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“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “We are entitled to feel a certain way. Do you think maybe you’re just upset and bummed because you wanted to be with your friends more than you don’t want to go to your father’s?”
“I think so,” Eli said. “Kyle said it’s really fun when they have pool parties. I missed the last one too being at Dad’s.”
“There will be more,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll be here for them.”
“I hope so,” Eli said. “Can I go pack now?”
“Sure,” she said. “I was going to suggest it anyway.”
It’s not that Eli had to pack much. He had clothes at both houses. Extra sneakers too. He had a pair he wore daily and then an extra pair at both places.
She and Jeff had a clothing allowance they both put in for that the courts had set. Because you know, Jeff had to nail her butt with legal fees rather than just believing she’d buy what her kid needed.
Those sneakers Eli wore back and forth. Whether he wore them at Jeff’s the whole time, she had no clue. Her guess was he had another pair there that was twice as expensive as what she’d bought, as she’d tried to spread that joint amount out and buy as much as she could.
She’d had to give the receipts to Jeff too so he didn’t think she was pocketing the few hundred dollars that they used for clothing three times a year.
While Eli was in his room, she went to her laptop and decided to document the talk she’d just had with her son. She didn’t know why she did it. It’s not like it would ever make a difference, but it made her feel better.
Almost as if she was venting without having to say a word.
Thirty minutes later, she and Eli were in the car and on their way to Jeff’s house.
She parked and got out in the driveway after the twenty-minute drive. Normally Jeff came out to meet them or she’d walk up the stairs. She hardly ever went in the house or him in hers.
He’d bring Jeff home in four days. They always worked it out so one of them dropped off and the other picked up. It was never set who did it, but rather decided each time. With Jeff making that decision most times this summer, whatever worked better into his schedule.
When school was in session it was easy enough since Eli got picked up or dropped off there during the week with whoever had him or was going to get him.
Jeff hadn’t come out today, so that meant she had to go up to the door.
When she got to the front porch, he still didn’t show up, so she rang the bell.
She had to ring it a second time and was getting ready to call Jeff when he opened the door.
“You were early,” Jeff said.
“What?” she asked. She looked at her phone and saw it was exactly noon. What the hell? This was a new one.
“By a few minutes,” she said. If she was late, she’d never hear the end of it so she was always a few minutes early.
“Noon is the time,” he said.
So that was it. Being a dick about that. At least it was only this day. “Well, we’re here. Give me a kiss, buddy, and have fun with Dad. I’ll see you in a few days.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” Eli said.
He saw Jeff frown, but there was no way Jeff would say a word about this. Years ago, Eli cried and cried about not talking to her for the whole four days he was with Jeff. When Jeff pulled her butt back into court over some silly thing, since she was paying for an attorney, she threw it in there that there would be at least two phone calls to the other parent during those four days.
She knew Jeff hated to call her when he had Eli, but he’d never say no if Eli wanted to. She was at least thankful for that and most times she got a call three to four times. She’d do the same when she had Eli so that Jeff never said she wouldn’t let their son call.
It felt like such a game half the time that she was tired of playing.
She left after that and, rather than go home alone and do nothing, she decided to stop by the office. It was nice having yesterday and today off. Since the holiday was on Tuesday, the Fierces closed that extra day, which allowed her to spend it with Eli.
Going home to an empty apartment though would just depress her.
Once she was in her office, having seen other cars there and knowing she wasn’t the only one that seemed as if she had no life, she turned her laptop on and got to work.
