Page 60 of Crossroads of Love

She’s stumbling and tripping, running into things as she giggles. Lena stands and stares at her daughter in disbelief.

“Jayla, you can’t leave without telling me.”

Jayla rolls her eyes as she chuffs. “I’m sixteen, and I can do what I want.”

“No, you can’t,” Lena says as she steps forward. “You smell like a brewery. Have you been drinking?”

“No,” Jayla lies, looking down at the floor quickly.

Lena’s face changes from angry to sad and back to angry. She takes a step forward, and I grab her wrist. She glances back at me in disgust. I shake my head.

“Go to your room.”

Jayla stumbles past her. “Of course, he’s still here. Probably didn’t even notice or care that I was gone because you were too busy sucking face with my uncle. Sick, twisted, backwoods…”

“That’s enough,” Lena says.

Jayla is at the top of the steps when she flips her mom off. Lena charges forward, and I grab her arm.

“It’s what she wants. Let it go.”

“Let it go?” she hisses. “Are you kidding me?”

Jayla’s bedroom door slams, and then the house settles into quiet.

I let out a breath and rub the back of my neck. “Well, that was… something.”

Lena sighs, plopping down in a chair. “I’m sorry. It’s all been so hard on her. Aaron wasn’t around a lot, but she adored him. She was a daddy’s girl through and through. She was also a grandpa’s girl as well. She followed Henry around like a shadow since the day she could walk. We knew Henry was sick and that it was coming, but losing both the men she loved and admired in a short amount of time is hard for a teenage girl.”

“I get it,” I reply, taking a seat across from her. “I don’t blame her, but I also won’t let her disrespect you.”

“She just flipped me off.”

“She’s trying to get a rise out of you, and she’s drunk. There’s a time and place.”

“I appreciate that. It’s just…”

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what? You didn’t let me finish.”

“Don’t explain it away. Don’t make excuses for her bad behavior. Yes, she’s dealing with a lot, and she’s also allowed to have her moments and lash out, but she has to learn how to deal with those emotions. If everyone ignores them, then… you’ll repeat history, and she’ll be just like Aaron, Henry, and me.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“When it comes to emotions and communication, yes.” I chuckle sadly.

“She lost her dad and her grandpa. My parents are in Florida, and she’s not close with them. She adores Mike, but he and Tatum have their own children to worry about, and I feel guilty that …”

“You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

“Her dad…”

“You can’t help that he died. You can’t help that Henry was sick, either. You’re doing the best you know how to do as a mother, and that’s all that matters. Jayla knows that. Right now, she’s pushing boundaries to see what she can get away with, and if you brush them off and explain them away, then it will snowball.”

“She’s a good kid and…”

“Lena, I’m not saying she’s not a good kid or that you’re a bad mom. I’m telling you what I know from my experiences. When my mom passed away, I did the same thing as Jay. I wanted attention, and I didn’t care what kind it was. I didn’t know how else to deal with my emotions. It was like my dad and Aaron had moved past losing Mom, and I couldn’t. I didn’t think it was right. Jay is just…she sees us together and thinks that you’ll forget her dad or that she’ll be expected to.”

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