by Nita Johnson
“I don't care what you want, get in the car, now!”
Anyone who might be listening to this conversation would think that I was arguing with a child when in fact I'm arguing with my nan. That’s right, my old age pensioner of a nan wanted to risk her life racing a kart around a track and now she doesn't like the fact that I have had to act the adult and put a stop to it all.
I looked through the window of the car to see Nate and Kaylee doubled over with laughter. I’m glad at least they are getting some enjoyment out of this whereas I was two seconds away from starting to look at retirement homes she could move into. She was driving me crazy!
I heard arguing so I jumped up off the sofa to see what the hell was going on. I was allowing myself a well deserved day off. It's been awhile since I'd really let myself rest and I was looking forward to doing absolutely nothing. Looking out the window I smirked when I saw who it was. Willow and her grandmother were going at it again which amused me to no end. I held back my laughter when Betty stamped her foot at something Willow said.
I decided to go and see if there was anything I could do to help.
Just call me Mr. Helpful.
“What's goin’ on?” Jesse questioned us as he crossed the street, coming toward us. Great, maybe he could talk some sense into her.
“I want to go somewhere and she won’t let me.” Nan pointed in my direction, a sullen look plastered on her face, trying to make Jesse feel sorry for her.
“Nan, get in the car. We are going to the zoo, the kids are excited. Just look at their little faces. Do you really want to be the reason they don't go to the zoo?” The three of us peered into the car. Nate was playing on his iPad and Kaylee was brushing her doll's hair.
“Yeah, they look like they'd be broken hearted if we didn't go,” Nan replied sarcastically.
I looked over to Jesse and he just shrugged, some help he was.
“How about a compromise?” he asked us both after a few moments of silence, our standoff showing no signs of ending just yet.
“What do you have in mind?” I wanted to know how the hell you could compromise between going to the zoo and going kart racing.
“Well how about you and the kids go to the zoo as planned and Betty goes kart racing?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That's your compromise? Why didn't I think of that?” Was he for real? There's no way I’d let her go on her own and I think that must've shown on my face because his next words shocked the shit out of me but also made me laugh like never before.
“She won't be on her own, I’ll get Travis to take her.”
Hearing Travis’s name Nan perked right up, no surprise there. “Would he go for that?” she asked, uncontained excitement lacing her voice. It almost made me feel sorry for Travis.
“I’m sure he wouldn't mind, he loves kart racing. I’ll go give him a call and see what he says.”
Just as he started to walk away I thought of a reason why it wouldn't work. “Jesse, wait. I've booked and paid online for Nan’s ticket. They won’t refund me on this short notice.” I wanted to cry. We almost had a solution worked out. Meanwhile the day was wasting away and we were still stuck in the driveway.
“No problem, I love the zoo,” he said with smile. Wait, what?!
I looked over to Nan to see a smirk appear. She was pleased with what he'd said, God knows why.
“You're gonna come with us?” I questioned in amazement unsure if that’s what he really meant with his comment. Who would willingly want to spend time at the zoo on a weekend when it's bound to be packed? Only people who were crazy or had kids dared brave the weekend rush.
“Yeah, just let me check with Trav. If he agrees I’ll ask him to pick up Betty and I’ll come with you. I'll give you the money that you've paid for the ticket, that way you won't be out of pocket and I’ll get a fun day out at the zoo.” He seemed almost as excited as my nan had been when he first mentioned Travis taking her out for the day.
Knowing I wasn't going to win, I gave in. “Fine, just hurry up before these two start to get restless.”
“Be right back,” he shouted to me, already running back over to his house.
“Well this is shaping up to be a fun day.” Nan clapped her hands and did a little dance. I just stood there, stumped.
“Please man, I'd owe you big time.”
“You'd owe me for the rest of your life, J.”
I wasn't beneath pleading if the need called for it. I wanted to go out with Willow and this opportunity just landed itself squarely in my lap. Who was I to pass it up? “Anything, you name it.”
“Pay rise?”
“Done,” I told him honestly. He was due one anyway for all the work he had pulled in lately.
“Extra weeks paid leave.”
“Done.” Again, he deserved it. He'd worked himself to the bone helping me get this company off the ground, it was the least I could do.
“Let me date your sister?” He laughed jokingly, well I hope to God it was jokingly. Brooke was a good-looking girl, I'd chased off many a douchebag who had wanted to take her out as we were growing up and Travis had helped me a time or two when we had to make the point clearer but I always thought that he had seen her as a pesky younger sister. I never knew he liked her that way.
“You being serious right now?” I asked him hesitantly, not sure if I actually wanted to know.
“Dead.” His cool reply came down the line. “Do we have a deal?” He pushed me for an answer.
Who was I to stand in the way of him and my sister? Brooke was a feisty one, there's no way that he would be able to handle her, even if she did agree to go on a date with him. This might even be funny to witness so my answer came easily. “Sure.”
“Be there in half an hour,” Travis told me then the phone call cut off.
I couldn't fight the grin I felt forming. This was the thing I needed to get me closer to Willow and I planned to make full use of the chance to get to know her properly.
