Jenny and Zachary moved into a one-bedroom apartment in the city the beginning of fall. The same apartment building in which her little sister and her mom both had apartments. It was small, but it was also cheap and close to family. Every day, Zachary’s Framma, Mary, would come upstairs to visit him and his mommy. She had a special ’game’ for him that he loved. She would hold him and hug him tight while she said “Squish!” He laughed so hard each and every time and it seemed that game with his Framma would never get boring. Their apartment was almost filled to the ceiling with toys and clothes, leaving almost no room for furniture. Jenny decided to have a moving sale and get rid of anything they didn’t absolutely need. They were now within walking distance of everything they would need, including Zachary’s school. He started head start’s special education program the first of October and although Zachary was overjoyed, his mommy had a hard time letting him go. Eventually she came to grips with the fact that her baby boy was growing up and wouldn’t be on her hip forever, and somehow, she’d have to be okay with that.
Now that Zachary was spending every other weekend at his grandma & dad’s house, Jenny had time to herself to do whatever she wanted. Her sister’s, Missy and Mandy, had a new tradition of going out to the local karaoke bar every weekend, and so Jenny joined in on the festivities while Zachary was gone. She and her sisters sat together drinking mixed drinks, laughing, and singing every other weekend. Soon enough, though, both Missy and Mandy ended up in relationships. Missy began dating a woman for the first time in her life, and shocked everyone when she came out as a lesbian. Ashley was her girlfriend and they fell completely in love in a very short while. Mandy was still straight and had met a wonderful guy named Nathan. They took it slow and enjoyed dating for a while before becoming a full blown “couple”, but once they got there, it was obvious they were happy.
In November, Zachary became a big brother to Devin, Mark’s new baby. Jenny wasn’t sure how she felt about it, but she had no strong feelings leaning either way, it was just weird to her. She felt like somehow it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Mark could go on with his life and even have a healthy new baby.
Jenny and her sisters didn’t see each other very often after that. They had jobs, and significant others, and weekend plans that didn’t include her. She was so proud of her sisters though. Missy was brave enough to come out of the closet to everyone and not care who said what. Mandy was working 3 jobs and going to college while still taking time to spend with Nathan. Though none of the sisters had very much time to spare, they both stopped in at least once a week to visit Jenny and Zach.
Zachary’s first day of school was much easier than Jenny had imagined. She did not cry although Zach shed a few tears when mommy walked out of the room. He was a momma’s boy and it was very apparent. She went home and all she could think about was how fast her precious little guy was growing up. After his first day of school, everything seemed to get easier in both of their lives. Jenny was finally able to go to the bathroom without her son on her lap, and Zachary insisted on learning to play with his toys without help. They were both becoming independent people, separate from each other. They were maturing.
What was there to do now that Zachary didn’t need mommy every waking moment of the day? Jenny realized she needed to focus on herself a little more, so she began dating. It’s hard for single parents to date anyway, not even considering the fact that Jenny’s son was very special. How would she be able to find a man who she thought fitting to be involved in her child’s life? By some miracle, it seemed, Jeff entered her life.
He stood 6’ 3”, weighed about 200 pounds, and had the most amazing baby blue eyes in the world. He just so happened to be the brother of Missy’s ex-husband, Ronnie. Ronnie introduced Jenny to him and they fell for each other after only a couple days. Of course, Jenny, now terrified of falling in love, refused to let her emotions show. For weeks after they had both acknowledged they were in love, they would say “I like you” to each other. If one of them happened to slip up and say love instead of like, that person would simply say “Galactic reset!” and the statement was, as they said, wiped from the record. This was a cute game between the two until one day Jenny said “I love you, no more resets…”
After just a couple months, Jeff became the most amazing step-dad Jenny had ever seen. She loved to peek in on her boys when they would sit down and play together. They both had the biggest smiles she had ever seen and it was obvious how much they loved each other. Jeff taught his step-son to say no out loud, but then quickly learned that word would end up getting on both his and Jenny’s nerves!
For New Year’s Eve, Deanna stayed home with Zachary and Gracie so that Jenny and Jeff could go out together. They met up at a bar with his brother, Ronnie, and Jenny’s friends from middle school. Their first holiday as a couple was great and Jenny loved introducing her new man to her friends. They all seemed so proud that she finally had a boyfriend that seemed to be more decent than the ones from her past.
