Convincing

Bonding

“Everything okay? You seem tense after that call.” Penelope shook her head and then realized he was a stranger. And while rude to tell people personal information about her friend? She needed perspective.

“When I adopted my son, my mom worried about me having friends. She noticed when I got home, I wasn’t going out. Not because I didn’t have someone that could be with Mateo. But because I didn’t have friends that understood me anymore. I didn’t have him the natural way, and yet I still changed in a tiring and scary way when learning how to be a mom. And it changed me. I grew up and going to clubs and doing things that young, successful, women my age were doing? Seemed so uninteresting.”

And so, her friendship with Harper was perfect.

“My mom introduced me to Harper because she was a single mother like me and she thought we’d get on. And for the most part we do. The kids love spending time together but...I... sometimes it’s hard to be Harper’s friend. It’s like walking on a field full of landmines, and one wrong step?”

You’re either missing a limb or dead.

“Why does she blow up on you?” Romeo asked making her exhale and go to the root of all their petty fights, “Harper had her child the “normal” way. She had the whole rebellious teenage grief spiral after her father was killed in a robbery, he was a cop, and she was wild on her mom. Drinking, drugs, failed out of college. Everything. And she didn’t come from money and her blowing throw her inheritance is something she constantly says she regrets.”

Too late for that now though, the woman was now working hard at Penelope’s boutique part time while also doing a secretary position in a business that worked around her other hours.

“She and her son’s father have a tumultuous relationship.” Romeo didn’t like the sound of that, “Does he abuse her?” Penelope exhaled frustrated, “No...well. He hasn’t hit her if that’s what you mean by abuse but...there’s other ways to abuse someone.”

Like by blaming them for getting pregnant. And yet using that very reason to be apart of her life.

“Scott is a wannabe DJ/musician, and he uses every failed dream or aspiration he goes for and fails at, against her. He says it’s somehow her fault and after, other girls, drugs, and hauling ass leaving Harper to take care of their son alone? He sneaks back around months or a year later. Ready to do it again.”

Not liking the weed or cigarette smelling man who always had a sneer on his face, the handsome bum looked like a burn out.

Recognizing him as the hot you f****d in the dark and then forgot in her opinion, Penelope could admit the blonde wasn’t her type. And if she was on the pitiful, just need a d**k train? She was sure even with ace bandages instead of condoms she’d feel okay with that.

“He’s not going to change and while I try to understand their bond, I can’t keep ignoring how toxic it all is. She doesn’t omit it to herself, but Jacobe doesn’t even like Scott and while the kid knows he’s his father, there’s no attachment there. And Harper keeps trying to force it like it’s her fault but it’s not. It’s Scott’s and he could fix it if he wasn’t such a degenerate bum.”

Only he was one and it showed loud in everything he did.

“He’s probably right now bumming money off of her so he can drive to “gigs” which is just him playing music off his phone in a basement with his friends while they get high. It’s so f*****g beneath her to settle for that.”

But again, she had to understand their bond.

Looking at Mateo collecting shells with Pedro she admitted, “I know I chose to be a mom, and that she became one unexpectedly in the process of grief and dumb youth. But the thing is? I feel I’ve made the same sacrifices and found myself just the same. Putting my son before any and everyone who thinks he’s supposed to be less important than them. I could never.”

Hearing the passion and knowing it came from experience, Romeo then felt he wouldn’t need to ask what went down with her ex. Knowing the asshole had tried to make himself more important than their son and she’d rightfully kicked him to the curb? Made him proud and happy all at the same time.

Looking at her, he was neutral, “I understand their connection, but that sounds horrible.” Penelope keeping her eye on their son now playing with a couple’s little girl made her shake her head as she admitted, “I love Harper, and I’m not bad mouthing her. It’s just...lately it’s been harder being her friend knowing she’ll lash out if I say something she doesn’t like. I can try to be there for her, relate, try to understand but she doesn’t think it’s ever genuine and it hurts my feelings. She thinks I put myself above her and I’d never.”

