A Melwood Story

/chapter twenty-seven/

A Melwood Story
Chapter 27

-Nya is seven years old (she's in 2nd grade)
-Eloise and Maxwell are four years old (they're in kindergarten)
-Sofia is one year old (will be occasionally at daycare)

Melissa

I'm standing at the front door with Sofia in my arms while we wait for Nya and the twins.

"Let's go guys!" I call out.

Nya comes down the stairs first. "Why do have to come with you to the doctors?"
"Because your dad is out, so you have to come with me," I tell her.
"I can stay home by myself," she says.
"Not yet, Ny," I say. "Get your shoes on."

Max comes down the stairs next. "Lulu isn't ready yet."
"What is she doing?" I ask.
"She can't find the right pants," Nya answers from the floor where she's tying her shoes.

I set Sofia down. "Watch Sofia, Nya."
"Fine," Nya says.

I go up the stairs to Lulu's room.

When I open the door, Lulu is sitting on the floor, near tears. "Eloise? What are you doing?"
"I don't want to go to the doctors right now," she says.
"Just put some pants on and then we can leave. We're going to be late."
"I don't care," she whines. "I don't want to go."

I walk over and lift her up, then take a pair of pants from the ground. "We're going now."
"No!" she cries, flailing around in my arms.

When I get to the bottom of the stairs, Nya is helping Max put on his shoes.
"Thank you, Nya," I say, then walk out the front door to the car.

I open the car door and buckle Lulu into her car seat, then set her pants on the floor of the car. She starts crying even harder.

Nya opens the front door with Sofia in her arms and Max by her side. "We're ready, mommy."
"Thank you, Nya." I take Sofia from her arms and bring her over to the other side of the car to put her in her car seat.

Once all the kids are in the car, I sit down in my seat and text Chris. Can you come and pick up Lulu from the doctors after you're done, please? I press send.

"Mom?" Max asks. "Why does Lulu not have to wear pants?"
"She's having a day, Max. When you have a day, you don't have to wear pants."
"Oh," Max whispers. "A day."

By the time we get to the doctors, I still haven't heard back from Chris about whether or not he will come and pick up Lulu.

So, by some miracle we got the the doctors ten minutes before my appointment, I wait and see if he'll reply so I won't have to bring a crying child into a doctors appointment to see if I'm going to have another crying child.

Ten minutes pass and Chris still hasn't replied, so I get out of the car, then take all the kids out of their car seats.

Luckily Lulu stops crying a lot once we're inside, but little tears escape every so often.

"How are you guys today?" the ultrasound tech asks the kids.
"Good," Nya says. "Except my sister, Lulu, over there, is having a bad day."
"Ah," the tech says.

After a couple minutes, the tech points to the screen. "And there's your baby. About fifteen-sixteen weeks along."
"Cool," says Nya. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
The tech smiles, then looks over at me. "Would you like to know?"

"Please, mommy," Nya pleads.
I sigh. "Sure."

The tech looks back at the screen. "It's a boy."
"Yay," Max whispers. "Finally a brother."
"No more sisters," Nya says. "For now."

When we head out of the doctors, I still haven't heard back from Chris.

"Mom," Max says. "When is daddy coming?"
"I'm not sure, Max," I tell him.
Around 8 p.m. Chris shows up at the house after all the kids are upstairs and in bed.

"Melissa?" he asks from the front door.
"I'm in the living room," I answer.

He comes into the living room looking almost exactly like he did this morning. Blue jeans, grey sweater and a baseball hat.

"Hey," he says.

I finish folding one of Nya's shirts and put it in the laundry basket.

"So, is this how it's going to be from now on?" I ask.
"What's going to be what?" he asks, sitting down in the chair across from the couch where I'm sitting.

"You, leaving for the whole day while I take care of our kids by myself?"
"It was only for today."
"No," I say, shaking my head. "This has been happening at least one once every week for a few months."
He looks down at his feet. "I don't mean for it to happen."
"Then what are you doing?" I ask him, setting down a pair of Max's pants.
"Just, thinking."
"For the whole day?"

"I guess," he says.
"The kids miss you, you know. They ask where you are and when daddy is coming home."
"I know."
"Then stop leaving."

"Okay. I'll stop."
"Good." I go back to folding.

"How's the baby?" he asks after a minute or two.
"It's a boy."

He smiles a little, but only the tops of his lips turn up, the smile not reaching his eyes. "My first biological son."
"Yeah," I whisper.

"What's wrong?" he asks.
"I don't want to have any more kids after this one."
He hesitates. "Is this because of today?"
I look right at him. "You're becoming distant."
"I know, and I'm sorry, okay? It won't happen again."
"I can't take your word for it. I've been left pregnant before, I don't want it to happen again, especially now with five kids."
"Melissa," he starts. "I promised the day we got married that I would never leave you."
"So did he," I whisper.

"Melissa..."
"No." I look up. "Honestly, if you're trying to find a way to leave me, just do it already. I'll take care of Nya, you know I will, so if that's what you're waiting for, then go."
"I don't want to."
I stare directly at him. "Then why are you avoiding the family you've made?"
"I'm not avoiding my family."
"Then what are you doing?" I ask.

"Getting some air, letting myself think."
"Okay," I say. "When do I have time for this 'thinking time'?"
"Whenever you want it."
"Yeah, but not while, you're gone, or while Lulu is crying and I need to go to a doctors appointment to make sure the baby I'm pregnant with is still alive because of how stressed out I am all the time, right? Not while I can't rely on their father."

"You can rely on me."
"If you stay in this house and be apart of this family until our son is born, maybe I'll reconsider relying on you."

I stand up, pick up the laundry basket and walk out of the room and up the stairs to the guest bedroom.