demonstrate that nothing had damaged their appetites. Neither noticed I hardly ate at all.
"Their conversation was limited to the most essential things and there was a new formal tone to both of their voices, but before the dinner ended, both directed themselves to me, asking me questions about school, about the band, about an upcoming dance I was sure they had forgotten until now. One would ask a question and the other would try to top it by asking for more detail.
"Suddenly, they were both trying to impress me with their concern and interest in my life and my affairs. I should have realized then that they were going to fight over custody, but as I said, I just assumed that if they really went through with the divorce, my mother and I would remain at the house and my father would live someplace else.
"The friends I had in school whose parents had divorced all lived with their mothers and had regular visits with their fathers, and like you guys, none of them talked much about the actual divorce
proceedings. They were far more protected from the unpleasant parts than I would be.
"What was supposed to happen next was the lawyers were to get together and work things out. They did work out almost everything else but me and that affected all the other compromises. When it came to the question of custody, the war began. I think that took my mother by surprise, which my father enjoyed. I didn't know about that aspect yet. I just heard bits and pieces about their financial issues, the battle over what assets were joint and what were separate. Since my mother wasn't claiming any physical or emotional abuse, my father was permitted to remain in the house. At least they didn't have to work out any kind of visitation schedule for the time being.
"But a regular trial would have to take place for the judge to decide who should get custody of me. I realized pretty quickly that my opinions, my answers to the judge's questions, would all play a big role and that was why my parents were suddenly .
"What?" Misty asked.
I stared at her for a moment as the words played in my head, waiting for the right one. It seemed so obvious. "Parents," I replied.
"Huh?"
"She means a momma and daddy and not two business partners," Star explained.
"Exactly," I said, smiling I looked at Dr. Marlowe. She seemed very pleased.
"That should have made you happy," Misty said.
Once again I glanced at Dr. Marlowe because I knew she would be interested in my reply.
"It does and it doesn't," I said. "I mean I like the attention and all, but I hate feeling that I'm getting it only so that they can each feel that they're outdoing the other. It's like having something nice that's also bad, like, like eating your favorite ice cream but it's so cold, it hurts your teeth."
They all looked confused.
"I guess I'm not making any sense," I said, sitting back. "That's why I didn't even want to start this."
"You're making sense," Misty said. She looked at Star.
"Yeah, you're making sense," Star agreed.
Cat nodded.
"A lot of sense," she said in a voice just a shade above a whisper, "even though it's confusing."
"Huh?"
"That's why we're here, to find a way to live with it," Cat continued and for the first time in three days, all of us looked at her as someone who could bring something to this beside shyness, fear and silence.
Before anyone could speak however, we heard the rattle of glasses and heavy footsteps in the hallway outside the office door.
"Lemonade!" Dr. Marlowe's sister Emma cried and came walking in, carrying a silver tray on which she had a jug of freshly made lemonade and four glasses with a plate of cookies.
"I hope I'm not too early, Dr. Marlowe," Emma said, looking afraid she had interrupted. We all thought it was amusing that she called her sister Dr. Marlowe. Misty suggested she might be a client of her own sister, but I thought that was some sort of a conflict of interest or something.
"No, you're right on schedule, Emma. Thank you."
Emma's plump cheeks rose as her
"Their conversation was limited to the most essential things and there was a new formal tone to both of their voices, but before the dinner ended, both directed themselves to me, asking me questions about school, about the band, about an upcoming dance I was sure they had forgotten until now. One would ask a question and the other would try to top it by asking for more detail.
"Suddenly, they were both trying to impress me with their concern and interest in my life and my affairs. I should have realized then that they were going to fight over custody, but as I said, I just assumed that if they really went through with the divorce, my mother and I would remain at the house and my father would live someplace else.
"The friends I had in school whose parents had divorced all lived with their mothers and had regular visits with their fathers, and like you guys, none of them talked much about the actual divorce
proceedings. They were far more protected from the unpleasant parts than I would be.
"What was supposed to happen next was the lawyers were to get together and work things out. They did work out almost everything else but me and that affected all the other compromises. When it came to the question of custody, the war began. I think that took my mother by surprise, which my father enjoyed. I didn't know about that aspect yet. I just heard bits and pieces about their financial issues, the battle over what assets were joint and what were separate. Since my mother wasn't claiming any physical or emotional abuse, my father was permitted to remain in the house. At least they didn't have to work out any kind of visitation schedule for the time being.
"But a regular trial would have to take place for the judge to decide who should get custody of me. I realized pretty quickly that my opinions, my answers to the judge's questions, would all play a big role and that was why my parents were suddenly .
"What?" Misty asked.
I stared at her for a moment as the words played in my head, waiting for the right one. It seemed so obvious. "Parents," I replied.
"Huh?"
"She means a momma and daddy and not two business partners," Star explained.
"Exactly," I said, smiling I looked at Dr. Marlowe. She seemed very pleased.
"That should have made you happy," Misty said.
Once again I glanced at Dr. Marlowe because I knew she would be interested in my reply.
"It does and it doesn't," I said. "I mean I like the attention and all, but I hate feeling that I'm getting it only so that they can each feel that they're outdoing the other. It's like having something nice that's also bad, like, like eating your favorite ice cream but it's so cold, it hurts your teeth."
They all looked confused.
"I guess I'm not making any sense," I said, sitting back. "That's why I didn't even want to start this."
"You're making sense," Misty said. She looked at Star.
"Yeah, you're making sense," Star agreed.
Cat nodded.
"A lot of sense," she said in a voice just a shade above a whisper, "even though it's confusing."
"Huh?"
"That's why we're here, to find a way to live with it," Cat continued and for the first time in three days, all of us looked at her as someone who could bring something to this beside shyness, fear and silence.
Before anyone could speak however, we heard the rattle of glasses and heavy footsteps in the hallway outside the office door.
"Lemonade!" Dr. Marlowe's sister Emma cried and came walking in, carrying a silver tray on which she had a jug of freshly made lemonade and four glasses with a plate of cookies.
"I hope I'm not too early, Dr. Marlowe," Emma said, looking afraid she had interrupted. We all thought it was amusing that she called her sister Dr. Marlowe. Misty suggested she might be a client of her own sister, but I thought that was some sort of a conflict of interest or something.
"No, you're right on schedule, Emma. Thank you."
Emma's plump cheeks rose as her
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