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“Are you looking forward to meeting your new coach tonight?” I ask.
She nods, and continues eating.
Lee always convinced her to try out different sports, and it’s always been softball. She has come a long way since her first year, and she is always excited about the start of a new season. Her old coach moved away after last year, and I hope she doesn’t end up with a coach that screams at the girls like it’s college softball. Not everyone is cut out to teach little kids.
When I was her age, my whole life was softball. I played for a long time and always found it almost therapeutic. It’s a good way to be social and understand how to work as a team. Every kid should try at least once. I think it’s helped Sherrie bond with the other girls on the team.
“Let’s get ready. We gotta leave in ten minutes.”
We get up from the island and go into our rooms. The one thing I like most about my job is the ability to dress how I want. Usually, I’m in jeans and a nice blouse with Converse sneakers. Being on my feet most of the day, it helps.
Sherrie comes out in a pink dress and white flats. “I’m ready, mom.”
I smile, spin her around, and then grab my keys.
“Let’s hustle. Mommy can’t be late for work.”
Dropping her off is always fairly easy if everyone follows the rules, but there is always one person that doesn’t understand how the system works or that’s what they claim. If both lanes constantly move, then it takes around ten minutes, but right now there is some woman holding up the line. I try to take a deep breath and calm myself, but being late as the boss is disrespectful.
“Come on. We have jobs to get to!” I yell out my window, and the lady rolls her eyes and gets back in her car.
I pull up to the front doors, Sherrie gets out, and I blow her a kiss before heading out of the parking lot. I’ve got about ten minutes to get to the salon, but Tina is most likely already there getting set up. I’m not one of those people that think just because I’m the boss, I should get away with things. My employees are aware of what I expect, and they want the same from me. It’s a respect thing. Traffic isn’t too bad, and I make it with a couple of minutes to spare.
“Hey, girl.”
Tina is at the front desk, messing with the computer, and rearranging the display case with hair accessories before the start of our day. I take a seat in the waiting area on the leather couch, and pick up a magazine.
“How was the first night?”
I roll my eyes, and lean my head back on the couch. “Got no sleep. Not used to being alone.”
She puts together her station with combs, a water bottle sprayer, and bowls and brushes for mixing colors. “It’ll get easier.”
Why does everyone say this? No matter why a relationship ended, there is still an adjustment period. When you are used to sleeping next to someone, being in a bed alone is weird. It’s not him that I’m missing, it’s just the company.
“It was mutual. We are both moving on with our lives.”
Tina's face scrunches up. “I find that hard to believe. So you guys both decided to break up? I just don’t get it at all.”
People on the outside don’t always sense when things are wrong. Lee and I have had many ups and downs in the decade we were dating. He is a wonderful man, and never did anything wrong, but we couldn’t stay together for Sherrie. Happiness is something that everyone should get to enjoy.
“Did you guys stop trying? Our therapist tells us we have to make time to do things as a couple.”
I love how this is the first time she has mentioned them being in therapy. Maybe she doesn’t tell me everything. “Our relationship hasn’t been going in the right direction for years. We stayed together for Sherrie and then one year turned into seven.”
The person I end up with shouldn’t be a convenient roommate. Sure, we slept in the same bed, but we were rarely intimate, and the conversations stopped. I think there came a point where we were both too scared to say anything.
“We sat down and had a long talk about us, and we were both very honest with each other. Staying with someone just because you have kids is unhealthy for the children. They take their parent’s relationship as a guide for what to expect, and Sherrie needs to know that her happiness is important. Lee and I barely talking or spending time with each other doesn’t provide a good example for her.”
“So, you broke up for Sherrie?”
Sometimes, Tina doesn’t quite understand things. It’s like she doesn’t listen fully. “Yes and no. We both want to be happy and show Sherrie how she should be treated. By staying with each other, we were setting a bad example for her.”
Tina doesn’t have kids yet, and so it might be hard for her to understand. As a parent, our kids rely on us to show them things and we can’t take that lightly. Even at a young age, they are picking up on how we talk and interact with people. We are their role models for many things in life, and we need to be careful what we are teaching them.
The bell on the door jingles, and my first client of the day is here.
“Morning. Have a seat.”
