mom and Wayne's family stand behind him. Jace and I are in the middle. The photographer took a few photos and more pictures of my mom and Wayne, and everyone else. After, we rode in a limousine to the reception hall. Mom and Wayne danced first, to their favorite song. Then after the first song Wayne beckoned me over and we danced!
"The second song is for my second favorite lady." Wayne said and I giggled. We dance to two more songs then mom cut in. Jace and I danced with Ashley. After awhile mom and Wayne sat down in throne like chairs, they were so pretty. Everybody gave them gifts and envelopes. After a few hours my aunts and uncle help put the gifts in my mommy's big SUV and in Wayne's truck. When it got really late mom and Wayne gave out last minute hugs saying goodbye to everyone, then got back into the limo with Uncle Calvin, Jace, Aunt Cynthia, me and Ashley. It brought us to LAX and mom and Wayne got their luggage put on a small airplane.
Mom kissed and hugged Jace, Ashley and me. Wayne did too. They are going on their honey moon to do adult things and have fun I guess. Jace and I are going to stay with Uncle Calvin and Ashley until they get back. Ash and I blow kisses when they look out the plane window. My moms' friend will take them to their honey moon. She said they are going to Miami. I wish I could go…but mom said that it was special and only she and Wayne will go. She said that she and Wayne will bring us souvenirs back. The plane went really loud and went over to the run way. The lights were so pretty. It went really fast then up in the air. I said bye but I don't think they heard me.
Uncle Calvin took my hand and picked me up taking us back to the limo and brought us to his home. Ashley and I put on matching pajama's, they are pink and have purple and white bears on them. We slept in Ashley's room and Jace took the guest room.
"Catty, are you happy you have a new daddy?" Ashley asked while we color. Ash and I can be passed off as sisters; we hear it all the time. We look so much alike. One lady thought we were twins, but that's silly.
"Yeah, mom is a lot happier and Wayne is nice to Jace and me." I say while I color a rainbow. It's gonna look so pretty with my new pink and purple crayons. Ash and I stayed up all night talking and coloring. I'm saving my prettiest coloring for mommy.
"Surprise!" everyone yells as mom came through the door. Wayne's behind her carrying all the bags. Mom looks really surprised and Jace and I ran up to hug her.
"Hi babies." Mom says hugging us back.
"We really missed you mom, you too Wayne." I said going over to hug him. He picks me up and ruffles Jade's hair.
"We missed you too squirts." He laughed and put me down; after we were settled in we had a party for them. My family and Wayne's family came. Mom got more gifts, we barbequed outside and had a lot of fun. Mom bought me back a new toy chest filled with stuffed animals and games. I'm gonna name each and every one of my new friends. There are so many. Jace got a new bike, mom even bought a present from Ashley, a new story book.
We played with our new gifts for hours and Jace let us ride his back. After the party was over and everyone went home, mom put us to bed. Ash slept over and we shared my bed.
"Good night sweethearts." Mom says to us and kisses us on our head.
"Nighty night mom." I yawn and hug her.
"Night Aunt Cate." Ash says and hugs mom too. I yawn again and get really sleepy. Mom left and I kiss Ash on her cheek.
"Nighty night Ash." I say as my eyelids got really heavy.
"Night Catty."