Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Jamie
One by one, parents pick up the girls who’ve been our guests for the past few hours. Tiffanie asked to have Cassandra and Danielle sleep over tonight, but I want to make sure Maris is okay with that before just herding my daughters out to her car when she arrives.
As she opens her car door, she waves up at me standing on the front porch. “How did the party go? I’m thinking they all drove you crazy since you’re out here,” she says with a laugh.
I quickly move to show her that’s not the reason I’m waiting for her at all.
“Oh, no. We love having the girls’ friends over.
I wanted to grab you before Tiffanie saw you because she asked Cassandra and Danielle if they wanted to sleep over your house tonight.
I figured we should settle things before the girls come out and start begging. ”
Maris nods as I hurry to explain I didn’t dislike having all the girls from gymnastics over today.
“Oh, that works well for me, actually,” she says with a big smile.
“Michael took Brennan on a Cub Scout camping trip this weekend, so it’s just Tiffanie and me at the house.
It’ll be nice to have more people around until they get back. ”
“That’s great! I know the girls will all be thrilled. Let me go tell them to get their things ready. Come in and sit down. We can chat while the girls are packing their stuff for tonight.”
We walk inside and inform our daughters that the sleepover can happen, and the three of them run to Danielle’s room to pack their bags. As I clean up, I pour Maris a glass of diet soda.
Before I hand her it, I ask, “Do you want a glass of wine instead?”
She waves off my question and takes the soda. “No, not since I’m driving. Even a single glass can mess me up, and I’d be beside myself if any of the girls got hurt.”
I smile and nod like I agree with her, but we live in the same development, and her house is only three streets over. I doubt she could gather up enough speed that would endanger the girls in the time that it takes to go from here to there.
As much as I like Maris, I wonder if I should tell her that this teetotaling attitude of hers won’t help her with the other mothers who are very much people who drink wine no matter what time of day it is.
Thankfully, I enjoy my wine, so they’ve never had any issues with me, but I just know they’ll eat her alive if they hear her say no when they offer.
Even worse, they’ll make sure Tiffanie never gets anywhere on the team or in school if they don’t like Maris. If she wants to help her daughter, she better start learning the rules of this game.
All of this marches through my head, but I decide not to say anything to her. Better for me to look after my own girls’ futures. Her daughter’s potential success or failure isn’t my responsibility.
It’s hers.
“Did Connor stay for the party?” she asks, tearing me out of my thoughts about poor Tiffanie and her future.
I shake my head but make sure to paste a smile on my face. Maris may not be like the other mothers, but I don’t want her thinking my husband doesn’t care about his girls either, no matter how much she might understand.
“No, he had to go out to handle something for work,” I lie before turning my back to her so even if my expression wants to tell the world Connor isn’t all I wish he could be, she won’t see that.
“I tell Michael all the time he’s missing out when he’s not around for these parties the girls have. He says Brennan is the child he handles, so Tiffanie is the one I can handle.”
As I gather up bowls of chips and pretzels, I glance over at her and shrug.
Maris’s husband isn’t the worst man in the world.
Yes, he has a tendency to be an obnoxious know-it-all, but he goes to every Cub Scout meeting or campout and every baseball game for their son, and I’ve never seen him once look miserable when he comes to the gymnastic meets.
I’d be happy if Connor did half of that for either of our girls.
Michael is just a horse’s ass, but in the grand scheme of things, I guess that’s not the worst thing a man can be.
Eager to move away from the subject of our husbands, I set the dirty bowls down on the counter and look into the dining room when I ask her, “What are you and Michael planning to do with the kids for the summer? We’re thinking at least one camp, but we haven’t decided yet.”
Maris sighs and takes a sip of diet soda before answering, “We aren’t sure either. Brennan wants to go to baseball camp, but that would leave Tiffanie out, and Tiffanie wants to go to dance camp, but that would leave Brennan out. I guess we could send them to two different camps, though.”
I silently wonder if it’s the cost of both camps that is concerning her.
Michael has a good job in the federal government that brings in more than enough money, or at least I think it does.
I honestly can’t imagine things are so tight that they can’t afford two camps this summer.
