Divorce

Divorce

By Lea Sheryn

I

Anna sat at the edge of her bed. The tablet beside her left a black unforgiving square on her pretty pink floral comforter. Slowly she lowered her head as a silent tear slipped from her eye to leave a splash mark on the front of her favorite purple tee shirt; the one with the unicorn on the front. Her long brown hair hung over her face like a blanket to hide her misery from the world.

Sheila said Anna could talk to mommy any time she wanted to. It was Sheila who had shown her how to use Skype to call mommy. The little girl was allowed to go into her room and close the door so she could talk privately. At six years old, it was a big deal to be able to talk privately with someone. Anna was proud to be able to do something grown-ups did all the time. She couldn’t wait to call mommy.

The first time she called was early in the morning. Mommy was just leaving for work and couldn’t talk. Mommy worked for an advertising agency; it was a very important job. Anna tried again at lunchtime but mommy was going out to dine with her boss. An hour after work, another call was attempted. This time mommy had a date with Jason. (Anna didn’t like Jason!)

It was after eleven o’clock when the last call was made. Daddy said it would be okay if Anna stayed up late because she was really anxious to talk to mommy. Mommy was already in bed. Angry, the woman the little girl loved and trusted most in the world berated her for calling so late. In the background, Jason’s voice barked out a stream of very bad words. It made Anna upset.

Ugly and black, the screen of the tablet menaced Anna from its place on the bed. It was as though mommy and Jason were somewhere inside waiting to yell at her some more. The six-year-old child shook uncontrollably as she covered her face and allowed her tears to flow.

II

Mommy and Daddy were divorced. Daddy married Sheila two weeks after the judge had signed the final paperwork. Daddy’s real name was Brandt. When he was a young man, he was in love with Sheila and wanted to marry her. Something went wrong and he married mommy instead. Her real name was Julie. It wasn’t long before they realized the marriage had been a big mistake. Still, they tried to make it work and, when it didn’t, they decided a child would make things better. Anna was born and the situation became worse. No one was happy.

One day, when Brandt was away on an out-of-town business trip, he ran into Sheila quite by accident. On the spur of the moment, he invited her out for dinner. Once they became reacquainted, the whole world opened up for both of them. The old love they had lost so long ago was back. From that point on, everything happened in a whirl. The divorce and the remarriage were quick to follow. Brandt was finally happy for the first time in forever and Sheila was ecstatic with joy. Julie, on the other hand, was angry.

III

Anna lived with mommy from September to June so she could continue to go to her old school. For six weeks in the summer, she went to live with daddy and Sheila. When it was time for her to take the long flight from New York City to Florida, her father came to pick her up. He didn’t want her to travel so far�“alone�“for the first time. At first she was nervous about meeting daddy’s new wife then she was determined not to like her. When she found out Sheila wrote children’s books, Anna changed her mind. Sheila was a lot of fun.

At home with mommy, Anna had a nanny named Consuela. She was young and pretty but she was also the fourth nanny since the divorce. Nannies were supposed to work 24/7 while mommy went to work, went out with Jason and went to sleep. Even when they were supposed to have days off, they were expected to work so they didn’t stay long. Anna rarely saw her mother; it was lonely for the little girl.

At daddy’s new house, Anna saw her father and Sheila every day. They took her to fun amusement parks and to the beach. Sometimes they would take her out to dinner and let her have a “Shirley Temple” to drink. When they went out alone, Zazzy came to baby sit. Zazzy’s real name was Xavier. A big boy with a laughing face and a goatee, he knew how to play the guitar and could sing all of Anna’s favorite Disney songs. She liked him…a lot.

IV

Stretching out on the bed, Anna allowed her foot to kick the tablet onto the floor. It made an ugly place on her pretty pink floral comforter. She didn’t want it there; she hated it. Now it lay on the floor and made a black square on the lavender carpet. Anna could see it staring at her as she cradled her head in her arms. Rolling onto her other side, she glared at the wall instead. Why had life suddenly turned upside down, the little girl wondered.

Slowly the bedroom door cracked opened and Sheila looked in. Silently entering the room, she lifted the tablet from the floor before perching on the edge of Anna’s bed. She didn’t have to ask what happened; she knew. Laying her hand softly on the children’s back, Sheila whispered words of comfort. It wasn’t long before the little girl was sitting up and pressing her small body into the older woman’s side. “Mommy!” she cried as she pressed her face close and felt a gentle arm around her shoulder.

Sheila questioningly looked up at Brandt. Was Anna disturbed because she was homesick or was there something else wrong? The father entered to room to tentatively sit on the other side of his little daughter. A small tear streaked face looked up at him as the child asked, “Can Sheila be my mommy now?” Slowly daddy nodded his head.