Deanna and Jenny had kept in touch even after they had their falling out. Jenny called to tell her estranged friend happy birthday and Deanna called to see how Jenny and Zachary were doing. After their fight, Deanna and her kids moved in with her dad and step mom, over 6 hours away from Jenny. In December, it was time to see each other again, and Deanna came to visit Jenny after almost a year. As Jenny embraced her, neither girl wanted to let go; “It’s been too long” they agreed.
Jenny feared what had always happened in the past when it came to Deanna and Jenny’s boyfriends. She was sure they would hate each other and never get a long, but amazingly, Jeff and Deanna become almost like brother and sister! She was thrilled that her best friend and love of her life got along so well, and that was almost like a sign to her, that Jeff might just be “The One”.
Her best friend’s visit was only supposed to last a week or so, but after talking, the girls came up with a plan. Deanna could live with Jenny and get a job, once she had the money saved, she and her kids could move into an apartment in the same building as Jenny and her family. Jenny agreed to give her friend rides to go job hunting and to and from work once she got a job. They split gas money and food costs, and once again, Deanna and Jenny lived together.
As if it weren’t hard enough being a young mother to a three year old boy, Jenny also had to deal with all of the “Work” that came with being his mother. This meant she was always busy signing papers, making copies, on the phone, or mailing documents. The most admirable thing about this was that while she took on these jobs, she only thought about other parents and how she could help them. “I wonder if there could be a program to give free mailing stamps to parents of special kids because of all the letters we have to mail?” she thought to herself as she signed her name on another medical release document and stuck it in the envelope.
Deanna’s daughter, Gracie, was getting so big that Jenny could hardly believe it! She was talking now, and instead of calling her Jenny, she called her “Momma”. This didn’t upset Deanna at all because she called her mother, “Mommy”. Gracie and Jenny spent time together alone every other weekend that Zachary went to visit his dad. They played dress up, danced and sang to music, colored, and watched movies together. It was just Gracie & Momma time and they both loved it.
Zachary and Gracie were already like the best of friends. He was learning so much from his “younger sister” and Jenny was thrilled to see his progress. They loved taking baths together and Gracie would keep yelling “Bubby!” if he wasn’t already in the bath tub with her. They splashed and laughed for an hour and still neither of them wanted to get out, so Jenny had to drag them out screaming before they wrinkled up to nothing! They wouldn’t eat their meals alone either. When Gracie would sit at the kitchen table, Zachary would be scooting up right behind her and reach to her so she could help him stand up and wait for Momma to put him in his booster seat to eat with his “Sissy”.
Since they had lived in the apartment building, the only had one other person living upstairs, who wasn’t at home most of the time. It seemed like Jenny and her family had the whole upstairs building to themselves until one day a new neighbor moved into the apartment right beside them. At first, she worried the new neighbors would be loud and rude because of how young they looked, but luckily, the new neighbors seemed nice. Krystal was about 21, skinny, and very sweet looking. Her husband, Andrew was about the same age, skinny, and always in baggy clothes. As a rough thunderstorm rolled in one night, she got the chance to get to know the girl next door. As Jenny, Deanna, and Gracie stood at the building’s front door watching the rain, Krystal and her baby boy came into the hallway. The girls chatted a bit and Jenny asked to hold the baby. Baby Shane was 3 months old, with the most adorable red hair and very content being held against Jenny’s chest, which of course she loved. Jenny and Deanna finally made a friend and were able to have conversations with someone older than 3.
It wasn’t long after Deanna and Gracie came to stay that an idea came up in what seemed to be the perfect time. Before Momma Brenda passed away, Deanna had planned on going away to Job Corps. She was going to give her mom custody of Gracie and she was determined to go to school and straighten her life up. Job Corps called her the day her mom died and she explained she would not be enrolling. Well, now seemed like the best time to go for her. She knew Jenny would take Gracie in a heartbeat, and although painful, would give her back when she came home. Jenny typed the guardianship papers on her computer, and Gracie was now legally and physically in her care. Deanna signed all her registration forms and was all set to start school and hour away the next month.
Deanna and Jenny always had arguments about Gracie’s discipline even long before the guardianship agreement had been signed. It became worse as time grew closer for Deanna to leave for school. Jenny knew she was having trouble with her conscience about leaving her child. She had already given custody of her son, Cameran, to her friend, Tonya, and had even been a birth parent for an infertile couple she knew. Gracie was her pride and joy, and it hurt her to leave her behind, even knowing it was best for both of their lives. The arguments grew much worse, especially since Jenny refused to allow favoritism between Zach and Gracie. Deanna wanted her daughter to have anything she wanted, merely because she felt bad for leaving her.
