Page 45 of Enough
“Dad told you not to tell me something?” I question.
“Kale!” Marlow yells. “You’re just going to make her cry and I don’t want to hear her cry again.”
My lips curl downward. I know I’ve been prone to tears a lot the last few months, but I didn’t realize how much it bothered the kids.
“I’m sorry,” I state with a frown as I side hug her. “Ididn’t realize I was crying that much. I’m really doing much better,” I say with a small, reassuring smile.
“Yeah, and that’s exactly why Kale needs to keep his mouth shut.”
“Shut up, Marlow.”
“You shut up!”
“Hey!” I shout over them. “You don’t have to tell me unless it’s something inappropriate or something that concerns you.”
“It’s concerning, all right!” Kale says with a wave of his hand and eyes that glare with a secret that’s bursting to be told.
“Kale! Daddy said no. He said it would upset Mommy and she didn’t need to know he’s dating!” Marlow covers her mouth with her hand as the secret slips out.
Kale laughs loudly. “Now who’s the blabbermouth?”
I try to keep my emotions in check and hold my expression. I don’t want them to think it affects me at all. I summon a breath and tell them what I’ve read in all my parenting books about divorce. “Your father and I are divorced. He’s free to date whoever he wants.”
“Really?” Marlow asks.
I nod my head yes as my mind races over all Mike’s first date moves. I feel a twinge of jealousy to know he’s already moved on.
“See, Dad had nothing to worry about. Mom’s totally cool with us meeting her for dinner and stuff,” Kale responds.
“Wait, what?” I ask as I grab his arm. “You met someone?”
“Yeah,” Marlow continues. “Daddy said he wanted us to meet her ‘cause she’s important to him and he wants us to be okay with the four of us spending time together.”
Room spinning.
I stare at the unsure smile on Marlow’s face and try not to burst into tears. My mind races with questions. The first question is,How long has this been going on?Which is immediately followed by,Is she pretty?Then I secretly pray she’s a dog and the kids hate her.
“Mom, you’re really okay with this?” Kale asks, noticing the distant look in my eyes.
I wave it off. The last thing I want is for them to tell Mike I’m jealous. Is that what I am? “I’m fine with it!” I say with a fake, forced smile. As soon as my back is to the kids, I feel my lips shoot downward.
We slowly tread to the kitchen when I hear Kale’s voice. “See, Mom doesn’t care about Krista.”
I stop dead in my tracks and gasp. Abruptly turning, I ask, “Did you sayKrista?”
The kids’ smiles fade and are replaced by worrisome dread as they glance at one another, unsure what to say or do.
“Krista?” I question again to make sure I heard them correctly.
They remain motionless which answers my question.
“Does Krista work with your dad?” I ask in a hostile tone.
“I think so,” Kale responds sheepishly.
More questions I want to ask flood my mind.How long has he been seeing her? What did he say to you exactly? What did she say? Did either of them mention me?I picture Mike and Krista laughing at me. “Krista” from his sex fantasy? How many Kristas can there be in the world? I imagine Mike telling the kids our entire marriage was based on one ultimatum after another and then explaining that Krista is their new mommy.
Kale grabs my arm spiritedly. “You’re freaking out,aren’t you? Do you want Dad back now?” he questions eagerly. He races toward the phone on the wall. “I can call him for you. I can tell him you don’t want him dating Krista because you still love him. Then we can move back home and we can be a family again!”
