Author's Note – Happy Holidays, everyone. All the best to you in 2021!
Chpt 74 – A New Routine Pt 3
A few days go by. We see Kelly quietly opens the door to the house and doesn't see anyone.
"Hello?" asked Kelly.
"Brandon?" asked Kelly.
There is no answer.
"Hello? Brandon?" asked Kelly.
"Anyone?" asked Kelly.
As she takes off her shoes, she can't help but hear some walking in the bedroom.
"Brandon?" asked Kelly walking into her room. She is startled to find a woman in there holding Winnie.
"Ahhh….who are you?" asked Kelly frightened.
"Hello. I'm Maria," replied Maria.
"Eh, What are you doing here?...and why are you holding my baby?" asked Kelly acting really frightened.
"Sorry; me speak little English," replied Maria.
"Ok, please just give me my baby," said Kelly slowly walking towards Maria.
Kelly extends her hands to signal Maria to give her Winnie.
"You mother?" asked Maria.
"Yes. Please give me my baby now," replied Kelly scared and losing her patience.
"Ok," said Maria who bows to Kelly and handing Winnie to Kelly.
"Thank you," said Kelly who steps away.
"Is there anybody else here?" asked Kelly.
Maria looks confused.
"Do you know where my husband is?" asked Kelly.
"Eh?" asked Maria not understanding.
"Do you know where's Brandon?" asked Kelly.
"Eh?" asked Maria.
"Brandon? Man?" asked Kelly getting frustrated.
"Who let you in here?" asked Kelly.
"Brandon!?" asked Kelly.
Winnie starts to cry.
"Oh Winnie; it's ok. Mommy's here," said Kelly.
Winnie cries harder.
Kelly takes out her phone and calls Brandon.
The phone rings but it goes straight to voicemail.
"Brandon? I'm home right now…and who is this Maria? Why is she here and why is she holding our daughter? Call me back right away," asked Kelly.
"Yes, I'm Maria," replied Maria.
"Yes, I know who you are," said Kelly to Maria.
"Oh, baby cry; no good. Give me…I know," said Maria leaning towards Kelly.
"No, it's ok. I can take care of it. You can go," said Kelly wanting Maria to back off.
"Go?" asked Maria.
"Yes, leave…please please just leave," replied Kelly looking stressed.
"Leave before I call the police," said Kelly.
"Police…no no no….I'm here to help," said Maria.
"You can help by leaving," said Kelly.
"Mr. Brandon told me; wait here," add Maria.
"Is that so? Where is Brandon?" asked Kelly.
"Right here, Kel," said Brandon who walks up behind Kelly.
"Sorry it took me so long. I was in the back," said Brandon.
"Brandon, who is this and why was she holding Winnie?" asked Kelly.
"Her name is Maria. I can explain," replied Brandon.
"Yeah, I'm going to need a whole lot of explaining," said Kelly still shaken up.
"Maria, why don't we call this a day? I'll call you," said Brandon who gives her some money.
"Ok, thank you, Mr. Brandon," said Maria.
"Thank you, Maria. You were a big help," said Brandon.
Maria walks to Kelly and Winnie.
"Bye bye baby Winnie," said Maria looking at Winnie.
"Bye bye," said Maria to Kelly.
"Yes. Bye bye to you too," said Kelly holding Winnie closer towards her.
Maria walks out of the house.
"Thanks for getting my text and coming back home so quickly. I hope I didn't interrupt your day," said Brandon acting casually.
Kelly looks at Brandon with a mean look.
"Is that all you have to say?" asked Kelly.
"Where else is there?" asked Brandon.
"Oh, I don't know…how bout explaining to me why did you leave a stranger in our home taking care of Winnie? Why is she here?" asked Kelly furious that Brandon doesn't seem to care.
"What happens around here when I'm not here?" asked Kelly still acting kind of freaked out.
"Kel, calm down. Everything's ok. You do your thing during the day and I'm doing mine," replied Brandon.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing. I can't believe the way you're acting right now. Why are you being so careless?" asked Kelly.
"I don't see this as being careless. I see it as a compromise. Since you get to be out all day and work while I stay here and take care of Winnie, I think I should decide how Winnie is taken care of," replied Brandon.
Kelly continues to look at Brandon with a mean look. Brandon notices Kelly's tension.
"My mom called and I told her about our situation and when I told her that I thought about hiring a nanny, she suggested a relative of Anna Rodriguez," said Brandon.
"Who's Anna?" asked Kelly.
"She was our maid briefly when we were in high school," replied Brandon.
"Ok...continue," said Kelly who puts Winnie in her crib.
"Anyway, my mom still is in contact with Anna and she said that her cousin, Maria lives nearby and is looking for work," said Brandon.
"So you just brought her over here?" asked Kelly.
