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Such is the life of a twenty-four-year-old.
But after I got Jace to bed, I was so wrapped up with my conversation with Stranger7721 that I never heard her come in. Sad to say, I think she wound up getting more sleep than I did.
I cannot do a repeat of last night. I love sleep like a fat kid loves cake.
And yet when I think about staying up and talking to my stranger, I’m raring and ready to pull another all-nighter. Those early morning hours flew by. It’s like I blinked and suddenly the sun was coming up. We still have so much to talk about, and I can’t wait for the next time. I just need to catch up on some zzz’s first.
Ellie pours herself coffee and leans against the counter, ignoring us as she brings the mug to her nose and inhales the brew. She’s completely oblivious to Jace, who is saying, “Mom! Mom! Mom!” over and over again.
“Hey, bud. What do you want to tell her?” I interject, because I have to admit, it’s a little grating. “She’s standing right there.”
“I just want to show her this cool pancake you made. It’s shaped like a plane!”
“Uh-huh,” Ellie nods, not looking. “Neat.”
That’s even more grating. She’s not even trying right now. She does, usually, when she’s not hungover. For someone who’s twenty-four and saddled with all the responsibility of taking care of this little firecracker, she does a hell of a lot. She’s a good mom when she’s not dealing with the weight of the world on her shoulders, which is why I’m trying to cut her more slack lately. She doesn’t have it easy. And I know she loves Jace more than anything. But going out like a carefree teenager is not doing her any favors. I’m going to have to talk to her about this sooner than later because it’s not any kind of path she needs to go down. It’s a slippery slope from here.
“Let your mom get some coffee in her first, all right?” I take a napkin and wipe his mouth, but he’s sticky everywhere. “Why don’t you go up and wash your face? Get that sticky junk off.”
“But—”
“No buts.”
He runs off, leaving me alone with Ellie. I wipe my mouth with a napkin. “Can you wash the dishes? I have to go into work in a few minu—”
“What?” Her eyes bulge. I’ve finally woken her up. “I literally just woke up. Can you give me a minute?”
“Yeah, I have a meeting with a—”
“But you can’t go,” she says, looking at the clock. “I need you to stay here with Jace. I have somewhere to be.”
Ellie’s heart might be in the right place, but by being vague with the somewhere to be, I automatically suspect the worst. She’s going out with a guy. She’s partying. Living it up. And I’m the one playing clean-up for her mistakes.
“Listen. The other night was, frankly, bullshit. It’s fine if you want to have friends over, but you need to have a little respect. I had to clean up for you and get Jace off to school, and I was late to work. You know I’m going for that promotion, El. It’s important. I’m here for you, but we need to get some things straight.”
“I know. But what I’m doing is important now too,” she says, pulling her robe over herself, taking a defensive stance. “I have a job interview.”
I cross my arms, surprised. “You do?”
She nods.
This is good news. After she lost the last job, I started to worry she was slacking. She’s had a couple of job leads since then, but nothing that resulted in an interview. Up until now, I was starting to think she wasn’t really trying.
“Where?” I ask.
“Ted’s Pizza. You know, that place we get our takeout from, on Main.”
Of course, everyone knows Ted’s Pizza. The place has been around forever and serves the most godawful pieces of cardboard coated in tomato sauce, passing it off as pizza. “What will you doing there?”
“Waiting tables.”
That’s a step in the right direction, but I’m wary. If she’s waiting tables during the dinner rush, that means I need to be home to take care of Jace. “What are the hours like?”
“I don’t know. That’s what the interview is for. To find out.”
I’m putting the cart before the horse. She hasn’t even gotten the job yet. She might come home and tell me she’s decided she doesn’t like the uniform or Ted might decide she’s unemployable. I’ll cross that bridge if she gets the job.
The bridge I need to cross right now is what we’re going to do about Jace.
“What about Kelly?” I ask. She’s our back-up sitter, but she has her own family to take care of and usually needs an advanced notice. “You think she’s available?”
