It's been about two weeks since the whole wedding thing happened and I got told I was a mistake by my biological grandmother. My parents have been telling me over an over how much they love me. I'm really glad I have them because my biological family sucks. Sara has been texting my mom every couple of days to see if I want to hang out. I'm still kind of hesitant about seeing her. Mom keeps reassuring that Sara doesn't resent me, but it's always going to be in the back of my mind. Mom just told me that Sara wants to go to the mall tomorrow with me for a couple of hours. I told Mom that I would think about it.
It's Monday night and we just got back from a weekend of shows in Washington, Oregon and Nebraska. I've been hanging out in my room since we got home. I think I'm going to say yes to go to the mall tomorrow with Sara.
I heard a knock at my bedroom door. My door wasn't closed so Mom walked in.
"So, have you thought about going shopping with Sara tomorrow? I have to give her a response" she said.
"I think I want to go, but can you come? But you don't have to be right there, just be in the mall so if things don't go well, we can leave right away" I said.
"Okay, I can definitely do that" she said.
"Thanks Mama" I said and gave her a hug.
"No problem sweetie" she said with a smile. I seriously have the best Mom ever. I hung out in my room for the rest of the night and watched TV.
The next morning, I hung out with Elijah outside. It was really hot outside so Elijah and I decided to go swimming until it was time to leave. Elijah has been getting better at his swimming but still needs someone close to him because he gets tired easily.
I helped him get changed into his suit then I went and changed. Mom went to the store so Dad was home with us. Dad did some yard work while Elijah and I went in the pool. We stayed mostly in the shallow end where Elijah could touch. Elijah loves to do diving rings so I was throwing them for him and he would try to get as many as he could get in one breath. The most he could get was three.
At 11:00, we got out of the pool. Dad and Elijah are coming with because Elijah still has a few gift cards from Toys R Us to use up from his birthday. I went upstairs and took a shower and got dressed. My knee has been feeling a lot better so I haven't been wearing my brace. I dried my hair then pulled it into a pony tail. I did my makeup and went downstairs to find mom.
"You ready to go?" she asked.
"Yeah" I said.
"We just have to wait for Dad and Elijah" she said and I nodded.
They came downstairs by us when they were done changing. "Let's go" Mom said with a smile and we went out to the car. I was nervous to spend time with Sara by myself, but as long as in know my parents are going to be around, makes me feel a lot better.
We pulled into the mall parking lot and found a spot. We headed to the food court and got some lunch and waited for Sara. Mom, Dad and I got food from a Chinese stand. Dad got Elijah a happy meal from McDonald's. A few minutes later, we see Sara. She got a sub from Subway and joined us at our table.
"Hey guys" she said cheerfully.
"Hey Sara" Mom said.
"You must be Elijah?" she said to Elijah.
"Yep" Elijah said with his mouth full of French fries.
"I've heard a lot about you" she said.
"Who are you?" he asked. Everyone got silent.
"Um, I'm a friend of your sister's" she said.
"Okay" he said and went back to eating his lunch.
When we were done eating, we threw away our garbage then got ready to go our separate ways.
"If you need anything, just call me okay?" Mom said.
"Okay" I said quietly.
"Can we go to the toy store now?" Elijah said pulling on Mom's arm.
"Yes, we can go to the toy store now" Dad said with a laugh and we went our separate ways.
Sara and I walked around the mall. I found a pair of sandals that I liked so I go them. Sara found a few pairs of shorts and a tank top. This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. She hasn't brought up anything from the wedding and I was happy about that.
We made our way around the Mall and ended up running into Mom, Dad and Elijah.
"Hey guys, you found something you like?" Mom asked me.
"Yeah, a pair of shoes" I said and Dad laughed.
"Just like your mother" he said.
"I found a pair of shoes too" she said. We were right next to the Cold Stone shop so we went in and got some ice cream.
We sat at a table inside the shop and ate had a decent conversation. Then Sara looked passed Mom with a horrified look.
"I'm going to be right back" she said worriedly and Mom and Dad nodded. I wasn't sure what she saw until I saw her approach a woman and I knew exactly who that was. I started freaking out.
"Oh my God" I whispered.
"What's wrong?" Mom asked.
"It's her" I said.
"Who?" She asked and turned around to see who I was looking at.
"That's her mom" I said trying to freak out and not raise my voice.
"That's Sara's mom?" Dad asked getting a little angry.
"Yeah" I said.
We looked over at them again and she was approaching us, but Sara was trying to stop her from coming to us.
"Mom, stop it" Sara said.
