unbroken (unexpected series)

Chapter 5

“I treat Amelia just fine…” I defended, I made mistakes with Oakley but…

Grant snorts loudly, “Right… you over do it with her, but make Oakley feel like dirt. Then the woman Oakley didn’t want is always bragging about her accomplishments, praising her smarts like she had something to do with it…”

He didn’t say anymore, the words already said hanging thick in the air, suffocating, “This isn’t… no amount of talking is going to fix the way Oakley feels about Sarah…” I say sadly, understanding. Finally. Six years too late. Grant doesn’t answer but his silence is answer enough.

“I care about them all. I made promises to Amelia and Sarah, but I love them just as I love Ben and Oakley Grant-”

“Good thing you have Oakley not asking you to pick,” Grant answers dryly across the room for me.

“Why do I feel like that had some type of double meaning?”

He just scoffs, “because maybe you’re head finally left that hole you had it in?” sarcasm. Great.

“Just spit it out.” I say.

“Oakley has given up Pat… you’re trying to hold things together for everyone but Ben is the one that has the right idea. He loves Sarah and Amelia, but Oakley… not even you are before her. I’m pretty sure if you offered to let him sleep in the bed next to Oakleys in her room, he’d take you up on that.”

“So what you’re saying is I should ask Sarah and Amelia to leave?” I swallow the lump in my throat.

“What so you can feel like the martyr? If what Oakley thinks is right… that Norine is dead… that means that for six years Sarah has been calling her dead mother a whore…” he rolls his eyes at me, “right…”

“How about you spend time with Oakley, genuinely spend time with her – without some ulterior motive.”

“While she’s with me – spend time with her, help her heal from the mind fuck you’ve put on her.” 

My face I’m sure resembles the shock I feel from his words, “I’m not going to mince words for you Pat. Stop thinking about the whole situation, and focus on what Oakley said that first day, then the second. She loves you, but she hates Sarah more than she loves you. Days before that she said she hates Sarah, but she hates herself more than she hates Sarah. She hates, her eye color… her hair… her face – that she doesn’t look like someone you can love is all she didn’t say but the words were clear.”

My vision blurs, “Oakley’s beautiful, she always was… I just…” Oh god, I groan, my head falling in my hands.

“You fell in love with Norine Williams, Pat. You fell hard and deep for a woman that gave you two children. One your clone, the other – hers. You’re the parent; you do what you have to do for your child. You talk about Norine positively since that is whom Oakley identifies herself with; you talk about her even if it hurts you or Sarah to do so. You deal with that hurt privately but you put Oakley first,” He says but I don’t look up… a few minutes later I hear the door click and I know he’s left me alone with my thoughts. My mistakes.