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“That’s what dads are for!” I call out after him.
That kid. Without him, I have no idea where I’d be. He keeps me grounded, and I love him so much.
I feel guilty that he isn’t being raised with a mother figure around—except for his Aunt Shelby, his mother’s sister. But Shelby lives in Australia and it’s hard to connect with the time difference. Anna and Shelby’s mother, Sophie, was pretty good about showing up, especially right after Anna left, but she’s since passed away. Oh, and of course, Coral is a huge help. But as wonderful as she is, she has her own family to care for.
I suppose that might be why I’ve been pushing Dylan to spend more time with girls lately. I want him to develop a deeper understanding of them and get used to having feminine energy around.
Of course, that wouldn’t be on my mind if I ever got an inkling that he was interested in the same sex, but ever since the poor kid was in kindergarten, it’s been obvious that he’s had eyes for girls.
That first morning I dropped him off, a group of three or four of them waved at him, and he’s been a goner since then.
He takes after me in that regard, too. Although it’s been a long time since I’ve opened myself up to the possibility of romance. There’s a rare one-night stand when Dylan’s away at a sleepover. Sure, I’m not a celibate. But nothing more serious. When you get burned as badly as I did by Anna leaving us, it’s easy to become paranoid and skeptical of relationships.
An hour and a half or so later, as I’m still trying to figure out what to do for dinner, I hear a knock on the back door.
“Good evening, neighbor.” It’s Mae with a casserole dish covered in foil in her hands.
“What’s all this?”
“Well, Mina may or may not have mentioned that you don’t have any food in your house.”
“How did she…? Ah, Dylan.” The snitch. Although, I can’t blame him. So far, the only thing I had gotten figured out for dinner was the drinks. And that was going to be water.
“Yeah. Anyway, I was making this for us, so I bulked up the recipe a bit and made some extra for you guys.”
There’s a kindness about her face that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A kind lawyer? What an anomaly.
“That’s incredibly nice of you, Mae.”
“Eh. It’s really no big deal. We single parents have to be there for each other every once in a while, right?”
“Right.” I had suspected that might be the case, but this is the confirmation I needed.
“Oh, and before you ask—I got knocked up in high school, and her dad, Carlos, has never been in the picture.”
Like her good heart, her openness and honesty are also refreshing.
“Uh…I’m a divorcee.”
“Dang.”
I feel my eyebrows furrow. Not the usual response I get to that announcement. It’s usually ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘I can’t believe anyone would be silly enough to leave a man like you.’
“Come again?” I ask her.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just that I owe my grandfather fifty dollars. We made a bet on what led you to be single. He guessed a failed marriage. On the other hand, I went for the more homicidal situation.”
This catches me off guard. “You thought I murdered my wife?” I’ve definitely never heard that one before.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. There’s just something a bit dark about you.”
This, however, isn’t something new. People have been saying that to me my entire life. I can’t say I know why.
“Oh, my goodness. No, no, no,” Mae suddenly says.
“What?”
“Those cobwebs. They’re disgusting. No, I will not have our children eating in here with all of that around. Where’s your broom?”