"Stay here Em" Mom said and her and Dad got up and walked out of the shop. I stayed back with Elijah. He didn't seem to be bothered by what was going on, which was good. I gave him my phone to keep him distracted from what Mom and Dad are doing.
"Why the hell is your kid continuing to mess up my daughter's life?" Laura said.
"Excuse me?" Mom said annoyed.
"We put her in foster care so she wouldn't screw up my daughter's life anymore" Laura said.
"I am so sorry" Sara said to my parents and waving her hands.
"First of all, our daughter didn't mess anyone's life up and second of all. Sara didn't screw her life up by having her. So stop telling our daughter that she was a mistake because she is far from it." Dad let out a huff. "You know what, I feel sorry for you that you don't see how amazing she really is because you are so narrow minded and only think about yourself." He added.
"That kid is brainwashing my daughter into thinking that she should have kept her. I've read a bunch of stories about kids who get adopted and find their biological parents so they can get a bunch of money" Laura said.
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard" Mom said.
"Emma doesn't need Sara's money. No offence to you Sara" Dad started and Sara waved it off like she wasn't offended, "but we make a whole lot more that she does." He said.
"Mom, just stop talking" Sara said angrily.
"All these kids ever want is money" Laura said.
"Mom, they make so much more than I do and give her so much that I could never give her. I want to be in her life" Sara started to yell.
"You do realize that Sara came to us. Emma didn't even know who she was" Mom said.
"Mom, just leave. You are ruining this for me" Sara said.
"Ruining what?" Laura asked angrily.
"Any chance that I have to get to be in Emma's life. They are already hesitant about me being around" Sara said.
"Why the hell do you want to be in her life anyways? You're just flaunting your mistake. Anyways, it seems like she has it pretty well with these people" Laura said pointing at Mom and Dad.
"Mom. Stop. That little girl did not ruin my life. She was not a mistake. She brings so much joy to so many peoples' lives and by saying she is a mistake, in front of her parents, is not okay. I'm sick and tired of you ruining everything for me!" Sara yelled slightly.
"What exactly have I ruined?" Laura asked as if she was a saint.
"First off you ruined any chance I had at knowing my daughter the day you threw her in foster care and lied to me. Then you ruined my wedding by yelling at her even though I was the one who invited her and now you are probably ruining my relationship with her because she is terrified of you and you are calling her a mistake in front of her parents, who have been so generous to let me in her life in the first place" Sara ranted.
"Now leave" Sara said and pointed away from us.
"I can leave when I want to leave" Laura said in a snarky tone.
"No, I think it would be best if you would leave and leave my daughter out of your family problems because she didn't do anything to deserve the way you have treated her" Dad said calmly, but with a hint of anger in his voice. By this point I was trying to hold my tears back.
She scoffed and walked away.
"You guys, I'm so sorry. You have no idea. I had no idea she was going to be here. I'm so sorry." Sara apologized.
"Sara, we're not mad at you. You can't control what she does. She has her own opinions and there is nothing you or any of us can do about it" Mom said.
"I will understand if you guys don't want me to see Emma" Sara said.
"We aren't going to stop you from seeing her, but I don't really know how Emma feels right now" Mom said and she nodded. They all came back in the shop. Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" He asked and I shrugged my shoulders.
"Who was that lady you were talking to?" Elijah asked and we all looked at each other.
"It was someone that Sara knows, but she's not very nice" Mom said.
"Okay" Elijah said and went back to playing on my phone.
"I'm kind of tired. Can we go home?" I asked.
"Yeah, sure sweetie" Mom said softly. We all stood up and left the ice cream shop.
"Emma can I talk to you for a second before you go home?" Sara asked.
"Sure" I said quietly and followed her over to the benches.
"Emma, I am so sorry about all of this. My mom doesn't know what she is talking about" Sara said and I nodded my head.
"I just want you to know that I don't regret having you. You didn't ruin my life. I promise. I know you think you did after everything that my mom said, but you didn't. You were not a mistake. After this stunt, I don't really plan on spending much time with my mom" Sara said and I just sat there. I wasn't really sure what to say.
"I really hope that this won't affect the progress we have made" She said and I nodded.
"I know this wasn't your fault, but everything your mom said brought back flashbacks of what I went through at my last foster home" I said.
"The abusive one?" she asked and I nodded.
"You have no idea how many times I was told I was worthless and a mistake and no one wanted me. It took me a long time before I stopped believing that" I said.
"I know that it must be hard and I'm not going to push you into spending time with me. I just don't want you to shut me out because of what my mom said" she said.
"Just give me a little bit to process everything" I said.