"Well...yea; it was just a trial run. I mean, I didn't think it was going to be a big deal. I was here the entire time," said Brandon.
"I thought we agreed that we weren't going to hire a nanny," said Kelly.
"Well, I thought about it and I think it's a good idea…so I thought I would meet her," said Brandon.
"And you did this without consulting with me first? What kind of father are you?" asked Kelly.
"I'm a good father. And since I'm always the one who's around, I think I should be the one who should decide on whether our family needs a nanny or not," replied Brandon.
"So when you pitched me the idea of hiring a nanny, you've already decided that you wanted to hire her?" asked Kelly.
"No, but I thought you would've given more consideration than just saying no. You've shot down all my ideas. The only solution you decided on was that I stayed with the kids and you work," replied Brandon.
"I was hoping that if you change your schedule around for the summer, then we wouldn't need Maria. But since the both of us will need to work, I figured that this is the best for the situation right now," replied Brandon.
"Brandon, this isn't about Maria...the issue is that you brought a stranger here to look after our daughter without even talking to me first...and to be honest, if I hadn't shown up early today, you probably wouldn't have told me about this. Am I right?" asked Kelly.
"How long were you going to keep this up, Brandon? All summer? As long as Kelly doesn't find out, everything's ok, right?" asked Kelly.
"I wasn't looking for a nanny but since she came so highly recommended; I was desperate and didn't want to let this opportunity slip away. I know I should've told you, but I was just afraid of how you would react. I figured that after you saw how well Winnie reacted to Maria that you'll be ok with the idea," replied Brandon.
"I don't believe you did this and saying these things! I can't believe now negligent you are!"
said Kelly.
"How long has this been going on?" asked Kelly.
"Relax ok? It's the first day. Before you came in and ruin everything, she was doing just fine," replied Brandon.
"Fine?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah; fine. The only time that Winnie cried was when you were holding her," replied Brandon.
"And I'm supposed to be happy with the fact that you brought a stranger into our home without consulting me first?" asked Kelly.
"I didn't know that you were going to be back so soon," replied Brandon.
"Oh, so it's my fault? You're right, Brandon. I'm not supposed to be home until 8pm. Let me walk out this door and forget everything that I just saw because during the day, you're in charge and I have no say in this matter. Is that what you wanted?" asked Kelly.
"Why do you have to be like this?" replied Brandon.
"Are you seriously asking me that? You lied to me, Brandon. And you're putting everyone in our family in jeopardy," asked Kelly.
Brandon stayed quiet.
"This is a serious matter. You need to be serious about this. How else could I trust you to be around the kids?" asked Kelly.
"It's funny that you mentioned the word trust. What does trust mean to you?" asked Brandon.
"What? What are you talking about, Brandon?" asked Kelly confused.
"The word, trust. Do you know what it means?" asked Brandon.
"Yeah, I know what it means. The real question is "Do you know what it means?"" asked Kelly.
"Yes, I do. In marriage, I see trust as having confidence that the person I married will be faithful and loyal to me," replied Brandon.
Kelly stays silent for a moment.
"What are you trying to say?" asked Kelly.
"The other day, I called and texted you about having lunch and you didn't respond back to me until hours later," replied Brandon.
"Yeah, I told you, I was in meetings all day and I had my phone turned off," said Kelly.
"Let me finish! Sammy, Winnie, and I were going to have lunch with you. And for once, I was actually having a pretty good day. It was nice out; Sammy and I were bonding; and Winnie was quiet for the most part. We all wanted to come by to tell you the good news that I turned down the job for the summer. And if I had my choice, I was even considering being a stay at home dad because it would make my kids happy and it would make you happy. Even if it meant that I would be giving up my career, I was up for it. But as it turns out, you were having a little fun of your own. To be my surprise when I walked into the main office and I saw you and this guy. I was nervous at first, but I didn't want to jump into any conclusions. Then I saw him put his hands on your shoulder. Any faithful wife would've brushed those hands off but no, you were enjoying your little massage and you even lay your head down on his hands. I became angry but most of all, I was deeply hurt by how you've been using me all this time," said Brandon.
"Are you finished?" asked Kelly.
"Yes," replied Brandon.
"So, is that what this was about? You pull this nanny stunt to get back at me?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah. I could've gone and done the same thing you did but I'm not that cruel," replied Brandon.
"Besides, seeing a stranger in our house and holding our baby was much better," said Brandon.
"You're one to say," said Kelly.
"What does that mean?" asked Brandon.
"Emma," said Kelly.
Brandon is silent.
"Just so you know, it's not what you think," said Kelly.
"I know what I saw; unless you hired your own personal massage therapist," said Brandon.
"Yes, he was just giving me a massage. But that was it. There's nothing else going on. Besides, what you did didn't just affect me; it affects this family," said Kelly.
