Simone entered the Russell kitchen. Whitney and TC were already there, back from their morning practice.

“ Hello, Sugarbear. You’re up early.”

” Hi Daddy.”

Simone kissed her father, got some cereal and picked a muffin. She was eating it when she casually spoke up.

” Mom’s back.”

Both Whitney and TC froze in their tracks.

” What did you say?”, Whitney asked.

” I said, Mom is back in Harmony.”

” And, how do you know this?”, TC demanded.

” Because I saw her last night, Daddy.”

” You shouldn’t be around her!”

“ Whitney, she’s my mother.”

” She’s NO GOOD!”

” Whitney is right, I don’t want you seeing her.”

” Daddy, I’m not a child. I know whether or not my mother is good for me. I say she is.”

” I say SHE ISN’T!” TC slammed his fist down on the table. “ Don’t make me take legal steps to prevent it, Simone, because I will.”

” I’m not going to stop seeing my mother just because you’re mad at her. She made a mistake. BIG ONES..who doesn’t! She’s MY mother, and just because there’s no pictures of her in this house, doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist. I thought you should know, because I didn’t want to lie to you. I’m outta here.”

” Where are you going, young lady?”, TC demanded.

” Somewhere that I feel welcome.”, Simone said, on her way out the kitchen.

” Simone, you get back here!”

“ Daddy, don’t.”, Whitney said, pulling TC back down to the table.

“ What if Simone is going to see HER!”

” She won’t listen to you. Daddy, you have to be smart about this. You can’t give ‘that woman’ any ammunition against you. She’ll try and turn Simone against you.”

” She can’t do that!”

” Daddy, she’s a liar. She lied and manipulated you for years. You weren’t a teenaged girl, hungry for a mother. Simone is easy pickings for her. “

” Why doesn’t Simone …”

” See her for what she is? That will take time. Don’t worry, she’ll reveal her true self to Simone in time. You’ll see.” Whitney hugged her father. “ You…you’re still going through with the divorce, right?”

” Of course. The sooner that woman is out of my life, the better.”

” I couldn’t agree more.”
 

Eve opened up the door to her apartment.

” Dr. Russell?”

” Ms. Davis. Thank you. Come on in.”

Eve had already had breakfast catered in thanks to Julian. Alexis sat across from Eve.

“ Well, you’re looking well.”

” Thank you.”

” You’ve been a difficult client.”

” Hard to be a part of things when you’ve had a mental breakdown.”

Alexis nodded. “ So, that’s what happened?”

” Yes. Does it make any difference about you representing me?”

” No. But, I’m wondering if you want that to get around.”

” I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business.”

” Neither do I. So, we have two matters before us – your Medical Review Board hearing and the divorce. Which one do you want to discuss first?”

” The Review Board.”

” Well, your time away has greatly cooled the fires on it. People were being hypocritically outraged when it first happened, but now, I believe we’ll be fine.”

” Julian intimated that he had ‘fixed’ things with the board.”

” If he did, he hasn’t said anything to me. As an Officer of the Court, I can’t know. Yet, I come from a wealthy family Dr. Russell, I know how things get done sometime, and Julian will use his skills to the best of his ability for you.”

” I know that. So, you think I won’t lose my license?”

” I doubt. You will probably be placed on probation, and since I do know that Julian’s been greasing the wheels at Harmony Hospital, I believe you’ll be re-instated there – after a sufficient stint at the Free Clinics of Harmony and other social welfare places in need of medical assistance.”

” I have no problems with that. I’ve been working with Clinics and shelters for years. I get a lot of satisfaction from it. Plus, all I have is time. Getting down the grass roots is exhausting, but fulfilling.”

” Well, I’m glad about that. Now, about the divorce….”

” I don’t want anything but joint custody of my daughter.”

” But, the house, the investments…”

” Ms. Davis, I grew up in squalor. It teaches you a lot of things about life, and one of those things is that you ALWAYS have a ‘rainy day’ fund. Money that my husband has no idea I have. I’ve been investing ever since Alistair was paying for my college and medical school. I have never touched the money, so let’s just say ‘compounding’ is a marvelous word indeed. Understand?”

” Yes.”

“ I want to make it clear. Even though I want joint custody of my daughter, Simone, I want to make sure that she lives with her father.”

” Full-time?”

“ Yes. She can visit me on weekends.”

” I don’t understand. Why?”

” Because a girl needs her father. Especially now when she’s at that age that her first realizations about herself as a sexual being are coming to play. I believe in my absence that Simone has made some poor decisions. It will be easy for TC to blame me – hell, I blame myself. But, no matter what TC thinks about me, I won’t allow him to distance himself from Simone. If I get physical custody of Simone, I think a breach will happen in their relationship that can never be repaired. “

” I understand that, but..”

” Did you grow up with your father, Ms. Davis?”

Alexis paused. “ I did, but didn’t know it.”

” Well, I didn’t, and when you lose your mind, all you have is time. Time to sit and think about the forces that shaped you. Tracing, step by step, the choices that you make, and why you make them. Doing a reverse chronological order….seeing how the beginning affects everything else. Pinpointing magic moments in your life, where there were distinct forks in the road. This is a fork in the road for Simone. And, I’m choosing a relationship with her father. I’ll always love her. I’ll always be her mother, in ways I can’t even explain to her. TC could possibly take it for granted, and I don’t want to see that mistake happen. So, you understand my wishes?”

” Absolutely.”

” Good.”

” Well, I’ll leave you with these papers that I prepared for the Review Board. Just to keep you abreast of the situations that they’ll be basing their decisions upon in a week. But, I’m ready, and I know you will be too.”

” Thank you. Julian says you’re the best.”

” I’m not shabby.”

” Thank you, Ms. Davis.”

” No problem, Dr. Russell.”
 
 

Kay sat in her chair at cooking school. She was in heaven. She and Miguel had spent hours last night, practicing for the exam today. Time just for them – no Charity.

Simone came in and slid in next to Kay. She was smiling.

” Why are you so happy, Simone?”

” My Mom’s back.”

” Really! That’s great.”

” Kay, she loves me. She really does.”

Kay turned Simone so that they were looking face to face. “ Of course, she does, Simone. There was never any doubt in MY mind. I love ya too, Simone. Anything gets rough, you come to me, ya know?”

” I know, Kay. I know.”

They hugged and settled into positions for today’s lecture.