Maggie
It had been a pretty decent week. Ryan and Keeley were excited and talking nonstop about the wedding, which was entertaining and made the day at the shop go by faster.
Ronin had been busy with work, but we’d talked or texted every night, and we’d managed to slip off for burgers while the kids were with their dad.
I was trying to get things settled around the house for the kids and to get ready for a night out with Ronin when Nathan called out from his room, “Hey, Mom! Can you come here for a minute?”
“Yeah, just give me a second.” I threw the rest of the dirty towels in the hamper, then made my way down the hall to Nathan’s room. “Hey, what do you need?”
“I wanted to ask you about something.”
I could tell by his expression that something was weighing on him. It wasn’t the first time. It seemed to happen a lot when the kids had been to see their father, so I walked over and sat down at the foot of his bed. “What’s on your mind?”
"I was thinking about you and Dad," Nathan began, his voice a hesitant whisper, "It’s just been weird, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. What do you mean?”
“I just thought you guys would work things out, and you haven’t.”
“We tried, Nathan. You know we tried.”
“Do you ever think you’d be willing to try again?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” My throat felt tight as I told him, “It’s been over a year, Nathan.”
“Dad’s really sorry about the stuff he did and wants to make things right.”
“Okay, where is all this coming from?”
“Nowhere. I’ve just been thinking about things.” I could tell he wasn’t being completely honest with me when he added, “I know he messed up, but people make mistakes, right? Maybe if he tries really, really hard, things could go back to like they used to be."
The air seemed to thicken as I wrestled with my response.
My first impulse was to tell him that his father cheated and lied about it over and over again and that there was no way we could go back to the way things used to be.
But I took a deep breath and forced myself to remember that Nathan was just a young boy who loved his father.
“Honey, things will never go back to the way they used to be. Your father and I aren’t the same people we were back then. I’ve grown stronger and more independent, and he’s with Crissy now, and he really seems happy with her.”
“But he’s not.” Nathan’s eyes filled with worry as he explained, “He talks about you all the time. He misses you and wants you back.”
“Okay, and what about what I want?” It pained me to see that solemn look on my son’s face, but I simply couldn’t go down this road with him.
“I know this might be hard for you to understand, but I’ve finally gotten over what happened between your father and me.
And it took a lot for me to be able to do that.
There were days when I wasn’t sure it was even possible, but I’ve finally managed to put it behind me, and I have no intention of ever going back. ”
“Okay. I get it.”
“Does this have anything to do with Ronin?” He’d been by several times since the night we’d gone bowling, and I thought things were going well. Now, I wasn’t so sure. “Are you worried about him or...”
“He’s alright.” Nathan shrugged. “Seems nice enough. He’s just different is all.”
“I can’t disagree with you there, but sometimes, different can be good.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice as he said, “I want you to be happy, Momma. I really do.”
I was just about to reach over and hug him when Samantha stuck her head in the room and fussed, “Did you really do it?”
“No.”
“You did, too. I can’t believe you’d actually...”
“Shut up, ass-face.”
“Nathan, watch your mouth!” I scolded. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing.” He leaned over and gave Samantha a threatening look. “The nosy turd-head is just running her mouth like she always does.”
“Nuh-ugh.” Samantha crossed her arms and sassed, “I heard what Dad was saying to you.”
“Shut up, Sam.”
“Okay, enough.” I held up my hand and gave them both a stern look. “No more name-calling. Just tell me what’s going on.”
“I told you. It’s nothing,” Nathan lied.
“Okay.” I looked over to Samantha and asked, “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“Dad was going on and on about Nathan asking you to give him another chance.”
“What?”
“Yeah, he said he really missed you and missed us not being around all the time. He also said Nathan was the reason you found out about Crissy.” Samantha’s expression softened as she glanced over at her brother and said, “And he was counting on Nathan to make things right.”
“Oh, he didn’t.” Samantha nodded. “You both know that’s not true, right?”
“But it is true,” Nathan muttered. “If I hadn’t gotten sick that night, then you would’ve never found out about... you know.”
His father was laid up with Crissy in some stupid motel while I was sitting frantically in the ER with Nathan.
He was dehydrated from a terrible case of the flu, and even after calling everyone I knew, I couldn’t find Chad.
