As soon as they got home Lexi stood by her bedroom and watched her dad and Annie confiscate everything that could entertain her; the cable cord to her TV, her DVD player, her phone, laptop, art supplies, even the books that weren't textbooks. She glared at them silently the entire time, but didn't object once.
"Is that everything?" Jeff asked as Annie came into their room with an armful of paint brushes and paint tubes and a few more books.
"I think so," she said. She put it all in the closet along with everything else they'd confiscated before sitting down on the bed.
"One of us should get a padlock tomorrow," Jeff stated as he sat next to Annie.
"Is that really necessary?"
"I'm not taking any chances. Besides, if I was her age, I'd take my stuff when we weren't here and put it back later. I'm not making it easy for her."
"So you fully expect her to just use her stuff when she gets the chance to take it? That's not really solving the problem."
"What the hell do you want then?" he snapped. "I'm trying to get her to change her attitude and I figured this was the way to go. If you have a better suggestion I'd love to hear it."
"Don't take that tone with me Jeff," she said testily. "If I knew a better way I'd gladly share it. I'm just saying if you fully expect her to just break in and use her stuff when we're not looking it's not really doing anything."
Jeff took a moment to calm down, not wanting to take his anger out on Annie. As they sat in silence they suddenly heard a phone buzzing. After checking their phones, Jeff got up and followed the noise to the closet, seeing that it was Lexi's phone and the caller was Chilton G. He felt a bit guilty as he answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Lexi?"
"It's her father, Jeff."
"Oh, hello Jeff. It's Chilton Glass. The lawyer who told you about Alexis and Megan."
"Yes, I remember who you are."
"I was just calling to leave a message for Alexis. My mother's been sick the last month and I've been staying with her during the chemo rounds."
"Oh," Jeff said in sad surprise. "I'm sorry."
"Thank you. Anyway, she used to make these Christmas cookies that Alexis was really fond of, and the last time I visited she gave me the recipe. I called to either drop off the recipe or have Lexi stop by to pick it up."
"That really nice of you Chilton. I'll make sure she gets it," Jeff said quickly, trying to wrap up the conversation.
Jeff waited for a response, but heard only silence. Just before he was going to hang up he heard Chilton ask, "What's wrong?"
"What do you mean, nothing's wrong?"
"Jeff, we're both lawyers. Don't bullshit a fellow bullshitter. Is it something to do with Alexis?"
"No offence, but I don't think this is any of your business."
"If you'd like I'll back off. Though I've known Alexis for many years, so I may be of some help in dealing with her if something's wrong."
Jeff sighed deeply, knowing he wasn't in any position to turn down parenting advice.
"Fine, you want the short version? She's acting out and doesn't listen to anyone. Her performance in school sucks. She sneaks out to God knows where. And she treats my fiancé like she's an evil stepmother out to get her when all she's done is try to be there for her. Any advice on that?"
Jeff looked over at Annie as he waited for Chilton's response, hearing the man breathe deeply on the other end. "That doesn't really surprise me. In my work I've seen children handle loss and change in very destructive ways."
"So you're saying you're an expert on these things?" Jeff asked, somewhat sarcastically.
"When it comes to parenting, no one's an expert. I have four kids myself, one from my first marriage, and three from my second. I've handled more parenting trials then I'd have ever thought possible, and to this day I still encounter things I'm unprepared for. I'm no expert, but I might be able to help." He was silent for a few moments before continuing. "This is just a suggestion, but would you like me to possibly talk to Alexis about things? She might be open to talking to someone she's known for a long time and I could offer a different perspective on matters."
Jeff took a moment to think the offer over. He'd be lying if a part of him would rather just figure this all out on his own. But he was at a loss on how to get through to her. And maybe an outside influence could help with his daughter's attitude.
"Yeah, that might help."
"Great. When she gets in can you have her call me so we can set up a time to meet?"
"She's actually here. Hold on a sec. Lexi!" Jeff yelled, sticking his head out of the bedroom. "Chilton's on the phone for you."
"So taking my stuff means you can answer my calls?" she stated
"Just take the phone," he said through gritted teeth. Jeff shook his head as Lexi left before dropping back on the bed.
"What's up?" Annie asked.
