It was May again. This would've been Mark and Jenny's 3 year anniversary. Jenny's father fixed up a trailer for her to live in until she got on her feet. She cared about her boyfriend, Shawn, but felt more like his mother than anything. He was deeply disturbed and she saw this more each day. Zachary had just had another surgery. During the trip Jenny tried to rekindle the love between her and her estranged husband, but he wanted nothing to do with her. She was so confused and depressed. She didn't want to be with Shawn anymore, but wasn't sure how to break it off with him. He had nowhere else to live and she was supporting him. She let things just go on the way they were going for a while. She was bored with Shawn and was starting to despise him for turning her into the mother he never had.
Her younger cousin, Sabrina, was diagnosed with bone cancer a couple years earlier. Jenny got a phone call from her Aunt Molly telling her that Sabrina had taken a turn for the worse. "Sabrina won't make it much longer. They have her on a lot of morphine right now for the pain. She's been screaming for you for hours now. She thought she saw you walk past her room and started yelling your name. I had to tell her you weren't here, but now she's begging for you to come see her." Jenny's aunt knew it was time although Jenny refused to believe it. She told her sisters and mom about the phone call and told them she'd be leaving the next day to go stay the night with Sabrina. None of her family wanted to go, but Jenny refused to just not go, so she went alone. She was devastated to see her cousin so weak and in so much pain, but if Sabrina wanted her there, she wasn't going to leave her side. After her visit, Jenny had to return home, she had a baby waiting for her.
About a week later, Jenny got the call. The same call she got when her Aunt Sandy died and the same as when "Mom Brenda" died. She hated those calls. She was sick of getting those calls. "Are you trying to take every single person I know away from me?!" She begged God for an answer. At the wake, Jenny thought she was doing well. She was being strong for everyone, especially for Sabrina's mom and brother. Jenny kept it together. She kept it together until she walked up to her cousin and realized she was really gone. Jenny lost it. In front of everyone she finally broke down and sobbed so loud that the children outside were asking what was going on. Jenny ran outside trying to breathe. She ended up sitting in her car alone, crying her heart out and cursing God. Sabrina died at 18 years old from cancer and there was no bringing her back.
Zachary had another cleft surgery in June. Jenny was ready for this one. She knew the drill and wasn't afraid or upset. This surgery would be the worst, though. This was the one when the doctor would put Zachary's palate, the roof of his mouth, together. This time it would take several months to heal, it would be more painful than all the other surgeries, and it would slow down his progress in speech and eating. Jenny wasn't worried. She knew she and her son would do just fine as long as they had each other. His eyes and face were black and blue and the poor baby looked like he had been in a horrendous fist fight at only 2 years old. One day while Jenny was in town to let Zach visit his father, she stopped by her best friend, Deanna's house. Deanna, Derek, and Danielle were all living there. Deanna had a 1 year old daughter, and was 6 months pregnant with her son, Derek was divorced, and Danielle was almost 9 months pregnant. Jenny told them about Shawn, all his disturbed thoughts, and that she didn't know how to break it off with him. Derek jumped up and told everyone to get some things together, they were going with Jenny. She was happy that someone cared; she had forgotten what family felt like. Her friends gathered their things and in 2 cars, they all traveled to Jenny's trailer.
That night, Derek took over. He got on the phone and broke it off with Shawn for her. All Jenny had to do was tell Shawn, when he came to get his things, that she didn't want to be together. He took his things and left. That night, Jenny felt like she was finally at home. She had her son, Derek, Danielle, Deanna, and Deanna's daughter Gracie with her. The only thing missing was "Mom Brenda" standing in the kitchen yelling at one of them to do the dishes or be quiet. Derek jumped into her bed before she even noticed. Once, the kids were asleep and dinner was put away, Jenny headed back to her room where she saw Derek, laying in her bed, making himself at home. She laughed. Derek was always like that, and she loved him for it. He sat his glasses on the nightstand and Jenny looked at him as she walked to the bed. She hadn't thought about it before, but she had known this family for 6 years now. She loved them all so much, and was so happy they came to help her. The court date for Mark and Jenny's divorce was set for the end of the month. Jenny had 3 weeks until she would be legally single again. Something she hadn't been since she was 16 years old. She was determined to do everything in Zach's best interest. Jenny gave her soon to be ex-husband very generous visitation guidelines. Zachary would stay with his father every other weekend as well as some time for almost every holiday and birthday. They were going to share joint custody, but Zachary would live with her.
Jenny and Derek became a couple as soon as she crawled into the bed that night. They weren't even intimate for weeks, but immediately something special was happening. This wasn't like Shawn or Mark, she thought. Something is different. After a couple weeks, Jenny got brave and spoke the words that truly terrified her. She said, "I love you". She hadn't expected a reply, but he said he loved her too. "You don't have to say things you don't feel. If it's not there it shouldn't be said." she explained to him, hoping he knew he didn't have to say it back to her, she would understand. "I know, and I say the same to you. Do you mean it?" Derek asked Jenny while looking into her eyes in a way she had never seen before. "I do, I love you." "And I love you." They smiled at each other and kissed.
