"Don't you have to have a stable career to take a child into your care?"
           "Either that, or you have to be taking the child from a potentially dangerous situation.", Savvy answered.
           Savannah and Julia were talking, and I was just sitting here digesting information.
           My mother was a hopeless romantic. She ran away to the south just to be with a boy who would later cheat on her and beat her first child. She thought life was a Shakespeare play. She was sadly mistaken.
          I understand love or whatever, but she had just met dad and claimed to be in love with him. I've never believed in love at first sight. I just believe in naivety. And yes my mother was horribly naive. Following a guy she barely knows and yet "loves" all the way to Georgia. Leaving her twin sister who had been her best friend all her life behind.
          "So, how is Diane?", Julia asked me. Boy wouldn't she like to know.
          "Absolutely miserable.", I answer.
          "Well, what's wrong?", she replied. She sounded so concerned. So concerned for the sister that left her all alone.
          "Everything is wrong, Julia.", I put my head in my hands, "Dad, Jack, yes the same Jack who was so madly in love with her, is cheating on her. She just had a baby who she had to give up and her only other child had to go away as well. Now she is left alone with Jack who is a terribly volatile alcoholic, and has to smile and pretend everything's alright. Everything in her life has gone to shit. Everything is wrong." I have started to cry. I shouldn't have left my mother. I should have begged her more to come with us. Why didn't I try just a little harder. Maybe just a little more pushing and she would have cracked.
          "And the worst part is," I continued, "She loves him. She loves that sick and twisted excuse for a husband. She's still hanging on to the same love she tried to kill herself for."
          Everyone was silent. Savannah hates silence in conversation, but even she was quiet. The air was stagnant with tension and no one dared look at one another. Finally, Julia piped up.
          "They- they were just cholesterol pills. They weren't going to kill her."
           "Julia," I said evenly, "We all know that's not the problem. The problem is that she wanted to die."
.................................................................
          It's ten thirty. Everyone is asleep. Savannah in the guest room bed, Ria in the crib Julia bought earlier. Julia is in her room. I am in the bathroom, so not to wake anyone.
          I took out my phone and dialed the new number. It took two rings for my mother to pick up.
          "Hello?"
          "Mom? It's me, Serena."
          "Hey."
          "Give me the rest of the story."
          "Pardon me?"
          "Julia could only tell me up to when you stepped on that train bound for Georgia."
          "Oh, by the way, how is Julia?"
          "She's great, but you're changing the subject."
           "Is it wrong to want to know how my twin sister is doing?"
           "Mom."
           "Okay, okay."
          Diane stepped onto the train and she and Jack took their seats. She looked at her sister's face one last time before the train left. She began to doubt whether she had made the right choice, but it was already too late. The train doors were closed and they were beginning to depart.
          The ride to Atlanta was a long one, but not a boring one. It was filled by conversation with Jack. They talked about how they were going to get married someday. They were going to have a cute little house with a picket fence. They were going to have three kids and a golden retriever. Diane was going to have a garden where she would grow vegetables for salads.
          They talked and talked until eventually the train finally reached Atlanta. The sun was already three quarters into its journey across the sky by then.
          "You ready?", Jack asked her.
Ready as I'll ever be, she thought. She just nodded and smiled at him.
          "His eyes were so bright. A dreamer your father was. He was one of those people that you could tell he had big plans by just looking at him.", mom said.
           They got off the train and exited the train station.
          "I know it's not Manhattan, but this is the closest we've got here in Georgia.", Jack said to her.
          Diane looked around. Atlanta reminded her of a smaller New York with nicer people and less traffic.
          "The only difference is that you're here, not Manhattan. And that makes it one hundred percent better.", Diane replied. They smiled at each other. Diane then realized that she had made the right decision. She was going to marry Jack and the were going to live a long, happy life in their picket fence house.
            So they walked to the bus station, hand in hand and Jack bought tickets to the small town where Jack lived.
          When they arrived, they headed to Jack's home. He was still living with his parents, but he assured Diane that that wouldn't be a problem.
          They walked into the house and were greeted warmly. His parents were so happy to see him return safely from up north, and they were glad to see that he found a lady.
          "According to his parents your father was a bit of an introvert. He had never even really talked to a girl outside of his family before me.", my mother told me.
           So Diane was to stay in the Thomas household until Jack made enough money to buy them a place of their own.
          The first night is where things began to go a little bad. They were having dinner and getting to know each other.
          "So what church did you go to up north, Diane?", Mrs. Thomas asked her. Diane didn't even hesitate.
          "Oh, just a small establishment called New Life Church of Jesus Christ. Or just New Life for short.", she responded. Diane was a bit of an actress so the lying part was easy. And she understood that pausing for even a moment would blow her whole cover. Of course Diane didn't believe in God. Now she would have to fake her way through church service every Sunday for the rest of her life.
           "So lemme get this straight," I interrupted, "You don't believe in God and all the church speeches and the Ten Commandments lectures and the holier-than-thou attitude was all an act?"
          "Yes. I had no choice. His family was not going to let him be with an Athiest and I did not ride a train all the way from Brooklyn to Georgia just to be told I couldn't be with him. Again.", she answered.
          So Diane kept up her act and life was pretty good. The Thomases had taken a liking to her. They were kind people and took her in like family. And soon she would be.
          One night, about a year after Diane had arrived, Jack took her out to the nicest restaurant in town, which was admittedly not that nice, but it's the thought that counts, right?
          So they were ate and talked. Diane had never been so in love with Jack and she could tell he felt the same way. After the meal was over he said he had something to ask her.
           "Shoot.", she replied. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a black, velvety box. The box was small. Small enough for............Jack got down on one knee.
          "Diane. You are my first love and I want to spend every second of the rest of my life with you. But in order to do that one thing has to happen. Will you marry me?"
           "I remember being so surprised and so happy. In that moment I could see our picket fence house. I could hear the happy barks of our golden retriever. I could feel the love of our three kids.", she said to me.
          So they were engaged. That night they came home with the news and everyone rejoiced.
            They were married a month later. Jack bought a house. There was no picket fence and they didn't get a dog, but Diane had a garden and they were happy. Really, really happy.
            Then two years later Diane noticed some changes. She wasn't getting her monthly bleeding and she began to feel ill in the mornings. One day she decided to take the test and she found out she was pregnant. She couldn't wait to tell Jack.
          When he got home later that day she shared with him the news.
          "That's wonderful, Diane!", he exclaimed with a smile. He lifted her and spun her around.
          "He was so excited for you," mom said, "He made sure I got good nutrition so that you would too. He made sure that nothing stressed me out because everyone knows that stress is bad for developing children."
          Nine months later the day finally came. Jack drove Diane to the hospital, going eighty in a fifty mile per hour zone.
          "Slow down, Jack!", Diane cried.
          Jack eased up on the pedal, but only a little.
           At last they arrived at the hospital and Diane was rushed into the delivery room.
          After eight hours of painful labor, the baby was finally out. She was absolutely precious.
          She had curly brown hair with blonde mixed in, light brown skin, and green eyes. She cried a lot, but what else could be expected from a baby?
          "What's her name?", asked a nurse.
          Diane smiled and replied, "Serena. Serena Lily Thomas."