....so the next day, last Friday. Ss10's is off of school because of the long field trip and he calls me around 2:30 saying he wants to come to my house to get his Playstation and some games. I say I'll pick him up, we'll get the game, and I'll take him home. So I go to pick him up and W comes out with him. Ss10 is kind of down, not feeling too great. Since it's time to pick up the other kids in a bit, she ends up driving to my house with Ss10 (even though it's my weekend to have them) and I follow. He and I find the game while W goes across the street to get the others. I figure she'll take off now with Ss10 and that's it. Well, the kids get playing out front and she and are are chatting and watching them play. For an hour........ All good. The kids want some food from a great Chinese restaurant, but it's too early for dinner. We agree that she will take all three with her, I'll go change clothes and shower (I just went to the gym) and call to see what they want me to pick up for them. BTW, W and I had discussed all the kids staying with her that night, even though they were to be with me, because they hadn't seen their brother in four days and wouldn't see him for three more. Soooooo, I change into some of my snazziest clothes, make it a point to look real good, then pick up the food. The goal was to just drop it off, but I wanted to look good just in case she came out.
Get to her house (small gated community, and I always call from the gate and the kids come out, about forty yards from the house) and call to let them know I'm there. Sure enough, she comes out with D8. I hand her the bags of food and she says that she'll pack up the leftovers and I can get them when I pick up D8 and S6 when they're done eating. OK I say, no problem, and then turn to leave. She then says "well, I could just fix you a plate and you can take it with you now if you're hungry". I tell her that I am hungry, but I can wait - fixing a plate to go is too much of a hassle. I turn to leave again, and here it is.......she says "well, do you want to come in and eat with us?" BINGO!. Mind you, I've never been in her house and she's been there about three months. I tell her that would be nice and in we go.
Have a good dinner with them all, but I can just tell the kids are wondering what the hell is going on. We all make small talk, but I want to get out of there and not overstay the welcome. Get done and D6 says "daddy, come see my room". Then all three kids run upstairs. I ask W if that's OK, and she says "no problem", almost like it is silly of me to even ask. I go up, spend five minutes with them and tell D8 and S6 to grab their stuff so we can go. The W comes up, the kids go back to the video games, and she and I chat for ten or more minutes. Wow..... The we leave.
On Sunday, she called me while the kids and I were at church. She asked if I could bring over a TV stand that I said I'd get for her out of the garage when I was at her house a couple days before. The kids and I go load it up, then W and I carried it up the stairs and get everything set up. Ss10 ends up coming back with us because I had heated the pool to 90 degrees for the weekend. BTW - I've been staying in my "big house" while the other house is getting some remodel and paing work done. I end up taking him home at around 7:00, and even though the other two were to be with me until this morning, she and I agreed that they should just stay with her last night since it was already almost their bedtime, they were in the PJ's and had a bath at my house, plus I told her that they were all enjoying each other so much I didn't want to be selfish.
* Brief chat with her today about Ss10's upcoming b-day, some money stuff, and kids dentist appointment. Unfortunately, she had a bit of an attitude on me selling an investment house a few weeks ago and doesn't believe that I received no proceeds from it (lousy real estate market). I tell her I'll get her a copy of the contracts and closing statements, but she says I probably had them "fixed". Okay, this isn't good, so I tell her I'm sorry she doesn't trust me, but the papers don't lie. I get off the phone as fast as I can.
That's where it all is...........
My goal: She's not going to get any pursuit from me, nor any bad attitudes and I'm only going to be friendly and full of smiles.