It wasn’t until he showed up hours later that I figured out where he’d been.
All it took was one look at his guilty face to know that he’d been with someone else.
At first, he tried to deny it, saying he was at work, but the lipstick on his collar and the scent of perfume lingering on his skin told a different story.
The fact that Chad had tried to guilt Nathan over that night was appalling.
I had to fight back my anger as I told him, “Me finding out what happened that night had nothing to do with you, sweetheart, and I’m so sorry that your father made you think that it did. That wasn’t fair, and it certainly wasn’t true.”
“I don’t want you to get back with him, Momma.” Nathan’s voice was strained as he told me, “I wish you’d left him a long time ago.”
“Your dad has made his mistakes, and he’s still making them, but he isn’t all bad.
There’s a lot of good in him.” I reached and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“For one, he loves you and your sister very much. He might not always show it in the best ways, but he does. And even though it can be hard at times, I think it’s important for him to be a part of your lives. ”
“And what happens when you marry someone else? Will we still have to go see him?”
“Me marrying someone else won’t change the fact that he’s your father.”
“So, that’s a yes.”
“That’s a yes.”
“I thought so.”
I gave him a quick pat, then asked, “Are you still okay with hanging with your sister tonight?”
“Just while you guys go to dinner, right?”
“Right. It shouldn’t be more than an hour or so.”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”
“Great.” I stood and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, then told Samantha, “I’m going to put a load of towels in the wash. I’m going to need you to put them in the dryer when they’re done.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks, punkin.”
I left Nathan’s room, and after I threw the towels into the wash, I went to the bathroom for a shower. I’d hoped it would help clear my head and help me to stop dwelling on what the kids had just told me about their father. I was tempted to call him and give him a piece of my mind.
I knew it wouldn’t do any good. He was too bullheaded to admit that what he’d done was wrong, so I left it and tried to focus on my date with Ronin.
With a towel wrapped around me, I went over to my closet and stared aimlessly at all the clothes.
We were just going to grab some Italian at a little place downtown, so I decided to go with a pair of slim-fit jeans and a loose, off-the-shoulder top.
I left my hair straight and put on a little makeup, and then I was ready to go. I was just about to slip on my ankle boots when there was a knock at the door. Samantha was the first to shout, “I’ll get it!”
Seconds later, I heard Ronin’s voice say, “Hey there, shortie. How’s it going?”
“Alright.” I heard the door close as she told him, “I was just watching a movie.”
“Anything good?”
They continued to banter back and forth as I finished getting ready.
Once I put on my boots, I stepped across the hall and stuck my head into Nathan’s room.
He had his headphones on and was playing his game, so I just waved to let him know we were leaving.
He gave me a thumbs-up, and I smiled and left him to it.
I started down the hall, and the second I walked into the living room, a smile swept across Ronin’s face. “There she is.”
“Hey. Sorry, I was running a little behind.” I grabbed my coat as I told him, “But I’m all ready now.”
“That you are.” He turned to Samantha as he asked, “You mind if I steal your mom for a bit?”
“As long as you bring her back.”
“I think I can manage that.”
“Bye, sweetie.” I walked over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “We’ll be back in a bit.”
“Bring me back some dessert.”
“You got it, kid.”
Ronin took my hand and led me out to his truck. He opened my door, and I was about to get inside when he whispered, “I missed ya.”
“You just saw me two days ago.”
“What can I say?” He lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me briefly before saying, “I’m a sensitive fella.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
I shook my head and giggled as I got in the truck.
He closed the door behind me, and seconds later, we were on our way toward town.
Ronin took me to a charming Italian restaurant right on the square.
It was small and quaint, with little twinkle lights hanging overhead, and we had the perfect corner table with a view of the people walking by.
It was like something out of a scene from a romance movie, and I couldn't have asked for a better evening. As soon as we finished eating, Ronin placed his napkin on his plate and asked, “You ready to break out of here?”
“I guess, but it’s still kind of early.”
“Yeah, but I’d hate to leave the kids home alone for too long.” He gave me a playful wink. “You never know. They might join forces and form an uprising.”
“Yeah, that could be a problem.”
“Exactly.” He paid the bill as he said, “Maybe we get there in time to convince them to watch a movie instead.”