I beg your pardon I never promised you a rose garden

 

Carol had heard enough out of Tyra wanting her to retire. She couldn't. Not right now. Especially, with the husband home.

No way did she want to let her daughters know how hard it was getting used to this truckdriver at home.  They might as well have been in quiet divorce mode. Now this didn't mean they'd actually get a divorce. They were cheap, and she did need his insurance even if she was already on Medicare. She needed to work to pay for it. Besides, they were nice to each other, even if she was very tired of his jokes that were never funny to begin with.

"Things are fine at the coffee shop." Wasn't like she was there every day, but if she wasn't a cashier, she was mending ways with the cook and his girl (who was supposed to be the manager while Millie was having morning sickness). But even the manager needed a day or two away from the Coffee Shop.

"We're just lucky your sister is going to give us a grandchild." Carol let slip. She didn't mean to put Tyra down, but she felt the girl was a little selfish. Deep down, it was a dream that Tyra and her significant other would start a family, but she knew it wouldn't happen, even in those dreams where she imagined having a baby for them.

Why was it that she was always having to take care of the baby in those dreams? Hell if she knew what these dreams meant.

Carol didn't apologize to Tyra. She meant to, but she couldn't. It felt to her these days she was being treated like the misled teenager, and Tyra was her overbearing mother. Still, the conversation kept her up at night. Tyra came back with nothing, and the flowers she had given her for Mother's Day were dying in the kitchen. It would have been nice to have gotten a gift card from Amazon or even Walmart, but she'd never suggest it.

Perhaps she was the worst mother. She couldn't think of their good times at the moment. She felt she was slumming in this old house that she knew he'd never think of leaving. He had too much junk that he couldn't live without. After a while, Carol had made it a competition. She got her own stuffies. Even rescued a few from thrifting. There was a whole room of them now. She took over Millie's room before her husband could.

What was Tyra expecting if she retired? Bedazzling her wardrobe.

And when Spring gets to me

 "God, when is this going to stop!" Nico threw the wet dish towel into the steel sink. He was tired of all these questions from CW. Wasn't it enough that he still worked the weekends at the coffee shop? He was there for the Mother's Day Special. So was Amy.

"Something is going on with you two," CW pointed a finger at him, as it were just the two of them cleaning the kitchen after the place closed. "I just know it."

Nico rolled his eyes at him. They weren't even fussing. They were giving each other the silent treatment. It was perhaps a truce. It had to be this way, or....

He kept a straight lip that posed a grim frown. At least, he was still in the building. He hadn't gone anywhere. He worked at Joe's mechanic's place during the week. He'd shown he was good at the simple tasks, like changing oil and filters.

"Just shut up," Nico was tired of CW, accusing him of liking Amy. "She's a kid with a smart mouth, that's all." Besides, he wasn't one to be smitten. He'd learned the hard way to just be alone. Always. He gritted, turning away from CW.

"No, no, you two are trouble, I just know it." CW shook his head and went back to wiping down the stove to get ready for tomorrow. 

Nico went numb, stopping himself from going back to when it happened. The kiss. He sighed, thinking he'd grown accustomed to being a crusty old fart that was immune to such a thing. Obviously, that was not true. 

Yes, they were putting each other down at closing time, not so long ago. CW left early for some reason, while Nico was left on his own. He tried to get stuff done, but Amy popped him on the arse with a dish towel. That was like a wake-up call, evidently. Before he knew it they were playing around all giddy and silly. Maybe it was the laughter that got to him. When they fell into each other, their lips touched with a burst of laughter, and yet to make it better, they kissed again as if they might be perfect for the dance. And they were.

Now it made him want to squeeze his eyes shut. Neither had admitted to defeat. It was silent now. Just where it should be. Couldn't CW understand this? It wasn't like he was that much older than her, but old enough to know better.

Happy Mother's Day Weekend 💗

 

Kat was in total shock when her dad handed her the debit card. Was this for real? She knew Gavin had one, and so did her cousin, but they were older, and she knew she didn't have a real job yet, just babysitting.

"Now think of it more of a gift card than a debit card," he practically winked. "I know it's a long time coming, but you deserve something, taking care of your sister like you do."

She nodded. She knew he wouldn't have given it to her if her older sibling hadn't gotten on at the nearby grocery store. She looked at it as if it might be a gold card.