“I love the zoo, don't I, Mama?” Kaylee asked me as we parked the car. Travis agreed to take Nan kart racing much to her delight and that meant that Jesse was now currently sitting in the car with me. I introduced him to the kids. Nate just gave him a chin lift as a greeting and Kaylee gave him a shy wave knowing. I knew that she would warm up to him as she spent more time with him today. Nate, on the other hand, I wasn't sure about but I had high hopes of him being polite to our guest for the day.
“Yes, baby. You love the zoo.” I helped her out of the car and took her hand as we entered the zoo showing the staff our tickets.
“I love the elephants the best, don't I, Mama?”
Kaylee and I were walking a little in front of Jesse who had hung back to stay with Nate which I thought was quite sweet.
“Yes, baby. You do. Shall we go and find them?”
Seeing her eyes light up made me so happy, I knew I'd done the right thing in bringing her here. Nate was getting too old for the zoo but he hadn't shown an interest in the kart racing either, so I really hadn't been sure what he wanted to do. He'd seemed to be ok with coming along with us but I will make our next day out something I know he likes so it's fair and he gets to enjoy something too.
As soon as the elephants came into view Kaylee took off, her little legs going as fast as possible. I didn't even try to stop her, who was I to spoil a little girl's fun.
“Guess she really loves those elephants, huh?” Jesse said from beside me with a light chuckle. “Never seen someone as small as her run so fast.”
We both slowed down somewhat which meant Nate overtook us and was now picking up Kaylee so she could get a better look at her beloved animals.
“He's good with her,” Jesse observed as Nate said something to make his little sister laugh uncontrollably while she was sitting on his shoulders.
“He always has been. Since the day I came home with her. She couldn't ask for a better brother in Nate.” My vision started to cloud over as tears filled my eyes. They really did have a
great relationship and no matter what was going to happen between me and their father, I knew that they would always have this close bond. Nothing or no one would come between that.
We spent a few hours visiting different animals and just as I had predicted, Kaylee warmed to Jesse and was now talking his ear off about the tigers. Nate’s sullen attitude warmed up slightly. I noticed throughout the day that he’d been contributing to the conversations, mainly in response to Jesse or Kaylee but I could deal with that just as long as he was communicating with someone. He would come around to the changes in his life eventually and I would be damned sure I was there to help him all the way but knowing that perhaps he had a friend in Jesse took the pressure off slightly. He might be someone who Nate could talk to if it all got too much for him, especially if Nate felt like he couldn't come to me.
“Right guys, I think it's time to get some food. It's well past lunchtime so you have all got to be as hungry as those tigers you’re talking about. Shall we eat here or do you want to call it a day and go somewhere else?” I asked the three of them.
Coming to a stop all three of them looked at each other and a silent look passed between them. “Pizza!” came their joint response. Shaking my head at their antics I latched onto Kaylee’s hand leading her out of the zoo. Jesse and Nate walking beside us as they continued their discussion, this time about the reptiles. I was pleased to no end that they had formed an easy friendship so quickly.
Pizza it was.
“Who knew we were all pizza lovers? This must be fate!” I declared dramatically as I tore through my huge slice of cheesy goodness making Kaylee splutter, her pizza falling out of her mouth and down her front.
“You're silly, Jesse,” she told me as Willow attempted to clean her up. Even I knew that was just a pointless exercise. I was determined to get more laughter out of her before we left the pizza restaurant. So cleaning her up now would be pointless.
“You wanna see silly? How about this?” Putting another slice of pizza into my mouth, I let it hang out like a huge tongue. Once again Kaylee laughed making yet more of a mess just as I'd predicted.
“I give up!” Will moaned as she threw down the napkin she had been using to try and clean her daughter up. A quick glance in her direction had me relaxing a little. Although she'd complained, I could also see the sparkle in her eyes telling me that she found the whole thing as funny as her daughter.
“I’ll replace her outfit seeing as it's my fault she's in that state.” I pointed to the orange stains down her once pink tee.
She shook her head. “Honestly, there's no need. A ruined tee is a small price to pay to see that look on her face.”
We both looked at each other and I couldn't help but feel a pull between us, something that I was eager to explore further. But I knew I had to wait until she was in a position to let a man back into her life. I'd only been told the basics by her nan of what's going on with her and her husband but even that was enough to tell me Willow needed to heal. It would take a long time before this beautiful woman was ready to date again.
Snapping my gaze away from hers before I said something utterly stupid and embarrassing, I turned my attention to Nate who was now taking his turn to try to make his sister laugh. This boy was so full of love for his sister that it made even my heart melt. If he carried on the way he is, he'd grow up to be a fine young man, someone his mom would be proud of. Just a day spent with him had me bowled over with his kind ways. For someone so young he had an old head on his shoulders.
The meal came to an end and I loved every minute of it. I was sad that the day was coming to its conclusion but deep down I hoped this would be the first of many days we’d spend together.
“Thanks for a great day,” I called out as I left them, leaving them to go to into their house and me heading back to my house, alone.
“Bye, Jesse,” the kids replied in their loudest voices while Willow just smiled and waved.
