Six months later, Olivia was babyproofing the house and struggling to keep her eyes open. Fitz had a new job, and he was consulting on the weekends. They could pay their bills, but they couldn't afford a nanny. Mellie was surprised when Olivia came to her and asked a favor. She needed her to keep Karen two hours every day after school. Karen was excited to spend time at their house during the week. Mellie didn't want to disappoint Karen, so she was usually balancing Kelly on her hip, cooking dinner, helping Karen with her homework and trying to study for her classes. She was married again, and her husband was always working.
"Karen can you stop blowing that whistle."
Mellie walked around the kitchen with the crying baby. Moving between the table with her textbooks and the stove cooking a full meal. Olivia said two hours. It was almost 6:00, and she still hadn't picked up Karen. This was midterms week, and Kelly was teething.
"Can we go to Build A Bear after school tomorrow?"
"I have a lot of tests this week."
"We never go anywhere fun."
"I took you to Chuckee E Cheese last weekend."
Olivia also wanted Mellie to take Karen to ballet practice every Saturday. Mellie was happy to spend time with Karen. She was also resentful. Olivia didn't work or have any classes. She took care of the babies and slept. When she came to get Karen, her homework was completed and she was fed. Olivia handled her morning and nighttime routine. She let Mellie handle everything else. Fitz didn't get in the middle of it. He was still seeing his therapist, and she recommend that he let Olivia handle everything with Karen and Mellie to avoid conflict. He had too many other issues to work through, and he didn't need to be in the middle of arguments. Mellie took a teething ring out of the freezer and gave it to Kelly. She made Karen's plate. The doorbell rang a few minutes later. Karen finished eating her food while Mellie opened the door.
"Hello."
Mellie tried to smile, but it was difficult seeing Olivia looking refreshed with a clean shirt. No spit up stains.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. Fitz came home, and I took a nap for a few hours."
"You get more sleep than me."
"Is Karen ready?"
"She's eating dinner."
"Okay, I'll wait in my car."
"Liv, I have midterms this week. We agreed two hours after school."
"Sure Mellie." Olivia said, walking to her car.
