3 Years

71 - Alterations

Ricky's hands were trembling as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He doesn't remember being this nervous for the first date (definitely still anxious but not by this much).

Nini said that she was going to plan and surprise him this time, so he wasn't sure what to expect, and with his thought process of unwillingly creating a thousand contingency plans though, he was riddled with uneasiness. This is Nini; there is no reason to be nervous. He kept telling himself that until something else entered his mind. This is Nini; that is exactly why I am nervous.

He had plenty of time to compose himself though: he had another couple of hours before he was supposed to meet her, and Nia was out getting groceries, so he couldn't leave until she came back.

He wiped his hands on his pants and patted his pockets to make sure he had everything before leaving and going into the living room where Noah was sitting.

A few minutes later, Nia came through the door with grocery bags hanging from every limb. The two quickly ran to the front door to help her with all the bags. "God, I didn't know you were getting this much," Ricky said.

"Well, we're basically out of food so yeah."

The three of them organized all the food into the refrigerator and cabinets, mostly involving Nia telling them where to put it. "Perfect," she said when it was all finished.

"Great," Ricky said. "So I'm good to go then?"

"Yup."

"Ok, I..." He double-checked his pockets only to discover his phone was missing. "Crap," he mumbled. "I thought I had everything. One minute." He quickly ran back to the bedroom to look for it.

Noah wasn't blind; he could tell his father was nervous about something, and he was dressed up more than usual (as in this was something other than sweats and a long-sleeve t-shirt). He had been ignoring it for the most part since his parents went out often, especially for work in New York, but something told him this time was different. No particular reason for it though.

Being only nine, he didn't quite have the mindset of overthinking just yet (also, other people were always the ones to direct him), so his approach might be rather... blunt. "Hey, Dad?" he asked when he came back.

"Yeah, bud?"

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Oh, um..." Shit, what should I say? He briefly looked at Nia in a panic. "I, um... I'm going out to see some friends." I guess that works.

"Again?" he whined.

"I'm sorry, bubba." Ricky got down on one knee in front of him. "How about this? Tomorrow night is a movie night? You get to pick."

"Ok," he muttered, looking at the ground.

Ricky now felt guilty. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint Noah, especially with what was already weighing on his conscience with the twins, Nini, and his dad. He looked up at Nia with pleading eyes, and she could already tell what he wanted.

"Noah, have a seat, honey," she said, gently guiding him to the couch.

The three go over, and Noah sits between them. "Now, what we're about to tell you has no bearing on our connection as a family," she began. "That is not going to change." Noah only blinked in response, not knowing where this was going.

"N- Noah," Ricky started, feeling the lump in his throat grow. "I- I... have been, uh... s- seeing someone..." The entire English language was leaving his brain.

Noah continued to stare up at him. "What does that mean?"

Ricky breathed deeply, already hating every second of this. Nia was picking at her nail polish. "Noah... I..." Rip the bandaid off quickly. "I have a date tonight."

The boy just stared at his father, completely silent. The parents looked at each other; neither could read his expression. "Noah? Sweetie, what are you thinking about?" Nia gently asked.

Noah said there quietly, gears turning in his head. "So..." Both parents' heads immediately were directed at him; it was the first words he's said in a few minutes. "You... aren't... getting back together?"

Ricky looked at Nia in horror. Fuck, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen. "Noah, we-" Nia began.

"B- But you said things wouldn't change?!" Tears pricked his eyes, and his voice was rising. They could tell he was panicking.

"Noah, listen to us-" Ricky tried.

"How long?" he interrupted.

"Wh- What?"

"How long, Dad?"

Ricky knew what he meant; he knew this tone and feeling all too well. There was no use in keeping it from him anymore. "I don't know. A few weeks," he guessed.

"I- I thought you said nothing would change when we moved?"

"And it won't," Nia insisted. "We are still-"

"How can we be a family if you two split up?!" he yelled. Noah stood up and made a beeline to his room, ignoring the parents' protests entirely and slamming the door. They wondered if any neighbors could hear this.

"Noah? Noah, unlock the door!" Nia called. They knew they could easily unlock it with a screwdriver but weren't going to. He wanted space and needed it.

"That's what I was afraid of," Ricky mumbled, looking at the ground. He began getting flashbacks to when his parents would fight, and he would go slam his door and still be unnoticed, hating that they seldom acknowledged him.

Ricky leaned his back against the wall and slowly slid down until he hit the floor. Nia sat next to him too. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ricky shrugged. "I guess we can only wait for him to come out. That's the only option."

"How long do you think he'll be in there for?"

"I'm not sure. Probably the rest of the day." The two sat there in the hallway, knowing this was not going to blow over as easily as their other discussions have.

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