Chapter 21

Megan really enjoyed having a relaxing and fun morning with her family. It was very strange to think of it that way. Just two weeks ago, her concept of family was so different. It wasn’t that Tasha had replaced Brad, either. As much as she didn’t like it, he was there and would always be there. Preferably just at a distance. A great distance would be nice. And Tasha… Tasha was an amazing friend and roommate. Their four years as college roommates were some of the best years of her life, and living with Tasha again just felt right. That’s what it is, right? Just great friends and great roommates? Definitely. And yet… Megan struggled to figure out why that seemed wrong when it should be right. That was a conundrum for another day, though. Sophia was the one constant in her definition of family. And now she was about to risk everything.

“Sophia, I need to talk with you. This is important, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Tasha heard the tone in Megan’s voice, grabbed a book, and headed for the bedroom. “Sophia, I have decided that I am going to divorce your father. He broke a promise to me. A very important promise. And it is something that I can’t forgive. Do you understand?”

“I think so. Does this mean that you won’t live with Daddy anymore?”

“Yes. I won’t live with Daddy anymore. When I came here, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I have decided now that I am going to live with Aunt Tasha. I’m not sure how long. I need to talk with her. But this is my new home. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, Mom. I like Aunt Tasha!”

“I do too. She is very special.”

“Mom? Am I going to live with you?”

“That is something that I want to talk to you about. I am going to talk with your Dad about a lot of this, but you need to have a say in this, too. I want you to know that your father and I will always be in your life, but you may need to decide who you want to live with. That is a very hard decision to make, and it is a decision that I wish with all of my heart that you didn’t have to make. I want you to know that I will love you no matter what, and I am sure that your dad feels the same way.”

“That is very hard, Mommy.”

“You don’t have to decide now, okay?”

“Mom, what promise did Dad break?”

“Oh… um. When I married your dad, we promised each other that we would love each other and only each other. That’s the promise that he broke.”

“So, he loves someone else?”

“He says that he doesn’t, but they were, um…”

“Was it sex stuff?”

“What? Where did you hear about that kind of thing?”

“Mom, I’m eight! Some of the kids at school talk about sex stuff.”

“Okay, we are definitely going to have to talk about this soon. But not today. Yes, I caught your Dad doing… sex stuff… with another woman.”

“Ew.”

“Sophia. This is important. Just because your dad broke that promise to me, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love you. He loves you very much.”

“When do I have to choose?”

“I don’t know. Probably soon, but I don’t know.”

“If I live with Daddy, will I still see you?”

Megan’s heart sank. “Of course, sweetheart. I will see you as much as I can. I don’t know how often, but I promise you that I will see you every chance I get.”

“Would Aunt Tasha come to see me, too?”

“I am sure that she would. I think that she loves you a lot.”

They heard Tasha get out of bed and race to the bedroom door. “Of course I would come see you, Sophia!”

“What about Nocturne?”

“No, not Nocturne. I think that she really likes you, but cats don’t usually like to travel.”

“Maybe I should stay here, then. I like living with Aunt Tasha and Nocturne.”

“You don’t have to decide now, sweetheart. You know what helps me sometimes? I make two lists. On one list, I put down what I like most about one choice, and on the other I write down what I like most about the other choice. Then I compare the lists and see what is most important to me.”

“That makes sense. I’ll do that!”

“Take your time, okay? Maybe you can do that tomorrow after school.”

“If I live with Daddy, will I have to go to school?”

“Yes, sweetie. You aren’t getting out of school that easy.”

“Okay.” Sophia pouted, but Megan could see that her heart wasn’t in it.

“Thank you for talking with me, Sophia. After dinner, would you like to go roller skating again?”

“Yes! That sounds fun. Mommy, can I play roller derby?”

“I might need to talk to your dad about that, but if you want to play, then I am okay with you playing.”

“Do they have roller derby at our other home?”

“You mean where your dad lives? Let me look.” Megan pulled out her phone and searched. “The closest roller derby league to your dad is in Bend, and that is still a long drive. It looks like they have a junior roller derby team, but it doesn’t start until age ten.”

“Oh, okay.”

“What do you think, Sophia?” Megan said. “Should I try out for roller derby?”

“Mom! That would be so cool!”

“Who knows, maybe one day we could play roller derby together.”

“That would be awesome! What about you, Aunt Tasha?”

“Your Aunt Tasha is happy to go roller skating with you, sweetie, but I messed up my knee playing soccer in college. I’m not sure that it would be safe for me to play roller derby. But I will always come watch you, okay?”

“Okay! I love you, Aunt Tasha!”

“I love you, too, Sophia.”