"Lexi's going to see Chilton to talk things over." He sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. "I hate this."
"What?"
"Not knowing what to do about my own daughter."
"You're doing the best you can Jeff," Annie said, placing her hand on his arm. "This has been tough for all of us. But you shouldn't think you're not a good father, because you are."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Lexi sat at a small table in the cafe, emptying sugar onto the surface and drawing patterns in it, before she saw Chilton approach. "Alexis, so good to see you," he said warmly.
"Hey Chilton." Lexi hugged him, noticing the dark circles of restlessness under his eyes as she pulled back. "How are you?"
"I've been better. I just came back from my mother's. I've been staying with her during her rounds with chemo."
"My dad told me. I'm so sorry," Lexi said. She'd always liked Granny Glass, who always gave her a tin of homemade Christmas cookies during the holidays. Plus, she had grown sensitive when it came to losing one's parent. "Tell her I'm thinking about her."
"Thank you. I'll make sure to tell her the next time I see her. Let me just get something first, and then we'll talk. First cup's on me. What would you like?"
"Um, caramel coffee with milk and whipped cream."
"Okay." He left for several minutes before returning with her flavored coffee and his cup of regular. "Here you go. One unholy creation that makes plain coffee drinkers weep."
She chuckled as he sat down, knowing his love for basic black coffee. "I've been meaning to call and see how you've been doing. I just…" she trailed off guiltily, since she didn't have a good reason for not staying in touch.
"It's alright. I know you've been busy with this whole transition. Though I must say, I'm not too pleased with all I've heard you've been doing since you moved in with your father."
She picked up her coffee and took a sip in an attempt to buy herself a bit of time. "What did he tell you?"
"That you've been sneaking out at night and causing trouble, and that you're not doing so great in school. That you've been disrespectful to people, particularly your future step mother." He frowned at his listings before looking at her with gentle concern. "Though I'd like to hear your take on these things."
Lexi sighed, taking several sips of her coffee to avoid talking. When she figured she couldn't put it off any longer she put her cup down. "It just seems meaningless."
"What's meaningless?" Chilton asked. "School?"
"Yeah. What's the point in learning all this stuff if we can die at any moment."
"I'm no psychic, but I highly doubt you're going to die anytime soon."
"How do you know?" she asked. "My mom was perfectly fine before she got sick, and then suddenly she's gone. She spent her life doing nothing but working a boring job and raising me. She wasted her life. And now I'm supposed to waste my life too?"
"If you're implying that your mother's life was a waste because she had you, then you're sorely mistaken," Chilton said seriously. "She loved you greatly."
"I know my mom loved me. But I just can't help thinking if it hadn't been for me, she would have lived this great exciting life."
"It's impossible to know the path one's life would have taken if things had gone differently. If your mother didn't have you she could have just as well led a very boring and unhappy existence. But you have to know that she had no regrets with how things went. I last spoke to her two days before she passed to help her with her affairs. And she said you were the best thing that ever happened to her, and that she couldn't have imagined you not being in her life." He took a sip of his own coffee before continuing. "You are right, no one knows when we're ultimately going to die. All we can do is live our life in a way that makes us happy and betters ourselves. For you, that means doing well in school and getting the skills needed to make something of yourself. Is slacking off and doing stupid stuff really making you happy?"
Lexi slouched in her seat, putting some thought into her answer before responding. "No. I just…I just don't know how to get it out. All this pain and anger. I know I should be over it by now…"
"First off, there's never a right time to get over how you feel about losing a loved one. And for you it goes deeper than that. Your mother lied to you about your father. I know you said you were upset with her over that, but couldn't tell her because she was dying."
"Yeah…yeah that upset me."
"So you never properly got out how you felt about her deception." Chilton leaned back in his seat before asking, "Can you tell me about Annie?"
"Why?"
"Because Jeff told me you've been particularly mean spirited to her and I'd like to get your opinion on the woman."
"She…she's annoying. She's always on my case and telling me what to do. It's frustrating. She's not my mother."
"No, she isn't. But she seems to genuinely care about you, and wants to be involved in your life. If you'll hear me out, I think I have a theory on why you've been treating Annie like you have. With your mom's death and the lie she told, you had all this anger inside of you that needed to get out and you chose to focus it on Annie, a person you weren't related to and who could be an obstacle both in gaining your father's affection, and to the memory of your deceased mother. And in doing so, you built her up into this monster, where anything she does is distorted into something terrible, even when she's genuinely looking out for your best interest."
