Chapter 8: Divorce

Lottie stared at the money placed on her palm. She was officially being home schooled now, at least until the school year ended. Her mother had gone to the police with the proof that somebody had broken her daughter’s ankle, so Samantha’s parents were the ones forced to pay for all of the medical bills. And also, some more for Lottie. They had gotten a good lawyer, they had won. So now there was a hundred-dollar bill on her hand.

“Uhm,” Lottie said in confusion, looking at her mother. She always got 10 dollars a week for helping out with the chores and being a good student, but her mother had never given her money besides that one. So now she was utterly confused.

“It’s for you, baby,” Eleanor said, making Lottie look up from the math book on her lap again. “That girl broke your leg and made you suffer both mentally and physically. It’s fair that at least some of that money is yours,” she explained.

Lottie smiled a little and accepted the kiss onto her forehead. “I can do whatever I want with this?”

“You can’t spend it on food,” Eleanor said, pointing her finger at Lottie.

“Do you remember how grandma said her neighbors had four kittens that were looking for homes?” Lottie asked. “You said you’ll think about it.”

“Lottie, the kittens may be free, but the food and the—” she was interrupted when Lottie showed her the hundred dollars that was now hers.

“Please?”

Eleanor frowned. She knew all of her daughters were dutiable enough to take care of one, but if she had to choose which one was the best, she would’ve definitely said Lottie. Partly because she never went out and would have time to look after the animal, partly because the animals always seemed to love her, and partly because she was the kindest girl she had ever known.

Eleanor had taught all four of her kids from a young age to always be polite, no temper, to follow the rules; but Lottie was naturally like this. It was in her heart. Part of the reason why she was always the strictest with her was because she knew she could do even better. Like right now: she was studying without anyone even telling her to. She wasn’t going to school for the exams for weeks.

“I’ll think about it,” Eleanor said again, which made Lottie smile sadly. She had always wanted a pet and she had always wanted a friend. It used to be a puppy or a kitten, but since her little sister had been diagnosed allergic to dogs, her preferences had turned automatically towards a kitten. The fact that the small 1-week-old kittens were white, only increased her wishes.

#

“So, what’s her name?” Thomas asked with a smile on his face, looking through the screen at Lottie petting the small white kitten who was purring on her chest, right under her chin. They both looked adorable.

“I don’t know, I have a few ideas… Help me pick?” Lottie asked with a smile.

“Sure,” he chuckled. “Just not anything too cute, okay?”

“What?” Lottie frowned. “That’s exactly what I want.”

“It’s cheesy,” he protested.

“Then let it be cheesy. Your dog’s name is Hotdog for god’s sake.”

He smiled proudly. “Damn right it is. So, what, you’re gonna name her salad?”

Lottie narrowed her eyes at him, making him laugh out loud. It was 4th of April already. Thomas had a weeklong recess from school in Ohio while Lottie’s was still going, which meant she could be home alone all days. Her parents trusted her to study by herself every day and as soon as Eleanor got home, she made sure Lottie had done the next topic’s exercises. The answers were always right.

After a lot of loneliness (Thomas at school too) and a lot of crying, Eleanor really began to think her middle daughter had depression. She wouldn’t sometimes even limp downstairs to eat. Her ankle was still hurting even though the surgery had been done, everything grown together now. So now, in the beginning of April, she finally got the kitten, so she wouldn’t be lonely all the time. The small furball gave her energy somehow.

“I was thinking about naming her Bubbles,” she smiled. Thomas faked an annoyed face but couldn’t keep the smile from creeping onto his face. She was so adorable and the way her nose scrunched up when the cat moved her tail and hit her face with it was even cuter. His November thoughts of meeting the brunette girl and hugging her and talking to her had disappeared a long time ago, taken over by the need to touch her face, see if her eyes were really as dark as they seemed to be, touch her hair and lips.

He kept sending her the drawings he had made of the two of them or only her. They kept making her smile and him as well while thinking about her and sketching it all down. He was currently making one he wasn’t sure if he should share with her or not. They were kissing on that picture.

“What about Tic Tac? It’s white.”

Lottie laughed at him and he smirked at the look she gave him when she had stopped. “An ultimatum? Coco.”

“As long as her full name is Coconut, I’m okay with that,” Thomas smiled excitedly.

“Coco it is,” Lottie smiled, kissing the cute pink nose of her kitty and kept petting her, making her purr louder than ever and both the teenagers chuckle.

“Lottie?” Katie’s voice came from the hallway. Coco jumped off her chest immediately and went under the bed as she had done the whole day yesterday as well. She wasn’t scared of Lottie, but she was of the others. Lottie motioned Thomas on her laptop screen to stay quiet and looked at the door where her little sister appeared. “Why does she always hide?” Katie frowned, Lottie pushing the laptop screen halfway down because her sister came closer.

“Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I got hungry,” Katie said. “I’m hungry.”

“Good, go downstairs make yourself something.”

