Good point
Anyway break up with him and get your butt back here. We all miss you
Miss you too
“Hey, Mrs. Miller is asking about you,” Hannah announces, popping her head into the kitchen. “She thinks her head is burning.”
“Did you tell her that’s just the chemicals?” Bracing my hand on the table to hold my weight, I pull myself up. I give asmall stretch, but it sends a jolt of pain zinging down my lower stomach straight to my butt. Wincing, I pull in a breath and hold it for a second or two before releasing it and shoving my phone back into my apron.
“You okay?” There’s a concerned look smeared on Hannah’s face. She’s the only person in the salon who I’ve talked to about my endometriosis.
“Fine. Just the usual.” I put on a brave smile.
“Good. Well, should I tell her that it’s literally the chemicals burning her scalp?” Hannah snickers.
I roll my eyes. “I’m coming. Don’t want to lose one of my best clients.”
“Hey, speaking of, you haven’t even updated me on your trip and now you’re planning on leaving me again? Like maybe for the entire summer?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone this time.”
“Take me with you,” she pleads, tugging on my arm. “Sun, sand, surf, ahhh…sounds like heaven.”
Laughing, I give her a sympathetic smile and walk backward as I say, “If I’m gone too long, you better come visit me.” And then I return to my client before her head melts and her hair falls out.
Charlie comes out of the doors of the school with her peers, and I rush to her with my umbrella open, as do about thirty other parents. She’s shuffling her feet along today, instead of her usual skipping.
“Hey, Charlie, how was your day?”
“It was okay,” she mutters.
“Just okay? Not great? Not the most fun ever?” I give a tug to one of her braids as I bend, attempting to get her attention.
Charlie just looks at me with big eyes, her lips in an almost pout. She loves school.
“What’s wrong?”
“I miss Golden Harbor.”
Pursing my lips, I release a sigh. “Me too. But we’ll be back there in less than a week.” Taking her backpack from her, I hike it over my shoulder and wrap her up in a side hug, hiding underneath the umbrella while we rush to the car in the rain.
When we get home, we leave our wet boots on the rug by the door to dry out and I hang up our jackets and the umbrella. With the threat of a flare looming, I don’t have the energy toMom. Lucky for me, Charlie doesn’t know life any differently than what I’ve been able to handle. I try not to dwell on the fact that that might not be a good thing.
“What do you say I make us some hot chocolate and we watch a movie? It’s the best thing to do on a rainy day.”
Charlie beams and races to her room to most likely get her favorite blanket and stuffies. I change out of my work clothes and throw on a pair of yoga pants and a hoodie. When I return to the kitchen, Charlie is already seated on the couch with the remote in her hand. I heat water on the stove and fix us two mugs of hot cocoa.
“Extra marshmallows please?” Charlie calls.
“Yeah, yeah, I know how you like it.” I laugh while rolling my eyes. I reach for my bottle of pain pills in the cupboard and take a few, hopeful they’ll kick in before the pain that’s already generating in the tops of my inner thighs has a chance to spread to my back and lower stomach.
My phone dings from where it’s resting on the counter. A smile tugs at my lips when I find a sweet text from Hannah checking in on me. After I respond, I bring our warm mugs of hot cocoa into the living room and set them down on coasters on top of the glossy coffee table.
Charlie scoots to the edge of the sofa and picks up her mug, inspecting its contents. She gives an approving smile. “My daddy knows just how to make the best hot chocolate too.”
“Well, who do you think taught me?” I smile and her whole face beams at my response.
West surprises us by getting home earlier than normal. Even Charlie is still awake and I’m searching the contents of the freezer for something to whip up for dinner.
