"American Family"

Chapter Ten

Danny sat on Lydia’s front porch with Brianna. Since Danielle’s death, Brianna had been sleeping at Lydia’s house. But today, after the burial, Brianna was leaving. Every one was inside and it was just Danny and Brianna. Danny knew that there were words to be spoken. Yet, he couldn’t get them out. Instead, he asked her a simple question. “So, what comes next for you??”

“Well, I’m not sure. My whole life has been dedicated to Brianna. Now that I am no longer a mother I can live differently. Maybe I’ll go back to school. Before, I had to work so many hours just to make enough money that, I couldn’t go to school,” She explained to him.

“Listen, I’m sorry about not being there for you and Danielle,” Danny said.

“It wasn’t your fault. I should have told you I was pregnant. But I didn’t,” She told him. “I’m just glad she got to meet you,” she smiled but her voice strained.

“You know, you don’t have to go back. You can stay here,” Danny offered.

“In Lydia’s house? Nah, I don’t think so,” She said with a bark of laughter.

“I meant you don’t have to go all the way back to Detroit,” Danny said. He didn’t laugh along with her. Quite frankly, it wasn’t funny.

“Danny, I love you to pieces. But, my life isn’t here. My family isn’t here. The only thing tying us together was Danielle. I have to go home,” She said to him.

“But, Brianna,” Danny said not sure how to explain how he felt.

“Danny, let me go. The only reason you want me around is cause I’m the only thing left of Danielle. But, trust me, you don’t need me here to remember your daughter. In fact I buried my baby here, so that she can be with her daddy. Don’t worry about me,” Brianna said.

Danny sighed and nodded his head. Just then Kiral came out from inside the house. Both Brianna and Danny looked at him waiting for news of when her flight left. He smiled at her. “Your flight leaves in three hours. You’re flying first class,” He said to her. “I can drop you off if you want,” he added.

Brianna got up and smiled at him. She extended her arms and he hugged her. “Thank you, Kiral. You’re so handy,” Brianna said with a chuckle. “I’m going to go inside and say goodbye. I’ll get my bags so we can go. Going through security takes a lot,” Brianna added before running inside the house.

Kiral took a seat next to Danny and they both sat there in silence. Breaking the silence Kiral said, “So, how’s life?”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh at the random question. “Life is, well, life is almost back to normal. How about you?”

Kiral winced and shook his head. “Not too good. I wouldn’t be surprised if this baby made us get a divorce,” Kiral said.

Someone cleared their throat and they turned around to see Lydia. “Brianna needs help with her bags,” Lydia said. With those words Lydia was gone.

“You think she heard me say that?” Kiral asked Danny.

“Based on your luck and Lydia’s timing… Probably,” Danny told him. They each let out a sigh and headed inside. They helped Brianna with her bags and before they knew it, Kiral and she were pulling out of the driveway. With Chrissy baby sitting and Lydia upstairs, Danny finally found time to talk to his wife. He found her in the kitchen cleaning the counter. Surely, the counter wasn’t even dirty.

“Sunshine,” Danny said to her.

“Yeah?” Jolene replied.

Danny approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. She froze and dropped all that she was doing. Still with her back to him Danny began to speak. “Do you know how much I love you?” He asked.

“I’m a bit aware that there might be some affection for me present,” Jolene said with a smile.

“No, I love you, with all that I have, I love you. I can’t believe you stay with me after all I put you through. I love you for how great you were with all of this. The fund raiser and everything, the way you helped Brianna. I don’t think I can function without you sunshine,” He said.

“Well, you should know that I will be here, for better or for worse. I’m here and you’re stuck with me. I just think that you should also know that, if you ever hide something like that from me again, well, I won’t be so kind.”

“I can promise you that I won’t,” He said to her. Finally, Jolene turned around and kissed her husband. She held onto him and Danny could feel the passion return.

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Still in the kitchen, Danny looked at his watch then, looked at Jolene. “We probably have Chrissy babysitting for another hour before she calls begging for us to pick them up. Want to put it to good use?” Danny offered with a wink.

Jolene smiled and nodded. Danny grabbed her hand and pulled her through the kitchen and pass the living room. Just as he was about to get her through the door she stopped. “Wait, I can’t leave without checking on Lydia,” She told him.

He kindly nodded his head and said, “I’ll just go turn the car on.”

Jolene turned and headed up the steps and into Lydia’s room. When Jolene entered the room she was shocked at the sight. In front of her, stood Lydia, packing bags full of clothes. Jolene watched, open mouthed, Lydia oblivious to her presence. “Lyd!” Jolene finally exclaimed. “What are you doing??”

“I’m leaving,” Lydia said.

“Where??” Jolene questioned.

“Nearest hotel,”

“Why??”

