Stunned, Jackie Edwards sat quietly on the sofa as Nia marched out of the room. The agitated click of her daughter’s high heels faded as Nia marched down the hall. The slamming of the door punctuated her departure.
Minutes later, Greg Edwards peered into the family room. “Is it safe?”
Frowning, she looked up and focused on the man she married thirty-seven years ago. “What?”
“Can I come in?” he teased. “Is the coast clear?”
Nodding slowly, Jackie waved her husband into the family room. She had so much to think about and consider.
First, Nia never visited. She made a point of avoiding her mother unless something important came up. Her twin girls had always been close regardless of the relationship they had with their mother. Tia meant the world to her sister. Nia loved her twin and was completely devoted to her.
Jackie knew Nia would do anything to help her twin. No matter the situation, Nia let things slide off her back and went about her business unconcerned, unless it involved someone in her family.
Nia’s accusations hurt. It felt like someone had flashed a light into her eyes while she was suffering from a migraine. Had she been treating her children unfairly? Was she being selfish? Did she deserve the things that Nia had said to her?
Greg crossed the floor and sank onto the cushion next to Jackie. Silence reigned as he sat by her side. After a moment, he reached for her hand and laced their fingers together.
“You heard everything?” Jackie asked.
He nodded.
“Am I wrong?” she whispered.
“Do you want the truth?” he questioned.
Jackie snorted. “No.”
He squeezed her hand. “But you need to know.”
She nodded.
Greg took a deep breath and let it out in one big gush. “Yes.”
Shutting her eyes, Jackie sat perfectly still. Greg was a constant who enriched her life. She couldn’t imagine her household without this man. He never lied. No matter how painful, he always told her the truth. Before he’d tell a lie, he wouldn’t say anything at all. Nia had always been a problem between them. Over the years, they had learned to live together, but Nia always presented the only real disagreement they had. Now, all of her problems with Nia were coming back to haunt her.
Guilt mixed with a hearty dose of pain made her feel like crying. Unfortunately, tears wouldn’t make things any easier or better. She needed to sort this situation out. It was time to talk. “How do I fix this?”
“Which problem?”
Her head pounded. She squeezed her eyes shut and rammed her palm against her forehead, muttering sarcastically, “Thanks, my loyal husband. You are such a joy to be with.”
“You asked.” Shrugging, Greg chuckled softly and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “You stepped into it. I’m trying to keep you from bringing the funky odor and the mess into the house. Otherwise you’ll smell up the whole place.”
Jackie rested her head against his shoulder. “Have I treated my girls differently?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“You probably didn’t. But, hon, you gave birth to two girls. You raised one and did what you needed to for the other. You put all the love into Tia. Nia got what was left. I never understood what was going on in your head, but I tried to compensate and make it up to Nia by being the parent she needed, the person she trusted and came to when things went wrong.”
Guilt-induced tears slid down Jackie’s cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. Greg pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Thanks.” She took the white linen from his hand and dabbed at the wetness sliding down her cheeks.
“You’re welcome.”
How did I allow this to happen? Jackie couldn’t believe that she’d been so callous and uncaring. “I love all of my kids.”
“Yes, you do. But you forgot to show that love to Nia. You’ve always treated Nia differently from the rest.” He pressed his lips together. Jackie got the impression that he was considering how much to say. His face took on a determined expression and then he added, “Nia always came second. Tia was the one you put all of your time and interest into. Your heart went into anything dealing with her. You used logic when it came to Nia. You always had time for Tia no matter the situation. If Nia required anything beyond food and clothes, you left her to me.”
“I didn’t mean to do that.”
“I know.” Greg patted her hand reassuringly. “But you did it and Nia realized that you favored her sister. We were lucky that the twins didn’t hate each other. If anything, it made them closer.”
The feelings of confusion and anger swelled inside of her and began to overwhelm her. In a small voice she confessed, “Nia was always so hard to handle. She wanted to play baseball with the boys. She couldn’t keep still. Always busy. It was like working with a wiggly worm. If I put a dress on her, she’d come back with it torn and dirty. She complained loud and often when I dressed her and Tia alike. Nia became too much to deal with. She’d never sit quietly; she always had so much to say and do. I didn’t know what to do with her.”
