MIDNIGHT BRIDE

Chapter 1: The Chaotic Life Of A Mother Of Three

Chapter 1: The Chaotic Life Of A Mother Of Three

Master Bedroom, The Ackers Residence, 130 E. Chilton Road, Ganton, Texas.....

     The steady beams of an unrelenting sun had burst through the semi-thick beige drapes that lined the large windows of a formerly slumbering Charlotte Ackers' bedroom. It had been something of a disturbing feeling to note that she'd awoken alone in bed for the past eight years since the untimely divorce from her now ex-husband Darreyl Ackers who had taken it upon himself to leave her and their three children behind in a bid to pursue a new life with his younger mistress and their unborn child at the time. None of the mornings had gotten any easier despite her having plenty to do when it came to her three children, the ones her ex-husband had so callously left behind as well when their marriage had come to an end. Miles the eldest had only been eight at the time and the most heartbroken about the split. Derrick was barely old enough to walk but had not been truly affected by the loss of a man who had never been home long enough to make an impact and Kaylee had been an infant. 

Charlotte, known as Lottie to those closest to her had managed to get on quite well juggling work and caring for her young children, her eldest had been sixteen and the most difficult of her children due to still reeling from his heartbreak over the divorce despite his father being remarried with another child, a daughter with his former younger mistress. Derrick had been more settled going out of his way to help and reassure her that he'd been more than happy having her around despite his father's absence. Kaylee, poor Kaylee had not known her father at all, his time not evenly spent between his children as he seemed more interested in his "fresh start" with his youngest daughter than being with his older children. 

Due to this, Charlotte did her best to make up for his absence in spades and as a result, she'd been a lot closer to Kaylee than anyone else aside from her older brothers. It had taken some time for everyone to get used to the divorce, especially Charlotte who had spent a good deal of her youth with her ex-husband and had given him three children as a result of it. 

Not wanting to waste the daylight, she slowly inched her way out of bed, not at all willing to face another chaotic day and long-standing loneliness once she'd done everything on her to-do list and sent the kids off to bed. She supposed that during the daylight hours when her time had been divided and she'd been so busy with the kids and day-to-day responsibilities she never noticed how empty the house felt when her ex-husband had moved out of it. He didn't so much as give her a backward glance when he left his mind much too focused on his new family despite her best efforts to remind him that their children had still been his and that they still needed him no matter what he thought of their former union. 

Going from being a dutiful wife to a single mother hadn't been the worst news, she had heard it through the grapevine that her ex had married the young floozy he'd cheated on her with repeatedly and their new baby had come into the world. Her friends had attempted to cheer her up and convince her she'd been better off but she simply didn't have any time to think about it let alone fully process what had occurred between her and her ex-husband. 

Resolving herself to putting off her warring emotions until she'd had the proper time to deal with them, Charlotte climbed out of bed and ventured from her bedroom and into the long hall briefly stopping to compose herself before facing her warring children who had been causing quite a ruckus downstairs. 

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The Kitchen, The Ackers Residence, 130 E. Chilton Road, Ganton, Texas.....

     Charlotte had happened upon the scene of a rather large mess of spilled milk and knocked-over cereal that littered the center of the floor while her sons Derrick and Miles argued over who had been at fault for the spill in the first place. Kaylee seemed to be observing her brothers and their natural inclination toward being at odds with one another ever since their respective ages. Charlotte moved toward the boys instantly refereeing them as she moved about getting something to clean up the milk before sweeping up the spilled cereal. The boys had been still in their pajamas and Kaylee had been as well standing in the middle of the room while clutching her dollie. It had not been much of a change in terms of life before the divorce as Charlotte's ex-husband had never really been home to assist with the household chores or the children in the first place. 

There had been so much to do and so little time in the day to do it, but this was the standard when it came to a day in the life of Charlotte Ackers. She quickly set to work getting up the milk to ensure the scent of spoiled milk wouldn't be around to greet them when they returned home later in the day. She had both boys get the cereal up before sending them to brush their respective teeth and get dressed for the school day. Kaylee watched her mother work while gripping her dollie. She had admired her mother even when the boys had been a handful and she had taken special care not to add to the burdens already in play. 

Charlotte made short work of the milk spill and took Kaylee by the hand to lead her back upstairs to get ready for the day as well. She had a good deal of outfits that had been cute to wear for her days at school but thankfully, her mother had picked something out the night prior, the same had been true for the boys as they found their respective outfits still ready for them following their mother's efforts the previous night before going to bed. 

As for breakfast, being pressed for time, Charlotte simply came to the conclusion to that fast food just this once was the way to go and a healthy dinner afterward would offset the processed foods they would eat on the way to school. After getting Kaylee dressed and seeing to the boys to ensure another fight didn't break out, Charlotte had gotten herself dressed and presentable enough for people to leave her in peace about her appearance while she saw to getting her children off to school on time. 

The Ackers had headed out the door in record time and filed into the family minivan bound for their various schools and then to the grocery store where Charlotte had to do a bit of shopping in a bid to get ingredients for dinner.