Sunday Morning Fun

It was early Sunday morning when I woke up needing something to drink really badly. I gave Reed a kiss on his cheek as he laid next to me sound asleep and then I slipped out of bed to make my way downstairs to the kitchen.

I checked on Alexis, like her daddy, she was sleeping soundly and didn't stir when I gave her a kiss on the forehead.

It wasn't until I got closer to Reed's guest room that I hear someone who wasn't sleeping soundly. It only took a moment for me to realize that Lucinda was crying and despite what has been said between the two of us in the past, I was really worried about her.

"Lucinda?" I tapped gently on her door. At first I thought she was going to ignore me because she didn't answer and I didn't hear anything coming from behind the door. I was walking away when the door opened. "Hey," I gave her a smile as I glanced back.

"I'm sorry to be a bother," she told me as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "I'll try not to make too much noise."

"No Lucinda," I shook my head as I stood in front of her. "You weren't making too much noise, I was on my way to get something to drink and I thought I heard you stirring around." As I spoke I wondered if I should've just left her, pretended that I didn't hear her.

"I think a drink would be good," she told me and then sighed. "But Reed doesn't have any alcohol here, does he?"

"I mean something like water, or juice or..." my voice trailed off as she looked like she was going to start bawling again. "Ummm, we have some stuff that we bought for the party later today, I guess we could get you something from there if you like."

Lucinda nodded and told me to lead the way.

We went out into the kitchen and I showed her what we had, she grabbed a bottle of vodka. "This will do just fine," she told me as she made her way over to the table and sat down.

She didn't open the bottle, she just sat there staring at it.

I didn't know what to do, I know I wanted to go back to bed with Reed but I felt that Lucinda might want me to stay with her. After filling the two glasses I pulled from the cupboard with orange juice, I joined her at the table.

"Thank you," she said when I placed the glass of juice in front of her. But that was all she said.

For the next ten minutes, we sat there in complete silence, I wish I knew what I could have said to her. I wish that things weren't so awkward between us.

The silence was killing me, so I said the first thing that came into my head. "Alexis is trying to walk around furniture," when she looked up at me I continued. "Reed is so happy about that, he keeps trying to get her to walk on her own but when ever he lets go of her hands, she stares up at him and then starts to wobble and cry."

She took a sip of her juice but didn't say anything. "I try to tell him that she is only starting, that she doesn't have the balance to walk without holding onto something but he's determined to get her walking." I smiled, "He told me he's going to be there for her first steps, he doesn't want to miss them."

Lucinda lowered her head when I said that. "Alexis is do happy to have Reed around all the time, she doesn't stop saying 'dada', it doesn't matter what the question is, her answer is always 'dada'." I paused and laughed a little. "Well now that she spends some time with my parents it's sometimes 'papa' too. My mother is a little miffed that Alexis isn't saying 'nana' yet, she keeps repeating it to her but Alexis says 'dada' and 'papa' back to her."

Still nothing from Lucinda.

"Alexis has made quite a few friends at day care, the kids just love her. A couple of them seem to have taken her under their wing because she's so young."

Silence.

"I've even made friends with one of the ladies I work with, she's going to be at the party tonight, I think. I don't really know for sure, she said she will but she mentioned something about checking with her husband first." I sighed, "The other woman I work with, I don't get along with her. She seemed alright until she started to hit on Reed and since then I've had no time for her." I looked at Lucinda, who was finally looking up at me again. "Lucinda please talk to me, I feel kind of stupid just rattling off here." I reached out and placed my hand on her arm, "I know we haven't gotten along in the past but you have to know that I'm here for you whenever you need to talk."

She looked like she wanted to say something, so I remained quiet and waited for her to say what was on her mind. It took a few minutes but finally she said, "Reed is a good man, he loves you..." she trailed off as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't know where he gets it from, it's certainly not from his father. I can't believe how he treated you tonight! And inviting that woman? He knew there was no way Reed would ever leave you but yet he thought he could make him." Lucinda shook her head in disgust. "I couldn't stand to be in the same room with that man anymore, I had to leave!"

"Lucinda? You didn't leave Roger because of what he did tonight, did you?"

Lucinda was quiet for a few minutes, she seemed to be replaying events of the night over in her mind, tears started to stream down her face again. "Amber," she said through her tears. "When you guys left, I asked him why he was so against Reed marrying you, the woman that he loved. At first he didn't answer me, I thought he didn't hear me so I asked him again." Lucinda sobbed, "Roget told me that he didn't marry for love, so why would Reed be any different."

I guess I didn't looked to surprised at what she said. "Amber!" She grabbed my arm. "All this time I've stood by his side, I gave him a son, I did everything he asked of me and I didn't complain once when he missed our anniversary or my birthday or any other important event in our lives because he was working. All this time I've been the perfect loving wife and he doesn't love me?" Lucinda jumped up from her chair. "I married that man because I loved him and I thought he loved me! Do you have any idea how much it hurts to find out that after almost 30 years, you were nothing but a business deal?"

"Lucinda," I got up out of my chair and went to her. "I don't think that Roger meant it, I'm sure that he," I hesitated. "I'm sure he loves you, he just has a strange way of showing it."

"No," she shook her head. "He said he didn't marry for love, there's no mistaking the real meaning behind his words. And if he doesn't love me, why should I stand by him?"

I didn't know what to say, I tried a couple times to say something but every time I opened my mouth nothing came out.

"How about we have that drink now?" Lucinda sat down and pulled the bottle of vodka towards her. It started out with just one, we even put the bottle way but she relived all the bad times with Roger, all the important stuff he missed and one turned into another and then another.

And when Reed came downstairs in search of me hours later, he found both of us passed out on the couch with the empty bottle of vodka laying on the floor in front of us.

He tried to wake us but we were way too out of it to make any sense.

Canada Day didn't start out that well for us. With his mother and me drunk, he had to do all the prep stuff himself and watch Alexis.

When I was sober enough to function, he was so mad at us that he didn't want to speak to me.

I spent the afternoon apologizing to him and trying to explain what happened with his mother and father.

"Amber," Reed stopped me. "You aren't making any sense. Why don't you go shower and change while I go check on mom?" He started to walk away but I grabbed his arm.

"Please don't be mad at me Reed," I pleaded. "I don't want us to end up like your parents are right now."

"We won't be like them Amber," Reed sighed. "Come here," he held out his arms and I walked into them. He told me that he wasn't upset with me, "I'm so mad at my father right now, how could he be so heartless? How could he hurt my mother like this?"