"You know? What are we even doing? Maybe this is a mistake," asking Brandon.
"What is?" asked Kelly.
"This. Us," replied Brandon.
Kelly looks at him in silence. She is crying. Brandon immediately regrets what he said. She turns around with her back facing Brandon and cries harder. He starts to walk to her but instead walks past her.
"Oh and by the way? I'm going to be working during this summer. Deal with it!" said Brandon as he walks out the door.
Kelly looks at the door for a bit before turning around and walk into the bedroom.
Later that night, Brandon comes back home. He grabs the mail and opens the door. The lights are all turned off.
Brandon throws the pile of mail on the kitchen table. He goes to the fridge and sees a note with his name on it.
We hear Kelly's voiceover as Brandon reads the letter.
Dear Brandon,
I want to start off by saying that through all the arguments and yelling, I still love you...because I do. Please don't forget that. We're both good people and good providers for our family. We're just leading different career paths in our lives that take us away from being there for each other and our family. It's tearing our family apart. Quite frankly, I'm scare to see what will happen if we continue to live together while staying angry at each other. I don't want to subject the kids to that. So, I've decided to take the children off your hands for a while we collect our thoughts and work things out. Please assure the kids will be well taken care of. You will get to see them soon and often.
I've giving you the space and the freedom that you asked for. Please do the same and give me mine. I hope after this we can find ourselves in a better place with one another. I would hope that will help us be better people so that we can become a better family. Maybe we'll find the answers to both of our problems.
I'm glad to hear you'll be working during the summer. Take care and see you soon.
Love Kelly.
Brandon puts down the letter. He takes out his phone and calls Kelly. It goes straight to voicemail. He doesn't leave a voicemail. He hangs up the phone and starts to cry. He walks into the bedroom to find most of Kelly's clothes gone. He walks into Sammy's bedroom to find most of his clothes gone too.
Brandon quickly walks out the door slamming the door behind him.
We focus on the pile of letters on the kitchen table, noting a white floral envelope that reads
"From Brenda Walsh and Dylan McKay."
An elevator opens and we see a bellhop walking out of it. We see Kelly with Winnie, Silver, and Sammy walk out of it.
"Mom, you haven't answer my question; what are we doing here?" asked Sammy.
"Sammy, I'll tell you later; mom is under a lot of stress, ok?" replied Silver quietly to Sammy.
Kelly stops walking and quietly goes to Sammy.
"Sammy, it'll be ok. Your dad has been taking such good care of you and Winnie that we're just giving him some time off. It's my turn to take care of you. Is that ok with you?" asked Kelly.
Sammy briefly looks at Silver who is standing next to Kelly.
Silver silently nods to Sammy.
"Ok," said Sammy with a sad look on his face.
"Thanks Sammy. Trust me, it'll be fun. It'll just be our own little summer vacation," said Kelly giving Sammy a weak smile.
"But what about dad?" asked Sammy.
"Your dad will come by soon. He just has to work out a few things with work," replied Kelly.
"But dad told me that he's not working during the summer," said Sammy.
"Well, we talked about it and he's decided to take the job," said Kelly.
"Why?" asked Sammy.
"It's a good opportunity for him, Sammy. He did the same for me when I started my new job. So, I'm doing the same for him. Don't worry. We'll see him soon," replied Kelly.
"Ok," said Sammy still sad.
"Uh hum," said the bellhop trying to get Kelly's attention.
Kelly looks up to see that the bellhop is waiting for them.
"Oh, sorry," said Kelly.
"No problem," said the bellhop.
"Ok, here is your room," said the bellhop opening the door.
They all walk in.
"Wow," said Silver looking at the extravagant room.
"Whoa baby," said Sammy amazed at the room.
Silver starts to walk around. Sammy starts to run around and check out all the rooms.
"The kitchen is to the right. The main restroom is to our right. There is one bedroom to the right and one on the left. Here is your key," said the bellhop giving Kelly the keys.
"Thanks," said Kelly accepting the keys.
"Anything else you need, just call the number listed on the table for room service or go downstairs to customer service," said the bellhop.
"Ok," said Kelly.
"Will there be anything else?" asked the bellhop.
"Uh no. This is great. Thanks," replied Kelly.
"Thank you, ma'am. Enjoy your stay," said the bellhop.
"Thank you," said Kelly.
The bellhop looks at Kelly with a weird look. Kelly is confused. The bellhop gives up with the look and makes a gesture with his hands indicating that he's expecting a tip from Kelly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot," said Kelly reaching into her bags.
"It's alright, ma'am. Only if you don't mind. I'll understand if you can't," said the bellhop.
"No no no, I don't mind at all. Thank you so much for carrying our bags up," said Kelly giving the bellhop.
"Thank you, ma'am," said the bellhop who leaves.
