Sweet Treats and Deadbeats

CHAPTER 7: Mommy's Heart

Sophie

“You’re just a stupid, little bastard. Your daddy left cuz your mommy is a slut,” Chelsea said, poking me in the chest.

She could say whatever she wanted to about me, but no one talked about my mommy that way! Before I knew what was happening, I swung my arm and punched her in her fat face. All the kids on the playground yelled and one boy in my class ran to get the teacher.

“Are you okay, Soph?” Winnie and Poppy asked at the same time, patting me on the back.

I broke down and began crying. Mommy always told Noah and I not to fight. She was going to be angry. I always tried hard to be a good girl because she was always sad. Today, I’d failed.

My teacher came outside to calm the class down. One of the other teachers took Chelsea inside to the nurse. Chelsea’s friends stuck their tongues out at me and stomped off behind her. They would get me back later.

“Sophie Smith, I want you to report straight to Principal Water’s office right now! I will not tolerate fighting,” my teacher said, handing me a slip.

Winnie and Poppy tried to come with me, but Mrs. Meyers wouldn’t let them. I gave them a sad small and trudged to the office.

Our principal was a large, dark-haired man with a wrinkly face. He had always been super nice to me.

I handed the woman at the desk my slip and sat down to wait for my punishment. Since I was bored, I shuffled my feet and played with the buttons on my sweater. Mommy had bought it for me in Seattle. It was purple with rhinestones in the buttons. I loved it.

Suddenly, I heard a bang as the office door opened. Mommy rushed in with Declan behind her. I cried harder. I was ashamed enough without Declan seeing.

Mommy knelt in front of me and pulled me in for a hug. She looked scared.

“Oh my god, Sophie! Are you okay, baby?”

I buried my head in her neck and sniffled. “I’m sorry, mommy. I got in a fight…”

Declan reached down and stroked my hair. “Don’t cry, princess. I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t your fault.”

Mommy kissed me on the forehead and took my hand as Principal Waters led us into his office. He gave a weird look to Dex. Mommy noticed and said she’d like Declan to stay. Principal Waters shrugged and said it was fine.

I sat in Mommy’s lap and Dex took the seat next to us. He rubbed my back and kissed me on the cheek. He always smelled so good, and he was so nice. My real daddy, Tom, never kissed me. He didn’t want me.

“Ms. Smith. I’m sorry to call you down here today, but there was an incident on the playground. Sophie punched one of her fellow students, Chelsea Ridge, in the face. We here at Port Townsend Elementary have a no fighting policy. I’m afraid Sophie will have to be punished,” Principal Waters said.

I squeezed Mommy. What would they do to me? I wanted to be on honor roll and now I might not

Declan made an angry sound and jumped up. “Sophie wouldn’t just start a fight. If she hit someone, she probably had a damn good reason!”

Mommy reached over and grabbed his arm. “Calm down, Declan. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

I didn’t want Dex to be angry, so I stood up and walked to the principal’s desk. “I’m sorry, Principal Waters. Mommy always tells us not to fight, but Chelsea called my mommy a bad name and I got angry.”

Principal Waters’ eyes narrowed as he leaned forward. “What did she say to you, dear?”

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands before answering. The minute I said it, mommy gasped and Dex knocked over his chair. Mommy was crying so I wrapped my arms around her. Dex stroked both of our hair and tried to calm us down.

The Principal picked up his old timey telephone. “Um, in light of these new developments, I think I can let Sophie off with a warning. I am sending her home for the rest of the day. You can stop by her class and pickup her homework. I’ll call down to let Ms. Meyers know.

“Don’t worry. I will be having a conversation with Ms. Rhodes and her parents as well. I will not tolerate bullying in my school.”

Mommy stood up and led me outside. Dex stayed behind to say something to the Principal before following us.

When we got to the car, mommy kissed my cheeks and buckled me in the backseat. Our new car was super cool. We’d taken it out on lots of trips, and I liked that it had movies in it.

Mommy went to talk to my teacher. Declan got in the front seat. He buckled his seat belt and then turned around and smiled.

“I’m proud of you, princess. You stood up for your mom. Sometimes people deserve to get punched in the face. Don’t tell your mom I said that, though.”

I giggled. “Thanks, E. I was just so mad. Chelsea has been mean to me ever since we moved her. She should shut her big, fat mouth!”

