Page 5 of The Pursuit of Her Happiness

“Keenan hid all the kitchen knives after I threatened to castrate Ford the Fricker.”

I chuckle at Audrey’s ferocious kitten rant. “Is that an official title?”

“Yes!” she screams, then shyly glances around the playground area of the fast-food joint we’re at with the kids. “Grr. I’m so mad at him! I won’t even acknowledge him.” I try really hard not to laughatAudrey, but she makes it difficult. “Stop it!” She throws a fry at me. “I’m intimidating! And vicious! And my silent treatment is legendary!”

I pat her head, “Yes, it is.”

“Biotch. Don’t use that voice on me, I ain’t a puppy!”

“Nope, you’re a kitten.” Sammy, her nephew turned adopted son, slides up to the table, sweaty and out of breath to take another chicken nugget. “Pops is always talking about you being a pussy cat—”

“Go play!” Audrey turns every shade imaginable, practically screeching at the poor boy.

I rest my hand on his slender shoulder, “It’s ok, buddy, mumzie’s blood sugar is low and she’s not handling it well.”

“Oh. Ok.” He shrugs and runs off to find my youngest, Enzo in the big plastic tube thingy. I love how quickly children rebound.And though I know Sammy is in therapy for a most unfortunate series of events resulting in the death of his father and his mother going AWOL, he’s fairly well adjusted. And Enzo’s best friend, so I might be a little biased about the dude.

“My blood sugar is fine,” Aud hisses. “I don’t have thediabeetus.”

“I know. But now he’s gonna be all worried and nag you about eating and I’m going to enjoy it.”

“You’re evil.”

“Sometimes. I’m too busy to explore its potential full-time.”

“Wait! I got sidetracked.” Audrey puts down her drink too hard and some of it shoots up the straw and lands on the table. After we giggle like little kids, she leans across the table. “Everyone. Absolutely everyone is making Ford the Fricker their biotch. It is glorious to witness. Betty had him clean out the kitchen the other day, pulled everything out of the cabinets and drawers, scrubbed it down, put new shelf paper in it, and painted.”

“That sounds tedious, but not that bad.” I was kind of secretly hoping for something a little more demoralizing. What? I never claimed to be a saint.

Audrey’s lips curl into a sinister smile and I’m a little impressed. “Three times.”

“What?”

“He did it all. She tsked, said she didn’t like the color. Told him to rip it all out, including the shelf paper and redo it with another color scheme. Next day, had him do it again. He was huffing and puffing but never said a word to the first lady.”

“I really like Betty.”

“Me too.” Audrey pulls out her phone, and scrolls to some pictures, “And she’s a hell of an interior decorator, look at this backsplash she had him put in.”

We ooh and aww over the new kitchen like the sad adults we are until the boys collapse on the floor when they’re ready to leave. Even Marco, who at 12 is too cool for anything, is sweaty and gross and smiling happily. I send all four boys to the bathroom as Audrey and I clean up our mess. Is all this from us? Geez, we’re slobs.

“I’m so angry, Quinn. For you. And because I wasn’t there to defend you.” Audrey lowers her voice, her back to the entrance to the play area. “I know Ford got a righteous beatdown. Langley did not take kindly to what Ford said about Chastity. But from what I understand, Polk went berserk like a pit bull. I didn’t know the guy had any other setting besides labrador.” I smile at her joke, but it’s hard to imagine Polk or anyone standing up for me like that. Especially against one of their own. “Do you still love him?”

I give her question serious consideration. And then answer easily, “No. I never did. The idea of being in a relationship again, being with someone who loved my boys the way they deserved, it all got jumbled up in my brain and heart. But honestly, Ford was never meant to be mine like that.” Believe me, I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last few months.

“Ugh. How are you always so rational and logical about it? Makes me sick.”

Chuckling, I grab the last bit from the table and throw it away, “My life has been…trying, Audrey. I learned early on to let things go. Not for the people who have hurt me, but for myself. I cannot and will not take responsibility for other people’s happiness. It’sa choice. Every day I’m choosing to find the joy. I said my piece to Ford. He said his. My expectations realigned and I moved on.”

Audrey stares at me like I’ve suddenly sprouted another head. “You are inhuman.”

“Eh.”

Aud gets a gleam in her eyes, “But the dating sucks?”

I drop dramatically into the booth once more, hand over my eyes, “Oh, good God, does it suck!”

“So, you won’t be calling Big Sturgill?”

---