For the Guy with Kids and a WW XV

[hopeful4her]

Thanks, dub.

Record set straight.

Went to spend time with the girls. S14 left not too long after to go to the La Cantera mall. Beautiful outdoor mall. Upscale and a beautiful day today to spend outside. I decided to take the girls also. S14 made sure to let me know that if we were going too, could I bring him $10. I agreed. We just couldn't hang around him.

Teens.

I ended up sending the wife a text around 4:30 as we left:

"Taking the girls to walk around LaCantera, too. Amanda wants to eat at China Sea if ya'll dont have set plans. Your more than welcome to join in."

We get to the mall, walk around and look at all the expensive crap. Meet up with S14 and his buddy. I meant to only give him $10, but he took the whole $20. Punk.

D11 is getting hungry and D6, already tired but she had enough strength to spend 30 minutes in Libby Lu. Hate that place.

Walk around some more and the wife texts back:

"Just got off work. Have fun."

Okay. No plans? I can take 'em? Not going to join?

D11 asks about the text. I tell her that it sounds like mom is not going to make it. I told D11 to respond to her. She sent:

"Momma, can we eat with you and daddy?"

She called right back. I let D11 answer. I could here part of the convo. D11 asking if she wants to eat with us. Wife saying she is almost at the apartment. Back and forth stuff. Then D11 asks if I want to pick her up or meet her. I tell her to tell her mom it doesn't matter. Either way. I hear them back and forth again. I make the decision to tell her to stay at the apartment and I'll pick her up after a while.

D11 says, "She's nuts." I had to laugh and agreed with her.

We leave. We had a good time for such a short time. I go pick up the wife. She is still in her Credit Union polo. She looks awfully beat. On the way, she is yawning several times. I have to tell her to stop. We chit chat about a few things on the way. All of us. It was of course, nice. Family time.

At the restaurant, I leave my keys on the table and the wife picks them up and gives them to me.
"Lots of stealing going on" she tells me.

At the buffet, helping D6 a little. The wife behind me, my cell announces "MESSAGE RECEIVED!". It was in my back pocket. I pull it out and look.

Cute, dub.

I chuckle. She walks around to another side and I try to hide that I'm responding. On purpose of course. She saw me end up responding and then sliding my phone closed and grinning. I grab my food and have D6's soup. The wife and I end up at the soup part together. She asks if I want some soup. I tell her yes. I hand her a cup and start to fill mine while she is filling hers with those crunchy noodles. I tell her slide her cup to me. I start to fill hers.

"Wait, you just want the liquid, right?"
"Yes. Thanks."
I fill her cup. I then hand her a spoon. The attempts to take my cup of soup for me. I gentley take it from her and put mine and D6's in one hand. She was going to do the same with mine and hers.

Walking back to the table, my phone gets a message again. I take it out, check the message. The wife is following me. I take the phone out of my back pocket again, look at it and close it with a smile. She sees me.

Thanks again, dub.

We sit and eat and we are having as good a time as we used to have. I catch her keep having distant looks into nowhere. Later, she gets up for more food. I start to text dub back about what happened and the look oh her face priceless. Before I can hit send, the wife is back. I act a little startled and close my phone without sending and then try to play it off by using it to take a pic of D6.

It was funny.

We had a good time. I'm at the front desk paying and she is off to the side with the girls. Her phone is ringing. I see her checking and ignoring. We go outside and look at the outside pond as we usually do. We compare fortunes. Nothing mind blowing. Get in the car, her phone rings again. She has it turned so I cant see it and she hits ignore again. On the road, one more time. Last call and she answers it. Its S14. He has a ride. She is pretty quiet on the ride home. Window open, girls singing the Jonas Brother, I have my music on. "Best of .38 Special", baby. I try to have little conversations with her. It was always a pet peave of hers for us to not talk in the car. It bugged the crap out of her. She is looking out the side.

Thinking about what? Who knows?

D6 mentions something about the wife promising her to look at a Halloween place.

"We can always go tomorrow."
"But we can't. We are going with daddy tomorrow."
"Your not going early. We have time tomorrow. Your going with him later."

I guess I'm not getting them for church. We talk about how D6 wants her Bday party at the apartment. A halloween dress up party next weekend. I tell the wife about my mothers and grandmothers bday tomorrow and getting together for them at about 2pm.
"And you want the girls to go?"
"Yes."
"Thats fine."

Earlier, on the way to the restaurant, she lets me know that she can keep the girls until Tuesday, if I want. I ask why. She tells me since I had them this week till Tuesday. If I need to do anything. I say no. It's fine. I'll keep them.

As if.

Back at the apartment, get off to give big hugs and kisses. First D6 then D11. D11 and I are playing around and she is hanging on me. Play kissing like dorks. The wife has to say,

"Come on. Your gonna see your dad tomorrow."

She tells me thank you. I tell her she is welcome. She says that they are going to watch the video that is left and that she is going to fall asleep during it. I was going to try to worm my way in and maybe find a way to have my little discussion with her, but she is way too tired. It's going to have to be some other time. Maybe I just need to send it by email.

Earlier in the apartment, I was looking at the digital camera. I find one pic of OM's face. Like at a store. Its time dated 9-27. Last Saturday. The night she called me all upset about her father and asking me to keep the girls. She had told me that she went to the grocery store that night. She told me she would call the girls back that night after she calmed down. She never called. Remember on Sunday, we took breakfast. She ended up telling how she had took her meds again and threw up a lot after she got back from the store. I noticed dishes in the sink and the dirty pans. He must HAVE been there on that Saturday night. I had suspected it. My gut feelings again.

Good for them.

After I left the apartment tonight, I made sure to leave toward the opposite exit. She could see which way I went. Not going the way to go home.

But I went home.