Becky sat nervously on the couch, anxiously tapping her heal. She had texted her eldest daughter, Leah Healy, to come to her grandfather's house, where Becky lived with her youngest daughter Beverly Rose. "Little Bev" as the infant was affectionately called was the daughter of Becky and her former coworker Emilio. Shortly after Becky had discovered she was pregnant with Emilio's baby; Emilio was deported back to Mexico.
After Emilio had missed the first six months of his daughter's life, Becky was able to bring Little Bev to meet her father, with financial help from Emilio's aunts, and with Becky's aunt driving to the airport. Last night, Becky had broken the news to the family that she had married Emilio so that he could get a visa to come live in the U.S. in a couple years. Everyone was, naturally shocked, as Becky was risking time in jail. And last night, Emilio had complicated things by showing up at the family's home. Becky was not quite sure how the conversation with Leah was going to go, or where to even start.
Before Becky could ponder her talking points further, Leah entered the house. She slammed the door behind her – not extremely hard or loud, but loud enough to let her mother know that she was not pleased. Last night, after the initial shock had worn off about her mother's marriage, Leah had grabbed her jacket and left, without saying another word to her mother. Leah had officially moved out of Lanford in college, thirty minutes away to where her best friend Kayleigh lived.
"Hi, hon," Becky stood up and attempted to kiss her eldest's cheek, but Leah pulled away, something she had never done before. "Listen – "Becky started.
"No, you listen," Leah had not even taken her jacket off. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I don't think I really was, I –"Becky attempted to speak again, taken aback at her daughter swearing at her.
"No kidding! Mom…I can't believe this. Emilio is a great guy and Little Bev deserves to have her father in her life – it's awful not to," she choked back tears as she remembered her own father, Mark Healy, whom her mother had eloped with at age seventeen. Leah's father died when she was eleven, and her life had never been the same since – now thirteen years later. At least she had gotten those eleven years with him, the idea of her sister barely having her father in her life at all – while he was still alive, was heartbreaking.
"Didn't you ever consider that I might remarry again?" Becky asked gently.
"Well, of course – but if you did, I would've assumed it would've been because you loved the guy and not to fool the United States government!" Leah sighed. "And Emilio will still have to wait two years to get in anyway," she added.
"He's here now," Becky said quietly.
"What?!" Leah practically yelled.
"Shh…" Becky chided softly.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
"I don't know. He's staying with his aunts. He surprised me last night after you left and everybody else went to bed. I told him he shouldn't be here, but he really wanted to see Little Bev."
"What if you both go to prison," Leah's eyes brimmed with tears as she said this – more of a statement of something that was guaranteed to happen than a hypothetical question. "And then I have to drop everything and take care of Bev full time. You know I love to babysit her – but as her sister, not her mother. She needs her actual parents to be there for her. And they can't be if they're behind bars." Leah let the tears spill out freely. "And now Grandpa's going to lose the house, and Grandma's dead, and everything is falling apart."
"Hey," Becky said softly, putting an arm around Leah, who, seemingly forgetting her grudge, leaned her head on her mother's shoulder.
"It's 'fallen apart' so many times before, but we've always come out on top. Your aunt Darlene and Ben are not going to let Grandpa lose this house. And everything is going to work out with Emilio, too. You'll see."
While Leah was still skeptical, she was comforted by her mother's touch and confident words. Becky wiped the tears from Leah's eyes and kissed her forehead. It was going to be all right. The Conners would make it so.