Declan threw his head back and laughed loudly. Then, he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was a big box of Dots, my favorite candy. He’d bought a box for me last week when he took us to the movies. I was glad that he remembered.

“Hide those, and if your mom sees them, they’re not from me,” he said, winking.

I nodded and opened the box. The red ones were the best. I took a few and offered some to Declan. We played a game where I threw candies in his mouth while he tried to catch them. He made lots of funny faces. I almost died from laughing.

When I saw mommy heading back to the car, I gave Declan one last candy and then put them in my bookbag. He opened his mouth to show me the mouthful of Dots before mommy got inside.

She looked from me to Declan and then sighed. “I don’t even want to know, do I?”

Declan shook his head and tried to swallow the candy. He was coughing, so mommy gave him a bottle of water.

“Sophie, I have your homework. When we get to the shop, I’ll get the upstairs set up so you can do your homework. I don’t condone fighting, but I’m damn proud of you for standing up for me like that. Thank you, baby girl, but don’t let it happen again,” she said, looking back at me.

“I’ll be good, Mommy.”

Declan kissed mommy’s cheek before we drove off. Since Noah didn’t want to be signed out early, Ms. Boyd was going to bring him to the shop after school. I liked her and Ambrose. They were good, but Ambrose’s daddy didn’t want him either. It made me sad.oyd

Even though I’m only nine, I know that Dex likes my mommy. I really want him to be our new daddy and so does Noah. We also want a baby brother or baby sister, but first mommy and Dex have to get married. Maybe I could even be the flower girl!

Declan made jokes all the way to the shop. Mommy kept making frustrated sounds, but she was smiling too. I told Dex all about my day and what books I was reading. He talked to me like a real person and not a little kid.

There were lots of people at Sweet Treats when we got there. Aunt T. kissed me on the head before mommy marched me upstairs. She laid out my book and work for me before leaving.

It was nice upstairs. There were couches and tables. It had one living room and two other rooms. No one lived in it so Noah and I stayed here while mommy worked. It had a kitchen and TV just like our house.

After I got done with my spelling, I got bored. Mommy came to check it and gave me a cupcake when it was all right. Declan had to go do grown up stuff. I missed him.

In our old city, mommy had worked all the time and she used to cry a lot, but now she was happier. I knew that it was because of Dex.. Him and mommy kissed on the lips sometimes. I was a nosy kitten and saw them do it once. It looked gross to me, but mommy seemed to like it.

Science was my best subject so I finished my solar project homework quick. Then, I went downstairs to see I I could help mommy with something.

Aunt Tina was getting people food and Ryan was baking. He fist bumped me as I passed. I liked him and his little girl, Cynthia, too. They had came to our house for dinner last week and we had fun.

After that, I walked back to mommy’s office. When I got there, I heard Declan’s voice. The door was open a little bit so I listened. I knew that being a nosy kitten was rude, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“Madison, this isn’t your fault. You know how kids can be,” Declan said, rubbing mommy’s back. He had his arms wrapped around her and I could tell they’d been kissing again cuz some of mommy’s lip gloss was on Dex's lips.

“You’re right. I just… don’t want my babies to suffer. I hate that they’re pre judged because their father chooses not to be in their life,” mommy said, sniffling.

Declan leaned down and kissed her on the lips. I smiled. It looked just like when the princess kissed the prince in the movie except it lasted longer. For some reason, Declan picked mommy up and sat her on the desk.

“Mommy, I’m done with my homework,” I said, opening the door.

She pushed Dex back and stood up, straightening her jeans. I felt bad cuz I shoulda knocked.

“Um, hey, princess. Your mom and I were just…”Dex

I giggled and held up my hand. “You were kissing. It’s fine, Dex. I’ve seen you guys do it before.”

Mommy’s eyes widened. “Declan, can you give us a minute? We need some girl talk.”

He nodded. “Of course. I’ll be in the shop. I think I saw a piece of carrot cake with my name on it.”

Mommy’s face turned red, and then she gave Declan her punishment face. He was going to get timeout later. Dex tickled me before walking out the door.

“Sophie, what you just saw…um, Declan and I…. We’re friends. I know you might get confused when you see us kissing….”Dex

“Do you like Declan, Mommy?” I asked, interrupting.

She played with the ends of her hair. “Sure. I mean, Declan is my friend, but he’s just that. I don’t want you getting the wrong idea about us.”M

I played with my braid. “Um, do you like Dex better than Tom?”

