Susan White walked into her house with a tired sigh. Traveling around the world was her job and she loved it. Being away from what she loved most in the world hurt the most. She had a contract she couldn’t break, so breaking her daughters heart was the end result in the career choices she made four years before.

 After paying the cab driver she closed the door behind her. It was a little past midnight and she knew that her daughter would be fast asleep. Thoughts of her little girl crossed her mind and she tried to picture her the last time she saw her. Almost three months before. Sure she talked to her on the phone on occasion but she knew her daughter was hurting. As she hurt herself. Not being able to help herself she made her way up the stairs to her daughters bedroom.

 Opening the door she felt a tight knot in her chest. Laying on the bed with her tiny daughter was Felicia. Jealousy toppled over her, she wanted to be the one to fall asleep with her daughter. She loved Felicia and wouldn’t trust anyone else in the world to care for her daughter. Or raise her child as the neighborhood always said behind her back.

 She walked over to the bed and Felicia slowly opened her eyes. With a smile she greeted her. Susan smiled back and couldn’t help the tears that came to her eyes as she looked at her daughter’s sleeping form.

“Welcome home, Sue.” Felicia whispered as she slowly got off the bed.

“Thank you Felicia. I don’t know how much to thank you.” Susan whispered back.

“My pleasure. She’s part of me also. I’ll leave you with her. Good night.”

 With a tearful gaze Susan smiled at Felicia. Susan sat on the edge of the bed with Samantha’s back towards her. Reaching out she touched her hair. Susan noticed how long it had gotten. Being on the run the last time she was home didn’t give her much time to admire how much her daughter was growing.

“Ohh sweetie I’m so sorry.” Susan whispered not being able to hold back her cry.

“Get out of my room, mother.” Samantha said without turning to face her mother.

“Sweetie, you’re awake?”

“Please leave my room. I can’t sleep with you sitting there.” Samantha said cruelly.

“Samantha, please don’t shut me out sweetie.” Susan cried harder.

“Get out!!!!” Samantha yelled so loudly that her mother almost fell off the bed in shock.

“Oh God, sweetie don’t hate me. Please.”

“Too late.” Samantha said pulling the cover over her head.

 Susan stood there watching her daughter while her heart broke into billions of pieces. Her daughter hated her, and she couldn’t help thinking that she had every right to. She had abandoned her daughter and picked her career over her own flesh and blood. She had been selfish but at the time when she signed that piece of paper she wanted to be away. Away from the emotions that looking into her daughter’s eyes brought her. She regretted every minute of it as she looked at her innocent daughter reject her. Her own mother was a stranger to her.

 Hearing the door closed behind her mother, she let out a soft cry. God, she had missed her so much. But the pain she felt every time she left made it almost impossible to love her mother, and love Felicia even more. Felicia wanted her. Felicia loved her. Felicia was simply there for her. Her mother wasn’t.

******************************************************************
 

“So when are you going to the audition?” Sam asked a bit shocked.

“Me and my mom are leaving next Thursday. It should be fun.” Britney said excitedly.

“So what happens when you get the job? I mean aren’t you a little too young to be working?”  Robbie said matter of factly.

“Well no before I moved here I was working but it was in New York. I like acting and singing.” Britney said flipping the photo album  closed. “If I get the part in the Mickey Mouse club, me and my mom and sister are moving to Orlando.”

“No!!! you just moved here. How can you move already? You have to be here at least six months. it’s a rule.” Sam shouted getting up.

“Says who?” Britney argued.

“Robbie and I say.” Sam retorted.

“Leave me out of this Sam. So Britney what happens to us?” Robbie asked a bit disappointed.

“Well you can al ways come….” Britney started to say when she was interrupted by a lady across the street.

“Samantha, Robbie!!!” the beautiful lady yelled “Lunch is ready.”

“Who is that?” Britney asked “She’s pretty.”

“That’s no one.” Sam said walking towards her house.

“But…”Britney started to say but Sam was already across the street and walking inside the house past the beautiful lady. “Is that her mama?” she asked Robbie.

“Yeah.” Robbie said with a shy smile. “She’s not around much. I gotta go. I’ll see you later we  can play with the marbles.” Robbie said half way across the street.

“Okay” Britney said gathering up her photo albums.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I was thinking maybe we can go grab a movie or something.” Sue said sitting across the table from Sam.

“Robbie and I promised Britney we would go play Nintendo.” Sam said finishing her ice cream sundae.

“I’ll go over Sam, you can go with Mrs. Larson.” Robbie said only to receive and evil look from Sam.

“Thank you Robbie.” Sue said with a wink.

“Fine, but we’ll watch whatever movie I want.” Sam said with a bargain.

“Deal” Sue said enthusiastically. “Who is this Britney creature I keep hearing about anyway? Is it that pretty little girl across the street?”

“Yes it is but you wouldn’t know that since you aren’t ever here.” Samantha said under her breath.

“Sam.” Felicia said speaking for the first time from behind the kitchen Island. Samantha wondered how she managed to hear her all the time.

“That’s all right Felicia, she can be as nasty as she wants to be. It doesn’t mean I’m going to stop loving her for it. In fact it makes me love her even more.” Sue said kissing Sam’s head.

