Page 110 of Havoc's Fox
Analise heard a light knock on the front door, but also heard Emmalyn going to answer it, so she tuned it out and focused on Harley. She sighed and scooped up some warm water and bubbles in a large cup she kept in the bathroom to help rinse her own hair free of shampoo, and gently poured it over Harley’s head, smoothing her hand down over the water as it soaked Harley’s hair. “She is the woman that carried you in her belly until you were strong enough to survive on your own. Then she gave birth to you, and gave you to your daddy.”
“So, she was my mother!” Harley asked, tuning up to cry again.
“Harley, I know it’s really hard for you to understand right now, but the only way I know how to explain it is that not everyone who has a baby is a mother. Some people just aren’t meant to be mothers. There is a difference between someone who just has a baby, and someone who loves that baby unconditionally every moment of every day for all of their life. She was definitely not anybody’s mother. But she did give birth to you.”
“I hate her,” Harley said through her tears. “She said she hates me.”
“Baby, she’s been hateful to everyone for as long as I’ve ever known her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t even stop herself from being mean to you and you’re just a little girl.”
“But I didn’t do anything.
“Most of the people she was mean to didn’t do anything.”
“I hate her.”
Analise sat for a few moments pouring warm water over Harley’s shoulders, trying to think of the best way to address this. She didn’t want Harley to hold any bitterness or anger. It would eventually scar her and she didn’t want Marie-Claire’s behavior to have any long-term effect on Harley. “You know what? Some people are just unhappy and want the rest of the world to be unhappy just like them. No matter what you do for them, or give them, they’ll just be more and more angry. So, let’s not be like that. Let’s not be angry like she is. Let’s not hate everybody else because we’re angry inside. Let’s not be like that. Let’s try to be better.”
“How?”
“Maybe instead of hating her, we should be thankful for her. Because without her, we wouldn’t have you. She made mistakes, but she also gave us you. So, we’re going to think of her as someone who gave us a precious gift. And that’s all we’ll think of when we think of her. Nothing else matters because we’ll forget about all of the mean and hateful parts of it all. You’re here, and we needed her to get you here, and that’s why everything happened the way that it did.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I do. I really think so. Let’s make a deal you and me. Let’s never, ever allow angry, hateful people to make us unhappy. Let’s always just be thankful that we’re smarter than that. That we’re stronger than that. The only people that can make us hurt are the ones that we allow to hurt us. So we’re not going to allow anybody or anything to make us sad anymore.”
“Because we’re stronger than that,” Harley said, sniffling, but swiping at her tears with the back of her hand, which didn’t do much to dry them because her hands were wet.
“That’s right.”
“And we have people that love us every minute of every day for all of our lives, like you said,” Harley said confidently.
Havoc stepped into the doorway, his eyes locking with Analise’s when she turned to look at him.
“Yes, we do,” Analise said, pressing her lips together in a straight line in an effort to hold off the tears that threatened.
“Daddy!” Harley shouted, standing up and splashing bubbles and warm water all over the place.
Havoc smiled at his daughter and swept her up in his arms, hugging her and kissing her as he held her tight. “Why is it I’m traipsing around the woods looking for you, and you’re here having this very bubbly bath with Analise?”
“I’m sorry,” Harley said her eyes not meeting his as she remembered she was going to be in trouble for running off and not telling anybody. “I just didn’t want Analise to leave and I didn’t get to tell her goodbye so I just went to tell her goodbye.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now I’m more concerned with you being okay.”
“I’m okay. And I’m warm now. I was cold so Analise made me a bubble bath.”
“With all the bubbles, I think!” Havoc said, scooping up bubbles and plopping them on top of her head.
He kissed Harley’s little face three or four times, then carefully sat her back down in the water. “Thank you, Analise.”
“No thanks needed. I’m just sorry I didn’t find her sooner.”
“Is she gone?” Harley asked, looking up at her daddy. It was clear she was still afraid.
“Yes, me and Aunt Tempest made sure she’s gone and she’s never coming back.”
“Are you sure?” Harley asked.
“Very sure. She’s exactly where she belongs,” Havoc said. “Aunt Tempest made sure of it.”