"I'll take what I can get" Sara said with a smile.
"I'll see you later" I said and headed back to my parents.
"See you later" she said.
I walked over to Mom and Dad. Mom was carrying Elijah because he was getting tired and Dad was carrying their shopping bags. When I caught up to them, Dad put his arm around my shoulder.
"You good?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just want to go home" I said quietly and they both nodded.
We headed out to the car and got in. I was silent the whole way home. When we got home, Mom laid Elijah on the couch since he fell asleep on the way home. I headed straight for my room.
"Em, wait, we want to talk to you" Mom said and I turned around and went back down the stairs.
"Okay" I said quietly.
"Let's go to the kitchen" Mom said and I nodded. I followed her to the kitchen and we joined Dad at the counter.
"So..." I said, not making eye contact with either of them because I know exactly where this is going.
"We want to know what you are thinking. You've been pretty silent through this whole thing" Dad said and I was silent.
This whole thing is bringing back painful memories from being in foster care. I thought that I had moved past everything that happened with Mike. I thought that I had worked past the trauma from the abuse and now all of a sudden, I am right back to wear I started when I first moved in with my parents. I feel like I have no one even though I do. I feel small and helpless. I feel jumpy and on edge. How am I supposed to tell my parents that I feel worthless?
"Em?" Mom said softly and wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
"Talk to us" she said in a comforting voice. I took in a few deep breaths and I just blurted out what I was thinking.
"I feel worthless" I said and continued to not make eye contact.
"Baby, you are not worthless" Mom said and stood up off her stool and got closer to me.
"Em, we love you so much" Dad said comforting me and I started tearing up.
"I know and I love you guys too, but I keep reverting back to what it was like when I was with Mike. I feel small and worthless" I said through the tears.
"Oh, baby" Mom whispered and wrapped her arms around me. I buried my face in her shoulder and cried.
"It's like I'm that scared ten year-old girl covered in bruises again" I cried.
"Emma, you are safe. You are safe with us. We aren't going to let anyone hurt you like that again" Dad said and rubbed my back and I nodded my head.
We stood there in the kitchen like that for a few minutes. I calmed down and pulled away from them.
Mom wiped the tears off my cheeks with her thumbs. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"As good as I can be right now" I said.
"How long have you been feeling like this?" Dad asked.
"Since Sara's wedding" I said.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Mom asked.
"Because I didn't know how" I said.
"You know you can talk to us" Mom said.
"I know, I was just back in that mentality where I needed to take care of myself and pull myself together to please everyone" I said.
"You are just a kid and you have been through a lot in your life. Way more than most adults and you're only sixteen years old. You have every right to fall apart when you need to" Mom said and wiped the tears off my cheeks.
"And we will be right here to pick you up if you do" she added and kissed my forehead then wrapped me in another hug.
"I should have talked to you sooner because I feel so much better now" I said.
"We are always here to listen and help you. It's our job" Mom said and I smiled.
"Is there anything else you need or want to talk about?" Mom asked.
"Well, there sort of is..." I trailed off.
"Umm, so remember when you guys said that if I didn't want Sara around you would get a restraining order?" I started.
"Yes" Dad said slowly.
"Do you think we could do that with Sara's mom?" I asked.
"Of course, if that's something you really want" Dad said.
"I want to. I was thinking a lot about it and I think it will make me fell a lot better about the whole situation considering she could show up anywhere like she did today and if there was a restraining order, she couldn't actually say anything to me" I said.
"If that is going to make you feel safer, then we can go and do it tomorrow if you want" Dad said.
"Okay" I said.
The next morning, I woke up and went downstairs. Dad and Elijah were sitting at the counter while Mom was serving them eggs.
"Morning sweetie. Do you want some eggs and sausage?" Mom asked.
"Yes please" I said and sat down next to Elijah.
"So after breakfast, I was thinking that we could go see Amy and get that restraining order if you still want to do that" Dad said.
"Yeah, I still want to" I said and he nodded.
We finished up breakfast and I went upstairs to get ready for the day. I took a shower and got dressed. Once I was ready, I went downstairs to find Dad.
"Ready to go kiddo?" he asked.
"Yep" I said.
"Babe, we're going to be back in a little bit" Dad said.
"Okay, good luck" She said. We headed out to the car and drove to Amy's office.
We walked in and I went to sit in a chair in the waiting area when Dad went up to the reception desk.
"I'm Jimi Westbrook. I called about an hour ago and Amy said she could meet with me regarding my daughter" he said.
"Alright, just a moment" the receptionist said and he nodded. The receptionist walked down the hall then came back a minute later.
