by Kimi Flores
Abby’s co-teacher, Melissa, got her attention on the way into the classroom and asked about her interaction with that drop dead gorgeous dad.
Abby blushed again, “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Mentally shaking her head, Abby thought what is wrong with me today.
The bell rang, alerting everyone that the first day of school had come to an end. After making sure that all of the kids grabbed their backpacks, sweaters, and lunch boxes out of their cubbies, Abby walked them out to the gate where excited parents waited to greet their kids. She was relieved that Justin Zuckerman waited for his ride in the valet line so that she didn’t have to see his mom or dad. Abby still didn’t know if Justin was Tiffany or Blaine’s son.
Unable to help herself, she scanned the crowd for Caleb but was a little disappointed when she found him. He only had eyes for his little girl. Madison ran out of the gate to his waiting arms. Giving her an enormous smile, kiss, and hug, he carried her on his jean-covered hip to the parking lot. He was so swoon worthy. Who wouldn’t love watching a gorgeous man carry his child?
After dismissing all of the kids, Abby spotted her best friend, Leah, standing by a small brick planter. Holding a large bouquet of flowers, she strolled toward Abby. “Congratulations on another successful first day of school, my friend.” Leah handed her the large bundle, then leaned in for a hug and cheek kiss.
“Well thank you, my dear, but you don’t know if it was a success or not.” Abby pursed her lips.
“You don’t have any stragglers, and I didn’t hear any parents yell at you, so I assume it was a good day.” Leah held up her hands, motioning all around while pulling up the corner of her lips and winking.
Smiling back, Abby had to agree that she did indeed have a fantastic day despite seeing her past flash in front of her so early in the day.
“What do you say about going to Antonio’s for dinner tonight to celebrate?” Leah rubbed her hopeful palms together before intertwining her fingers into a pleading gesture.
“I say that we go there too often to call it a celebration dinner.” Abby brought her shoulder to her chin while smiling again. “But yes, I would love to go.”
“It’s a date then. I’ll pick you up at 5:30. I still have a few more deliveries to make first.” Leah waved while strutting quickly toward her white delivery van parked in front of the school.
“Sounds good. I’ll see you later. Oh, and thanks for this beautiful arrangement. You outdid yourself, as usual,” Abby yelled to her escaping friend. She was so proud of Leah and the success of her flower shop. She could remember sitting in their dorm room at Berkley where Leah was a business major and would glowingly talk about the flower shop she would own someday. Abby had been such an emotional mess at the time that it took her an additional two years to seek the career she longed for. She envied her best friend for always knowing what she wanted and not letting anything stand in her way.
As usual, Leah showed up to Abby’s house a few minutes late. After grabbing her things and running out the door, Abby jumped into the waiting minivan that doubled as Leah’s work delivery van.
“You know you aren’t going to find a hot guy driving around in this soccer mom mobile, right?” Abby loved to tease her.
“Well, until I make enough money to buy a car that matches the hot guy you think I’m going to date, my delivery van will have to do.” She smiled sarcastically before sticking out her tongue.
They pulled up to Antonio’s a few minutes later. Passing the waist high, wrought iron fence that encased several tables on the outdoor patio, they entered the wooden door. This place was a familiar setting to them since they ate at this restaurant a couple of times a week. The inside lighting had the slightest tint of red to it, bathing the room in a warm glow, creating a cozy ambience. White linen tablecloths adorned the wooden tables, and the bar on the left side of the restaurant had an Old World charm to it. The aroma of Italian food floated through the air, tickling their senses.
Abby scanned the room while the hostess sat them in their usual section toward the back. They loved this area because it gave them a large people-watching perimeter.
After placing their drink and usual food orders, Abby noticed a couple that also frequented Antonio’s. She could have done without seeing that man and woman. “Of all the crappy luck, look who else is eating dinner here tonight.” She motioned over to the older pair sitting even farther back in the room.
“Your beef isn’t with them, my friend.” Leah pointed out, knowing exactly who they were.
“I know, but it’s still uncomfortable. Their grandson is in my class this year. I saw both of Peter’s siblings today at drop off. It was awful. I don’t think Peter ever told his family why we broke up. One moment we were inseparable, even eating dinner at each other’s houses every night, and then we were no longer together.” She sighed, placing her elbow on the table and her jaw in the palm of her hand.
Right on cue, as if they knew she was talking about them, Mrs. Zuckerman gazed over, giving her a knowing look and a not so sympathetic smile.
“Or maybe he did,” corrected her best friend. Abby was so frustrated she almost suggested they leave until, a whiff of garlic buttered rolls swirled around in her nostrils. She wasn’t going anywhere until she had a few of those.
“I just don’t understand how relationships work.” Abby placed her hands on the table and watched her index finger as she drew imaginary circles. “How can you go from being with someone every day for over a year,” leaning in closer to Leah, she whispered, “be intimate with them, and then not speak at all? He literally turned his back on me when I needed him the most.”
“Abby, you guys were kids, and he has tried to make amends with you. You are just too stubborn to listen.” Although Abby appreciated Leah’s no nonsense, ‘keep it real’ attitude most of the time, she was not overjoyed with it in this particular conversation.
