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We got out of the car and made our way into Lucy’s ivy-covered, college-tuition-expensive private school on the Upper East Side.
“Wesley!”
My entire body cringed at the sound of that overly sweet voice. I pasted on a smile as Greta Powers, the mother of one of Lucy’s classmates, hustled over to us.
Greta was about my age with two children of her own and a recently finalized divorce. Her bleached blonde hair and makeup was always pristine for this early in the morning. I don’t know how she did it when I felt like I barely had time to run a brush through my hair.
“Hello, Greta.”
“Let’s walk in together, shall we?” She hooked her arm in mine and pulled me close. “Lucy, you and Gerald can walk ahead of us.”
Lucy eyed Gerald, her snotty-nosed classmate, and sighed. “Come on, Gerald.”
Greta and I ambled behind our two children. I could feel eyes on us from every direction. Ever since Lucy was born, I had felt eyes on me when I was with her, especially when she started school. Mothers and teachers alike seemed to watch me with greedy interest.
I’d only been hit on a few times at Lucy’s school. After all, most of the mothers were married and the teachers had a duty to be professional. However, on occasion, there were ladies like Greta who made no attempt at hiding their…interest in me.
“Tell me all about your Christmas.”
“It was great. Lovely.”
“Did you travel? Stay home?”
“We were here for the holiday and then took a quick trip to Tahiti.”
Greta clutched my arm harder. “Oh! That’s why you two have such good color.”
Gerald and Lucy had walked a good distance ahead of us. I watched her shrug off her coat and hang it in her cubby, starting to chat with friends she hadn’t seen since before winter break.
“How about you? Nice holiday?”
She sighed. “Well, first one since Tim and I divorced. But I had the kids, thank God. I don’t know what I would have done without them. I would have probably lost it.” Greta laughed wildly, as if it wasn’t the saddest thing in the world.
“That’s lucky.”
“Bye, Daddy!” Lucy waved from the doorway of her classroom.
“Wait!” I broke away from Greta and swept Lucy into a great big hug. “Have an amazing day.”
She squirmed. “Daddy! You’re squeezing too tight!”
“Sorry, sorry.” I pulled back and looked into her face. I was glad she looked so much like me — in all ways except one. Her smile. It was exactly like her mother’s. It hurt that some days her smile, her sign of happiness, could break me. “Maybe you’ll lose that tooth today, huh?”
Lucy gasped. “Then I could put it on the tooth chart!”
I gave her one more hug and a kiss before she skipped into her classroom.
“You two are just so cute together. So close. My boys barely let me hold their hand anymore.”
I smiled at Greta and began to back away down the hallway. Out of her grasp, I could make a break for it. “Yes, they do get to be that way, don’t they. Anyway, I have a meeting to get to, so I’ll see you soon, take care.”
I bolted toward the exit, unable to make out what Greta called after me. Frankly, I didn’t care. Sure, she was pretty. And it was abundantly clear she was interested in me. But I didn’t have space for any women in my life. I was entirely focused on Lucy. Sure, I had a fling here and there. Never with someone I’d have to run into in everyday life. That would make things complicated.
I carried this rushing energy with me all the way to the MediaDeck building in Midtown. First Monday after the holidays would inevitably be a doozy.
I rode the elevator up to my office, said myhelloshere and there, grabbed a coffee from the coffee bar, and settled heavily into my desk chair.
Having to get Lucy ready for school made every day feel as if I needed a nap before the start of my workday. I needed to figure something else out.