Lexi huffed at that analysis. "Everyone's always leaping to defend her. She's not perfect. She once told me I was only there because no one else wanted me."
"I never said she was perfect, but I'm sure she only said that out of anger. Lexi, people stumble and make mistakes, especially in situations they are unsure of themselves. You are very lucky to have two people who took you in without a second thought. Not everyone would have done that."
"I know," she said in a small voice, remembering how her grandparents had disowned her mother after she became pregnant. As she sipped the rest of her coffee she thought over Chilton's words.
She knew things had gone too far. True, she was still dealing with everything. But deep down she knew that her actions of late were only making things worse. She had to figure out a way to grieve and get over her pain in less destructive ways.
And she had to stop pushing away those in her life who cared about her, like Cassidy. But even more than her best friend, Lexi had to learn to give Annie a break. After everything she had done to her, Lexi was still shocked that the woman had leapt to her defense with Stacy's parents. That said more about her integrity than Lexi had ever thought possible. Not that Lexi made an effort to look for it. She had been too busy villainizing her to think of her as a real person with feelings. Maybe it was time she tried to make an effort when it came to her future stepmother.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hello…This is Annie Edison. I'm calling about a mix up for the Winger Edison wedding…no, as I told the last person I spoke with, I did not order red roses for my centerpiece. I ordered purple orchids and white tulips with lavender. That's what I picked out and ordered four months ago…I don't care if red roses are romantic, that's not what I want…oh no, I am not paying extra for any changes. This is your screw up and it's going to be rectified…I'm holding the order form and receipt in my hand and it clearly says purple orchids and white tulips with lavender…yes, please look it up. The confirmation number is 647829734739….oh, so it does have my correct order…yes, you damn well better fix it. I'll be calling by the end of the week to make sure it's on track. I'm getting married in four weeks. Goodbye."
Annie hung up the phone, burying her face in her hands in frustration. "This wedding is going to be the death of me," she moaned before lifting her head and seeing Lexi standing there. "When did you get back?"
"Just a few minutes ago. Is everything alright?"
"Just another wedding problem. One more fire that has to be put out." She groaned before checking on dinner, lowering the oven temperature when she saw it was cooking quicker than she'd anticipated.
Lexi watched Annie in the kitchen before suddenly asking, "Can I help you with anything?"
Annie turned around in surprise. "You can make a salad."
"Okay sure." Lexi went over to the kitchen sink and washed her hands before going to the fridge and taking out lettuce and other vegetables.
While the girl worked Annie watched her out of the corner of her eye, almost paranoid that she was going to do something to ruin the salad. But Lexi did nothing except wash the veggies and cut them up before adding them to a big glass bowl.
Annie had no idea what Chilton had said to Lexi, but she definitely liked the improvement.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As it turned out, neither Jeff nor Annie had a particularly good day.
"So you're going to Boston for this merger thing?" Lexi asked as she dug into her serving of pot roast.
"Looks like it," Jeff said with zero enthusiasm. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to go, but this merger deal is falling apart and they won't finalize unless we meet with them face to face."
"And when are you going?" Annie asked. "Because they do know you have a wedding in a month."
"I know," Jeff stated. "Hopefully it's not too late, but they won't set a definite time for us to fly out there. For now we're just sort of waiting and seeing. And who knows, maybe there's a chance it will be pushed back until after the wedding and honeymoon. Though how much you want to bet we won't be that lucky."
"After all the problems we've been having, I doubt luck will be on our side," Annie sadly said. "If I have one more wedding problem I swear I'm going to scream. I mean, how the hell do you confuse orchids and roses anyway?"
Lexi watched as Annie dug her fork into her salad, frowning when she ate a large piece of red pepper. "I thought you didn't like peppers? Isn't that why we don't get any when we order pizza?"
Annie looked down at her salad plate, surprised herself that she didn't pick out the peppers. "I don't. But I just smelled them and really wanted to eat them." She shrugged as she speared another piece of pepper with her fork and ate it, not thinking too much of it.