Please Don't Leave Me

I stood there with my mouth hanging wide open. Brittany and I shared a look. I couldn't have possibly heard her right. I think she said that she and Joe were getting married. I thought that it was just a fling, that she would get over her midlife crisis. I didn't think, not for one minute, that this thing that my mom has with Joe was serious- marriage material serious. I honestly thought that this thing with Joe would end in another couple of months and that I would have my mom back, but it appears that she's gone forever.

I was speechless- stunned silent. I wanted to tell her that she was making a mistake- that she's moving too fast in this relationship. I wanted to tell her how much it hurt that she would choose Joe over my happiness and Brittany's happiness. We didn't even have a say in this whole situation, how is that supposed to make us feel? Can't she see how much it hurt us? The guy is 3 years older than Brittany and I. Luckily, I didn't have to say anything because Brittany was the first to recover from the news.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Brittany yelled, angrily. "Really, Mom? Really? You're going to marry a guy who's almost half your age and a couple of years older than your children? Really? Do you even care how we feel about this?"

My mom opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but she closed it. She looked at Joe, pleading for some help.

"I know that this is hard for the two of you to take in, but I really love your mom," he said, grabbing my mom's hand and smiling at her. "Age doesn't matter when you're in love." I wanted to wring his neck.

"Oh, shut up, you homewrecker," I spat at him. "My mom and dad's divorce isn't even finalized yet. Here you are, trying to waltz in like everything is fine and dandy but it's not. I don't want you to marry her and I don't care if you love her." I put quotations around the word love.

"Courtney, you know that the divorce will be finalized soon!" my mom exclaimed, looking at me with sad eyes. "Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Don't I have a say?" I asked her, with tears threatening to overflow. "Don't you care about my opinion?"

"Yeah, Mom, don't you care about what we think?" Brittany asked her. My mom looked at us.

"This is going to happen whether you like it or not," she said, loudly. "It's time for me to be happy and Joe makes me happy. I gave up the best years of my life to raise the two of you and this is the thanks I get? The least you can do is let me be happy!" Brittany and I looked at each other shocked.

"Whatever, Mom, do whatever you want," I told her, with tears streaming down my cheeks. "I don't care. Don't expect me to be at the wedding."

"Get out of this house!" Brittany yelled. "You're not welcomed here! Get out!" My mom looked shocked, but she and Joe left without another word.

"Are you ok?" I asked her, in a whisper. She shook her head.

"No," she told me. "But, it's ok. She's just a selfish human being who resents us. If she doesn't care about us, then we're not going to give her the time of day." I nodded. I dragged myself upstairs and into my room.

"Are you ok?" Henry asked me, giving me a hug as soon as I walked in. "I heard everything."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, trying to squirm out of his hug. "I forgot to bring the food up."

"It's ok, Court," he told me. "I'm not that hungry anyways. We can eat it later. We'll just relax up here and watch TV or something."

I shook my head and sighed.

"I want to be alone right now, Henry," I told him. "I need process what just happened and I think I need to be alone to do it."

"Don't push me away, Court," he said, softly. He held me in his arms. "I'm always here for you."

I got out of his hold and looked him straight in the eye.

"Please, Henry," I said, sadly. The tears were building up in my eyes and I didn't want Henry to see me like this. "I need some time alone. Please just go away." He stood up.

"Ok, if that's what you want, Courtney, I'll give you your space," he told me, kissing me on the forehead.

I knew that I had to stop him, that I was being unreasonable- crazy even. But, I didn't want to be near anyone right now- not even Henry. I did the only thing I could do...

I watched him walk out my door.