Chapter 22
I spent my afternoon playing games with my sons and catching up on the housework I’d gotten behind on. But my thoughts kept returning to my conversation with Wes.
Had I pegged him wrong? He seemed like such a social person, who certainly had the looks to gain the attention of any woman he was interested in. Why wouldn’t he be dating?
I considered that perhaps I had the wrong impression of him. Maybe in person he had some insufferable qualities that I didn’t know about. Or maybe, as he said, he really was looking for something serious.
I pushed the thoughts from my mind and enjoyed my time with the boys.
Monday morning came too soon and was as chaotic as usual. My head spun the entire drive to work. At least I had the visit with Samantha and Blu to look forward to.
In the few minutes I had before starting work, I decided to send Samantha an e-mail. She always had good advice for me, and I was sure that she could understand some of my frustration, since she’d done quite a bit of dating before she’d married Max.
As I sent the e-mail off, I wondered whether anything she said would change my mind. After all, I had so much to think about, not the least of which was Hanna’s pregnancy.
The more Hanna explained to me some of the challenges she was having, the more concerned I became. I knew that I was just being an overprotective big sister—that the doctors all said she was fine—but I couldn’t stand to see her in so much discomfort. I planned to make sure her last month of pregnancy and the first few months after the baby was born were full of rest and nutritious meals.
Then there was Blu’s wedding, which I was looking forward to, but that I would need to get a dress for as well as nice outfits for the boys, and arrange all of the travel. They were all wonderful things, but they would take focus and attention to detail—none of which I would have if I was checking my Forty and Free account all day or juggling a new relationship.
Still, it would be nice to have a date for the wedding—someone to dance with, someone to tease me when I cried—just someone.
My thoughts drifted off for a moment and I realized that I hadn’t been getting any work done. I got right back to it.
At the end of the day I hurried to pick up the boys. Both were happy to see me and I was so very happy to see them.
As I hugged them, the principal, Mr. Walker, paused beside us.
“Good afternoon, Noella, could I speak with you for a moment?”
I looked from the boys to him and braced myself. Brady was known for practical jokes and Tyler was still adjusting to the idea of school.
“Yes, of course, what is it?”
“Boys, why don’t you get settled in the car, hm?” He smiled as he held the door open for them.
Both boys did as they were told, but Brady shot me a guilty look.
“Is something wrong, Mr. Walker?” I studied him. He was about my age, but he carried himself as if he was much older.
“Not necessarily wrong. It just seems to me that Brady is seeking a lot of attention these days. His teacher says that his pranks have increased, and while harmless, they can be very disruptive in the classroom.”
“Absolutely, I’m so sorry about that. I’ll have a talk with him tonight about it and make sure he knows that it has to stop.”
“He’s a creative young man—smart too.” He smiled, then lowered his voice. “Maybe too smart?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Children can pick up on things far more than we think they can. I know being a single parent can be very difficult. Perhaps he’s noticing some tension at home? Or maybe he hasn’t been able to express himself about changes that might be happening?”
“I’ll have to think about that.” I gritted my teeth and tried not to be mortified. Having the principal lecture me on parenting was embarrassing enough, but to have him mention personal details about my life was even worse. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Walker.”
“Of course. It can be difficult for children to adjust. But Brady is a very good young man. I’m sure he will come through it just fine.”
As he walked away, his words stung. He was sure that Brady would come through it just fine. As if my being a single parent was some kind of illness that my son would have to heal from.
I blinked back tears as I climbed into the car. I managed to make it out of the parking lot before my shoulders started to shake. When I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I bit hard into my bottom lip.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”
I had to laugh through my tears at his words.
“It’s okay, Brady. You didn’t get me in trouble.” I pulled into the driveway, then turned to look at him and Tyler. “Listen, guys, I know this isn’t easy for you—Dad and I not being together.”
“It’s fine.” Brady shrugged.
“Maria in my class got a new daddy. Are we going to get a new daddy?” Tyler looked at me with wide eyes.
“No. Your daddy will always be your daddy.”
“Yeah, but you could at least go on some dates, Mom.” Brady rolled his eyes. “You never have any fun.”
As he stepped out of the car, I was left reeling from his words.
Even my kids thought I was boring. Maybe I really did need to make some changes.
But first, I needed to get Brady to stop planning pranks.