Martine - Part 6

source

In case you missed the first part of Martine, click here to catch up.

James found Martine in the kitchen washing the last of the dishes. Her back was to him but he could tell that she was conflicted. The muscles in her back were tense and every now and then she would reach up to massage her shoulders.

"It didn't go well, did it?" he asked, coming up behind her, massaging her tense shoulders.

"I explained why I couldn't keep him, but all he would say is he needed me," Martine sighed. "Why can't he see that it was better that he lived with the Bouviers?" she turned to her husband for an answer.

"Was it really better, Martine?"

"Yes! Look at him, he came out to be a good, young man. I don't think I could have done such a good job on my own," Martine replied.

"Martine, you know your side of this, but have you ever tried to see his? Tell me, were there a lot of black people in your little town?" James asked sitting on one of the kitchen stools.

"Well, no, just a handful," Martine answered.

"And how many biracial people lived there?" James continued.

"Actually, none when I lived there," she said, sitting down next to her husband.

"Don't you think that being the only biracial kid in town would be hard? It would be difficult, especially if both parents are white. To everyone, Alain would be a black kid, but at home there was no one he could identify with as black. Half of him is black, but the world sees him as black, but he had no one to teach him how to be black. I'm sorry, Martine, I'm just trying to see his side and I got carried away." James had noticed that Martine had become very quiet.

"No, no, James, what you said makes sense. I guess I never thought about that aspect. Now, I think about it, he must be as frustrated as I am. We are both saying our sides but not listening to the other side," Martine shook her head.

"So where do we go from here?" James asked getting up and pulling her into his arms.

"I think we have to meet and talk again."

"What happens after that, what will come of this reunion?" he yawned his question, letting Martine go and making his way out of the kitchen.

"I'm leaving that up to Alain, if he wants me in his life, I will be there, maybe catch up on all this lost time," Martine turned off the lights and followed James to their bedroom.

"Well, whichever way things go, I will support you. Plus I like Alain, he has a solid head on his shoulders. Should we tell the girls?"

"No, not yet, I want to wait until I know what Alain wants. I don't want to raise the girls hopes about having a new brother and then crush them if he doesn't want to be in our lives," Martine said, changing in her night gown and crawling into bed.

As soon as she laid down, Martine felt fatigue take over her body. By the time James climbed into bed, she was half asleep. "My next class with him is on Friday, I'll talk to him then," Martine mumbled just before falling asleep.

Thanks for the sixth installment of Martine, I hope you enjoyed the story so far. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Come back next Friday for Part 7 of Martine.