"She's all set" the receptionist said.
Dad looked at me and I stood up and followed them back to Amy's office. Dad and I walked in and sat down in the chairs in front of her desk.
"Hey guys, how are you doing today?" Amy said.
"Good" we both said at the same time.
"So, on the phone you mentioned something about her biological family?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, her biological grandmother has been harassing her and we wanted to get a restraining order" Dad said.
"I'm going to need to know what exactly happened with your encounters with her" she said.
"Well I've started seeing my biological mother and I was invited to her wedding and I went. When my boyfriend and I were at the reception, her parents confronted me and her mom started accusing me of ruining her life and calling me a mistake and stuff like that. Then yesterday at the mall she was talking to my parents, well more like yelling at them" I said.
"What did she say to you guys?" Amy asked Dad.
"Basically the same thing she told Emma except we were in the mall" he said.
"To me, it sounds like she isn't just harassing Emma, but all of you. If you would like, I could get an order for your whole family" she said.
He looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders. "I think that would be great, just let me call Karen and make sure she's okay with that" he said and pulled out his phone.
"Hey, Amy suggested that we get a restraining order for all of us and not just Emma" he said into the phone.
"Okay, I just wanted to double check with you before I told her to go with it" he said.
"Okay, love you too" he said and hung up the phone.
"She said go for it" he said.
"Alright I'll get that order for you and it should be ready to go and delivered to her tonight, if not, by tomorrow at the latest" she said.
"Sounds good. Thank you so much Amy" Dad said with a smile.
"Anything for my favorite clients" she said with a smile. We gave her the necessary information so she can get the restraining order, then got ready to leave.
"Alright, see you later" Dad said.
"Bye guys, say hi to Karen and Elijah for me" she said.
"We will" Dad said and we left her office.
We walked out to the car and climbed in. "You feel better now?" he asked.
"Yeah, I do actually" I said with a smile.
We headed home and went inside. "How'd it go?" Mom asked as soon as we walked through the door.
"Great. Amy said she is going to take care of it all and the restraining order should be delivered to Sara's mom no later than tomorrow" Dad said.
"That's great" she said with a smile.
We stood in the kitchen for a minute and I had my 'I want something' look on my face because Mom gave me that look with her eyebrows raised. Josh asked me if I wanted to hang out with him today and go to the carnival at the park today.
"So... is it alright if I hang out with Josh today? We want to go to that carnival down at the park" I asked.
"I knew you wanted something" she said with a giggle. Then she looked at Dad and he shrugged his shoulders.
"When are you planning on going?" she asked.
"In about an hour" I said.
"Are you going to be home for dinner?" she asked.
"Do you want me to be home for dinner?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter" she said.
"I'm not sure yet. I don't imagine we are going to stay there for six hours" I said.
"Just let me know what your plan is" she said.
"So does that mean I can go?" I asked with a smile.
"Yes it does" she said and laughed.
"Thank you" I said and hugged them both.
"Your welcome sweetie" Mom said and I headed up to my room. I changed out of my athletic shorts and tank top and put on a pair of jean shorts and a light pink tank top with lace on the bottom. My hair was pretty wavy since all I did when I got out of the shower was brush it. I put some moose in my hair to control the waviness. I put on a little makeup. Josh texted me and said that he was on his way. I put on a pair of gold sandals on and grabbed my purse and phone. I went downstairs and I saw Josh pull into the driveway.
"Josh is here!" I yelled and headed for the door.
"Have fun!" Mom said.
"Love you" Dad said.
"I will, love you too" I said and headed out to Josh's car.
I climbed in and he leaned over and kissed me.
"Hey" he said with a smile.
"Hey" I smiled.
"What's new with you?" he asked.
I chuckled, "Where do I begin" I said and he laughed and drove out of the driveway.
"Well, I went shopping with Sara yesterday with my parents and Elijah then Laura showed up and started yelling at my parents and then this morning my dad and I went to the lawyer's office to get a restraining order" I spilled.
"Wow, all I did was see a movie with my brother" he said with a laugh.
We found a parking spot on the street and headed towards the carnival. It was free admission so that was nice. We walked around for a little bit then decided to go on the Farris Wheel. We got some tickets and stood in line. When we got to the front of the line the worker helped us on and we sat down across from each other. The ride started and it went around a few times. It was cool to see all the views. When it was done, we got off and started walking around again. We walked past at booth for a singing competition in August that was still accepting entries until tomorrow.
We walked up to the booth and looked at the information.
"You should sign up" Josh said.
"This sounds really fun. It's a singer songwriter competition" I said.
