Still no real follow-up -- I was out of the area all weekend. Couple items:
* Sent an email along the lines of what @robx suggested after responding cordially but not eagerly to the initial. Her response was essentially "I can do that [name some places], but the real problem is date/time" -- I think that she's referring to the same babysitter problems I've referred to in the past, coupled with my upcoming business trip.
* She texted about a Girl-Child issue last nite and I responded. Called to speak with the Girl-Child while I was driving back from Distant Place, and STBXMRSSP asked if I wanted "to talk after"? I said gosh that would be nice but I'm almost out of cell-phone battery, so next time. Didn't mention the car charger. Received a mildly disappointed "oh, okay."
* I don't think it's about renegotiating the settlement because of the lack of time constraint. Here's STBXMRSSP's original email, sanitized for the protection of the innocent (and her too) (and it will have the rest of the backstory for @hoosiermama):
We had had the Refreshing exchange I mentioned up-thread, and she'd written something about changing a custody date, just a one-day switch because she has jury duty [and even if the trial goes over a day, the following days are my custody days anyway].
I replied "Will check when get back to house ok? Dont foresee problem -- my social secretary Jeeves is very good -- not like he overbooks my time or anything" [referring to Jeeves and Wooster because I'd pulled a Bertie Wooster earlier in the week and she remembered how much I like those stories and said one thing she'd learned about separation and divorce was just how much one needs a Jeeves).
Then came the pee-kooler reply:
"Me neither, no matter what you might think or want to think. Anyway I kind of can't believe I'm saying this because it's a pretty risky proposition, but if you ever want to go to dinner or something just say so. I don't mean this as a pressure thing -- I'm just going to put it out there. No expiration date."
So that's your backstory, @hoosiermama.
My initial reply was a simple "Well that's a very thing to say, and I appreciate it. If it's okay I'll think on it a bit and get back to you."
* She texted this morning at school drop-off time about a clothing crisis for Girl-Child. [The Rancho de Smiley's Person is across the street from the kids' school.]
I went over to where she parked in front of the school, knocked on the window, stuck my head in, offered a couple items of clothes, and noticed how completely frazzled she was, with that distressed turn of the mouth she gets when she's, well, distressed. So being the Mojolicious fellow I am, I smiled and looked her in the eyes and asked, "Everything okay?" Got the flustered, "No, yeah, no, well, it's just work."
Ah, none of my business then. Well, if there's anything I can do, let me know. Have a pleasant day. Smiled, closed the door, walked back across the street to the house, chortling to myself chortlingly: Yeah, it seemed pretty easy when it was all about Being Free and running off to Signore didn't it? Single parenthood not all it's cracked up to be, eh? Chortle, chortle, chortle.
* That about covers it so far. I'm just mojolating along, going to be visiting with Miss Someone for a couple days and try to get caught up on work.
