Page 10 of Creed

She nodded, not meeting my eyes, and started to turn.

“Chrissy?”

She stopped in the doorway.

“Can I have a hug?” She didn’t move at first. Just stood there, still as stone. “I could really use one.”

She hesitated, then turned and crossed the room. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight—tighter thanI expected. It felt like she was trying to hold onto something or maybe let it go. I hugged her back as I whispered, “I love you, sweet girl. I love you so very much, and no matter what’s going on, I always will.”

She didn’t say anything.

She just held me.

And that was enough, at least for the time being.

She held onto me for a second longer, then eased back and muttered, “I need to go take a shower.”

“Okay. I’ll go start dinner.” I stood and followed her toward the door as I asked, “Mini burgers sound okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds really good.”

She stopped and looked up at me, and once again, I saw those little wheels turning in her head. My daughter was upset with me. Anyone could see that, but she loved me. I could see it in those precious, little eyes and the way she hugged me. Her father could say whatever he wanted, but nothing was going to change that.

I smiled as I told her, “Go grab your swimsuit.”

She nodded, then darted down the hall to her bathroom. Our little encounter wasn’t much, but we were making progress and that had me smiling as I made my way into the kitchen. I made dinner, and after we ate, we all watched a movie, and I finished grading papers.

In a blink, it was two days later, and the kids were packed up and ready for their weekend with their father. I gave them both a hug as I stood in the doorway, watching them pile into his truck.

Chrissy climbed into the backseat. She already had her headphones on and was pretending not to notice me watching her. Austin slid in next to her, barely glancing back, but he did manage a slight wave before closing the door.

And then there was him.

Brian.

He gave the truck a quick once over, making sure everything was intact, and then he turned and gave me that polite nod we’d both perfected over the years. Not angry. Not friendly. Just a simple nod.

I smiled and gave them all a little wave. Seconds later, the truck roared to life and backed out of the driveway. And just like that, they were gone.

I closed the door, went back into the kitchen, and started picking up shoes and snack wrappers like any other night. I did some laundry, a little schoolwork, and then the dishes. Anything to keep my mind from drifting toward that pit in my stomach that never seemed to go away.

By the time the clock hit nine, I was ready to start winding down. I poured myself a glass of wine and slipped into the bathroom. I ran a hot bath and soaked until my fingers started to prune, taking that as my sign that it was time for bed.

I got out, dried off, and put on my favorite pajamas. Curled up in bed, I piddled on my phone until I drifted off to sleep. The next morning, I woke up to a text from Laura.

Laura:

Remember- wear your slutty best tonight!

Me:

I remember. Are you going to tell me where we are going?

Laura:

Not a chance!

Me: