AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter1
Jake
* * *
Ahigh-pitched voice carried down the hall. “Daaaad, where’s my Spider-man book?”
I was elbows deep in a box full of loose tupperware, searching for something that resembled the dishes I still hadn’t unpacked. “I don’t know, Ethan; where did you leave it?”
“Ididn’t leave it anywhere.Youpacked it!” The reply was accusatory.
He sounded exactly like his mother, which immediately raised my hackles. I forced myself to draw in a slow breath and unclench my jaw before replying.
“Then check the boxes in your room, buddy. Anything that was yours went in there.”
“There’s like a hundred of them!” Oh man, here we go. “I’llneverfind it.” I could practically hear the tears already.
I glanced up to spot Olivia silently watching me with wide brown eyes. “Honey, can you please go help your brother find his comic books? There should be a box in his room labeled ‘books.’”
“Sure Dad,” she nodded seriously, then took off down the hallway with the determination of a soldier headed into battle.
“Thanks Livvie!” I called after her, but if she heard me, she didn’t reply.
Giving up, I scooped an armload of plastic wear out of the box and directly onto the floor, and I could finally spot the multi-colored dishes the kids liked at the bottom of the carton.
Olivia would eat on whatever I gave her—I’d swear she was easier than half the Airmen I led—but Ethan insisted they have the same. And if he didn’t have his particular green plate and special blue cup, the world would implode.
The doctor agreed with me that his behavior was a little immature for seven, but healsoagreed with my ex wife that our home life was probably a contributing factor. He said Ethan would grow out of it when he was ready.
So, in the meantime, I had to placate my own tiny dictator.
And they say America doesn’t negotiate with terrorists.
By the time the kids appeared, I had two bowls of cereal, twin glasses of orange juice, and two slices of toast with peanut butter—cut into triangles, naturally—set out on the dining table. The house was still an absolute wreck from the move, but I managed to clear a space for them to eat.
Ethan’s splotchy face and glossy eyes were a dead giveaway: he had definitely been on the verge of another meltdown, even though the comic book was clenched in one hand.
I purposefully made my voice extra bright. “Oh great, you found it. Thank you, Olivia!” I hinted.
My eldest gave me a silent nod, then steered her younger brother to their seats and pushed him in. He muttered a thank you, then inspected his meal carefully and compared it to his sister’s. Once he was satisfied, he picked up his spoon.
Olivia followed suit, and when my eggs were ready, I slid them onto a matching plastic plate and joined them at the table with my coffee.
“Daddy, you can’t use that. It’smyplate.” Ethan glared at me with all the fire a seven-year-old could muster.
“I’m sorry buddy, but I couldn’t find the norm—I mean, I couldn’t find my plates in all the boxes. Do you mind if I use this one just for breakfast? I promise I’ll unpack before you guys come back from Gramma and Grandpa’s Sunday.”
A sweat broke out on my back. If my troops could only see me now, pouring sweat in fear of an angry second grader.
Ethan seemed to consider it, then nodded seriously. “Okay, butonlyfor breakfast.”
“Thanks buddy,” I smiled, but he’d already turned his attention back to his lucky charms and was busily scooping out the marshmallows.
Breakfast was always a quiet affair for us. To be fair, all meals seemed rather quiet, as of late. The kids and I… were still getting used to each other. It was Cheryl who knew how to lighten Olivia up or calm Ethan down with just the right words.
Which made sense. She was their mother. And while I was either working all day or deployed for months, she had seen them through every skinned knee and tantrum.
Of course, she had also just decided she was over it and left—not even pretending to want our children. She stuck around to see the divorce through and made some vague promises about ‘having the kids to visit’ once she ‘was settled’ and then disappeared. Over a year later and she hadn’t even called them. She’d answer if we called, but they’d pretty much stopped asking for her.
