Page 47 of Scars on my Heart

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"Mom, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, she is to stay in her room the entire night. No TV, no video games, no phone—home or this one. That child needs to learn her lesson. I'm done with this behaviour. This is Valerie coming out in her, and I'll be damned if my daughter is going to act that way."

I shoved her cell phone into the cupboard above the fridge and made my way toward the door.

“She is out of control, and it’s going to stop now.”

"Zach, you need to calm down and take a step back for a moment. You can't go marching over to Iris's this late at night. You'll scare the poor woman. As for Grace, you can’t go stomping around that way either. I agree, she was out of line and can't act like that, but—”

"Mom, please don’t tell me how to raise my child. She has stepped out of line far too many times. Now, please just watch her."

"I’m not trying to tell you how to raise your daughter. However, I also don't want my son racing off like a madman and getting himself hurt in an accident or arrested. What if Iris calls the police?"

"She won't call the police, Mom," I said, grabbing my jacket and keys from the door.“New relationships are hard enough, and I’ll be damned if I am going to let my eleven-year-old daughter dictate who I will and won’t see.”

"You know, Zach, I once recall someone else who was a problem child. Someone who once gave his stepfather grief. Her actions don't make her a bad person. This acting out means she is seeking the attention of someone."

Yes, my sister and I had been a child of divorce, and yes, we had both acted out when Mom started dating again, but we'd done nothing like this. Hell, if we had, neither of us would have sat down for a week.

"Well, seeking attention can be done multiple ways. This is not one of them. This just crossed the line. I will not stand for this behaviour, that much I can assure you. Now please, just watch her.

I headed out the door, slamming it shut behind me and making my way to my truck. I glanced up at the upstairs window to see Grace's light on. I’d never been so angry with her as I was right now, and since I was sure it probably wouldn’t be the last time, I backed out of the driveway and headed to Iris’s place.

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Iris sat on the front porch in a rocking chair. She held a book in her lap, her attention on the page as opposed to my truck that had just pulled up. I was glad about that, as I was sure she would have headed into the house the second she’d seen me. I climbed out of the driver’s seat and shut the door, then made my way up her walkway. I was just about to put my foot on the step when she raised her eyes and met mine.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'd like to have a minute if I could."

Iris closed her book and set it off to the side and then leaned forward, her hands gripping the edge of her rocking chair. "I don’t think that right now is a good idea."

Her voice was sad, and it broke me inside to know that my daughter had caused that.

"How are the boys?"

"They are finally in bed," she muttered. “It took me a while to get them settled. They were so happy about today.”

I nodded. “I’m glad,” I said, hoping that this might just blow over. But when I looked at Iris, her eyes fell, and she just shook her head.

“I just don’t know how to break the news to them. Don’t worry, I will figure it out with time. So, really, feel free to go home. No explanation needed.”

She really didn't want to talk, but there was no way I could let this go on. No way could I leave her to think about all the things Grace had said to her were true. I was about to say something when she stood up and made her way to the far end of the porch and looked over the railing at the gardens below.

I followed her to where she stood and was just about beside her when she brushed past me and headed to the opposite side, doing the same thing there.

I frowned and made my way over to the other side of the porch. When she went to move, I put my arm out, blocking her.

"I just want to talk."

She lifted her eyes to mine, the hurt in them clear as she stared up at me.

"About?"

"Today. What happened?"

"There isn't anything to talk about."

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