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“Can you not smoke near my kids?”
She hesitated, shrugged, and put the cigarette back in the pack. “I’m downwind,” she murmured.
“I don’t care.”
She put the smokes away and took another cookie from the plastic bag. “It’s stupid, you know? Like, I work at the factory in the valley. I make two bucks an hour less thanmy co-workers who have a lower position than I do. Only because I didn’t finish my degree. And for what? Ten minutes of mediocre sex?” She tossed one leg over the other.
“I don’t know…” I said. “I don’t regret it. I sure wish I’d finished school first… or that I could have had more help so I could have stayed and gone part time... but I can go back. I can still finish.”
“You gonna transfer to Western?”
I opened my mouth to answer, and then shut it. I’d always assumed I’d go back to Jersey. Sure, I’d forfeit my scholarship by transferring to Western, but I’d probably lose it anyway if I went part time, which I'd have to do if I was going to work and care for the boys.
And… I wouldn’t have to leave the area. I could stick around. Even if I didn't end up living with Andrew forever, he’d still be around, and the boys could grow up with their father in their lives, who clearly loved them.
“Maybe,” I whispered.
“It’s a good school. And pretty cheap. A lot cheaper than most of the other big city schools. ’Cause it means you have to live out here, in this wasteland.” Marcy waved her hand in front of us, like she was proving her point.
It was late November, but it was sunny and crisp. Right now, it was warm enough to wear a jacket, since the sun was beating down in the valley.
In front of me, I saw a bubbling creek cutting through rich, thick grass. A wall of trees encased the quaint little park, the trees still thick and green, yellow, and orange. In the distance, the mountains cut up into the sky, some of them covered in green foliage and giving them a sloping look, while others were more jagged with a little bit of white at the very tip.
“I think it’s beautiful.”
“Mark!” Marcy shouted at her son. “Come on, honey, we need to get going. Daddy’s going to come home in an hour.”
“Basketti?” Mark shouted as he ran our way.
“No, we had spaghetti last night. And the night before. I think it’s time for something else or your dad really will leave me.” She rolled her eyes.
“Basketti!” he whined.
“Whatever,” she muttered. “Okay. Yes. Okay. Put your hat on. Never should have married him to begin with.” She looked up at me as she re-tied one of Mark’s baby-sized tennis shoes. “Word of warning, Maria. Don’t marry Andy just because he’s the father of your kids.” She took Mark’s hand and waved at me as she dragged him through the grass to the parking lot.
I collected my boys and put them into their new stroller I’d finally bought last week, walking slowly back to my car. Marcy’s warning seemed ominous considering my feelings towards Andrew lately. Still, I wasn’t sure I could trust everything Marcy said; she had a tendency to exaggerate things, and she was a little bit of a drama queen.
I’d need to feel Andrew out a little more to see if he even wanted me to stick around. For all I knew, he was counting the days until we left.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I just think it would be a good idea for you to come home for Christmas. We haven’t seen the boys in months! We’re missing their whole lives!”
I’d been on the phone with my mother for almost an hour going back and forth with her about our plans. Andrew was playing with the boys who were fussing for me instead of him,but I had blocked myself into the kitchen with chairs so I could finish cooking dinner.
I’d only spoken to my mom a few times over the past few months, mostly because I didn’t want her to call the police and report me and the twins as kidnapped because, knowing her, she’d have done exactly that. So I kept calling at least once a month to let her know I was okay.
And since Christmas was only a few days away, all she wanted was to get her way.As per usual.
“You know how hard it is to drive through three states with two screaming twin boys who hate the car? Mom,youcan come and visit. You don’t work. You have our address.”
“I’ve been really busy, sweetheart. And you know I couldn’t make the trip without your father. That wouldn’t be fair.”
I bit my tongue about dad’s comment on howI should have aborted the twinsand let her ramble a little longer.
“Now, as far as next week, you could drive down for a few days, we can look at apartments for you and the boys. You know… for when you come back.”
“No, Mom. Drew and I already have plans for Christmas, I told you that. We’re going to see his parents. And…” I added the second part softly, since I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Drew about it yet. “I’m not really sure if I’m going to move back.”
