I can't believe Ezra and I talked all day, when I realized it was three-thirty, I had to leave. I had to pick up Paytin from school and head off to my sister's for dinner, it's a weekly ritual. Once a week we head go to my sister's house and Paytin plays with her cousin, Chelsie, who's a year younger than her. I was so happy when my sister married Kyle Winthrop, the doctor, he made her so happy and he still does. I learned so much about Ezra, he became a teacher like he's always wanted and then lost his job at Hollis college. He was a teacher at the high school but left to work there. He told me that he hasn't talked to his family for a long time until recently his mother and brother just popped into his life unexpectedly. The thing that made my heart break a little was hearing that he had a girlfriend. I kind of saw it as fate today when we ran into each other after what i've been going through with my ex, which I completely lied to him about. I had to, if he knew what was really going on, he would try to protect me like he's always done.
I pulled up at the school that Paytin goes to, waiting in the pick up lane on the side of the school between at least half a dozen cars waiting to pick up their children as well, when I see Paytin running up to the car, her long hair flowing behind her. "Hey baby, how was school?" I ask as Jenn the teacher on duty comes up to the car to make sure Paytin is in. "It was good," Paytin tells me as she puts on her seat belt in the backseat. I look at her and remember all the fun I had today talking to her father, the man I loved a million years ago. It was hard just sitting there talking to him, all the memories I had kept rushing right back to me like they were happening all over again. Like the time when we stayed up three days talking about our futures together. I was going to start my magazine and he was going to teach and write on the side. I had to throw those memories away when I pulled up to my sister's place, we both live in Rosewood, right down the street from each other.
As I walk into Loretta and Kyle's two floor, four bedroom, three and a half bathroom house with a built in pool I imagine how my life turned tragic in the past year and how different it could be in the future. And I remember when I threw up in the pool a year or so ago. As soon as we walk in Paytin rushes to Chelsie's room and my sister walks by me with her 8 month pregnant self, we look a lot a like but her hair is a dark brown, we share a hug. "It's good to see you," we both share a hug. "You are not going to believe what happened today?" I tell her as she leads me to the living room and we sit down. "Where's Kyle?" I ask before I start to tell her. "Grilling steaks. Is this about Scott?" She asks worried, I reassure her that its not. "It's about Ezra." She looks shocked. "I ran in to him today. We started talking and it felt good. It felt natural." My sister starts looking concerned for my safety. "I don't know if that will be a good idea right now. Your going through a divorce and Scott has threatened to hurt you and Paytin," she tells me in a concerned voice. "Besides how would you feel if Dianne knew? You took that money and left like she wanted." I love my sister but I hate it when she sounds like our mother. "I don't care about Dianne, that was years ago, that part of my life is over and done. Besides Ezra's seeing someone. I won't do anything stupid, I just want to try to be friends with him again. I want him to meet Paytin one day and I want her to call him dad. Not Scott." I guess my sister is finally understanding what I am trying to say.
"Did you tell him that your married?" I look at her, "No. I lied. And I hate myself for not telling him the truth about that. He would try to protect us, I won't let Scott hurt him, too." I look straight ahead at the tv and see me and my sister's reflection on the black screen. "I just wish I would have known about the real Scott before I said 'I do.'" Kyle walks into the living room wearing a 'Kiss The Cook' apron on, smelling like grilled food. I turn around when I hear his voice. "Marigold. How are you? Where's my little pumpkin?" He says calling me the nick name that he came up with since I told him my real name is Margaret. And he's been a great second father to Paytin, he has always been helpful. "Hey, Crumble Up Sock Titties, Paytin's with your daughter playing," I tell him calling him the name that I came up with two summers ago when he dressed up like a woman and my sister like a man for Halloween, we used some socks for his boobs so I tease him and call him that. "Dinner's going to be done soon, I just threw some vegetables on," he says as my sister walks by him and kisses him. "I'm going to go check up on the girls," I tell them leaving them alone and then walking to Chelsie's bedroom, which has two twin size beds and a lot of toys. I see the girls playing with the barbie dolls and remember when it was me and Loretta playing together.
We had another sister, Brandi who was two years older than Loretta, but when she was 17, making me 10, she killed herself. I found her asleep in her room, I thought that she was just sleeping, until she didn't wake up. I told Loretta to check up on her and we she saw she wasn't breathing, called 911. I never knew why she did it, until I was 13 and I found her diaries packed away in the attic, apparently she was in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend Jonathan at the time and wasn't telling anybody at home. After I read that I tried to remember everything to see if at 10 years old I could have helped her. She was happy most of the time but even now as I think of it, she was always pretending to be happy. I still never understood why she couldn't leave, even now that i'm going through a similar situation, I still don't understand. I found the strength, why couldn't she? Why did she take the easy way out?
THANKS FOR READING. THANKS FOR REVIEWING! WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS CHAPTER? DO YOU LIKE THE INSIGHT ON MAGGIE? LET ME KNOW, DON'T BE SHY... COMMENT!
ALSO, IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS ON WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN LET ME KNOW...I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU GUYS! YOU ARE AMAZING.