Only it didn’t matter. Harper felt how she felt and it got uglier by the day.

“She keeps snapping at me every time I tell her not to let Scott sleep over, to not give him that leeway to come and go. I know she doesn’t...well...yeah but it doesn’t matter. He feels being in her life should give him that entitlement and the one time I saw him? Sickened me.”

Because the coercion of, “I thought you forgave me?” to “don’t you want to work this out for Jacobe?” had sounded straight out a narcissist handbook. And she’d been triggered just hearing the red flags.

From that, to how he reacted when he heard she had friends.

“Harper used him after her dad’s death to feel alive and now she feels almost like she robbed him of being happy. Which is so stupid because he was no better off when they got together, just a better liar.”

Having not seen the fact he was a homeless couch surfer, the drifting individual that had went through life guideless? Still didn’t have his s**t together five years later and was now? Blaming the mother of his child for it so she’d feel guilty enough to put up with more than she deserved.

“I can’t keep being a good friend and biting my tongue every time he does something I know is awful. But she’ll want me to pretend it’s not happening because she’ll be embarrassed. And she’ll want to pretend it’s not happening. She can’t if I’m yelling how f****d up it is.”

Which is where Romeo told her something honestly, “My dad cheated on my mom through out their entire marriage.”

Looking at him shocked, Romeo nodded as he looked at his son, “I found out when I was sixteen and it didn’t do anything but make me realize the truth. My dad and mom were only married because their parents had arranged it but he claimed he’d never loved her. Only felt happy with her for a time before he was right back missing his “true love”.”

And sleeping with her.

“My dad had two lives, two wives, and while he only had me with my mom, he has two other children by his second wife.”

Having divorced his mother by the time Romeo was eighteen, the man hadn’t been home in a year so it hadn’t done anything but solidified what he’d already done.

“My mom avoided the truth of my father’s lies and disrespect because she wanted to believe he’d love her one day. But he never did and he was...he was cruel about it. Crueler than she deserved.”

Because Serina Mainichi wasn’t an awful bitchy woman who he had gotten trapped by. She’d been a sweet girl who grew into a sweet woman who had just been trying to make their marriage work. Until he told her he hated everything about her.

“My mom hurt and spiraled at first but, I think her rock bottom was seeing him so f*****g happy and actually being a husband to her that he never was to her? It hurt her and I didn’t even recognize my mom after but...it helped her let him go. And she’s been better off since.”

Having met her second husband Keiran Leiland in New Orleans while traveling, the man was a winner. He had his own money and spoiled his wife with everything he had, and with both having come from strained first marriages? Both seemed to enjoy the ease of their second knowing why their first ones crashed and burned.

Both enjoying their children and grandchildren, it was in between Keiran waited on Serina hand and foot without a blink. More of a father to him than his own, Romeo could admit he loved the man and called him dad.

And while it took a minute? It felt like life had been set right with the truth. No matter how it hurt.

“I say that to say, I saw my mom blind and tried to tell her what I saw. It made her lash out at me too because it was easier to be mad at the innocent party than the guilty. I removed myself out of their relationship and let her figure it out and when she did, I was still a bystander to it all. Her pain, her anger, her confusion as she picked back up her life and figured it out in that new chapter.”

But eventually he became a person to her again that was going through things and changes with her. And after all the dust settled and they managed to come out fine? They had come to terms with their pains and relationship in a healthy way in therapy. Now things couldn’t be better.

Even if she was too gun shy about the idea of being remarried that she’s “hidden” her boyfriend of almost a decade.

“Harper will need to figure it out for herself Penelope.” He said looking still at Mateo, “And until she does? Maybe just...give her space. Don’t pull out of her life, check in and make sure things haven’t gotten dangerous. But don’t engage with advice or “help” because it’ll be looked at as pity. Just be there for her at a distance in case she needs the help and says it. Until then? Let her learn.”