All She Wanted Was Love 3 : Love Doesn't Live Here Anymore

7: Baby Steps

"A fruit cup please but the ones you make us" Kairi was cool on store bought fruit cups but she loved April's more because she bought their favorite fruits and made them their own personalized fruit cups. It was the small things that mattered.

"Ok Love Bug I got y'all. I'll be right back. Keep an eye on ya sister" April said as she scooped Charlie up then Kairi and placed them on the blanket they had on the floor from earlier. Eating on the couch was a no, no even if it was the family room. She knew that Charlie was in good hands when it came to Kairi. When she said she was going to watch her that's exactly what she did although April made sure not to make a habit out of it because after all Kairi was just her sister, a child herself, and not her parent. She couldn't stand when some parents made their kids watch after their siblings. Sure she understood sometimes you have to do what you got to do especially when you don't have the help but she felt like some parents took advantage of their kids.

Ananda looked over at April in awe. She still couldn't stop gushing over the fact that April was a damn good mother. She could tell that being a mother was something she loved and took serious. She adored her children all three of them and it showed. It didn't matter that Millie and Nia were their mothers she still loved on them because to her it didn't matter who their mothers were or what they had done to her. Taking shit out on the kids would do her no good. She was good at her job but being a mother is where she shined the brightest.

*******

"So what's on your mind Peanut" Ananda asked as they finally got settled in the kitchen after tending to the girls.

April folded her hands in front of her as she looked across the island since her mother was seated in the seat across from her. She was a little nervous. She didn't know how this conversation was going to go. "How's Hazel doing" she asked. She hadn't talked about Hazel in so long. The last time they had talked about her was months ago when she was asking them to do a photoshoot but both April and Alaina had opted not to. She always just wished her well from afar.

Ananda's interest was beyond piqued at this point. She couldn't remember the last time any of her girls had asked about Hazel but Hazel always asked about them. "Hazel is doing pretty well. She's in a good place right now. Thank God for therapy" she answered and let out a light laugh. Therapy had proved to do Hazel some good. Once her therapist got to the root of all of her problems Hazel had opened up and let everything she had felt out.

"That's good" April genuinely smiled she was happy to hear that Hazel was good and therapy was actually working for her.

"Why'd you ask? You don't really ever bring her up anymore" Ananda questioned. After they had declined the photoshoot that had been the last they had mentioned her and the very first time she hadn't seen all of her babies on a billboard sporting their sister's newest collection. The tradition had been broken.

"Mommy I miss my sister" she confessed and sort of whined. "I've been missing her for quite a while now. Things aren't the same anymore. I'm back in LA to be around my sisters and I don't have both of them. This isn't how any of this should've gone down. I'm going through and doing all of this shhh well stuff" she said catching herself from cursing because she knew damn well Kairi had some kind of curse radar and she didn't feel like emptying her pockets at the moment. "She's not where she's supposed to be" she said saddened. "We were supposed to be ride or die and best friends for life until the wheels fell off and instead we caught a flat and kept it like that. We're riding on burnt rubber"

Ananda reached over and cupped April's hands in hers. "I know you do. You don't have to talk about her for me to know that you miss her. I hate the way things happened. All of my girls were close and now y'all aren't" she said a little sad herself. It had been hard for her to see them so inseparable to basically becoming strangers to one another. It hurt her heart because she knew what they once were and how they were raised.