AN: This story is going to wrap up soon, a bit shorter than I planned, so sorry about that. I believe for the published version, I'll expand the earlier part, maybe develop Kylie's character a bit more, and the gay couple Jeff and Goldie visited with the girls at Halloween.
Anyway, a few more chapters, okay?

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Goldie stared at Kylie as she waited at the curb, presumably for an Uber.

Long legs emerged from the bottom of her coat, and Goldie could see four or five inches of thigh, clad in denim, before they disappeared into fashionable, high-heeled leather boots. She had her hood up, so her lovely face was framed by the fur trim, and a $3,000 Kate Spade bag hung casually from her shoulder.

Goldie turned and began the long walk back, debating whether or not she should call an Uber for herself. She had no idea what time it was, and she was getting cold; however, she decided the walk would do her good, and she headed uptown.

Goldie looked down at her sneakers and sweatpants. She didn't even own high heeled boots. Her boots were actual boots, thick, blunt, serviceable. Even her hoodie was huge, loose and comfortable, covering her butt, which she always felt was a little too big.

She shook her head as she walked. Jeff liked her this way, loved her even, it was stupid to compare herself to other people.

Correction.

Jeff had loved her. But no more.

No more nights with him, watching movies and cuddling. No more making love in the big bathtub after the girls were asleep. No more sweet smelling babies, no more joy in watching them grow and learn. No more anything that mattered.

Goldie sniffed her running nose, wishing she had a tissue.

After she got back to her room, she changed into her pajamas and picked up her phone, taking a deep breath.

"Hi Mom. Can I come and stay with you for a while?"

*******

The weather deteriorated as she drove, and Goldie couldn't help but remember the last time she'd made this trip, just a few short months ago. She'd been so happy then, happy to be traveling to see her parents, happy to be with Jeff and the girls, just happy.

The weather had been nice for that trip, Goldie remembered that snow had begun to fall just as they reached Old Forge. The day had sparkled for them.

Today the sky was ominous dark gray, and Goldie had to pull over more than once to grimly scrape icy snow from the windows of her rented car so she could see better.

The snow was coming down heavy, sometimes turning to sleety rain, which suited her mood just fine. She would cry from time to time as she drove, huffing out tearful breaths in between wiping her eyes and nose. She felt queasy, also, and realized she'd forgotten to eat breakfast.

She found a drive-thru and got herself some fast food, which she ate as she drove, keeping well under the speed limit due to the state of the roads. She forced herself to finish her burger, even though she didn't want it. She washed it down with huge gulps of soda, which she also didn't want, hoping the carbonation would settle her stomach.

She was still about two hours from Old Forge, and the weather had worsened considerably, if that was possible. Goldie seemed to be the only person traveling that day. Everyone else had obviously known about the storm and stayed off the road, which would be the sensible thing to do.

Goldie passed a motel, and considered just pulling in and waiting another day to get to her parents', but she didn't want to. She was unhappy and upset and probably getting sick to boot, and she wanted her mother, dammit.

She coaxed her car through the horrible weather, determined to make it to Old Forge that afternoon, trying to keep her mind off of Jeff and the girls, and her growing feeling of malaise.

Suddenly she pulled over, opening her car door and leaning out into the storm to throw up her burger and soda. She heaved and retched until it was all up, grateful she'd managed not to do it in the car.

Goldie sat back, eyes closed. She wondered if she were running a fever also. That would just put the cherry on this miserable day, wouldn't it?

When she felt marginally better, Goldie put the car in gear and continued gamely on her way. She finally arrived at her parents' house nearly three hours later. She saw the curtains in the front window twitch, and she knew her mother had been standing there, looking out into the yard, watching for her.

Sure enough, the front door opened before she'd even pulled all the way up, and her mother and father stood together in the doorway, concern etched on their faces.

Her dad came to help when he saw her lifting her bags out of the back, and they quickly made their way back to the house.

"I'm so glad you made it!" her mother said, hugging her. "Why did you have to come today, in such terrible weather?"

"Mom, let me go to the bathroom and relax for a sec, I'll tell you everything, okay?"

Her mother nodded. "I'll put the kettle on."

Goldie used the bathroom, then looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she washed her hands.

"You look like shit," she said to herself. She had circles under her eyes and was almost blue pale, probably from the throwing up on the roadside.

When they were all seated in the cozy living room, dogs at their feet, her father asked, "So? What in the world is going on?"

Goldie took a deep breath to answer, then happened to see the safety covers on the electrical outlet from when they'd visited at Thanksgiving, and burst into tears instead.

"Oh my god, Goldie, what's the matter?" Her mother put an arm around her, drawing her close.

"Mom, it's such a mess! Jeff wants an annulment, he never wants to see me again—" Goldie broke off, unable to continue.

"Is this something you'd rather discuss with just your mom?" her father asked, placing a hand on Goldie's knee.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay, dad, it's nothing like that."

"Why? Why does he want an annulment?" her mother asked. "What's happened?"

So Goldie told her parents everything, watching the looks on their faces change from disbelief to horror to acceptance as she went through the tale, from her job for Griffen to the last, horrible day at Jeff's, when he told her to get out. She watched their faces for disapproval, which would've killed her, but thankfully didn't see it.

"And to top everything off, I think I'm getting sick," she concluded.

In the time honored gesture of moms since forever, her mother placed her hand on Goldie's forehead. Her father rose and left the room, and Goldie knew her parents well enough to know that he was going for the thermometer and some pain reliever.

"You do feel a little warm, but not too bad," she said, cupping Goldie's pale cheek. "You do look a little peaked, though. Did you eat anything today?"

Goldie told her about getting sick on the road, and her father, who'd deposited a thermometer and a bottle of pills next to Goldie's mother, left the room again, this time to prepare some chicken soup for her, she knew. She accepted the tablets from her mom and swallowed them with some tea, then took her temperature.

"See, barely a temperature," she told her daughter. "Still, it's elevated, so off to bed with you. We'll bring the soup up in a bit."

"But mom, I just got here," Goldie protested. "I want to stay down here with you guys. I don't want to be alone right now," she admitted.

"Well, there's no reason you can't rest on the sofa, I suppose," her mother said. "You're right, we'll get you all cozy right here in a bit, how's that sound?"

It sounded like a slice of heaven to Goldie. She took her shoes off and put her legs up as her mother covered her with a home made afghan.

"I'll check on dad and the soup," her mother said as she rose.

"Mom?" Goldie stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Do you think less of me? Do you think dad does?"

Her mother leaned in and kissed Goldie's forehead before shaking her head. "No, dear, I don't, and I'm sure dad doesn't either. You felt you had a responsibility to finish your assignment, I suppose."

Her father entered with some chicken soup in a mug and handed it to Goldie before taking a seat.

"You can be blamed for having spectacularly bad judgement," he said with a wry grin. "How could you possibly have thought you could extricate yourself from such a mess without Jeff finding out?"

Goldie shrugged. "Things would've been okay, I think, if the babies hadn't been so smart and recognized the Velasquezes."

"My daughter, ever the optimist," her mother said, brushing Goldie's hair back fondly. "I'm sure he'll reconsider."

"You really think so, or are you just trying to make me feel better?" Goldie asked suspiciously as she sipped her soup.

"I saw how happy he was at Thanksgiving, and at your beautiful wedding," her mother responded. "I don't think he knows how to be happy without you."

Goldie sighed and leaned back. It was nice to be fussed over by her mother and father, she reflected. She was lucky she had this home to return to when things got bad.

Her mother sat and picked up some knitting she was working on, and the three of them chatted away the afternoon, keeping to safe topics, avoiding all mention of Jeff or the girls.