"I know you want to get your mother and your grandmothers something for Mother's Day." Her dad grinned as if he knew her well.

"Um, we've been crocheting dishcloths." She'd managed a couple, even if they were lopsided, and her little sister was still working on making a big ball of chain that might make the perfect present for Grandy's cat (Her father's mother). She'd planned to find something nice at Dollar Tree for her Mom and some soap from her grandmothers. Kat knew they expected practical gifts. She knew no one wanted a candle because it gave Grandy headaches and Grand Betty said candles caused fires.

Kat had been laid down the law about gift giving by the two of them. They both said they loved homemade gifts best and most of all, handmade Mother's Day cards. But her mother was a different story. She was still pushing everyone away, wanting to be alone most of the time. Just when Kat thought things might be back to normal during the holidays, they weren't. Her mom might give them a squeeze, but she generally ended up crying. And then they would end up crying (Kat and her sister, while her brother stayed stoic). Kat didn't like it. Still, she wanted them to spend time together. At the moment, she found herself getting the sniffles thinking about it. All they knew was that she was sick.

But now, she was alone with her dad in the kitchen at home. "Now, I know you think your mother has cancer." Her dad said out of the blue. He never said anything about her anymore. For a while, she thought her mom was moving back in, but that only lasted a weekend. They were divorced. "She is sick, but it's not cancer."

Kat sighed. She pressed her lips tight. She didn't think she could be wrong about this, but if this is what she wanted, then she'd pretend.

"She's bipolar."

For a second, she thought he was talking about sex. She looked at him, stunned. 

"You know what that is? Right?"

Kat shrugged.

"At first, it was just manic depressive. Like she'd be happy, but then she wasn't. She got us into debt. She would spend money we didn't have." Her father admitted. "And, and I wasn't sure how she might act around all of you."

Kat winced. She grew up knowing her mother was high-strung. But usually she just yelled at Dad. 

Kat licked her dry bottom lip. Maybe that was why she was on edge even if she'd grown accustomed to the drama.

"Your mom is having a hard time finding a job right now." Her dad told her this was why she was staying at Grand Betty's.

Kat sucked in a breath.

"It comes and goes." Her dad left it at that. But his words made her sad. She raked the back of her hand across her hot tears. Gavin would be here any moment. They were going with her cousin to find Mother's Day gifts.

It's time

 

Gabby had a feeling she did it this time when she looked at the receipt on her phone from the photo shoot. She winced hard, thinking why was she like this, spending money when she knew she should be saving. She put it on her credit card, so that had to help for something, right? It wasn't that she'd maxed it out, but she was still paying for Christmas.

When she got home, she noticed how the place had been tidied up.

"Did you do this?" She was shocked that Oliver had the energy to do it because he was always dragging with so many lesson plans, and now that track had started, he was helping the high school coach out for extra money from the school.

"No, Mom came over." He shrugged as if maybe he'd been through a horrible talk with her.

"What did she say?" Gabby asked out of concern, as if maybe she needed to say something to her.

"Not anything, she brought some dinners I froze so we'd have something to eat, you know-" He looked at her stomach as if he didn't need to tell her why.

Gabby nodded. "Well, what is it?" She knew they were actually doing OK. Carrie entertained herself a lot with her dolls and artwork.

"I just," he sighed. "I should have asked you sooner," He didn't look at her when he said it, but he took both of her hands, and they sat down on the empty couch that she'd forgotten was so yellow.

"I know we should be married by now," he said.

Gabby told him it was OK. She understood. They were both on the rebound, which felt funny to think. 

"I know it's me," Oliver explained. "I remember thinking when I was young, I always wanted to have a family. But..but it turned out different from what I expected.

"Well, you know, we were both in Foster care growing up." She remembered that, except that she was adopted, he wasn't until he was practically an adult. "I took advantage of my parents; I was not a good teenager." She nodded, thinking she still expected too much, but change was hard.

"You were, you were my friend." He recalled.

"You were a good listener," she told him. "You never once told me what was going on with you. All I could think about back then was what I wanted. And I'm still that way. I know that. "

His smile was weak when he looked into her eyes. She hugged him. Even if she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She should be out walking, getting ready to have this baby, but they made plans to go down tomorrow to get a marriage license.