She’s lucky. I never know about Connor’s job, which seems to swing between feast and famine and constantly has me on pins and needles regarding the amount of money we’ll have month to month.
“What are you thinking of doing with the girls for camp?” she asks, interrupting my silent complaining about my husband.
“Oh, I’m thinking dance camp. Danielle especially wants to go. Cassandra has always been more athletic, so she’d like something more intense, but I think she’ll enjoy dance camp all the same.”
That makes Maris suddenly perk up. With a big smile, she says, “Then it’s settled! I’ll tell Michael that Tiffanie has to go to dance camp. She’ll be thrilled when she finds out your girls will be attending too.”
Before I can say another word, the three girls come charging into the dining room with their sparkly pink and purple backpacks ready to leave for the sleepover. They all chatter at the same time, so nobody can understand a word they’re saying.
Finally, I raise my voice and announce, “Girls, girls, if you’re ready and Tiffanie’s mother says she’s ready to go, then you can start your big night out.”
Immediately, all three girls train their attention on Maris, so she quickly stands up and hands me her glass of soda. “I’m ready. You ladies are going to have the best time. We’re having pizza delivered, and we’ve got all the streaming packages, so you’ll have hundreds of movies to choose from.”
That makes the three of them scream and jump up and down. God bless Maris because I don’t think I could handle a night filled with that this weekend after today.
“Okay, girls, come over here and give me a hug before you get started on this night of pizza and movies!” I say, opening my arms in preparation for my daughters to say goodbye.
Danielle hurries over and not only gives me a hug but a kiss too. “Will you miss us tonight, Mom? Are you and Dad going out to eat since we’ll be at Tiffanie’s house?”
I push her dark hair off her face and kiss her forehead. “We’ll see. You just have a good time, and I’ll be over to get you before lunch tomorrow.”
My older daughter seems disinterested in hugging or kissing me, but she comes over and gives me one of her half-hearted hugs before turning away as she says, “It’s only one night, Mom. We aren’t going away for weeks.”
Sometimes I wonder if teen angst has arrived early with Cassandra. Whatever it is, she can be a bit surly lately. She always has taken after her father more than me.
“Well, I’ll miss you anyway.”
Maris herds them out of the dining room, and with a final wave, takes them all out of the house, leaving me in perfect silence. I let out a heavy sigh, happy to finally have some peace and quiet.
Looking around, I estimate I have about an hour’s worth of cleaning up to do after eight, very excitable girls spent hours eating, drinking, and swimming.
I glance up at the clock in the dining room and see it’s nearly four o’clock.
Connor’s been gone for over two hours. Something tells me he isn’t planning on coming back anytime soon since he’s likely thinking our daughters and all their friends are still here.
Resentment starts to fill me at the very thought that he’s avoiding being here because that would mean he had to be a part of the girls’ big day.
Is it really that much hassle to support me in my efforts to make sure the girls are popular?
For years, I’ve sat through every single practice for every activity they’ve ever done.
Gymnastics, cheerleading, art classes, you name it, they’ve done it and I’ve been right there, front and center so the coaches and organizers knew the girls had my support.
Yet, he’s never had to be at anything. He never even attended the year-end parties or parents’ nights.
But, oh God help all of us if the girls weren’t popular because Connor would say that reflects badly on him at work. Maybe he should try helping me sometimes then.
“The hell with him,” I mumble under my breath as I toss the plastic bowls in the sink. “If he comes home and the place is a mess, maybe he can do something to clean it up.”
With a head full of steam, I march upstairs to grab my purse and then with irritation filling me, I hurry outside to my car. My husband thinks he’s the only one who gets to have an afternoon away. Well, he’s wrong, and he’s about to find out how much he’s mistaken.
Ten minutes later, I park the car in a spot near the front door to the coffee shop. It’ll be nice to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee and a scone, heated with butter, of course, just like Kelsey told me about. Maybe she’s here today. It might be nice to have her join me again.
I just hope I don’t run into any of the mothers from gymnastics. I don’t think I could pull off my happy and contented wife routine right now.
When I enter the shop, I don’t see my new friend, unfortunately. That’s okay, though. A nice relaxing cup of coffee by myself is good too.