THANKS FOR THE PEP TALK
I waited and waited. And waited some more. My son was nowhere to be seen. His father arrived 15 minutes after soccer practice started. Without our son.
'Where is Sage' I asked. He didn't know. He was donning a suit as he just returned from a 3-day business trip but did not know where his wife and children were. As he got on the phone to her, I kept looking. A few minutes later, I saw them approaching. Sage was wearing a letterman style jacket as it was cold though not the attire I would have had him wear for today's practice.
My girls ran up to me and hugged me. Sage followed shortly thereafter. I wanted to know why they were so late. She proceeded to tell me it was my son's fault because he forgot his soccer ball and shin guards and they had to return home to get them halfway to the field. I told her she is the adult and it is her responsibility to make sure the children get to where they need to be on time. She walked off with my ex for a few minutes no doubt complaining about what I had just told her.
'Thanks for the pep talk' I heard her say as she walked by on the way to the car. I wondered if that comment was directed towards me. It was. I did not appreciate her snippy comment and let my ex know so. He proceeded to make excuses as to her being stressed and having to go to class and such.
Well, I am stressed as well with my having to move to my third rental house in the last two years, my ongoing unemployment during this entire time, and having to turn down the past three jobs due to their schedules. I still think of the last job with the perfect hours I had to turn down as they were not willing to watch the children during spring break, the main condition of employment having been my being able to make it to work during that week. Even with all of these stresses, somehow I manage to get my children to places on time.
I brushed off the comment and returned to watching my son on the field. In the meantime, Mario called and wanted to Skype. I told him I was not home but we could still do so and he could watch Sage at the same time though it is not the same as him being there in person. Yet.
My girls complained of being cold. I looked down at their choice of shoes and was not surprised. It was around 12C at the time and they were wearing beach flip flops. I asked their father why she could not make sure the girls wore socks and tennis shoes.
'Oh, [she] didn't know it was going to be so cold.' I looked at him in disbelief at such an absurd statement. How can you not notice the biting cold as you walk out the door? Then he added, 'but it was warm on Monday.' What?!
No, nothing made much sense. Now I just have to figure out how to keep my son from getting kicked out of school before the semester ends. Something I first heard of two days ago. Life. You simply have to take it one moment at a time.