“Great.” Sam said sarcastically.

“You guys can go out for about two more hours then Sam I need you inside to get ready for a girls’ night out. Okay?” Sue asked.

“Are you coming Fe?” Sam asked hopeful.

“Not this time sweetie.” Felicia said clearing up the table full of nuts and caramel.

“Why not? I’m not going if you aren’t.”

“Sam don’t……..” Sue started to say.

“Can I talk to her alone for a sec, Sue?” Felicia asked with a smile.

“Sure, I have to run to the store. I’ll be back in an hour.” Sue gave Sam another unwanted kiss on the head and left out the back door where her dust-collector of a car awaited. Robbie followed.

“Take your time.” Sam murmured.

“Alright, what’s the deal?” Felicia said a bit aggravated.

“What deal?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about Sam. You promised you were going to give her a chance this time. All I’ve seen from you today is attitude. Why?”

“Why? Because she’s my mom and she doesn’t even know my favorite color, who my favorite ninja turtle is, what my favorite song is. Nothing, she knows nothing about me and it’s all her fault.” Sam said with tear streaming down her cheeks.

“Ohh hunny don’t cry. She loves you sweetie, I know that’s not enough right now but she’s working on it sweetie. If she didn’t go away to work you wouldn’t have that big stereo to play your favorite song, you wouldn’t have all those Ninja turtle movies and you definitely wouldn’t have your room painted whatever color was your favorite each month.”

“I rather live in a dumpster.” Sam said wiping her tears furiously.

“See, that I have no doubt about. You are a little dirty scoundrel.” Fe said tickling Sam’s belly. Sam giggled at that. “Now why don’t we stop PMSing and give your mother a nice night.”

“Huh?” Sam asked confused.

“Oh never mind it’s a teenage thing. Now show your mom a good time tonight okay?”

“I’ll try.” Sam whispered.

“I need something better than that.”

“Okay, okay I’ll do it. But I wont like it.”

“Whatever you say Sam. Whatever you say.”
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay I’m back.” Sam said walking into the gate where Cane awaited joyfully. “Hey boy!!” Sam said grabbing the dog’s face only inches from her own.

“Hey, Sam look at these pictures!!” Robbie said excited from the lawn chair by the pool.

“More pictures? Boringgggggg”

“Hey we counted all your bumps and scrapes. So it’s my turn to pick what we do next. I want to look at pictures.” Britney said while looking intently at her pictures from the Broadway show she had been in years before.

“Okay fine.” Sam said giving in. she grabbed the thickest of the albums and sat by the pool. She figured if she was going to be forced to look at pictures all day she would go all out.

“What are you brats doing?” Brian asked walking in the gate. Behind him was none other than Matt, the lifeguard.

“Shut up!!” Britney said getting up from her chair. “Sam, be careful!!!” Britney yelled when she saw her friend slowly letting go of the most priced album. That wouldn’t have been a problem otherwise but the album was heading right towards the pool.

“Oh. Geez. I got it Brit.” Sam said getting up from the ground. She put the album back on the table and continued the staring. “Hi Matt.”

“Hey there Sam.” Matt said pinching her cheeks. “What are you guys doing here?” Matt asked giving Robbie a high five.

“I was playing with the dogs.” Robbie said hiding the photo album behind his back. “I wasn’t doing anything girly or anything.” he said nervously.

“Playing with the dog? Yeah right don’t make me laugh, he’s scared shi.. I mean he’s scared of the dog.” Sam said smiling at Matt.

“I am not!!” Robbie said with flames in his cheeks.

“You win some you lose some. You owed me buddy boy.” Sam said with a wink.

“Ooookay,” Bryan said walking past Britney. “Does mama know you have these outside?”

“No.” Britney said embarrassed.

“Then you know what you should be doing.” Bryan said walking into the house. “Coming Matt?”

“Yeah, man” Matt said petting the dog. “It was nice seeing you girls again.”

“umm.” Robbie said clearing his throat.

“Oh I mean girls and guys.” Matt said with a laugh. “Bye.” and he walked into the house.

“Wow your brother already knows the most popular guy around?” Sam asked excited.

“My brother sucks!!!” Britney said arranging her photo albums. “He always tells on me.”

“Who cares he knows Matt. I like him.”

“Who Matt or Bryan?” Robbie asked backing away from Cane.

“Ohhh no one is speaking to you Robbie. And for the millionth time he doesn’t bite. I thought you got that through your chicken self.” Sam snapped.

“Stop being so mean Sam. You always get like that when your mom comes home.” Robbie said with a mean look on his face.

“Yeah.” Britney said.

“Yeah what?” Sam challenged.

“You’re being mean.” Britney said patting Sam on the shoulder. “Don’t you like your mom?”

“I’m sorry guys. And it’s not that I don’t like her. Just that she doesn’t like me very much.”

“How do you know that? All moms like their kids. They have to.” Britney said with a smile.

“Not my mom. She’s beautiful and she has pretty clothes and she’s in magazines. She loves that. She doesn’t love me.” Sam said trying not to cry.

“I love you, Sam.” Britney said hugging her.

“I love you too Sam.” Robbie said hugging both of them “But don’t tell anyone okay?” which cause all three to burst out into giggles.