Every Memory Repeats

Chapter 2

The bedroom door opened slightly, and Marlena heard Sami's voice, "Mommy? Mommy, are you okay?"

Rushing to the door, Marlena knelt down, brushing the hair back from her daughter's sleepy face, "Yes, baby. I'm sorry that your Daddy and I woke you. We didn't mean to be so loud."

Sami eyed the man that was supposed to be her father, and she said softly to her mother, "He was yelling."

Roman hated his life. Nothing was working out the way it was supposed to. He had spent seven years in a prison imagining a life that had yet to come to fruition. Grabbing his clothing, he went back into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind him.

Marlena frowned at the closed door briefly, before she said to Sami, "Sometimes people have disagreements. That's normal. I'm sorry we were loud."

Sami leaned against her mother. "Why can't I have my other Daddy? My real Daddy?"

Marlena was finding it more difficult to keep the twins away from John. Roman had insisted that he needed time to bond with them. Time to cement their new relationship, but Sami and Eric were making it very hard on him. At eight years old, the only father they had ever known was John. His sudden disappearance from their lives had not been an easy adjustment. The last few weeks had been incredibly difficult. Both of them brought home progress reports indicating that their grades had dropped. Sami had several referrals to school administration for back talk, and bullying her peers. Eric seemed to be withdrawing from his friends, and his family.

Roman had been trying. He was home for dinner everyday. He inquired about their days at school, but he was easily frustrated. He expected the children to fall into his arms, grateful to have their father home after seven long years, but they weren't grateful. They were angry. They sensed Roman's frustration, and they saw him as the interloper. The twins didn't see Roman's return as something they should be grateful for. They saw it as the reason they had lost their father. By Roman continuance to keeping John out of their lives, he was making his children despise him. Marlena had tried to speak with him about, but in his typical blustering fashion, Roman believed they just needed more time, completely disregarding the fact that Marlena was the trained professional.

Marlena gazed on Sami's face for a moment, and said, "What if I talk to John about spending some time with you and Eric?"

Sami's face lit up, and tears shone in her eyes, "Really?"

Marlena didn't hesitate, "Really. I'm going to see him this morning. I'll talk to him."

Little arms wrapped themselves around Marlena's neck, while Sami cried, "Thank you, Mommy! Thank you!"

Kissing Sami's face, Marlena said, "Go wake up your brother. It's time to get ready for school."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Marlena had been crying on and off since she'd arrived in her office. Roman had overheard her telling Sami that she would make time for John to see her and Eric, and he wasn't pleased. She could still see the rage in his eyes, and hear his voice, when he said, "We agreed that I would have time with them! Now, if I say no, I'm the bad guy. How do I build a relationship with them, if you allow John in their lives, too?"

He was right, they had agreed to giving Roman time with the children, without the involvement of John. Marlena knew that, and she'd backtracked, promising Sami time with John. Roman failed to see that separating the twins from John so abruptly was hurting them, and his constant insistence that they would adjust was unrealistic. Children didn't adjust. They developed fear of abandonment and had problems with trust in adulthood.