The smaller girl gave her an annoyed look. “Lottie, I’m hungry.”

“You can make yourself cereal.”

“Lottie,” she whined.

“Fine. What do you want?”

“McDonald’s.”

“You’re sick there’s no way I’ll get you McDonalds,” Lottie said.

“Come oon. Mom’s not home. You can get it everyday if you want to.”

“I’m really not in the mood to walk two blocks away and have these ‘why aren’t you in school’ looks from people just to get you McDonalds.”

“We can order. You have money…”

“Katie,” Lottie sighed. “You’re gonna throw up.”

The younger girl frowned and popped herself down on the bed next to Lottie who was prepped up on the many pillows. “What are you doing?” she asked, quickly moving the laptop screen up and the froze, seeing a beautiful guy on it, grinning quietly.

“Ugh. No way I’m helping you now. Out,” Lottie said, pushing her sister a little.

“Who are you?” she asked curiously, the way younger kids too, not caring about the embarrassment.

“Thomas.”

“What kind of name is that?” Katie frowned.

“It’s a nickname,” Lottie explained, hand covering her face.

“Why are you skyping?”

“I’m bored and lonely,” Lottie said. “Go back to bed.”

“How do you know each other? Are you her boyfriend?”

Lottie’s face turned red, pushing the screen a bit more down so Thomas couldn’t see them. “Katie,” she sighed. “You can’t tell mom I’m talking with somebody on internet, okay?”

“I won’t tell anybody if you get me McDonalds.”

“Ugh fine.”

“You must really like burgers,” Thomas’s voice said.

#

Lottie woke up at 4am. She sighed, hearing the loud voices again. For the past two months, her parents’ relationship had been even worse than before. Her dad was working all the time, her mom was trying to take care of the home and all the three of them. Howard never even bought food for anybody anymore, he simply didn’t have time. Their relationship had been rocky for almost two years now, but they had always somehow stayed together. Lottie thought this time might be different.

Coco who was sleeping in the crook of Lottie’s neck, on her pillow too, had now moved under the duvet, peeking out of it just between Lottie’s arm and body. “It’s alright, Coco,” she whispered, petting her head. She had grown over the four weeks.

The weather had changed a lot too. It was a wet spring; even now the rain was pounding against the windows. When Lottie had started going running every day to heal her ankle and also get her body to move again two weeks ago, she hadn’t known about the weather changing. Now she still kept on going, but she had to be careful not to slip and fall.

“I don’t care about your fucking money! I care about our daughters and—” her door opened. Katie closed it behind herself, trying to ignore the loud voices, and quickly but quietly ran through Lottie’s dark room, to her bed.

“Hey. Careful,” Lottie said in a whisper, letting her climb into her bed, but leaving enough space for Coco to move.

“Hi Coco,” Katie whispered, starting to pet her tiredly. She was the only other person in their family who the kitten had become used to. The 11-year-old hid her face into Lottie’s pillow, taking her usual stomach sleeping position.

“You’re gonna sleep here?” Lottie asked, touching her hair.

“Your room is quieter.”

Lottie couldn’t imagine any room being louder than hers was.

#

“Girls, your father and I are getting divorced,” Eleanor said as soon as they had all sat down in the living room, Coco having curled up on Lottie’s lap, purring when the girl kept petting her.

Katie looked sad and confused while Pauline just raised her eyebrows. Lottie let out a quiet but relieved sigh. She wasn’t about to have to listen to the two of them yelling at each other for any longer. It was over now. But so was her childhood.

“Why?” Katie asked quietly.

“We’ve just grown apart, honey,” Eleanor said with a small smile. Howard rolled his eyes while Lottie and Pauline shared a look.

“So now what?” the oldest girl asked. “Are we gonna keep living here?”

“Well, I promised your sister another school. And we’ll have to sell this apartment.”

“Sell it?” Lottie asked in shock. “No. What? It’s out home.”

“We know that, but we’re going to have to share our property properly. That means selling everything. We’ll both have our cars, that’s it.”

“What about us?” Pauline asked.

“You’re going with your mother,” Howard said with a bitter tone.

Lottie gulped. “Going where?”

“I have a house,” Eleanor said. “We’ve never gone there, because it’s 6 hours away. Me and your father both grew up in that town.”

“Town? Not a city?” Pauline asked. “Mom please no, I’m not gonna survive.”

“It’s not a farm, Pauline. It’s a town. There are stores, there are cafés, there’s everything you’d need. All of your rooms would be bigger, most of them have walk-in closets. New York can’t afford that; the apartments are small… Plus it’d be easy to make friends. I know everyone there. They all have kids. Don’t worry.”

“6 hours away?” Lottie asked with a sigh. “I’m in.” There was nothing she’d like more than to get away this huge intimidating city where she had too many bad memories to remember the good ones.

She had no idea what—and who—would be waiting for her in the small town her parents had grown up in. But she was about to know.