Free Maggie's Turn by Deanna Lynn Sletten

help it when a laugh escaped her lips.
    "What are you laughing about?" Andrew demanded. "Did you hear me? She pierced her eyebrow. The one thing you told her she couldn't do."
    Maggie couldn't help herself. More laughter escaped from her at Andrew's indignant tone. Even through the airways, she could tell that Andrew was fuming at her. Finally, she calmed down enough to reply. "Honestly, Andrew. If the worst things Kaia ever does in her teen years are skipping two days of school and piercing her eyebrow, then I consider us lucky."
    "What kind of attitude is that?" he insisted. "Don't you even care what the kids do anymore?"
    Maggie sobered a bit. Of course she cared about the kids, but what Kaia had done wasn't the end of the world. "You know I care about the kids. After all, I've been the one taking care of their every need and want these past nineteen years. But to tell you the truth, Kaia piercing her eyebrow isn't that earth shattering. If that's really what she wants, then fine. It's over and done with. Ground her for skipping school and start driving her there yourself, and you'll solve the problem of her ditching. Maybe, if you spend more time with her and Kyle, you'll find out that they're actually really good kids."
    On the other end of the line Andrew sat quiet for several moments. Finally, he said, "What has gotten into you, Maggie? First, you leave without telling anyone, then you act like what the kids do is no big deal. You aren't the same person you were only a few days ago. What exactly is going on with you?"
    Maggie sat down on the bed and thought carefully about what Andrew had just asked. "You know what, Andrew? You're right. I'm not the same person I was only a few days ago. You know why? Because somewhere along the way, I lost the person I started out being. I became what you wanted me to become and what the kids wanted me to become. And I lost me. You know what has gotten into me? My true self. For the first time in almost twenty years, I'm finally back to being my real self, and I'm enjoying it."
    Andrew sighed dramatically. "Is this about finding yourself, Maggie? Are you having some sort of midlife crisis? What the hell is this all about?"
    "You can call it whatever you wish because I don't care what you think. I'm feeling good about myself for the first time in years, and I'm going to enjoy it. You had your fling. Now, it's my turn to have mine." Maggie hadn't meant to bring up his affair like that, but it just came out. Who was he to ridicule her for having a midlife crisis? At least she wasn't sleeping with someone while the whole town watched and whispered about it.
    "It always comes down to that, doesn't it, Maggie?"
    "Maybe it does, Andrew. Maybe it does." Maggie clicked the button and ended the call.
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Andrew sat on his bed later that evening, thinking about how the day had played out. As soon as Maggie had hung up on him, Kaia asked him in a small voice, sounding contrite, "What did Mom say?" He really didn't know how to answer her. From what he'd gathered, Maggie could care less that her daughter had pierced her eyebrow, so what was he supposed to do about it? He felt useless and inadequate, and he hated feeling that way.
    In the end, he'd quietly told Kaia to go to her room and do her homework while he made dinner, and they'd talk later. But he never did talk with her. They'd eaten dinner in silence, and she'd gone off to her room again while he washed the dishes.
    Kyle didn't come home until after nine o'clock again, but Andrew was too distracted to say anything. "One problem at a time," he'd told himself. After all, Maggie was right. Kyle was old enough to have a little freedom. The fact that Andrew thought she was right was very hard for him to swallow. In fact, it had made him angry all over again.
    Sitting on his bed, he decided he needed help if he was going to have to drive Kaia back and forth to school. He picked up his phone and called his mother's house. He