Sixth Lovely

The next month just...wasn't my month. The whole thing was just a constant downhill spiral. It all started with Nicki's visit. Unpleasant, to say the least. But I thought it'd be alright. Especially in the midst of chasing a promotion, I decided to not worry about it too much. Nicolette seemed satisfied with the meet and we continued to text at night for about a week after. Couro was excited to start school at the end of the summer and loved having me help her prepare her for fourth grade. Honestly, looking through fourth grade materials was hilarious considering how little of it I actually remembered.
Everything was fine. Then suddenly, I got a chance at that promotion. I grabbed at it so quickly. An office project and our manager decided to give me an executive position. It meant staying back a few extra hours here and there, but it's fine. It was either that or work at home, and I preferred simply coming home late. So I did. From eight in the morning, I started not returning until almost nine in the evening. It was so much more exhausting than I imagined. Particularly the days where I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to achieve, tore myself away and forced myself home, and was left to be haunted by it at home. I started paying Gora to help Couro out as I stopped having time to do it. I still made dinner, breakfast, and ordered lunch since I didn't find it fair to ask Gora. We'd eat dinner together, but it was never as lively as it used to be. I eventually gave up. Afterwards, I tried to tuck them in before retiring to my own bed. Send a text to Nicki. Sometimes she'd respond. But when she stopped, I still continued to try. I mean, I stopped at some point.
So much of my time and effort went into this project. I thought I was chasing something my family needed to move out of our crappy rental apartment. I just wanted to fulfill my promise.
One day, we did it. My team and I actually finished the project. I looked through it, so incredibly proud of my month's work. I was so ready to present it to my manager and get my raise. But he took one look at it, and shook his head. All of it, just trickled down the drain because it "wasn't neat enough".
That afternoon, I was home by five, for the first time in a month. During the drive home, at first, I just beat myself up. This promotion would've paid for a new house. Without it, it was very possible we wouldn't move until after Gora had moved out. I felt awful.
Then I continued to think. In the past month, just how happy was I really? I'd put so much time into this one project--that ultimately went down the drain--that I'd started pushing away the actual people I was doing it for. Hell, I'd even lost Nicolette in the process. By the time I pulled up in the driveway, my guilt had completely shifted.
Couro saw it as a nice surprise to see me home so early. The little rosebud's eyes lit up and she ran to give me a great big hug. Gora, on the other hand, simply glared at me. His deep brown eyes gave off a knowing look and I stumbled to pull a few words together.
"Gora, I--"
He wasn't having any of it. The kid stood up and walked out of the kitchen where he and Couro had been talking. Sighing, I watched him make his way upstairs.