JeffHardy724: No worries. I hope work is at least enjoyable. :) There will be lots of Kylie's POV coming up. She's going to be realizing some crazy things in this story.
Kaslyna: haha I should have taken your advice about Kylie and Charla to begin with. It changed because of the divorce and all the other stuff that happened around the beginning of this summer. It kinda made me want to write a different version.
Lis: Thank you! Different in a good way or no?
The Carmichael Residence
9:00 A.M.
Abbie's POV
"Do you think my teacher is going to ask me my ABCs?" my daughter Abilene asks as she is sitting down to breakfast.
"If she does, you'll be okay," I assure her. "We practiced all summer. Let me hear you say them."
"A, B, C, D, E…" my daughter starts reciting. Today is her first day of kindergarten and I'm probably more nervous than she is. Abilene is my baby and this is a major milestone in her life. Even though we have another daughter, Abilene is our miracle baby. I tried for years to get pregnant, but nothing worked. Serena and I were about to give up hope until one night we tried the insemination in our bed while we were making love and it worked. Nine months later, my Abilene, or Little Abbie as everyone likes to call her, was born. She reminds me so much of myself as a child. We even look alike right down to our black hair, dark eyes, and dimples.
"Are you going with us to school?" Abilene asks Serena as she walks into the kitchen to grab some breakfast go.
"I can't, sweetheart," Serena says and then kisses her on the cheek. "I have to go to work right now, but your mommy is going to take lots of pictures for me to see when I get home."
"It's not the same," Abilene insists. "Either you're at work or Mommy is at work. We're never together."
"We'll be together tonight," Serena promises and Abilene gets back to eating her cereal.
Before Serena heads out the door, she plants a kiss on my lips and I'm grateful she got it over with. Serena and I have been having marital problems lately, but we've been too afraid to address any of them. Addressing our problems reaffirms that they exist.
Within ten minutes of Serena leaving, my best friend Casey shows up with her daughter Emma. Emma runs up to Abilene and gives her a hug. I can't help but smile at the two of them. They are so cute together. Emma and Abilene have been inseparable since they were babies and I'm glad they are starting school together. Being in the same classroom will make kindergarten a lot less scary for them.
Emma may be excited, but Casey is just the opposite. I can tell she is trying to hold back her tears.
"Casey, it's kindergarten, not college. She's going to be alright," I urge, but I know she isn't buying it.
"She's growing up so fast," Casey tells me. "It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with her and now she's starting kindergarten and Kylie is a senior. I didn't get to see Kylie on her first day of kindergarten. I was here while my daughter was starting school in Boston because Alex insisted on going to Harvard Law School."
"Tell me about it," I say to her. "I had to miss Mackenzie's birth because I was in Austin and I couldn't get a flight out."
"You win," Casey says. "Unless I bring up the fact that my wife was in Witness Protection and I—"
"Okay, youwin," I interrupt. There really is no way to have pity on yourself when Casey plays the 'wife in Witness Protection' card.
When we arrive at our daughters' school, there are parents saying tearful goodbyes to their children. I don't know how to feel about being the only mother who isn't crying. I love Abilene, but I know if I cry then she will cry. I lift her up one more time and give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Have a good day, baby," I tell her. "I'll be here to pick you up in a few hours. I love you."
"I love you, too, mommy," she says and then starts to get antsy. "Come on, Emma."
"Mommy, I have to go," Emma says, but Casey won't put her down.
"I don't want you to go," Casey tells her. "Let's wait one more year to put you in school. We don't have to tell your mommy Alex and every day we'll go out for ice cream."
"But I have to," Emma says to Casey. "I want to be in school. I want to be with Abilene."
Casey finally gives in and our two little girls join hands and walk over to their classroom together. Abilene has been in daycare since she was a baby, so she's used to being away from Serena and me, but Emma is different. This is her first time away from home and she may be excited right now, but I have a feeling she's going to start missing her mom. Unlike Abilene, Emma has always had one of her moms home at all times. Ever since Emma was born, Casey has been a stay-at-home mom. It took awhile for her to get used to it, but both Casey and Alex felt as if it was the best thing for their girls. After everything that happened to Alex, they knew it was best if Kylie had some stability instead of being a latchkey kid. I asked Casey if she resented the fact that Alex gets to be out in the world while she stays home and she told me she wouldn't have it any other way because her staying home has brought them even closer together. I love the two of them, but I can't help but be jealous whenever I spend time with them as a couple. They're always holding each other and kissing each other every chance they get. Serena and I were like that once, but so many things have been causing us to drift apart.
"BiFF?"
"Yeah?" Casey responds as she tries to regain her composure.
"I think we're in need of a coffee date," I tell her.
Starbucks
Casey's POV
"Are you okay?" I ask Abbie as we sit at a table with two of the most fattening drinks we could possibly order.
"As okay as I'm going to be," Abbie tells me as she sips on her drink. "I have a question. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you look at Alex?"
I wasn't expecting something this heavy. Usually whenever Abbie and I have a coffee date, we reminisce about our younger days or talk about our children. I can tell this is going to be nothing like that.
"When I look at Alex," I begin telling her. "I start thinking about how I'm the luckiest woman to ever walk the planet. We've been through so much since we were 18 and yet we're still together. I love her more than I love life itself and I know what it's like to be without her and I never want to experience that again. But, to be honest with you, I'm mostly thinking about how I'm going to get her naked."
"I'm being serious," Abbie insists. I know she isn't amused.
"So am I," I tell her.
"So, you two don't have any problems?"
"We have problems like all married couples do, but after everything we've been through, we try not to sweat the small stuff," I point out. "If you've been through what Alex and I have been through, you'd know it was pointless to fight over trivial things like who does the laundry or who takes out the trash. But what brought this on?"
Abbie takes a deep breath before answering my question. "When I look at Serena," she starts to tell me. "I don't see that woman I fell in love with. I see domesticity, restriction, the list is endless. There's no more passion or intimacy. She tries, but she just doesn't turn me on the way she used to."
I'm about to offer her some advice, but her phone starts to ring and she insists on picking it up. It's a phone I've never seen before. I start to think it's a phone she uses for work until I hear her end of the conversation.
"Hi, beautiful…yeah, she's at work…I'm picking up my daughter in a few hours, but nothing until then…yeah, I can get away…your place?...okay, I'll be right there."
"BiFF, what's going on?" I ask when she hangs up the phone.
"Nothing," she responds. "I have to go. Do me a favor? Everything you heard today stays between us."
She takes off before I can get another word in. Even though Abbie won't give me any details, I know what she's doing. It's the same thing I did with Alejandra when I was in college and I don't want Serena to have to go through the same heartache that Alex did. We're picking up our daughters from school in a few hours and I honestly don't know how I'm going to feel when I see her now that I know she's cheating on Serena.
