“Yes, and I know just the thing.”
Chapter 17 – Are You Dating Anyone?
Liam
Esther is allergic to calendaring and planning ahead, and while I’d love to give her regular scheduled time with the kids, the disappointment they’d face isn’t worth it. That often means I drop plans to accommodate her whims. She gave me physical custody of them, so I do what I can to make sure she’s in their lives as much as possible.
She calls during Wyatt’s basketball game, and I have to step outside the elementary school gym so I can hear her. It’s fine. Wyatt isn’t playing at the moment and it’s almost halftime. His team is up by ten, but only because the refs aren’t calling anything on either team. I’m itching to go home and work on dribbling with Wyatt in our driveway. There’s nothing more conflicting than watching your kid make an awesome layup while blatantly traveling.
“Okay, can you hear me?” Esther asks, now that the dull roar of background noise is gone.
“Yep. What’s up?”
“I was thinking I could do a girls’ night with Callie tonight. Daniel is out of town. I’d bring her back midday tomorrow. What do you have going on?”
“We can make that work. Callie’s at a playdate right now at the Cooper’s. She’ll be done at three. We don’t have anything after that except Wyatt’s karate class tonight.”
“I actually remembered that. He says it’s just okay. Is he any good?”
“When he pays attention.”
“So, that’s a no.”
“We’ll probably try something else.”
“Yeah, well maybe pick something that doesn’t happen on a Saturday night. Sheesh.”
It’s a warranted dig, but not something I want to hear while I’m dodging kids running in and out of the gym. I swear the coach’s little monster is gunning for me. He should be a linebacker when he reaches high school age.
“Esther, I need to get back in. When do you want Callie?”
“How about dropping by before Wyatt’s class? We can eat a quick dinner together. Like five?”
“Sure. What do you want to do for dinner?”
“I’ll order in. See you then.”
“See you then.”
I immediately open up my task app to make a to-do list. I’ll need to pack an overnight bag for Callie. She’ll have almost everything she’d need at Esther’s house, but then there’s her stuffy, her toothbrush timer, and her slippers. She’s a tiny diva. I hope she gets good sleep. Knowing Esther, they’ll probably stay up late watching Disney Channel Original Movies and discussing celebrity gossip like Callie’s an adult and not a five-year-old child.
Esther respects my limits when it comes to what Callie can watch on TV, but I can’t police what comes out of her mouth, nor would I want to.
No kid has parents who are identical copies of each other. It was probably the most helpful thing my therapist told me. It allowed me to let go of my inner control freak at a time when everything felt very much out of my control.
Once inside, I head to the back row of the bleachers to sit with the parents grounded in reality. The PGIRs. We’re here because we love our kids and not because we think for one second any of them are going to be NBA stars someday. The intense parents sit in the front and yell at the refs.
I love everything about our group except for Jillian Booras. She sits in the back row for me. I’m not sure what it is about me besides my single status that has her so singularly focused, but her interest is not exactly subtle.
I walk down the row and choose to sit in a tight spot between two families on purpose, and I think I’m so smart for about five seconds. I didn’t think Jillian had it in her to pick up a four-year-old and move him, but apparently, she does. Considering we only see each other when our kids’ teams face off, I guess she has to make the most of our time together.
She squeezes into the newly made spot right next to me and leans in. “Hi, Liam.” Her strawberry blonde curls bounce on her bare shoulders. She’s in a black tube top, tight jeans, and red strappy sandals.
I give her a small smile. “Hi, Jillian.”
She beams back at me. “Wyatt’s team is really good this year.”
“Yeah, he’s liking it.”