Mommy sat down and pulled me into her lap. “Baby girl, Tom and I were married. I know he isn’t a good dad, but he gave me you and Noah. Declan is my friend, but yes, I like him better than Tom.”

I laid my head in mommy’s chest. “Will Declan hurt you like Tom did?”Declan

She sighed and rubbed my back. “No, sweetheart, Declan would never hurt me. I’m so sorry that you saw Tom hit me. Remember what I always tell you - no man should ever beat a woman.

“And that brings me back to today. Some people are going to be mean and say nasty things about us. I want you to ignore them. You and Noah aren’t ‘bastards’, you’re blessings from God, and I’m lucky to have you.”

Mommy’s words made me feel happy and loved. It was fun to have lots of toys and earrings, but I was just as happy just being with mommy.

We talked for a few minutes and then mommy let me go to the dining area to wait for Noah. There were still lots of people eating and drinking coffee. It was really nasty but grown ups liked it better than soda pop.

I grabbed a Yoohoo from the fridge and went to look for Declan. He was sitting at a table with his sister, Laurie. I didn’t like her, but I could be nice for Dex’s sake.

I held up my drink. “Hello, Laurie. Mommy said I could sit out here till Noah comes. May I sit with you?”

Declan pushed his soft hair off of his forehead and motioned me to take the seat next to him. “Of course you can sit here, princess. You don’t even have to ask. So, did your mom explain things? I don’t want you to be confused.”

I patted him on the arm. “She told me. It’s okay.”

Laurie sighed and played with her pie. “Don’t they have any low fat pastries here? I so don’t need to gain any weight. I don’t want to look like Ms. Smith anytime soon.”

Both Declan and I growled.

“That is enough, Laurie! I’m sick of your attitude. If you hate Port Townsend so much, then I suggest you go back to New York. I will not have you putting down Bella, especially in front of her daughter. Now apologize or we can go back to my house and pack your bags.”

Laurie reminded me of Chelsea. They were both meanies.

“I’m sorry, Sophie. I shouldn’t have said that about your mother.”

Declan rolled his eyes and whispered, “Ignore her”, in my ear. I giggled and nodded.

He was showing me Google Earth on his fancy phone as we discussed science. Laurie kept making baby noises and playing with her food. I ignored her and scooted closer to Declan. Our eyes met. His eyws were beautiful, like grass in the summertime.

Later, Ryan came to take Laurie’s plate. She was mean to him, but he only laughed and called her a ‘diva’. After he left, she kept talking about him being a ‘cocky loser’. Declan and I laughed the whole time.

I was on my second Yoohoo when a blonde lady, who I didn’t know, came in. Her hair was short, shorter than Declan and Noah’s even. She had on old jeans and a big sweatshirt. Her stomach was big like mommy’s when she had Noah inside.

The lady went to the counter and bought a sandwich. Then she sat down to eat. She looked really scared and sad, so I went to talk to her. Declan followed me.e

“Hi, I’m Sophie and this is Declan,” I said holding out my hand.

She raised her face. I gasped. She had a big cut on her neck and bruises on her face. “Oh no! Did he hurt you, too? Tom hit mommy and she…,” I whispered, sobbing.

Declan sat down and helped me into his lap. His eyes were angry now and darker. “Shhh, princess. No one is ever going to hurt your mommy or any of you again. I promise.”

The blonde lady reached for my hand. “I don’t know who Tom is, but he’s not the one who hurt me. You’re too beautiful to cry, angel, so don’t shed no more tears for me.” Her voice was deeper than mommy’s.e

“My name is Ashley Clifton. I’m new in town. You’re the Declan Walsh?” she said quietly, looking at Declan.

Mommy had already told us that Dex was famous. He wrote stuff that grown ups liked, but Noah and I were too little to read it. Declan also did some movies he said we could see when we got older. I couldn’t wait.

Ms. Ashley had blue eyes like me, but hers were like the sky. She must have been hungry cuz she finished her food before I finished my Yoohoo. Aunt T brought her another sandwich. She said she didn’t have no more money, but Aunt T. told her not to worry about it.

Mommy came out a few minutes later. She and Aunt T. invited Ashley to go to the office and talk. Ms. Ashley waddled like a penguin when she walked. I told her and she laughed.

After Dex and I went to sit with Laurie again. She was on her second piece of pie. Declan made fun of her for being a pig, but for the first time she actually laughed. She was so pretty when she smiled.