“He is only trying to do that so that he doesn’t feel guilty anymore. But the guilt of what happened will never leave me. I can never forget what I’ve done.”
“It’s not your fault that you lost the baby, Abby. As much as you try to take credit for it, you had no control. You have to figure out how to get past this, or you will never find happiness. It kills me to see you so hurt.” Leah’s eyes glossed over as she grabbed onto Abby’s hand. She knew it bothered Abby when they talked about this.
“Why do you put up with me?” Abby asked with a somber, defeated looking expression.
“Because I love you, and you make the most amazing lasagna I’ve ever tasted.” And there it was. The tension breaking line that Abby had hoped her friend would deliver.
“Can we talk about something else? This is supposed to be a celebratory dinner isn’t it?”
Once their food arrived, the two friends put all thoughts of Abby’s high school sweetheart, Peter, his family, and the past aside while they enjoyed each other’s company and shared the delicious pasta served in warm pewter dishes.
Completely exhausted by the time she opened her front door, Abby walked into her dark home. She flicked on the lights and headed to her bedroom. Pulling her pink and green quilt back, regret that she hadn’t been the bigger person and gone over to the Zuckerman’s table to greet them filled her mind. After all, it wasn’t their fault that their son was a total idiot. Then again, they’d never genuinely been particularly pleasant to her either. Oh well, that window of opportunity had past and couldn’t be changed now. Abby put on her pajamas and pulled her hair into a ponytail. It was time to get some sleep so she’d be up to whatever challenges tomorrow would have in store for her.
After dropping Madison off at school, Caleb headed out to his favorite place that would undoubtedly help clear his head. Not able to concentrate long enough to keep his story going, he’d fallen behind schedule on his latest novel. The publishers were riding his ass, which bugged the crap out of him. This had never happened to him before, and although he wouldn’t call it writers block because
he knew where he wanted the story to go, he just couldn’t figure out how to get it there.
He pulled into the parking stall and looked out of his windshield to the majesty of the ocean. This was his happy place. Getting out of his car, he pulled his gear out then squeezed into the skintight wetsuit. Excitement built up when he thought about hitting the water. It had been a couple of weeks since Madison started kindergarten and he had his mornings to himself. Caleb thought he would be well into his new novel by now, but the story’s early transitional paragraphs eluded him. He was sure coming here today would help.
After waxing his board, he headed to the white foamy waterfront. Standing at the shoreline, board in hand, Caleb gazed out into the horizon and wiggled his toes in the wet sand. The ocean’s spray sprinkled his face with drops of salt water. It was cold as usual but something about that sticky saltwater hitting his face made him feel so free and rejuvenated. Inhaling the sea air deeply, a therapeutic sense of calm washed over him. “Be still and listen; take it all in,” he whispered to himself. He’d been here many times during the summer of course, but that was Madison’s time. Bringing her out on his board was the highlight of his summer. He loved watching her bright eyes open wide when they were out far enough that dolphins joined in on the fun. Madison thought she could speak to them. He snickered remembering how cute she sounded making those silly squeaking and clicking noises, then interpreting what the dolphins were telling her. His heart became full thinking about her and what a wondrous blessing she was to his life.
There was a time when he thought he wouldn’t be able to raise her on his own. If it hadn’t been for Grace and Robert, his parents-in-law, he wouldn’t have survived the past couple of years with his sanity intact. They were such a strong part of Madison and his lives that he couldn’t imagine what it would be like without them. The pain they experienced was different from his but just as intense. It was extremely difficult even trying to get out of bed during his dark period. Their faith had helped them to go on with their lives, and Caleb had admired them for that. He still had times of mourning here and there, but once he’d accepted Rene’s death, most days became a little easier. Now his life focused on the miracle that was proof of the love he once shared with his wife. He couldn’t believe it had already been four years since she passed away.
Focusing on his surroundings, Caleb swam out just past the breaking point and felt at ease. He was in his element out on the ocean. Although there would be better waves later in the fall, he certainly couldn’t complain about this day’s surf. A couple of other guys were out on their boards, but it was nobody that he recognized. Thoughtfully, he kept replaying something he’d heard a famous surfer once say, “One of the biggest lessons you learn about surfing is how to operate in the present. That’s really what the foundation of the entire surfing experience is.” He added his own whispered words, “And the foundation of life.”
After a couple of hours out in the ocean, something clicked, and Caleb had that missing piece needed to keep his story going. Grabbing his surfboard, he headed to his car and he strapped it to the roof. Tugging and yanking while trying to keep covered with a towel, he finally freed himself from the restrictive wetsuit and threw on some board shorts. Caleb opened the hatch of his SUV, picked-up his laptop, and sat in the opened trunk typing away. He was glad he’d already arranged for Grace to pick Madison up from school because he was on a roll and wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Caleb had even thought ahead and packed a lunch. He knew through experience that this is how he worked best.
Their first field trip was coming up next week, and Abby was still trying to tighten up the parent chaperone list. She knew she could ask her room-mom to help with this, but preferred to handle it herself.