For the first time in their lives after a fight about one of their kids, Deanna admitted she was wrong and apologized. They held each other and Jenny cried as Deanna told her how sorry she was for letting her emotions run wild like they had. It was after that when Jenny found new pride in her best friend. For the first time, Deanna put aside her own needs and did what she needed to do, for everyone. Going to Job Corps, admitting her wrongs, and realizing that since Gracie would live with Jenny, she would no longer be the spoiled only child she had always been.
Love was in the air, cards being sent everywhere, phone calls, and text messages filled everyone’s phones; It was Valentine’s Day. Jeff and Jenny were broke. All of they’re money went on bills and clothes for both kids, so there wasn’t any spending money left for gifts. Jenny used the leftover valentine’s cards for Zach’s class and taped heart shaped suckers to them before stuffing them in her own mailbox with a smile. When Jeff and Deanna checked the mail, their faces lit up seeing Jenny’s gifts to them inside. Later in the day, she set up the kitchen table with construction paper, markers, glue and glitter. Jeff sat at the table with Zachary to do Valentine’s day crafts, but told Jenny to get out and not to come back into the room!
Jeff came into the living room and handed his fiancé the home-made card. It was pink and read “My Heart is Falling for You” on the front. When she opened it, a red and orange paper heart fell hanging from a string on the inside. She giggled at it’s amazing cute-ness as she turned it over and read what he wrote to her on the back: “I love you more than life itself. I love you more than the 1967 Shelby GT500. More than the Aston Martin DB7. My engine runs on your love for me. Love Always, Jeff.” It was the sweetest and most romantic gift she had ever gotten in her life. Jenny baked a cake for the holiday; Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake with mini M&M’s and pink strawberry icing. She used food coloring and made extra icing in pink and blue then decorated the cake with hearts and nicknames of her family members; Wolf, Bubby, Sissy, & Baby D.
The ice storm that hit that week left inches of ice everywhere you looked and even knocked out many power lines nearby. Jeff, being from Florida, wasn’t as used to it as Jenny was, so they bundled up and headed outside. He held his fiancé’s hand as they skated on the ice in their shoes in front of their apartment building. Krystal poked her head out of her window and laughed at her friends being so silly before she threw down a cardboard box for Jenny to sled on the ice with. Passers-by couldn’t help but smile when they saw the couple. Laughing and smiling, they twirled around on the ice, trying not to fall. Deanna, Gracie, and Zachary laughed as they watched the love birds from the living room window above.
Jenny and her ex-mother-in-law had been getting along like they did before the divorce and although she and Mark weren’t fighting, they weren’t always on good terms either. She sent Sharon pictures of Zachary on her phone everyday just to keep her involved in his life. Zachary was still spending every other weekend at his dad’s house with his baby brother, Devin.
It’s rare to come across a divorce that was a clean and easy break with no hard feelings. Jenny and Mark’s was no different. From the moment he knew she wasn’t going to come back to him, the words of hate, rumors, and fights began, and still hadn’t ended. The only rumors that came close to causing any effect on Jenny were ones concerning her role as a mother. By this time, Jenny had done enough soul searching to find that in her opinion, she was a wonderful mother. Of course, what she thought and what people would say are two totally different things. She could be walking in the store and overhear people she had never met talking about how she was an unfit mother and it infuriated her! She had done so much to be the best person she could be overall and being a decent ex-wife was included in that.
When they split up, Jenny gave him most of her end tables, wall paintings, and any of Zachary’s things that he no longer needed. She gave him joint custody and hefty visitation as well as the right to pick up Zachary to hang out anytime he wanted to. She even invited him to come with her on Zach’s first day of school and let him claim their son on his income taxes even though he only cared for him one third of each year. Once Mark’s girlfriend Tawny got pregnant with Devin, Jenny went through all of Zachary’s old things and brought them boxes and boxes of baby clothes and toys. Somehow, even with all that she had done, he still had bad things to say about her. She knew about the things he said, especially when he said to several people, “I’m just gathering as much dirt as I can on her and waiting for her to screw up so I can take full custody of Zach; She’s an unfit mother.” She didn’t care what he thought he was going to do because she knew the truth. She was a great mother and he would never take their son from her.
