Page 130 of Summer Breakdown
Marcel rests his forehead against the table. “Two of you in the house is so unfair.”
Frankie cackles, and Jasmine feels it more than she hears it.
“I’d like a Frankie poster in my room,” Lani says. Frankie winks at her, and Lani pushes her bowl away, her elbows on the table and her fingers crossed like a tiny manager. “Are you feeling better now? Mama said you were sick.”
Frankie takes a deep breath, rubbing her thumb over Jasmine’s hand. “Yeah, I’m getting better. Um, I might get sick again. Not soon, but perhaps.”
Lani’s head tilts to the side. “Why?”
“I’m bipolar,” Frankie says calmly. “It’s a mental illness, so it happens in my brain.”
“Where you have a split personality?” Marcel asks. He places his phone screen side down. It’s serious.
“Not quite. There’s not two of me in here, though sometimes it feels like it.”
“I would like there to be two of you,” Lani replies. Frankie smiles, and Jasmine taps her foot with her own.
“I take pills to help it. So, most of the time, I’m okay.”
“Like I do for my legs?”
“Yeah,” Frankie replies. “You know how you take them but sometimes they still ache a little?”
Lani nods, and Marcel looks at the table.
“Kind of like that. I’m not in pain, but I do get very sad.”
Lani gets off her chair, like Jasmine thought she would, and climbs into Frankie’s lap.
“I can help with that.”
“You can?”
Lani nods, then kisses Frankie’s face until she’s laughing. “And I can make you some drawings. Marcy is good at cheering up. Mama’s the best at it, and she’d help because she loves you,” Lani says.
Frankie hums. “You’re the sweetest. Sometimes I’ll be sad even if you do all of that. But I’ll still love you the most.”
“That’s okay,” Lani says, her fingers against the short hair on Frankie’s head. She rubs her hands back and forwards. “You can have the sofa to yourself if you’re sad. Marcy and I can make you beans on toast.” Frankie smiles, and Jasmine has never loved Lani more. And it’s hard.
“Marc?” Jasmine asks. She loves him too.
He looks up, chewing on his lip. “Do you talk to someone about it?”
“Yeah,” Frankie replies. “I’ve had a therapist since I was your age.”
He hums. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re good most of the time. You can be sad here. You don’t have to go to your house. We like it when you’re here. It feels like something’s missing when you’re not.”
Jasmine was always worried about how the kids would take a new adult. She reads the horror stories about them lashing out because they miss their dad. Jasmine got so unreasonably lucky.
Frankie smiles. “I like being here too.”
Jasmine wonders how long it will take for her to ask to move in. Maybe she’ll realise she doesn’t need to ask. They all want her to stay.
He chews on his lip. “Sometimes I’m sad for no reason.”
Jasmine takes a breath, and Frankie holds on to her hand while Lani spins in her lap. “Ezra told me to talk to you about it, but I got nervous.”
“You talk to Ezra a lot?” Jasmine asks. She knows Marcel talks to him. Ezra told her. He said he’d only tell her if he was in danger. Otherwise, he’ll keep it to himself.
