Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“You see your sister here?”
“Hi Mellie, dad how come you’re here?” We turned and made our way back to the truck where I strapped them in before answering.
“I wanted to talk to you two. How does pizza and ice cream sound?”
“Yeah!” They both chorused loud enough to deafen my ass as I turned the key in the ignition.
Their mother was into health shit and hardly ever let them have anything other than veggies and fruit. That was all good but I want them to have the complete childhood experience. She’s not a bad mom she’s not the best either. That’s why the judge gave me full custody. She has moments when she’s hands-on and then she can go to that place where she forgets that they’re there. She’d go for days without even noticing them other than to pour a bowl of cereal and put them in front of the TV.
I didn’t know that shit until after the affair. I was talking to my kids, not fishing or anything, just trying to get them to understand what was going on and it all came out. The neglect, the way she dropped them on her mom when I was gone so she could go out on the town. There was a whole lot of shit that I knew nothing about because she had me so snowed with her innocent act.
All the while I was protecting my country she was fucking with my kids. For that I wanted to kill her ass. And when I confronted her about it and she was so blasé, I almost slipped my leash.
She had an excuse for everything and it all circled back to me. I’d never noticed what a complete bitch she was until then. Maybe it was because I was away for most of our marriage maybe that’s why I missed so much of what she was. That one was on me. But leaving my kids on other people’s couch so she could go fuck her side dick, there was no excuse.
We made it to the pizza parlor and I got us a table in the window. I waited until after we’d placed our order for a large pie with all the works and milk for them and a club soda for me. After the day I’d had I could go for a cold one but I wasn’t about to drink and drive with my kids in the truck.
“What’s wrong dad?” That’s my boy, a chip off the old block. He sees too much for a seven year old and there’s no point in trying to sugar coat shit for him because like me, he’d see right through it. I’ve tried to shield him as much as I can. He’s older than his sister and in some ways much too worldly for someone so young. But my boy was nobody’s fool and I respected him enough to always be straight.
“I need to talk to you guys about something. Mellie settled down here sweetheart.” My kid has ADHD or some shit, she can never sit still for too long, shit must drive her teachers nuts. I got her settled in the seat beside me and took her little hand in mine.
“You guys know I love you very much right. And that I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“Are you leaving again? You said you wouldn’t.” His little face scrunched up with distaste.
“No son, that’s not it. I met someone.” I just left it out there and let it sink in.
“Is she your girlfriend daddy?” What the fuck does my little girl know about girlfriends?
“Yes she is, but soon I want to make her more than that. I’m going to marry her.”
“Does that mean she’s going to be our new mom?”
“No Mellie, your mom is always going to be your mom, she’s just not going to live with us anymore. But Casey, that’s here name, will be moving in with us after we get married.”
“Is it because of mom and that Elliot guy?” I looked at my son Jack Jr. I’d never told them that their mother had cheated, just that we were getting a divorce. They’d cried and went through the usual as you’d expect, but we’d got through that. Things had settled into a new normal with their mom still in the house but not my wife any more and they’d had to get used to that. Now I was laying this on them too.
“What do you know about that son?” There was no point in trying to get the cat back into the bag if it was already out. I wasn’t about to start lying to my kids for any reason.
“Some of the kids at school were talking about it before and I heard grandma Joan yelling at mom about it when you were getting a divorce.” Damn, all this time I thought I was protecting them from that shit and they already knew.