When Ashley got back, she had a big bag full of treats. She said goodbye to us, kissing me on the forehead before she scooted off. Mommy looked like she had been crying. Declan went to talk to her, leaving me with Laurie.

Noah

“Awww, Ms. Boyd, do I hafta do spelling?”oyd

Ambrose’s mommy nodded and helped me pack my bookbag. “Your mom wants you to be smart, honey. Don’t you want to make her happy?”

I nodded. “Yes. I want mommy to smile.”

Ambrose reached his arms up so Ali could pick him up. She said it was okay to call her Ms. Boyd at school, but Nat when it was just us.

“I want to see Soph,” Ambrose whined, sucking his thumb. His head was on his mommy’s chest. I wanted to be on my mommy’s chest too. Nat’s was for Ambrose only. My mommy’s was soft and made me feel good.

After Nat turned off the lights, we went outside and got in the car. She buckled our set belt and then we were going.

Ambrose and I played with our Stretch Armstrong toy until we got to the shop. I got excited when I saw Declan’s car.

I got out of my seatbelt and ran inside. Sophie was sitting at a table with Laurie. I liked her, and she was pretty. I walked over to the table and sat next to Laurie.

“Hi, Laurie!” I said, putting on my best boy smile.

She just looked at me. It hurt my feelings. Sophie asked me to sit by her, so I did.

“I saw mommy and Dex kiss again, and mommy said she likes Dex better than Tom,” Soph whispered.

I smiled. “Dat’s good. Maybe we can get our little brother or sister soon.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “They still need to have the wedding first, silly. Declan has to marry mommy so we can all be related and live together. What if Tom comes back and Dex goes away?”

That made me sad so I put my thumb in my mouth and leaned on Soph. Her chest wasn’t as soft as mommy’s, so I couldn’t get comfy. Laurie just stared at us as she ate her pie.Declan

I was getting sleepy when mommy came out with Nat and Ambrose behind her. She lifted me into her arms and kissed my head.

Nat

“Hey, Noah. How was kindergarten today?”

I snuggled into her chest and sighed. Mommy had the biggest and softest chest of all the girls

“We did fingerpaints. I made you a picture,” I replied.

Declan and I did the man handshake, which made the girls laugh. Nat put Ambrose down and then went to the back with mommy.

Declan told us lots of jokes and gave us ‘secret’ candy. I still had the box of Milk Duds he gave me last time. Mommy said they were bad for our teeth, but they tasted real good.

Jimmy and his friend came when it was almost time to go home. I got mad when he hugged mommy and kissed Soph’s hand. He tried to talk to me about baseball, but I didn’t answer. Declan was mad, too, cuz he made angry noises the whole time. I wanted Declan to be our new daddy, not Jimmy.

When all the people left, mommy, Nat, and Aunt T brought our dinner out .Sometimes we ate here and not at home. It was meatloaf and tatoes, my favorite. Ambrose and I threw mashed tatoes in each other’s mouth until our mommy’s gave us the mean look. Declan just laughed.

I was getting messy, so Laurie helped me cut my meatloaf. Mommy and Declan looked surprised.

I smiled and said, “thank you.”

After dinner, Ambrose and his mommy had to go back to their house. It wasn’t as big as our new one, but it was nice. I wasn’t too sad cuz I knew we’d see each other at school. Ambrose let me borrow his favorite dinosaur eraser so I gave him my cowboy one.

Later, Aunt T. went to the store in her own car. Mommy drove me and Soph home. I fell asleep in the backseat. Mommy woke me up to put my jammies on, and then I went back to sleep.

When I woke up, it was still dark. My Buzz Lightyear night light made it easy for me to see. I went to mommy’s room to ask if I could sleep with her. Soph met me in the hallway. We knocked on the door before going inside.

Mommy was in the bed with her computer. Soph and I climbed in and snuggled close. Mommy showed us the computer screen. Declan was inside waving at us! Soph and I made funny faces that made him laugh.

After that, we watched Dex play the piano. He was very good. I started to fall asleep before he finished. Soph was already snoring like a baby cub. Before I closed my eyes, I saw mommy make a kissy face at Declan

That night, I dreamt of all the fun times with mommy and Soph and of me when I was bigger. In my dreams, Declan was playing football and t-ball with me. I knew that someday he would be my daddy. It was up to me and Soph to get mommy and Dex married and soon!