So Easy to Love
She's... Sleeping
“Mommy! Mommy!” I heard the lovely voice of my oldest boy shout… next to my ear.
“What?” I tried not to groan, but he was shouting!
“Porsche’s here!” he nearly squealed.
“WHAT?!” I shot up quickly, trying to find the nearest clock.
Of course it was right next to me. But I just woke up! I can’t register anything right now! Once my eyes focused, I saw that it was going on 2:30… in the morning. Oh boy… this should be good.
Leaving Tanner to his sleep, I crawled out of bed and followed Landon down the stairs, hoping everything with Porsche was ok. She didn’t seem too fine when I visited her earlier.
“ELLIE!” she shouted once I appeared at the top of the stairs. Uh oh…
“Shush,” I tried to be gentle.
“Oh sorry…” she replied but it was still loud. Please don’t wake the baby up…
“How’d you get here?” I quickly asked, trying to beat Landon down the stairs. He really doesn’t need to see his sister like this.
“I drove… duh,” she replied while stumbling over to the fridge to open it.
“You drove?! Like this?!” I shot back as I watched her push past everything in the fridge to look for something.
“Yeah…” she kept going, moving onto the cabinets now. She searched until she found a brand new bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Tanner’s not a hard drinker! Why does he have that?!
Before I could say anything else, she opened it and started drinking right from the bottle. Since when did my step daughter turn into a brunette version of Kesha?!
I opened my mouth to question her about her intake of alcohol today, but right before that first word past through my lips, she nearly fell to the ground… mid drink. I rushed over and kept her from smacking her head on the counter. She wasn’t able to save the bottle though. It went to the ground, shattering all over.
“Landon, get back,” I quickly shot at him.
He looked at me like the world was about to end and took three giant steps back. What the hell do I do? I’m holding my twenty-three year old step daughter who can’t even hold herself up while my six year old son watches… and there’s a whole bottle of Jack on the floor. This is just perfect… and then from the stairs, I heard the baby start to cry. Well, there goes my hopes of Tanner staying asleep.
I helped Porsche into the living, being careful to avoid all the glass that was on the kitchen floor. Before I went back in, I threw a pair of slippers on that had hard soles to keep my feet in one piece. I put Landon up on the counter so I wouldn’t have to worry about him getting into anything. Ok… now I can clean this up.
“Is he starting a habit early?” Tanner teased as he came down with a fussy baby against his chest.
“No… but your daughter has a full-blown addiction,” I muttered as I tried to sweep up the glass so he wouldn’t get cut now.
“What?” he asked quickly, getting the baby’s bottle as he spoke.
“She drove here… drunk,” I nearly lost it.
“What?!” he countered with a little more emotion this time.
“She came here stumble all around and dropped this,” I told him, needing a mop now.
“She fell, daddy,” Landon tried to make it seem better… he didn’t.
“Where is she?” he asked through a huff while bopping the baby gently, waiting for the microwave.
“On the couch,” I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair.
I opened my arms for him so that he could hand the baby over. He did and went heading in the direction of the living room. I didn’t hear anything though. Once Tanner appeared from the shadows of the room, he let out a heavy sigh. His eyes stayed fixed on the ground while he scratched his head. He didn’t know what to do and it showed.
“She’s… asleep,” he said, toning it down for Landon.
“I think this one needs to go back to bed,” I snickered over at the little boy on the counter.
“But Bentley’s up!” he tried to battle.
“He was hungry and needed his diaper changed,” Tanner taunted while going over to lift the little guy off of the counter.
“But… but… I’m hungry!” he still battled as all of us started for the stairs, leaving Porsche on the couch to get some sleep.
“You so convinced me,” Tanner poked on as he went down to Landon’s room.
I went back into our room and sat on the bed, holding Bentley as he took the remnants of his bottle. He was just going back to sleep when Tanner walked back in, looking so flustered. I sent him a sympathetic look as he fell back down next to me.
“She… was drinking and driving,” he sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.
“At least she made it in one piece,” I assured him.
“She’s not leaving until she gets her shit together. I can’t be worrying about her like this. She’s a grown woman. I have two little ones to take care of. I thought I did my job or raising her,” he muttered on.
“Maybe she needs her daddy a lot more now since… mommy’s gone,” I spoke up softly.
He looked back at me for a few extra long seconds as if letting my words sink in. Something was running through his head… that’s for sure. I wasn’t completely convinced of what it was, but it was something. And I put all the money I have on it that it has to do with his little girl. No matter how big she gets… he’ll always be his little girl. And right now I think his little girl needs her daddy.