She’d sent home the permission slips earlier in the week that included a space to write if the parents wanted to chaperone and had only received one back so far. It was from the Zuckerman boy of course. Abby was relieved when Grace told her at pick up that she would be happy to help. Once Grace mentioned it, several other parents chimed in saying they could help as well.
Thank you Grace, Abby thought as she entered her classroom to wrap everything up for the day and start her weekend.
It was after 6:00 when Caleb realized that he had been on his laptop for the past seven hours. The computer’s battery nearly died on him, and he just hoped the adapter he’d plugged in hadn’t drained his car’s battery. He was hungry and couldn’t wait to go pick up his little girl. After packing everything into his SUV, he called Grace. “Hi mom. I’m just leaving the beach right now.”
“Okay son, bring your appetite. I made something special that I saw on the Cooking Channel today.”
“Will do.” He said with a smile. He loved how adventurous Grace was with her cooking. Unfortunately, Rene had not taken after her mother. Caleb learned to cook early on in their marriage once he’d grown tired of eating spaghetti, the only thing she could make. Grace, on the other hand, would see a recipe being prepared on TV or listed in a magazine, and had a gift of knowing if it would taste delicious or not. As soon as his car started, he couldn’t wait to get to their home and eat what she’d prepared for him.
He got out of his Range Rover after parking on the clay-bricked driveway, and headed inside the house. It was unlocked as usual. No matter how many times he talked to them about how unsafe it was to leave their door unlocked, Grace and Robert insisted that they lived in a safe neighborhood and did not need to lock their neighbors out. He had to admit that not only was it safe, but he was extremely comfortable here. You would think he had actually grown up in this very home, and not in Chicago.
Right as he closed the door, his sweet girl came running into his arms. They exchanged butterfly kisses, and then she announced, “Daddy, Grammy made some super yummy food for dinner. Come and eat.” He walked them into the dining room where a plate waited for him along with embraces from his in-laws.
“Wow that smells incredible mom. What is it?”
“It’s Chicken Picata cut into bite-sized pieces tossed in angel hair pasta. I also threw a baby spinach salad together for you with your favorites: cranberries, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, and raspberry dressing. I already poured some berry mineral water for you, unless you want something else to drink.” She was pleased with the meal she’d prepared and held her interlaced fingers up to her cheek.
Looking around the room suspiciously then into Robert’s eyes, Caleb questioned, “What’s the occasion?”
Robert turned his head toward Grace. She brushed him off. “No occasion. Can’t a mother take care of her favorite son?”
“Sure, but I kinda feel like I’m being buttered up for something.” Still wondering what the deal was, but too hungry to care at this point, Caleb pulled his chair back and took a seat.
“Nonsense. Enjoy your dinner.” The rest of the family joined him at the round six-person dining table.
Madison used her index finger to play with her bangs while sharing the happenings of her day. “Daddy, a boy in my class named Justin wasn’t very nice to me today.”
“Oh yeah? What did he do?” Caleb took a second bite of delicious wine, butter and caper covered chicken. His taste buds were on overload. This meal was to die for.
“He pulled my pony tail, said I smelled like pineapple, and then ran away. Why are boys so mean sometimes?”
Trying not to laugh about the pineapple insult, he explained, “Well Honey, sometimes when little boys like little girls, they don’t know how to act. Boys treat each other that way. He will learn how to treat a girl as he gets older.” He continued to eat, practically slurping the pasta between his lips.
“That’s what Miss Abby said, but I think he is just a stinker. I don’t care if my friend Casey says he is yumtastic.”
Caleb choked on some spinach when he heard his little girl repeat the name her friend had called their classmate. He gasped for air while grabbing his drink then gulped down the mineral water. Coughing a few more times in bet
ween words, he asked, “Um Pumpkin, what does that word mean?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged her tiny shoulders, “but Casey said that’s what her sister calls cute boys. I don’t think Justin is a cute boy. He’s a gross boy who picks his nose all the time. Ewww.”
He looked up at the snickering faces of his in-laws, and tried every way possible not to join in. After rolling his eyes, he said, “Gotta love the older sibling influence.”
He noticed Grace eyeing Robert and using a quick motion of almost pointing at Caleb with the top of her head. Robert cleared his throat. Great, here it was. This is what he was being prepared for. “So Caleb, what do you have going on next Thursday?”
While he waited for the bomb to drop, he cautiously answered, “Nothing special, just working on my book.” Not sure he even wanted to add this part, he asked. “Why? Do you have a better offer?”
“I thought it would be nice if you hung out for a while with this old man.” He said while pointing to himself. That wasn’t a bad offer. He and Robert hadn’t spent much ‘man’ time together lately. He actually looked forward to them spending time with each other.
“Sure, what did you have in mind?” He took his last bite of the fabulous dinner, and then wiped his mouth with what he just realized was a cloth napkin. Grace certainly didn’t need to bring these out just to get him to spend a day with his father-in-law.
“Golfing of course, I just got a new club that I wanted to try out. What do you say?” And there it was. He hated golf and couldn’t swing a club to save his life. He’d accidentally let go mid-swing the last time they went and although it didn’t actually hit anyone or anything important, Caleb hoped Robert would never invite him to go again.