“Nia was never your typical little girl, that’s for sure. One thing I do know is that all she needed, all she ever wanted was for you to love her. Baby, you gave birth to her. Your job was to accept her the way she was.”
“I didn’t do that, did I?” Jackie twisted the handkerchief around her hand.
“Nope.”
“I feel like a bad mother.”
“You weren’t a bad mother. You just didn’t give her what she deserved. God is good. He’s given you an opportunity to fix all of that and help Tia at the same time.”
“I don’t want Tia to go,” Jackie whined. The sense of loss that she had felt when Chris and Tia announced their engagement filled her once again. She was going to lose her baby to a life apart from her. More than that, Tia would leave the country. How was she supposed to have a relationship with her daughter when she lived thousands of miles away?
“That’s okay. I understand your feelings. I don’t want her to leave, either, but she’s grown and deserves a chance at happiness, even if it means her leaving us to live in another country. We can’t stop that. No. I didn’t say that right. We shouldn’t stop her.”
“Greg! What if something happens while she’s living in France?”
He patted her hand. “We raised her right. If it doesn’t work out, Tia knows how to come home. She also knows that we’re here for her.”
“I don’t trust him.” Jackie scrunched up her face.
Laughing, Greg leaned back in his chair. “You don’t trust anybody.”
Sitting straighter, she pointed out, “I liked Darnell until he started messing around on my baby.”
“No, you didn’t,” Greg contradicted. “You tolerated him because he didn’t interfere with you and Tia. If he’d been a tiny bit more aggressive or demanding, Darnell would have seen the wrath of Jackie Edwards.”
She shrugged and then admitted, “I really didn’t like him that much. He needed to go, the dirty dog.”
“I know. From the beginning, Chris was different. He loves Tia, but it’s up to her to decide where she wants to be. It’s her decision. He’s not going to cater to you or beg. It’s about his life with Tia. She’s got to choose. I respect him for that.”
“True, but that can make for a controlling man.”
“Chris isn’t controlling or demanding. He expects Tia to be the woman at his side.” Greg stroked her cheek with his fingertips. As usual, Jackie felt the same love she carried for this man for almost forty years. “Just as you are for me.”
“He’s a white boy. We’ve skirted around all the issues, but we can’t ignore that one. It’s too huge.”
“No, we can’t,” Greg agreed. “And I worry about how that one fact will change her life, but it’s Tia’s life, not ours. This isn’t Romeo and Juliet. No one will commit suicide if things don’t work out. She has a right to choose, and it looks as if she has chosen Chris. All we can do is support her and help her in any way that we can.”
Jackie opened her mouth to comment, but Greg raised his hand and cut her off.
“You don’t like or trust him. I get that, but feelings don’t reflect the fact that he happens to be in love with our daughter. Jackie, baby, Chris is a good man. Sometimes I watched him when they were here. If we asked Chris to drink twenty gallons of her dirty bathwater, he would.”
Giggling, Jackie agreed. “I know. I’ve seen that look, too. That’s what clued me in on his feelings the first time he came to dinner. I knew something big was going to happen, and I wasn’t ready for it.”
Greg sobered and asked, “What do you need to do?”
“Talk to my girls. Let them know that they both mean the world to me. Make sure Nia understands that I love her as much as I do Tia.”
Nodding, Greg said, “Excellent.”
She folded the handkerchief into a neat square and handed it back to Greg. He shoved the cloth back into his pocket. Jackie asked, “Can we suggest to Tia that she think about the situation a little longer? Make her see the error of her ways?”
“No. Nia was right. Our daughter is miserable. We can’t let this continue. Thanks to you, Tia believes she can’t leave until your mother is back on her feet. That was wrong, baby. It’s time for you to let her go. Tia has done all of the things you have expected of her. Now it’s time to let her lead the kind of life she wants. If you need someone to spend time with, go shopping with Nia.” He sighed heavily and added, “I’ll even go with you, but I think Nia would be happy to be with you. It’s past time for you two to get to know each other better.”
“I think you’re right.” Jackie picked up the telephone and punched in a number.
Frowning, Greg watched his wife. “What are you doing?”
“This is the first step to making everything right.”