Dorothea arrived home to Jake and Romeo running around the living room while Jesse sat on the couch playing on his phone, and Stephanie was in the kitchen setting the table.
“Jesse James! WHAT are you doing?” She shouted and made her presence known.
“What? Me? I’m not doin nuttin.”
“Exactly. You two go, go wash up for dinner.” She pointed up the stairs.
“Geez, someone’s horns are twisted.” Jesse mumbled under his breath.
“Excuse me? Did you say something? How could you just sit here and let them run around like that? What if one of them fell?”
“I told them to stop, they didn’t listen, as usual.”
“Put your phone away and go get washed up.”
Dorothea went into the kitchen where Stephanie was making a salad. The young girl watched as her mother moved from one side of the room to the other, noisily opening and closing the cabinet doors. The way she scolded her brothers, Stephanie could tell that her mother was annoyed, but seeing her stomp around the kitchen slamming things, she knew it was more than them running around that had her this mad.
“Gertrude made a roast, it’s already on the table.” She tossed the tomatoes into the salad.
“I see that.” She reached for a wine glass. “Boys, dinner is ready.” Stephanie carried the salad and her mother carried the bottle of wine she had taken out of the refrigerator and went to join the others. Romeo and Jake quietly took their seats, as Jesse looked to his sister and shrugged his shoulders while he pulled out his mother’s chair and waited for her to sit.
Dorothea sat in silence and listened as her children talked amongst themselves. Their back-and-forth banter about which version of angry birds was better, or who had the fastest and faster car Luigi or Yoshi, seemed to wilt away some of the annoyance she brought home.
When dinner was over, they all gathered in the kitchen to help clean up. Afterwards, the boys went upstairs and Stephanie followed her mother to her office. Dorothea settled into the high-backed leather chair behind her desk. Stephanie took a seat of her own and placed her elbows on the smooth surface and interlaced her fingers as she leaned forward.
“Mom, can I ask you a something?”
With a sigh, Dorothea nodded. “Sure.”
“Why were you so mad when you came home?”
“Steph, I just had a rough afternoon...is there something else you want to talk about?”
“Did it have to do anything with Daddy, or us meeting Ari?”
“What do you mean you’re meeting her? How do you even know her name?” Dorothea looked directly into her daughter's eyes.
“Seriously, Mom? Why can’t you just be honest with me? It’s not like I know nothing, you don’t have to put on some sorta act.”
“I will be honest, after you tell me what this so-called meeting is all about. Your father has mentioned nothing to me.”
“Jesse and I asked Daddy if we could meet her. He said he would talk to you. I just assumed that is why you came home so upset.”
“Well, it’s not. Why do you want to meet her?” Confusion clouded Dorothea’s eyes as her brow furrowed at her daughter’s words.
“Because, she’s Daddy’s girlfriend and we will meet her, eventually. Now that she is here, well in New Jersey we figured, why not?”
Dorothea smirked as a soft chuckle bubbled forth. Yes, she is here, isn’t she? She has been here the whole time.
“Ma.” Stephanie tapped on the desk, drawing her attention back to the conversation. “You guys have been really mean to each other for a while now, she isn’t the reason you are breaking up?”
Taking a deep breath, Dorothea tried to quiet her mind before she spoke again. The overwhelming weight of her resentment was taking a toll on her. She knew the sooner she faced and accepted the situation, the sooner she could work towards repairing the damage it had caused.
“Stephanie, it is not all that black and white, there are things you don’t know and things you don’t need to know. Your father and I have not been mean to each other, we just grew apart.”
Interrupting her mother, Steph looked her directly in her eyes before speaking, “Bullshit mom, you and dad have been downright nasty to each other, I think it’s a bit more than ‘growing apart’. Why do you always do that, put me off and not talk to me? Daddy doesn’t have a problem answering my questions.”
“Don’t use those words with me, young lady, I am still your mother. And what exactly has your father been telling you?”
“For starters, he doesn’t beat around the bush. Whatever I or Jesse have asked him, he’s answered. Like when I asked him to tell me about Ari, he has. Or when he comes home mad like you did today, and I ask him why, he’ll tell me the truth. Is it really such a big deal for me to ask you to be honest? You’d ask the same of me! I only think it’s fair! The only reason Jesse isn’t in here backing me up is that he’s afraid to say anything to you.”
“I see. So not only is your brother afraid to talk to me, you and him have been talking to your father behind my back.”
“No, mom, not behind your back. We are curious. The two of you haven’t been happy for a long time and now that Daddy has someone who apparently makes him happy, we want to know about her. Why does this have to be so difficult?"
“It’s difficult because you’re only sixteen, Steph! You are a child, and you don’t understand all the things that’s happened between a man and a woman, and I don’t think you need to. I’ll just have to have a talk with him to clarify the situation.”
“STOP patronizing me Mom, I’m young but I understand things! I’ve asked you maturely to explain things to me, and all you do is get angry or lie to me or come up with some excuse and talk about something else. It’s not right!”
“If you only knew.” Dorothea murmured.
“I’m trying to! Is there some deep, dark secret you don’t want me to know about? I bet if I ask Dad, he’ll at least tell me the truth!”
Finally reaching the end of her rope, Dorothea snapped back, “Go ahead, you go ask your father and see what he says. I’m done trying to explain things to you.”
“You have explained nothing!”
Stephanie stood up and walked toward the door and before Dorothea could say much more she turned to her mother. “I’m going for a walk.”
By the time Dorothea had gotten around the desk and through the entryway, Steph was already in the elevator Dorothea yelled “Steph wait.”
A pang of sadness stabbed at Dorothea as she watched her tousled blonde head bow and the door slide shut. Slumping against the doorjamb with her arms crossed, she tilted her head back. She trusted her enough not to go far so, she would let her have her space for now.
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