Chapter 7 – Bittersweet
After a detour to her penthouse to clean herself up, Spencer paid a visit to Wal-Mart to purchase the biggest and fluffiest teddy bear she could find. When Spencer's Mercedes came to a halt in the Thomas' paved driveway of their massive mini mansion, she reviewed her reflection in the rearview mirror. She made sure to zip her coat all the way up. She didn't want Melissa to see her option of apparel and go all Sherlock Holmes on her like Aria did hours ago. Spencer had gone home, showered, and thumbed through the endless items in her large walk-in closet; yet she still found herself clad in Toby's shirt.
Allowing the rude winds and raindrops to destroy her freshly blown dried hair when she exited her car, Spencer speedily walked up the curvy sidewalk. As she neared the front door, a pair of voices grew louder.
"Do you know how embarrassing that was?!" an angry male voice exclaimed from the inside of Melissa's house.
"I'm sorry, babe," Melissa sobbed.
"I don't wanna hear that! All I wanna hear is why in the hell did you ever give her your maiden name any damn way?" Ian demanded.
"Because we fought the entire time I was pregnant, and I thought we were going to get a divorce."
"Even if we did, she's still my daughter and is entitled to her father's last name!"
"Maybe if you were present at the time of her birth like a father should, I would've given her your last name!"
"You get your ass down to the social security office first thing next week, and you change my daughter's last name!"
That imperative was the last bickering statement Spencer overheard before the front door swung open. Her eyes increased in size; she knew she was busted for eavesdropping. Ian was too pissed to care. He brushed past her, stomping all the way to the car Melissa purchased him for his birthday.
Walking into the opened door, Spencer found Melissa draped over on the sofa, weeping heavily.
"Mel? Are you ok?" Spencer worried as she occupied the space next to her sister and caressed her back.
Wiping away her crocodile tears and forming the famous Hastings superficial stance of strength, Melissa nodded her head frantically. "What… what are you doing here?"
Spencer shook the stuffed animal. "For my princess. How is she doing?"
"She had a stomach virus, but she's much better now."
"That's great; I'm happy to hear that," Spencer exhaled. "So… what's up with Ian? Why was he yelling at you?"
Melissa rolled her eyes, certain to keep them from looking in Spencer's direction. "He's mad at me, because the nurses wouldn't permit him to see Taylor last night after I took her to the ER. According to the hospital's regulations, only immediate family members are allowed in the back. Because Taylor doesn't have Ian's last name, and he wasn't present to sign her birth certificate, there was no way for the nurses to verify he was her father."
"He shouldn't be mad at you for that! That's his own fault. He wasn't there for you or Taylor when you guys needed him the most. I mean, seriously—who doesn't show up for his daughter's arrival into the world?"
Taking up for her husband, Melissa quickly replied. "Ok, I know he hasn't always been the best father, but the important thing is that he's here now. So, just drop it."
Spencer and her parents found Melissa's marriage to Ian very odd. They were complete opposites of one another.
The couple met Melissa's freshman year at UPenn and have been on and off since then. Initially pursuing her degree in Criminal Justice, Melissa shocked her parents when she spontaneously switched her major to pre-med. They were satisfied with her choice of occupation, because it was still a white collar job and lived up to the Hastings' high standards; it was just unexpected, considering she never mentioned her interest in studying medicine, because she had been obsessing over becoming the youngest lawyer in the state of Pennsylvania since she was a child. Her parents were still impressed with the outcome of Melissa's life, well except for one thing. Interlacing her high IQ and obsession to always be the best, Melissa reduced the normal eleven year journey to obtaining her pediatrics residency to seven years.
Ian, too, spent the same amount of time in college, but his reasoning differed greatly. He was too busy partying with a fraternity he founded called N.A.T. Veronica and Peter Hastings were not pleased when Melissa married a guy who took seven years to obtain a measly four year degree in Secondary Education. They kept their fingers crossed that their eldest daughter would come to her senses soon and divorce him, but all their hopes and dreams were shattered when Melissa announced her pregnancy. Ian was going to be around forever.
Upon the joyous expecting arrival, things did not get better for Melissa and Ian. They continued to fight over everything and nothing, ending every problem with Ian walking out. The road to recovery always began with Melissa running after her husband, just like now.
"Spencer, I need to go find my husband and make things right with him. Will you babysit Taylor tonight?" Melissa asked as Taylor came running into the room.
Encasing her aunt's lengthy legs in her tiny arms, the one year old gave Spencer a hug and offered her a toothless grin. Taylor quickly dismissed Spencer and offered her love to the incredibly sized teddy bear that Spencer handed her.
"I would love to spend an entire night with my little Sweet Pea, but not tonight. Hanna is flying back into town, and you know I haven't seen her in years. I've already promised to have dinner with the girls. I was going to head that way after leaving here."
"Fine. Just drop Tay off at our parents'," Melissa ordered as she retrieved her fur coat and an umbrella. "Mommy will see you tomorrow, darling. Be good for your Nannie and Poppy. Love you lots."
And just like that, Melissa was out the door.
Spencer shook her head in dismay as she scooped the raven haired toddler in her arms and towed her into her princess inspired room. As Spencer packed her niece's overnight bag, she couldn't help but to mentally curse her older sister. She found it very disgusting how Melissa put Ian before everyone else and above everything else, even her daughter. Spencer didn't think Melissa was a bad mother, but she did make bad impulsive decisions with her one-tracked mind when Ian was added to the equation.
Spencer tried to bring the matter to Mel's attention. Melissa dejectedly replied with, "You don't have children, and you're not married, so you don't have the right to tell me anything. Back the hell off."
Securing the cutie in her arms, Spencer smiled at the hazel eyed toddler whom she loved and adored so much. "Maybe one day I will… just maybe," she told herself.
Author's Note: This chapter is NOT just a filler. It means something, and it's very critical to the storyline. In my stories, EVERYTHING means SOMETHING. Even the weather plays a major role in this story.
Thanks for reading and reviewing.
xoxo