Kelly doesn't move right away. She stands there and looks around.
Later we see Kelly takes some clothes out of her luggage.
"Oh damn it!" said Kelly.
Silver walks in.
"What's wrong?" asked Silver.
"The jar of pickles broke inside my bag," replied Kelly still looking at her bag.
"Ugh. Why did you put it with your clothes?" asked Silver.
"I was in a rush," replied Kelly.
"Yeah, I remember the getaway," said Silver.
"If it makes you feel any better, I left a bunch of my things back at the house," added Silver.
"Thanks, I feel a lot better," said Kelly said sarcastically looking at Silver.
Silver sits on the bed.
"So when you get a chance, I have a few questions," said Silver.
"What is it?" asked Kelly.
"What happened between you and Brandon?" asked Silver.
"It's a long story," replied Kelly.
"I'm going to need you to do better than that. You dragged us out of our home without any explanation. What am I supposed to tell Sammy?" asked Silver.
Sammy pops in.
"Aunt Silver! They have a big pool thing in the bathroom. You gotta check this out," said Sammy.
"Sammy, it's not a pool. It's just a fancy tub," said Silver.
"It still looks pretty cool," said Sammy.
"Go ahead without me," said Silver dismissing Sammy.
"Whatever," said Sammy running off.
"I think he's ok," smiled Kelly.
"Sooner or later, he's going to start asking questions," said Silver.
"Then we'll deal with it later, then," said Kelly.
"Well, I have some questions of my own," said Silver.
"Like...how much is this place costing us?" asked Silver.
"It's not costing you anything. I'm paying for it," replied Kelly.
"You know what I mean," said Silver.
"Don't worry about it. I can afford it. Besides, I want Sammy to have a good time," said Kelly.
"What about me?" asked Silver.
"Well, I can't please everyone," replied Kelly.
"Just give me some answers," said Silver.
"I got home today seeing a stranger holding Winnie. I freaked out," said Kelly.
"Oh my god. Who was it?" asked Silver.
"Brandon hired a nanny. We had come to me with the idea. I told him that I'm not comfortable and he did it anyway," replied Kelly.
"Why didn't you go for the idea?" replied Silver.
"That's not the point," said Kelly.
"Well then, help me understand then. It seems like a nanny would solve both of your problems," said Silver.
"Still, he only hired her to piss me off," said Kelly.
"Context please!" said Silver.
"He and Sammy apparently showed up at school the other day and he saw Mr. Pierre sort of giving me a massage," said Kelly.
"What? Mr. Pierre, the French teacher? Where? Why?" asked Silver shocked.
"It wasn't what it looked like. I was stressed out with Brandon and the long days at school. Mr. Pierre and I were meeting at my office. He was trying to relieve some stress. I had said no at first but he insisted and his hands are amazing, Silver," said Kelly.
Silver looks at Kelly unamused.
"Anyway, the massage felt good and I was relaxed. I'm sure he was just trying to be nice; he wasn't trying to hit on me. Anyway, Brandon got the wrong idea and used the nanny to get back at me," said Kelly.
"Did Sammy saw you too?" asked Silver.
"I don't think so. Luckily, he's too short to see through the window," replied Kelly.
"Yeah and he would've freaked out by now," said Silver.
"Still, that's no reason for us to leave like this," added Silver.
"After the nanny left, we started to argue and blaming each other. But when he said that he felt that our marriage was a mistake, I broke down. How can I live in the same house with a man that I love and married who thinks our marriage was a mistake?" asked Kelly who sits on the bed looking down.
"Oh Kel, I'm so sorry," said Silver putting her hands around Kelly's shoulders.
Kelly rests her head on Silver's shoulder.
"You know Brandon didn't mean what he said. Neither one of you were thinking things through. You gotta go back there and talk to him," said Silver.
"I don't know. We just need some time apart," said Kelly.
"Kel, you can't give up, said Silver.
"He gave up on first," said Kelly.
"No!" said Silver getting up.
Kelly is taken back by surprise.
"No Kel! You're not just going to give up like this, ok? You're not Harry and Debbie. You two are better than this!" said Silver.
"Silver," said Kelly.
"No! Promise me that you will speak with Brandon," said Silver.
"Silver," said Kelly.
"Kel, just promise me you'll speak with him...do it for me...," said Silver.
Kelly looks at Silver with a bland look. Silver has tears in her eyes.
"Please...," for Silver.
"Ok," said Kelly who gets up and hugs Silver.
"I'll talk to him," said Kelly.
Silver cries.
"Thanks Kel. I sorry for yelling at you," said Silver.
"It's ok. You're not grounded," said Kelly who starts crying too.
Silver laughs a little.
"So when are you going to talk to him?" asked Silver.
Kelly looks at Silver with no comment.
To be continued….
