Page 17 of Love on the Sidelines

"Hi. Susan? This is Ava with the Oakhaven Parks Department. I have Stu here waiting to be picked up."

"I'm still about ten minutes out. Can he stay there?"

"I can wait ten minutes, but then I've got to run to lunch before the afternoon class."

Instead of words, the lady hangs up. I'm not sure what to make of it.

Charlie is filling out the paper to sign up for the gym while Brenda is on the phone with someone.

"Are you sure you don't want to join a gym somewhere else?" I’m not sure if I’m just taking pity on him or if I don’t want him to be this close to my job regularly.

Charlie looks confused. "What do you mean?"

I glance at Brenda to make sure she isn't listening to this conversation. She and her husband were the ones who came up with the idea of a gym in the rec building and ended up donating several of their old pieces of equipment.

I lean closer, surprised at how good this guy smells again. And here I am just an ad for sunscreen and grass.

"Have you actually seen inside the gym? Most of it is falling apart."

Charlie stops filling out the paper and says, "Maybe we should take a look."

I'm not sure what he means by we. I've got a four-year-old to monitor. And he's got his finger up his nose again. Yuck.

"Down the hall to the right. I think the lock is broken, so you can get right in."

He disappears just as Brenda ends her phone call. "Where did he go?"

"To look at the gym."

Brenda looks distraught. "Why did you let him do that before I ran his card?"

"Some people need to know what they're getting into before they commit."

I hurry and lead Stu back outside, hoping his mom will be outside already. She's not.

We take a seat on the bench facing the road and the parking lot.

"So, do you live far from here?" I ask the little boy. Not that he'll know how to answer that.

"It takes forever to get here."

Great. My stomach growls and I'm wishing I'd packed a lunch today instead of assuming I'd be able to go out and get something. It’s a splurge, but I’m kind of burned out on peanut butter and jam or turkey sandwiches.

"What are you two doing out here?" Charlie says, taking a seat on the other side of Stu.

"My mom is late," Stu says.

Charlie looks over at me. "I didn't realize you still work at the parks department."

I nod and turn to look at a car coming our way. Instead of pulling into the parking lot, it continues on the road.

"They gave me my job again when I moved back." Nothing like feeling I haven't grown up in the last ten years.

"That’s cool. You’ve always been great with kids." Charlie asks. His cheeks color a bit, but I’m not sure why.

"I don’t know. One of my old roommates works at a summer camp. She’s got to be a saint for that." Sadie is working at a camp north of my small town, but they don’t get to leave very often. Part of me wonders if that's the route I should've gone. Then again, I'd have to put up with the crazy kids for weeks on end instead of a couple of hours per week.

I don't know why I've divulged all this information, but it’s nice to talk to someone closer to my age.

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