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He’s not working.
He doesn’t like the close attachment Olivia has formed with me, that’s what I think. I get the feeling that it worries him. Or maybe it brings up a slew of painful memories related to his late wife.
Yeah, I’m thinking now is not the time to tell him what Olivia’s teacher said after school on Friday.
He’s missing in action for the next twenty minutes as we pack James up, Sienna and Garth tell me about their time up in Presque Isle, and Olivia gets a few extra minutes to love on the baby before they head out.
He gave them a quick goodbye before he left. He wasn’t rude or anything, but it’s awkward now. Something is different, something’s off. But I use his absence as an opportunity to make sure I’ve set Olivia straight.
“Libs, come sit for a minute.” She snuggles in next to me on the couch. “Remember what we talked about the other day after school, right?”
She won’t answer. She’s too busy scowling.
“I miss my mom, too. I understand what it’s like.”
“I want a mommy like Sarah and Clementine and Anna have mommies.”
I feel like telling her you donotwant a mom like Sarah’s, but that’s beside the point. “It’s hard, I get that. But you are soooo lucky, Libs. You have thebestdad. He loves you so much.”
She wraps her arms around my waist. “And I have you.”
I squeeze her right back. “You do have me. And if anyone asks, you can tell them I’m your special person. Just like you’re super special to me.”
She takes a deep breath, my stoic little sweetie. “But I can’t tell people you’re my mommy.”
“You have a mommy, Olivia. Just because she’s not here with you doesn’t mean she’s not your mom. Just like my mom. She’s not here with me anymore but she’ll always be my mother.” She doesn’t say anything but I can feel her head nodding against my middle. “So I’ll see you tomorrow after school, ok?”
“You have to go?”
I roll my eyes and frown, heavy on the drama. “I have to do my homework and I havetwotests this week. I need to study.” Standing up, I reach for her hand. “Let’s go to Dad’s workshop so we can tell him I’m heading out.”
I open the door to the garage. “Leo?”
He’s leaning against his latest project, some classic Volkswagen van he’s retrofitting with an electric motor. He doesn’t have a tool in his hand. He’s not even looking at the plans that are laid out on the work table. No, he’s just staring at the wall, lost in thought.
“Leo? Um, I’m getting ready to go.”
“Oh, hey. Right. Yeah, all right. Thanks for everything.”
“Thankyou. You were so great with James. You saved me last night.”
Normally Leo would say something reassuring or he’d brush the compliment off. But he says nothing. He’s not even listening to me right now.
“Ok. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Uh, you know what…I’ll get Olivia tomorrow after school. You’ve got finals this week, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I’ve got it under control.”
“You can take the entire week off if you want.”
“No…I mean, I don’t need time off.”
“Let’s just make plans for Tuesday then, ok?”
I feel like something is happening, but it’s happening so fast that I can’t make sense of it. “Yeah, I’ll see you Tuesday at around ten-thirty.”
His face is tight when he nods his head. “Good.”