Sitting down on the couch with a beer I thought back to the beginning of the day.
I honestly thought I'd won the lottery when somehow I managed to get the chance to spend the day with Willow. The time spent with her and her children had blown me away. Who knew kids that age could be so inquisitive and damn intelligent!
As soon as Kaylee had grabbed onto my hand and looked up at me with those baby blue eyes, I was a goner. Anything she would ever ask for I knew I would bust my ass to provide. Nate had been a hard one to crack but I got there in the end. I could tell with just one look at him that he was struggling with what's going on between his parents. So I made it my mission to bond with him, showing him that he could talk to me if he needed to, that he didn't have to lock away his feelings.
Yeah, the time I spent with those three today made me all the more determined to make that beautiful lady all mine. I wanted her and those kids, something in me just clicked today and I wanted them, to provide for them, to love them.
They always say when you meet the one you just know. Well I damn well know I've met the one. Sounds possessive but whatever it is inside me makes me want to be with them. I just have to bide my time until she's ready to date again and I'll be there but for now I am happy to just be her friend.
The coming months are no doubt going to be stressful and I’m more than willing to be the shoulder she cries on. Her husband really didn't know what he’d thrown away. What a complete douchebag. His loss is ultimately going to be my gain and I couldn't be happier of that fact.
“Nice trophy,” I teased my nan as we sat down outside with a well deserved alcoholic drink. It was a nice night so we wanted to take full advantage of the peace and quiet now that Kaylee’s tucked up in bed asleep. She'd been full of beans when we got back home earlier, chattering nonstop about her fun day at the zoo and meeting her new best friend, Jesse, and how he made her laugh with pizza pointing to her ruined tee shirt. It didn't go unnoticed that neither of the kids had mentioned their father the whole time we had been recalling our fun filled day. Nate had kept quiet for the most part until nan pestered him for his opinion on the day. She managed to get an eye roll and a shrug out of him before he went to his room to play video games. We called that progress and left it at that.
“Great, isn't it? Can't believe I beat that young Travis and came first.” Stroking the trophy like a pet, she lifted her head in my direction.
“You know I won this fair and square, right?” she quizzed me, wanting me to believe that she had in fact beat a thirty something year old man at kart racing.
“If I say yes, will you drop it? I don't want to entangle myself in something that might later come back and bite me in the ass.” I knew what she was like, that there was a chance that she had just taken the trophy from Travis and threatened him with some kind of bodily harm. Like I told her, the least I knew the better it was all round.
She huffed and sat back in her chair, admiring the view along with me. It really was a lovely night, dusk had fallen and everything seemed so peaceful and quiet. I'd loved growing up here as a child and I grew to love it more the older I got. This house held so many good memories for me, memories that would stay with me for a lifetime. I’d hoped to give those kinds to Nate and Kaylee, that they would look back on their childhood home recalling fond loving moments in time. I felt a pang in my heart when I realized all they would look back on was sadness and heartbreak.
“I don't know what you're thinking about but stop it, we've all had a good day, don't let anyone or anything ruin it.”
Nan always had her way of knowing what was going on inside my head, she always could read me well, despite me not wanting her to sometimes.
“Sorry, sometimes I can't help it. They never said in any parenting book I read that mothers would feel so much guilt. I swear most the time I run on guilt and caffeine. Have I ruined their childhood, Nan?” I couldn't bring myself to look over at her for fear of seeing in her eyes what I knew was showing in mine.
“Will, you did the right thing. It might not seem like
it now but one day you will look back on this moment in time and be thankful you had the balls to walk away when you did. Not everyone would have done what you did. Not everyone has the guts. You did me proud the day you left that cheating scumbag. It showed me what I had known all along. You're one of the strongest people I have ever known, Willow, and I am proud to call you my granddaughter.”
After that speech none of us spoke again, none of us needing to.
A pounding at the door woke us up early the following day. Grabbing my robe I tied it around me and quickly ran down the stairs, ready to give whoever it was a piece of my mind for waking me up this early.
“Do you know what bloody time it is?” I exclaimed as I yanked the door open, shock flooding my body when I realized who it was that had been banging the door down.
“I want to see my children,” Rob informed me as he pushed past me into the house. I was so angry at him for thinking he could just turn up here and demand to see them without consulting me first.
“I thought you were going to call?” I shut the door and walked into the kitchen. I couldn't deal with him this early on a Sunday without a dose of caffeine. “The last thing you said to me on the phone was that you would let me know.”
“Well this is me letting you know,” he replied sarcastically as he took a seat at the table watching me closely, making me feel a little uncomfortable. “You're looking well, Wills. Looks like you've lost weight.”
“It’s called finding your husband fucking the neighbor diet, you should try it. Will work wonders on that gut you've had going on for a few years now.” I pointed my coffee spoon in the direction of his slight beer belly. It wasn't even that bad, I just wanted to make him feel as shitty as he had made me feel. Not very grown up of me but it was Sunday and it was far too early for me to be giving a fuck. I had to cover up the smile I felt forming when I saw him look down at himself, my words obviously affecting him.