IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES Book 2

LIFE AFTER MARRIAGE - INTERRUPTIONS

“Scoot over A3.” He looked at lil Auggie.

“I like this side.”

“I don’t care. Scoot over, before I move you over.”

“Aw man.” Lil Auggie moved over in between us. August laid down.

“You too big to be sleeping with us August.”

“But it’s monsters in my room Pop-Pop. And they big. And they gon eat me up.”

“Ain’t no monsters in that room.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You heard what I said. This the last time you sleeping in here with us. You a big boy. Big boys sleep in their own rooms. You hear me?”

“Yes.”

I thought August was particularly hard on A3, but I didn’t feel like arguing about it now. I just turned off the light and we all went to sleep.

---

“That’s why yo head big. Big head skittle diddle.” Sata laughed loud.

“Is not. Mommy Sata said my head big.” Lil Auggie ran to me and cried into my stomach.

“Sata apologize to your brother.”

“For what? His head is big.” She laughed obnoxiously.

August popped her upside her head as he came into the kitchen.

“Sorry, dang. Cry baby.” She huffed and rolled her eyes, then got the cereal off the counter.

A3 wiped his eyes.

“Sit down so you can eat your cereal honey.” I lightly patted his back.

He went to sit down.

“Sata fix A3 some cereal.”

“He big enough to do it himself.”

“You heard what your mother said.” August gave her a look.

She got an extra bowl and slammed it in front of him.

“And don’t be slamming no damn bowls around here.” August turned to her.

She silently poured A3 some cereal and milk, and then poured her own and sat down to eat pouting.

“Thank you Sata.” A3 said eating.

She didn’t say anything. August looked at her. She sighed.

“You welcome.” She laid her head on her fist pouting, while eating.

August got his yogurt out the fridge and I handed him his coffee. He usually dropped the kids off at school before going to work, since there school was by his office. And I picked them up.

“Mama said she would keep the kids this weekend.”

“I got a conference in Philly. I won’t be here.”

He said smugly, getting a spoon then sitting at the table with the kids. He was now a junior member of the school of dentistry board at UPenn, but I knew this “conference” was optional. He was angry about last night, so he wanted to make me pay for it.

As August got older, he no longer had large fits of anger. No, he became more passive aggressive and so he would go about expressing his anger in slick ways. Like just not talking to me, locking himself in the basement and not sleeping next to me, coming home late on purpose when he knew I had a meal cooked, or doing shit like this.

Knowing I’m trying to make an amends and planning to do something else. I was sincerely trying to learn to balance both my husband and my kids without making either feel neglected, but this shit was hard.

And while Aug was an amazing husband, he was still a huge spoiled brat as he always had been. He wanted things his way, on his time table.

“Whatever.” I turned the coffee pot off, not wanting to turn this into some big deal.

Although it hurt me deeply, that he wasn’t even trying to understand, how hard being a wife and a mother was for me.

“Y’all come on let’s go.” August got up, drinking the last of his coffee.

The kids finished the last of their cereal and got their book bags, which were in the corner.

“Bye Mommy.” A3 cheesed really hard and hugged me. “Love you.”

“Love you too Auggie.” I hugged him and kissed his forehead.

“Bye Sata.”

“Bye” She said dryly.

“I can’t get a hug?”

She gave me a half-hearted hug.

“You have fun at school little girl.”

“Bye babe.” I looked at Aug.

Aug grabbed his brief case and raised his hand good-bye. No kiss. No hug. No nothing. Which was not normal. He just pushed the kids out the front door toward the garage and closed the door behind them.

“Back to square one.” I sighed, then cleared off the table with the mess they left.

 

So my idea is to make a Life After Marriage series. Which is not a full story, but each chapter would be like a small short story in itself, about how they deal with problems of marriage, work, kids, etc. Like each chapter would be about a different problem of family life, and in that chapter it will get resolved. They won’t necessarily be connected. It won’t be a long series. But I just can’t let it go y’all lol.

What y’all think of this chapter though? There will be a part two to this, so we see how this gets resolved. I’m going to make it though under a new story. I just wanted to get feedback here first.