Her younger cousin, Sabrina, was diagnosed with bone cancer a couple years earlier. Jenny got a phone call from her Aunt Molly telling her that Sabrina had taken a turn for the worse. "Sabrina won't make it much longer. They have her on a lot of morphine right now for the pain. She's been screaming for you for hours now. She thought she saw you walk past her room and started yelling your name. I had to tell her you weren't here, but now she's begging for you to come see her." Jenny's aunt knew it was time although Jenny refused to believe it. She told her sisters and mom about the phone call and told them she'd be leaving the next day to go stay the night with Sabrina. None of her family wanted to go, but Jenny refused to just not go, so she went alone. She was devastated to see her cousin so weak and in so much pain, but if Sabrina wanted her there, she wasn't going to leave her side. After her visit, Jenny had to return home, she had a baby waiting for her.
About a week later, Jenny got the call. The same call she got when her Aunt Sandy died and the same as when "Mom Brenda" died. She hated those calls. She was sick of getting those calls. "Are you trying to take every single person I know away from me?!" She begged God for an answer. At the wake, Jenny thought she was doing well. She was being strong for everyone, especially for Sabrina's mom and brother. Jenny kept it together. She kept it together until she walked up to her cousin and realized she was really gone. Jenny lost it. In front of everyone she finally broke down and sobbed so loud that the children outside were asking what was going on. Jenny ran outside trying to breathe. She ended up sitting in her car alone, crying her heart out and cursing God. Sabrina died at 18 years old from cancer and there was no bringing her back.
Zachary had another cleft surgery in June. Jenny was ready for this one. She knew the drill and wasn't afraid or upset. This surgery would be the worst, though. This was the one when the doctor would put Zachary's palate, the roof of his mouth, together. This time it would take several months to heal, it would be more painful than all the other surgeries, and it would slow down his progress in speech and eating. Jenny wasn't worried. She knew she and her son would do just fine as long as they had each other. His eyes and face were black and blue and the poor baby looked like he had been in a horrendous fist fight at only 2 years old. One day while Jenny was in town to let Zach visit his father, she stopped by her best friend, Deanna's house. Deanna, Derek, and Danielle were all living there. Deanna had a 1 year old daughter, and was 6 months pregnant with her son, Derek was divorced, and Danielle was almost 9 months pregnant. Jenny told them about Shawn, all his disturbed thoughts, and that she didn't know how to break it off with him. Derek jumped up and told everyone to get some things together, they were going with Jenny. She was happy that someone cared; she had forgotten what family felt like. Her friends gathered their things and in 2 cars, they all traveled to Jenny's trailer.
That night, Derek took over. He got on the phone and broke it off with Shawn for her. All Jenny had to do was tell Shawn, when he came to get his things, that she didn't want to be together. He took his things and left. That night, Jenny felt like she was finally at home. She had her son, Derek, Danielle, Deanna, and Deanna's daughter Gracie with her. The only thing missing was "Mom Brenda" standing in the kitchen yelling at one of them to do the dishes or be quiet. Derek jumped into her bed before she even noticed. Once, the kids were asleep and dinner was put away, Jenny headed back to her room where she saw Derek, laying in her bed, making himself at home. She laughed. Derek was always like that, and she loved him for it. He sat his glasses on the nightstand and Jenny looked at him as she walked to the bed. She hadn't thought about it before, but she had known this family for 6 years now. She loved them all so much, and was so happy they came to help her. The court date for Mark and Jenny's divorce was set for the end of the month. Jenny had 3 weeks until she would be legally single again. Something she hadn't been since she was 16 years old. She was determined to do everything in Zach's best interest. Jenny gave her soon to be ex-husband very generous visitation guidelines. Zachary would stay with his father every other weekend as well as some time for almost every holiday and birthday. They were going to share joint custody, but Zachary would live with her.
Jenny and Derek became a couple as soon as she crawled into the bed that night. They weren't even intimate for weeks, but immediately something special was happening. This wasn't like Shawn or Mark, she thought. Something is different. After a couple weeks, Jenny got brave and spoke the words that truly terrified her. She said, "I love you". She hadn't expected a reply, but he said he loved her too. "You don't have to say things you don't feel. If it's not there it shouldn't be said." she explained to him, hoping he knew he didn't have to say it back to her, she would understand. "I know, and I say the same to you. Do you mean it?" Derek asked Jenny while looking into her eyes in a way she had never seen before. "I do, I love you." "And I love you." They smiled at each other and kissed.
No comments:
Post a Comment