Other Half
April 6, 2002
“Why do we have to move? Why couldn’t he move?” Claudia asks, crossing her arms over chest as she steps away from the car. Lydia places her last cardboard box into the trunk and steps back onto the curb to copy her older sister.
“There’s more of us,” Lydia adds, smiling slightly when Claudia nods her agreement.
“We live in a two bedroom apartment,” their mother says. She sighs and shuts the hatch of the car. “Richard’s house is much bigger. Don’t you both want your own rooms?”
“But we’ve lived here forever,” Lydia tells her. “I don’t want to switch schools.”
“We’re not switching schools, dummy,” Claudia says, rolling her eyes. She uncrosses her arms.
“Is this about Richard?”
“No, we love Richie,” Lydia informs her mother.
“The apartment is just a place,” she says, glancing between her daughters. “You’ve been to Richard’s house before. Didn’t you like his big back yard and didn’t you see the neighbors had two kids near your ages?”
Claudia lets out a sigh, but when they finish bringing down the boxes, she gets into the front seat without any more questions. Lydia slides in behind her sister and waves goodbye to the boy who lived in the apartment below theirs.
“Richie, do you love my mom?” Lydia asks as she sits at the kitchen counter in the dark. Richard drops the box of cereal he was pulling out of a cabinet.
“You startled me, kid,” he says. “What are you doing up?”
“Richie,” Lydia begins again. “Do you love my mom? Or did you just want her to move in because your wrist says Talulah and hers says Richard? Because Mom told me that doesn’t make for good relationships. You need to love her.”
Richard sits down across from her and says, “I love your mother. I love everything about her. I wouldn’t have asked you all to move in if I didn’t love her. And I don’t just love your mom; I love you and Claudia as if you were my own daughters.”
“Good,” Lydia says. “You better love all of us.”
“I do. I’m not lying.”
“Good,” she repeats. She stands up from the table and says, “Goodnight, Richie.”
As she starts up the stairs, Lydia hears him chuckle to himself.
“There’s more of us,” Lydia adds, smiling slightly when Claudia nods her agreement.
“We live in a two bedroom apartment,” their mother says. She sighs and shuts the hatch of the car. “Richard’s house is much bigger. Don’t you both want your own rooms?”
“But we’ve lived here forever,” Lydia tells her. “I don’t want to switch schools.”
“We’re not switching schools, dummy,” Claudia says, rolling her eyes. She uncrosses her arms.
“Is this about Richard?”
“No, we love Richie,” Lydia informs her mother.
“The apartment is just a place,” she says, glancing between her daughters. “You’ve been to Richard’s house before. Didn’t you like his big back yard and didn’t you see the neighbors had two kids near your ages?”
Claudia lets out a sigh, but when they finish bringing down the boxes, she gets into the front seat without any more questions. Lydia slides in behind her sister and waves goodbye to the boy who lived in the apartment below theirs.
♥
“Richie, do you love my mom?” Lydia asks as she sits at the kitchen counter in the dark. Richard drops the box of cereal he was pulling out of a cabinet.
“You startled me, kid,” he says. “What are you doing up?”
“Richie,” Lydia begins again. “Do you love my mom? Or did you just want her to move in because your wrist says Talulah and hers says Richard? Because Mom told me that doesn’t make for good relationships. You need to love her.”
Richard sits down across from her and says, “I love your mother. I love everything about her. I wouldn’t have asked you all to move in if I didn’t love her. And I don’t just love your mom; I love you and Claudia as if you were my own daughters.”
“Good,” Lydia says. “You better love all of us.”
“I do. I’m not lying.”
“Good,” she repeats. She stands up from the table and says, “Goodnight, Richie.”
As she starts up the stairs, Lydia hears him chuckle to himself.
♥ ♥