"Susan, have you seen Carter?" I asked, approaching the admin desk.
"He's working on a trauma right now," she said distractedly.
I sighed and went into the lounge. "Hi Abby!" Annie chirped brightly as I entered the lounge. She was watching a movie.
I sat down next to her. "Hi Annie. What's up?"
"Nuthin'," Annie said, staring at the screen. After a minute she said, "my daddy's mad at you."
I nodded. "I know."
"Did you say sorry?" she asked.
I nodded again. "Many times. But he's still upset."
Annie pouted. "Why?"
"Because I did something really bad and sorry won't make it better."
Annie sniffed. "I'm sorry I said I hate you," she said.
I smiled. "That's OK," I said. "I forgive you."
At that moment, Carter walked into the lounge. "Daddy," Annie said. "I just said sorry to Abby and she forgives me."
Carter glared at me. "That's nice sweetie," he said.
"Now it's your turn," she said. "Abby said sorry so you say you forgive her."
"Let's go," Carter said. Annie stayed where she was.
"John," I said. "Can we please just talk?"
"I don't have anything to say to you," he spat. "Annie, NOW!"
Annie walked slowly over to her father. "She said sorry," she mumbled.
Carter grabbed her arms. "I do not want to hear another word about Abby, do you understand me?"
She looked up at Carter, her large brown eyes full of tears. "I hate you," she said in a calm voice. "You're mean and I hate you."
"That's fine," Carter said. He tried to pull her out of the lounge but she wriggled away from him.
"You said Abby could be my new mommy," she said. "You said Abby won't go away like my real mommy did. But you made her go away."
Carter knelt in front of Annie. "I didn't make Abby do anything," he said. "She chose to leave us. She's not your mommy. She doesn't care about us."
"That's not true," I said. "I do care, Annie. I made a mistake." I looked at Carter. "Please. Just talk to me. Half an hour, that's all I ask. Please."
He looked at me and then down at Annie. "Please, Daddy," she said.
He sighed. "Fine," he said.
******************************
"Did you find someone to watch her?" I asked as Carter sat down across from me. I had waited in Doc Magoo's for about ten minutes while he tried to find someone to watch Annie.
"Yeah, she's with Susan." He studied my face. "So talk," he said.
I took a deep breath and tried to explain. I told him everything . . . about the dinner, the wine, and why I had let Will kiss me. When I finished, Carter just shook his head.
"The thing is, Abby, even if I did forgive you, I could never trust you again. And the drinking thing . . . I can't expose Annie to that."
"I know," I said. "I've gone to four meetings this week and I'm going to another one of Friday. I'm not perfect, John. But I'm trying."
"I know you are." He actually sounded compassionate.
"So maybe . . . maybe we could try again?"
He shook his head. "It'll never work, Abby. All we ever do is hurt each other."
"So we're just gonna end it? Despite the fact that we love each other, we're not going to be together?"
"We don't love each other, Abby. If you loved me you never would have kissed someone else. And I could never love anyone who would cheat on me." He stood up and looked down at me. "Good-bye Abby."
"You're gonna leave again, aren't you?"
"No," he said. "Annie starts pre-school on Monday and I don't want to move her around anymore. I want her to have a stable life. So I'm staying."
"Well, if after awhile, maybe we'd . . ."
He cut me off. "I doubt it. I'll see you tomorrow."
Response to reviews -
Canard - I like to keep you on your toes!
Carbylobsterandavrilfan - Yes, bad Abby. But she's sorry. Annie is a pretty sharp kid. And perhaps one day she'll get that baby brother . . .
Camila C - Don't worry! Be happy!
Carbyfan - I said there wouldn't be TOO MUCH angst. But a totally happy story is just boring.
Carbybubbles - The next chapter is already written!
Rizzo1 - You won't have to wait long for the next one.
"He's working on a trauma right now," she said distractedly.
I sighed and went into the lounge. "Hi Abby!" Annie chirped brightly as I entered the lounge. She was watching a movie.
I sat down next to her. "Hi Annie. What's up?"
"Nuthin'," Annie said, staring at the screen. After a minute she said, "my daddy's mad at you."
I nodded. "I know."
"Did you say sorry?" she asked.
I nodded again. "Many times. But he's still upset."
Annie pouted. "Why?"
"Because I did something really bad and sorry won't make it better."
Annie sniffed. "I'm sorry I said I hate you," she said.
I smiled. "That's OK," I said. "I forgive you."
At that moment, Carter walked into the lounge. "Daddy," Annie said. "I just said sorry to Abby and she forgives me."
Carter glared at me. "That's nice sweetie," he said.
"Now it's your turn," she said. "Abby said sorry so you say you forgive her."
"Let's go," Carter said. Annie stayed where she was.
"John," I said. "Can we please just talk?"
"I don't have anything to say to you," he spat. "Annie, NOW!"
Annie walked slowly over to her father. "She said sorry," she mumbled.
Carter grabbed her arms. "I do not want to hear another word about Abby, do you understand me?"
She looked up at Carter, her large brown eyes full of tears. "I hate you," she said in a calm voice. "You're mean and I hate you."
"That's fine," Carter said. He tried to pull her out of the lounge but she wriggled away from him.
"You said Abby could be my new mommy," she said. "You said Abby won't go away like my real mommy did. But you made her go away."
Carter knelt in front of Annie. "I didn't make Abby do anything," he said. "She chose to leave us. She's not your mommy. She doesn't care about us."
"That's not true," I said. "I do care, Annie. I made a mistake." I looked at Carter. "Please. Just talk to me. Half an hour, that's all I ask. Please."
He looked at me and then down at Annie. "Please, Daddy," she said.
He sighed. "Fine," he said.
******************************
"Did you find someone to watch her?" I asked as Carter sat down across from me. I had waited in Doc Magoo's for about ten minutes while he tried to find someone to watch Annie.
"Yeah, she's with Susan." He studied my face. "So talk," he said.
I took a deep breath and tried to explain. I told him everything . . . about the dinner, the wine, and why I had let Will kiss me. When I finished, Carter just shook his head.
"The thing is, Abby, even if I did forgive you, I could never trust you again. And the drinking thing . . . I can't expose Annie to that."
"I know," I said. "I've gone to four meetings this week and I'm going to another one of Friday. I'm not perfect, John. But I'm trying."
"I know you are." He actually sounded compassionate.
"So maybe . . . maybe we could try again?"
He shook his head. "It'll never work, Abby. All we ever do is hurt each other."
"So we're just gonna end it? Despite the fact that we love each other, we're not going to be together?"
"We don't love each other, Abby. If you loved me you never would have kissed someone else. And I could never love anyone who would cheat on me." He stood up and looked down at me. "Good-bye Abby."
"You're gonna leave again, aren't you?"
"No," he said. "Annie starts pre-school on Monday and I don't want to move her around anymore. I want her to have a stable life. So I'm staying."
"Well, if after awhile, maybe we'd . . ."
He cut me off. "I doubt it. I'll see you tomorrow."
Response to reviews -
Canard - I like to keep you on your toes!
Carbylobsterandavrilfan - Yes, bad Abby. But she's sorry. Annie is a pretty sharp kid. And perhaps one day she'll get that baby brother . . .
Camila C - Don't worry! Be happy!
Carbyfan - I said there wouldn't be TOO MUCH angst. But a totally happy story is just boring.
Carbybubbles - The next chapter is already written!
Rizzo1 - You won't have to wait long for the next one.
