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16
Ethan
I listento my ex tell me all the reasons we should get back together. None of them are convincing, of course, and I’m not fooled for a second with her empty promises. Lisa has done this a dozen times before. Every time she promises Caden something, he gets hurt.
“You don’t really want me to leave?” she asks.
“I think that’s best,” I say.
She displays crocodile tears as if I'm naive. It’s an old strategy of hers, and not convincing. Through little sobs, she asks, “What about our son?”
“I want you to see him,” I say. “But we need a schedule and consistency. You can’t keep running off.”
“I’ll never do that again,” she says.
I know she’s lying, even if she believes it at the moment. It might be a week, a month, or a season, but she always breaks her word.
From down the hall, I hear our son open his bedroom door. “Dad?”
“What are you doing out of bed, little man?”
Caden rubs his eyes. “I had a bad dream.”
I pick him up and give him a big hug. “Come on, Tiger. I’ll tuck you back in.”
“Is mom going to stay here?” he asks, as I pull a light blanket up to his chin.
“No, son,” I say. “She’s leaving in a few minutes.”
“Is she going to get me from school tomorrow?”
“I think so, bud.” I don’t want to build up his expectations too much.
“Can I still go to the beach with Rylie?”
“Of course,” I answer. “Why wouldn’t you be able to?”
“Mom said she was going to take me, not anyone else.”
“I’ll talk to her.” I rub his head.
I want to assure him that everything is going to work out, but I can’t promise him things that aren’t fully under my control, like his mother's behavior. But at least I now know what she’s doing here with this latest begging for us to be together. Caden told her about Daddy’s pretty friend Riley and she is determined that I won’t have my chance at happiness.
I don’t even know that Rylie will stick around either. She hasn’t had enough time with the two of us, the poster boys as she calls us, to realize it’s not always fun and games. Kids get sick, they need a lot of attention, and there’s always something off-plan blowing up.
I smile at my son. “Good night, Tiger. Go to sleep, okay?”
He nods his head. “Night, dad.”
My heart wrenches at the sweet contentment in his voice. As I shut the door, it grips tighter as I hear women’s voices coming from the living room. At first, I think maybe Lisa has turned on the television, but then she raises her voice and shouts, “Get lost!”
The front door slams shut even as I try to close Caden’s door quietly.
I walk down the hall and ask Lisa, “Who was that?”
“One of those rude cult people,” she says. “This late at night, too. There should be a law against it.”
“That’s weird,” I say walking to the front door and pulling it open. A car is pulling away, but it’s too dark to tell who it is. Lisa surprises me by ambushing me with an unexpected hug from behind. I try to pull her arms off me without hurting her. “Stop,” I demand.