“What?” I tried not to groan, but he was shouting!
“Porsche’s here!” he nearly squealed.
“WHAT?!” I shot up quickly, trying to find the nearest clock.
Of course it was right next to me. But I just woke up! I can’t register anything right now! Once my eyes focused, I saw that it was going on 2:30… in the morning. Oh boy… this should be good.
Leaving Tanner to his sleep, I crawled out of bed and followed Landon down the stairs, hoping everything with Porsche was ok. She didn’t seem too fine when I visited her earlier.
“ELLIE!” she shouted once I appeared at the top of the stairs. Uh oh…
“Shush,” I tried to be gentle.
“Oh sorry…” she replied but it was still loud. Please don’t wake the baby up…
“How’d you get here?” I quickly asked, trying to beat Landon down the stairs. He really doesn’t need to see his sister like this.
“I drove… duh,” she replied while stumbling over to the fridge to open it.
“You drove?! Like this?!” I shot back as I watched her push past everything in the fridge to look for something.
“Yeah…” she kept going, moving onto the cabinets now. She searched until she found a brand new bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Tanner’s not a hard drinker! Why does he have that?!
Before I could say anything else, she opened it and started drinking right from the bottle. Since when did my step daughter turn into a brunette version of Kesha?!
I opened my mouth to question her about her intake of alcohol today, but right before that first word past through my lips, she nearly fell to the ground… mid drink. I rushed over and kept her from smacking her head on the counter. She wasn’t able to save the bottle though. It went to the ground, shattering all over.
“Landon, get back,” I quickly shot at him.
He looked at me like the world was about to end and took three giant steps back. What the hell do I do? I’m holding my twenty-three year old step daughter who can’t even hold herself up while my six year old son watches… and there’s a whole bottle of Jack on the floor. This is just perfect… and then from the stairs, I heard the baby start to cry. Well, there goes my hopes of Tanner staying asleep.
I helped Porsche into the living, being careful to avoid all the glass that was on the kitchen floor. Before I went back in, I threw a pair of slippers on that had hard soles to keep my feet in one piece. I put Landon up on the counter so I wouldn’t have to worry about him getting into anything. Ok… now I can clean this up.
“Is he starting a habit early?” Tanner teased as he came down with a fussy baby against his chest.
“No… but your daughter has a full-blown addiction,” I muttered as I tried to sweep up the glass so he wouldn’t get cut now.
“What?” he asked quickly, getting the baby’s bottle as he spoke.
“She drove here… drunk,” I nearly lost it.
“What?!” he countered with a little more emotion this time.
“She came here stumble all around and dropped this,” I told him, needing a mop now.
“She fell, daddy,” Landon tried to make it seem better… he didn’t.
“Where is she?” he asked through a huff while bopping the baby gently, waiting for the microwave.
“On the couch,” I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair.
I opened my arms for him so that he could hand the baby over. He did and went heading in the direction of the living room. I didn’t hear anything though. Once Tanner appeared from the shadows of the room, he let out a heavy sigh. His eyes stayed fixed on the ground while he scratched his head. He didn’t know what to do and it showed.
“She’s… asleep,” he said, toning it down for Landon.
“I think this one needs to go back to bed,” I snickered over at the little boy on the counter.
“But Bentley’s up!” he tried to battle.
“He was hungry and needed his diaper changed,” Tanner taunted while going over to lift the little guy off of the counter.
“But… but… I’m hungry!” he still battled as all of us started for the stairs, leaving Porsche on the couch to get some sleep.
“You so convinced me,” Tanner poked on as he went down to Landon’s room.
I went back into our room and sat on the bed, holding Bentley as he took the remnants of his bottle. He was just going back to sleep when Tanner walked back in, looking so flustered. I sent him a sympathetic look as he fell back down next to me.
“She… was drinking and driving,” he sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.
“At least she made it in one piece,” I assured him.
“She’s not leaving until she gets her shit together. I can’t be worrying about her like this. She’s a grown woman. I have two little ones to take care of. I thought I did my job or raising her,” he muttered on.
“Maybe she needs her daddy a lot more now since… mommy’s gone,” I spoke up softly.
He looked back at me for a few extra long seconds as if letting my words sink in. Something was running through his head… that’s for sure. I wasn’t completely convinced of what it was, but it was something. And I put all the money I have on it that it has to do with his little girl. No matter how big she gets… he’ll always be his little girl. And right now I think his little girl needs her daddy.