Bare with Me

3

Adrienne

      "Babe, I seriously wish you saw the way Summer reacted to the news..it was, weird."  My wife said climbing into bed. It was nice for us to be together, just to talk about anything while having us time. Thankfully I wasn't on call for work tonight, so I could hang out with my best girl. Cuddling and drinking wine, we spoke about Leon's unexpected death. Receiving the call from a co-worker of mine, she explained to me that he overdosed on oxycodone pills, and by the time his friend took him to the hospital, it was too late. This situation was literally déjà vu.

"Maybe she doesn't know how to process this kind of news. It'll probably hit her tomorrow, or the next day, but you can't expect her to just become vulnerable. Never rush a person's grief. There's no short cuts to it, just let it be, okay?" Kelly sadly nodded her head, with tears in her eyes.

Her head laid on my chest, while she began to cry. "I'm worried about her, Adrienne. S-she's my responsibility, and I want her to be okay." Kelly was overprotective of Summer, but she has to understand that she's going to get hurt; it's apart of life.

"And she will be. Have you spoken to Zoë? How is she doing?" My heart was hurting for both Summer and Zoë. They both endured pain from the one person they loved the most.

"Gosh, I think Summer's reaction was better than hers. She's heartbroken, and what makes it even worse is that she's expecting." The news was a shock for me, but I wondered how her daughter would take it.

"What do you mean, expecting?"

"She's having another kid," My wife laughed. I needed all the details. Ho- when? Why?

My wife must've noticed my facial expression because I was literally speechless.

"Aren't you happy for Zo?"

A subtle sigh came from my lips, "I wish I were happy. I can't lie to you, but you've got to think about this situation," Kelly was sitting up, staring in my direction. I could tell she started to get annoyed with me, but it's whatever. My heart went out for Summer.

"Look, Summer probably feels left behind with her mother's new family. She doesn't even know her stepfather or stepbrothers. Zoë abandoned her only ch-, well first born now. Our girl was in a good headspace and now the news for her dad being gone, it's a lot for her to handle." I wasn't vocal when it came to Summer honestly. Technically she's not my goddaughter; in essence, I gained one through marriage.

"Damn, I didn't really think of that," Kelly placed her glass of wine on the nightstand. Her face went into her hands, signaling me that she was becoming an emotional wreck. "I'll say this again, but Summer is such a good kid, but I'm tired of her getting hurt. I don't even know how to tell her that she's going to be a big sister."

Now placing my glass of wine on my nightstand, I scooted over to Kelly, laying my head on her shoulder. "When this time comes and hopefully soon, we can both tell her."

My wife looked at me and kissed my lips. The passion in her touch let me know just the kind of night she had in mind. Releasing the kiss, she laid me back upon the bed, removing my under garments. For a moment, Kelly teased me until she felt I was ready for pleasure.

I moaned, feeling her caress my insides. How she honored and adored it. I admit, this was well needed. Sometimes marriages endured a dry spell trying to tend to their sex lives, and ours definitely had. As time went on, I had certainly become sexually frustrated.

"I love you," Kelly whispered in my ear. Immediately, an arch settled in my back as tears began to flow on both sides of my face. I felt loved, as though I was in heaven.

"Mmm," was the last thing I remembered saying before I ran into the bathroom. I heard a loud thump and it was my wife's body, when I pushed her off the bed. At times I hated drinking. I always became nauseous when consuming liquor. Handling my business in the bathroom, I was feeling normal again. Brushing my teeth, I couldn't help but to think about Summer.

Summer carried her heart on her sleeve. She was a gentle being and she was extremely ambitious. It didn't sit well with me that her mother had moved on. I never wanted her to feel like both Kelly and I were replacing the void in her heart with her mother's departure. However, we did promise Summer that we wouldn't abandon her.

     Kelly was an optimistic person. She always saw the good in people, but in the end she'd get disappointed. It wasn't her duty to fix Summer and Zoë's relationship, but she felt the need to do so.

Getting out of the bathroom and heading back to bed, I felt like my mind was playing tricks on me. Hearing soft sniffles from Summer's room, I opened the door to see her holding her stuffed teddy bear. It was only eight o'clock at night, so it was still light outside. Getting closer to her bed, I had a feeling she was having a breakdown.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was so loud." Summer muffled. My poor baby.

"No honey, don't apologize to me. It's okay to be emotional. Let it all out, I'm here for you, okay?" As if she were granted permission to cry, everything she must've held in was finally releasing. I didn't care about my t-shirt getting soaked with her tears, her well being was one of priorities. Her grip around my waist tightened, as she cried even more.

"You know, when my father died, I was pissed. Angry at the world. I didn't think I'd heal from the pain I was feeling," Slowly but surely, her cries were quieting down. I continued to gently rub her back.

     "It wasn't easy to move on. Our relationship wasn't the best but it was ours. He was in and out of my life, until I was fifteen. Then on my twenty-third birthday, I found out he killed himself at a nearby lake." Now I was the one who started to get emotional.

"How did you heal? Better yet, forgive?" Summer asked. Truthfully speaking, I didn't know how to answer that question.

"Honestly, I'm still healing, and it's been well over fifteen years since his passing. It does hurt when you want to call your loved one, just to hear their voice one more time, and they're gone. Once I found out about the passing of my father, all the animosity and anger I had towards him flew out the window." I didn't speak much about my father to anyone besides Kelly, so this was all a first for me.

"I know my reaction in regards to my dad's death probably wasn't normal. My coping mechanism is to laugh away the pain. I'm just tired of being tired and hurt. Everyday is a hassle to get out of bed and to live, you know? I've tried my best to remain positive, but every time I take five steps forwards, somehow I manage to take ten steps back." On the inside I was happy that Summer confided in me. We had a bond, but it wasn't really close knit.

"I know the feeling honey, but you gotta keep pushing yourself. College is your priority and I know you want to get your degree. Trust me, I see the fire in your eyes. Your passion and purpose is to help those in needs. You've got a year and a half left in school, so keep doing what you're doing. Your godmother, Noah, Nala and myself are rooting for you." With that being said, Summer smiled and hugged me.

"I love you, Aunt Adrienne. Thank you for everything," Summer yawned which was my cue to get up. "Oh, and do you mind staying with me in here tonight? I kinda need some company." She became embarrassed which was cute; she had her mother's mannerisms and didn't even know it.

"I love you, too and of course, kiddo." Her bed was comfortable, making it easy for me to relax. It was an emotional day for us both, and once our heads hit the soft pillow, we drifted right off to sleep.

Thank you -cysdiary for your assistance with the s*x scene 😚