“Because, this marriage isn’t working. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“You don’t mean that!” Jolene yelled at her.

“Yes, I do.” Lydia said. She didn’t stop packing for one minute. She was a woman on a mission to get away from a home she had made with her husband.

“Oh wow,” Jolene said. She didn’t know what questions she should ask first. So instead, she just watched as Lydia moved around some more.

“Can you believe he said, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a divorce’?” Lydia said sounding infuriated. “Divorce? Divorce!” Lydia let out an evil bark of laughter. “If he wants a divorce then, Jolene, I will give him the divorce of a lifetime!” She said.

“Lyd, I don’t know what to say,” Jolene explained.

“You don’t have to worry about saying anything. It’s over,” Lydia said.

“Are you sure? I can’t let you do this if you really don’t want to…”

“Look Jo, really, just go home. Go to your perfect family and let me endure the divorce I was sure I was destined for. It’s a family thing. We all end up alone and old. I knew it and he wants it. So, fine,” Lydia said.

Jolene couldn’t help but get angry at Lydia. “You know,” Jolene said firmly. “I would have thought that after all of this you would stop calling my family ‘perfect’. Because, we aren’t. But, it seems, no matter what we do, that is all you will ever see it as. There goes Jolene, she’s in love! Picture perfect family, yada, yada, yada.” With those words Jolene left.

Of course, Lydia came running after her. “Jo! Jo!” She yelled. Jolene stopped but, didn’t turn. “I’m sorry,” Lydia said. Jolene nodded her head and continued walking. “I know,” Jolene replied. At that Jolene was gone. She was going to enjoy the rest of her day with her husband and eventually her family.

Sitting in the car with Danny, Jolene held his hand. Things would be back to normal. She sighed in relief. She would now be able to sleep. She would now be able to love her husband and live her life the same. Although, the memory of Danielle would always be there. And she would constantly go to visit her. She wouldn’t dare let Danny forget. That girl helped Jolene to answer the one she had always wondered about. At the end of the day, could her and Danny make it through the worse and come back stronger then ever? The answer: Without a doubt.

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Lying in her new hotel bed, Lydia typed up the last of her story. She hadn’t told anyone about the story. It was a story of a man and a woman who didn’t live happily ever after. It was about a couple who stayed together no matter what happened and a girl who found her dream man. It was about Jolene and Danny, the perfect family ending, the couple who didn’t end happily ever after, her parents, and the girl who found her dream man, Chrissy. Lydia couldn’t quite write herself in the story. She couldn’t write a story because she wasn’t ready to give herself an ending.

Lydia knew very well that, no matter how hard you wished, the ending didn’t always stay the end. Sure, she could call herself and Kiral the couple that didn’t have the happy ending. But, the truth was, she wasn’t sure this was the end. Secretly she knew this was just a minor setback. Love was something that stayed. If anyone had taught her that, it was Jolene.

Lydia sighed and hit save. She turned off her laptop and put it to the side. She brushed the bed sheet back and curled into it. The warmth was amazing and the room was comforting. Hopefully, tonight, she would sleep wonderfully. Tomorrow would be a hard day ahead.

*****************************************************

Kiral pulled his car into the driveway and jumped out of it. The house was dark and quiet. He entered cautiously and turned on the lights. When he discovered nobody was downstairs he went up the steps. He headed directly for his bedroom. When he turned on the light the bed was empty. He looked around then checked some of the other rooms. Removing his clothes he tossed it in the clothing bin. Heading to the draws he pulled out some clothes to take a shower. He wondered where Lydia was but he wasn’t too worried.

Kiral took a shower and came out feeling better. He entered his bedroom and to his surprise Lydia still hadn’t came home. Scared, he went for the phone. He dialed Jolene’s number. “Yea?” Came Jolene’s voice.
“Uhm, do you know where Lydia is?” Kiral asked.

“Oh man, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to be the one to tell you this. Why don’t you check your bed for like a note or something. Lydia loves to be cliché. She would probably leave you a note.” Kiral moved to his bed and rummaged through it.

“No note, can you just tell me?” he said demanding.

“I’ll show you. Why don’t you take a walk to Lydia’s closet.” Kiral walked to the closet and opened it. His jaw fell at the sight of empty hangers. There wasn’t a single piece of clothing left. He quickly ran to her draws. He pulled them open and out and found that there was nothing in them. He moved to the bathroom next and even her toothbrush was gone. He sighed.

“She’s gone to a hotel. She said something about divorce. I’m sorry, just give her time,” Jolene said.

“Yeah, thanks, bye,” Kiral said. He took a seat on the bed and sighed. His wife was gone. Staring out into space he felt his heart break. This couldn’t be so. He wouldn’t let it.