"Do you write songs?" he asked.
"Yeah, with my Dad mostly" I said.
"That's cool" he said with a smile.
"You should definitely enter" he said again.
"I'll have to talk to my parents first, but if we're not already gone that day, I want to sign up" I said.
We walked around for a while and ate some cotton candy and played some games. I won a stuffed monkey and Josh won a giraffe. Around 5:00, we decided to leave and go back to my house and sit by the pool. I texted Mom first to make sure it was okay and to ask if he could stay for dinner.
Hey, we're leaving the carnival now. Is it alright if Josh comes over for a little while and stays for dinner? I asked.
Yeah, that's fine. She said.
Ok. We'll be home in a little bit! I said.
We found Josh's car and headed back to my house. He pulled in the driveway and parked off to the side of the turn-around circle so he wasn't in the way in case someone was planning on going somewhere. We walked inside and Mom was in the kitchen making dinner.
"Hey guys, how was it?" She asked with a smile.
"It was really fun. I found this singer songwriter competition to sign up for and the dead line is tomorrow" I said with a smile.
"When is it?" She asked.
"August 15th" I said.
"Let me check the calendar and talk to your father before I say yes" she said and I nodded.
"Can you go find him please?" She said.
"Yeah" I said.
I saw Dad and Elijah outside, so we went out the screen door to the backyard. We walked over to the playset where Dad was pushing Elijah in the swing.
"Daddy, Mama wants you" I said.
"Okay" he said and headed inside.
"Hi Mr. Westbrook" Josh said.
"Hello Josh" Dad said with no emotion. I giggled and rolled my eyes.
Dad walked inside and Josh looked at me. "I swear your Dad hates me" he said.
"He doesn't. He just wants you to think he does" I said with a smile.
"Emma can you push me some more?" Elijah asked, slowing down on the swing.
"Sure bud" I said and walked over to him. I gave him a big under duck and he was good for a while.
When he started to slow down, Elijah asked again.
"I'll do it this time" Josh said. He walked over to Elijah and gave him a huge push and Elijah thought it was amazing. Josh is really good with Elijah and he loves him.
"That was almost a Daddy push" he said excitedly.
"Guys, dinner's done!" Dad called.
Josh helped Elijah slow down on the swing. Elijah climbed off and we went inside.
We all sat at the table and started eating.
"Em, we talked about the talent show and we aren't on the road that weekend so we'll sign you up after dinner" Mom said with a smile.
"Awesome, thank you" I said with a smile.
We sat around the table eating dinner for the next half an hour. Dad was surprisingly being pleasant towards Josh and was taking the time to get to know him and asking him questions about him and his family and stuff like that.
After dinner, Josh went home. I was hanging out in the living room with Elijah and Mom and Dad were in the kitchen finishing up the dishes. Mom's phone was sitting on the coffee table and I saw that someone was calling her. I looked at it and it was Sara.
"Mom, Sara is calling" I said and handed her, her phone.
"Oh, I wonder what she wants." Mom said quietly and answered the phone.
"Hello?" she answered. Dad and I both watched Mom as she talked on the phone.
"Well Emma is afraid of her and she was harassing her so we felt it was necessary to get the restraining order" Mom said with a slightly upset tone in her voice.
"Our lawyer said that technically she was harassing Jimi and I as well so to cover all our bases for the restraining order to be for the whole family" she responded in a less upsetting tone.
"Well, I'm glad you're on the same page we are" Mom said with a little giggle at the end.
"Okay, I'll let her know" she said.
"Bye" she said and hung up the phone and set it on the counter.
"What did she want?" I asked.
"Her Mom got the restraining order today" Mom said.
"Wow, that was fast" Dad said and Mom nodded.
"Laura is pissed about it and threw a fit which I'm not surprised" Mom said.
"Is Sara mad?" I asked.
"No, not at all. She said that she's glad we did that, she just wanted to know why so she could tell her mom" she said and I nodded.
"She said she's fine with whatever make you feel safe and comfortable" she added and wrapped an arm around my back and kissed my temple.
"Well she didn't really have a choice" I said and laughed.
"True" Dad said and wrapped his arm around me as well so I was sandwiched between them. I love how they always make sure that I know they love me especially when I'm going through a hard time.
Then Elijah walked in the kitchen by us. "Why is Emma getting all the hugs?" He said and crossed his arms. I leaned down and picked him up. He wrapped his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck.
"Don't worry, you can have hugs too" I said and squeezed him and he giggled. Then Mom and Dad wrapped their arms around the both of us and we all started laughing. I couldn't be luckier to have a family like this.