Page 78 of Landon & Shay: Part One

“What’s going on?” I repeated, cutting her off.

Mima smiled my way, the saddest smile I’d ever seen. I hadn’t had a clue that Mima had the ability to give sad smiles. That was enough to break my heart.

“We’ve all decided it might be best if I move into my own place. I’m going to be staying in a small apartment down the way.”

What? No.“You can’t leave. This is your home. We are your home,” I choked out, feeling my body began to tremble. Mima couldn’t leave us. She was the key to the strength of our household. She was the anchor that kept us grounded, and without her there…

We’ll collapse.

“Mima, no. Put your stuff away. This is silly,” I argued, moving over to her suitcases. “This is your home. You can’t go.”

“Shay—” Mom cut in, but I snapped at her.

“Is this because of Dad?” I barked, my chest feeling as if it were on fire. “Is this because of him? If so, he should be the one to go. I smelled it, too, Mom. I smelled the alcohol on his breath. I bet you did too, didn’t you? And did he ever explain how he could afford those earrings? Mom, he lied. He lied to us, not Mima. He should be gone, not her,” I said, my voice shaky with anger. How was this happening? How was my grandmother the one being pushed out when my father was the liar?

This isn’t right.

“Shay, please understand,” Mom said, her eyes watering over. “This wasn’t an easy decision.”

“It’s not a decision at all, because she’s not leaving. Tell her, Mima,” I begged, shifting my stare to my grandmother. Her eyes were watery too, which broke my heart even more. Mima was strong. She didn’t cry. She didn’t break. She was our strength.

She sniffled and stood up straight. “It’s for the best, Shannon Sofia.”

Shannon Sofia.

She’d used my whole name, which meant her words were written in stone.

She was really going to do it. She was going to walk out the front door and leave because of my drunken father and his lies.

How was this right? How was this fair?

“She’s been there for us when he couldn’t be, Mom. How can you do this?”

Mom began crying and left the room as if it was too much for her to handle. If it was too much, why was she allowing it to happen?

“I’ll go with you, Mima,” I promised. She shouldn’t have to be alone. She shouldn’t have to walk out that front door on her own.

“No. You’ll stay here. It’s what’s right. You need to be here at home.”

“This isn’t a home without you. You are my home,” I whispered as the tears began falling down my cheeks. I rushed over to her and wrapped my arms tightly around her body. “Please, Mima. Please don’t leave me here with him. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t watch him pull her down and break her again.”

She held me so tight.

So. Very. Tight.

“Sé valiente, mi amor,” she whispered.Be brave, my love. “Sé fuerte.”Be strong. “Sé amable.”Be kind. “Y quédate.”And stay. “Be here for your mother. She needs you, Shay. More than you’ll ever know, she needs you. Don’t make this harder for her.”

“I don’t understand. Why is she like this? Why is she so weak for him? I hate him. I hate him so much, but I hate her more for loving him. I hate them both for taking you away from me.”

“No, no, no,” she scolded, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Don’t ever speak so ill of your mother. She has been through more wars than you’ll ever know. You have no clue the things she’s done to protect you, to be there for you.”

“The best thing she could do for me is to leave my father.”

“Oh, honey…” Her voice dropped and she shook her head. “I’m sorry this is so hard on you. It’s hard on me, too. It’s sitting heavy on my heart.”

It was becoming hard to breathe, and my heart was twisting into a knot more and more as reality set in. She was going to go. She was going to leave me. I pulled her in for another hug. “Mima…” I sobbed against her blouse. She didn’t cry, though. Mima never fell apart; she simply held others together. “Please let me go with you, Mima. Please. I can’t do this without you.”

“You’re not without me, Shay. I won’t be far, but your mother? She can’t do this without you being here. That’s the truest truth. Be easy on her heart. Be easy on her soul—it’s broken and raw. You’re the only daylight she has right now. So please…stay.”

---