We were just starting to get carried away when a car pulled up next to us and parked. Several kids jumped out and screeched as they raced for the water. Mia and I immediately broke free from our embrace, but it was too late. The kids’ parents had already spotted us.
Mia started laughing as she said, “I think it’s time for us to go.”
“I think you might be right.”
We hightailed it out of there and headed home.
Neither of us spoke of the kiss, but it lingered in the back of my mind for years. Hell, it still did to this day. Mia meant a great deal to me back then. She still did, but so much had changed. We weren’t kids anymore.
We’d grown up and moved on and lived our own lives. I wasn’t sure what the future held, but I firmly believed that things happened for a reason. I just had to figure out why all of this was happening now and what the hell I was going to do about it.
10
REBECCA
“Do we have to go see Ms. Katie today?” Cat shoved her backpack onto the floorboard of my car, then climbed inside. “I just wanna go home.”
“But you told me yesterday that you wanted to go. What changed your mind?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t wanna go.”
“Well, it’s too late. We have an appointment for this afternoon, and we aren’t going to miss it.” I motioned for her to buckle her seatbelt. “Besides, there are things you two need to talk about.”
“Yeah.” A pout crossed her face as she muttered, “Like Daddy?”
“Yes, like your daddy, and other stuff, too. Whatever you want to talk about.” I pulled away from the school and drove towards Katie’s art therapy studio. “And like I told you last night, she’s going to talk to me, too.”
“Are you going to draw a picture?”
“I might.” I hadn’t really thought about how the session would go. When I called to make the appointment, Katie had mentioned that she’d also like to speak with me. I had no idea what she wanted to discuss but hoped she’d have some suggestions on how to help Cat and me through this rough patch we were going through. I glanced over at my precious daughter and smiled. “I guess we’ll have to see how it all goes.”
“Okay.”
Cat settled back in her seat and remained quiet for the rest of the ride. When we arrived, she was quiet as we got out and headed inside. She seemed a little uneasy as we walked through the front door, but as soon as she spotted Katie, her eyes lit up, and she smiled. “Hi, Ms. Katie!”
“Hi there, Ms. Catty Cat.” Katie was close to my age with short blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. She was very artsy and always wore long, drapey sweaters with unique clogs or fuzzy boots. Her wrists were covered in bangles, her fingers covered in rings, and she wore sparkly earrings that always matched her outfit. A warm smile crossed her face when she asked, “How ya doing today?”
“I’m good.”
“That’s great.” Katie looked over to me. “What about you, Mom? How are you making it?”
“I can’t complain.”
“Great. Why don’t you two come on back?”
When Katie motioned us forward, I led Cat down the hall, and we both followed Katie into her office. With the small tables and art supplies, the studio looked more like a daycare than a therapist’s office, but with all the vibrant colors and throw rugs, it felt warm and inviting. Katie knelt down in front of Cat as she said, “I’m going to talk to your mom for a bit, so why don’t you go over to the back and break out the Play-Dough.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” Katie pointed to the back. “Just be sure to put on your apron first.”
Cat nodded, then darted towards the back of the room and started putting on her apron. Once she had it on, she pulled out the various boxes of Play-Dough and placed them on the table. As soon as she was seated, Katie turned her attention to me. “Why don’t we have a seat over at the drawing table?”
I followed her over to the table, and as I sat down, I asked, “Am I going to get to do some art today?”
She grinned at me, then said, “I don’t think that’ll be necessary for what we have to discuss today.”
“Okay. What exactly is on your mind?”
“Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a little change in Cat. It’s subtle, but she seems more withdrawn lately and is a bit more reluctant about opening up like she once did. I was wondering if you’d noticed the same behavior.”
“I have.”
“Do you think the change has something to do with the situation regarding her father and grandmother?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s it.” I let out a deep, aggravated breath. “We’ve talked about it, and she’s made it clear she doesn’t want to see her father. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t want her to see him either. I think the whole thing is absolutely ridiculous. The very idea that her father would want her to go to that prison after what he did to her is insane to me.”