The Only Exception
I'm on my way to believing
Now, unless you're physic I'm guessing you're still wondering why I was so hurt and jittery? No, he didn't cheat or do anything jerk-like at all to me. It just got complicated, quickly. Since it happened so fast you'd think it'd be a quick and clean break? Wrong. Very, very, very wrong. Like I said we'll go back further, eventually. For now, back to the summer.
It was a week after I'd seen him and two days since my sister, Maxine, had flown over from Arizona. We had planned to go out. Well, she planned for us to go out.
"Why do you and Auntie Max have to go out?" Ames asked as he remained focused on the page he was turning.
"It's what some grown-ups do on Friday nights. But we'll be back before you wake up." Sometimes, I felt weird calling myself a grown-up, although technically it had happened the day I decided to raise a child.
"Oh." My smile dropped a little, they sounded exactly the same, "Mommy," Ames scanned the new book in front of him and then back at me, "You look sad."
"Well, I'm not," I kissed his head smiling and noticed the time, "Now, mister, it is twenty minutes past your bed time."
"Oh no!" He covered his eyes with his hands and wiggled.
"Oh yes." I reinforced as I helped him under the covers.
Ames quickly snuggled in and was out in what seemed seconds. I stole one more glance at my child who was turning into his father more and more everyday. Sighing I shut his door and walked out to my younger, who almost herded me into the car. All along the way she refused to tell me where we were going. When we did stop it was at a restaurant that looked pretty shabby.
"There better not be male strippers here." I mumbled and walked to the front doors. Along the way I nearly fell on my high heels.
"It isn't. It's better!" Maxine skipped in and automatically told our names to the hostess. She led us upstairs where multiple tables were set up in a circle. One woman sat at each table and a larger group of men were in the middle of the circle.
"Max, what the hell?!" I tried to keep a straight face and even tone. "Speed dating?!"
"Good, you know what it is." She sat down and I began to walk away. Maxine quickly pulled my sleeved and shoved me to the seat next to her.
"I can't believe this…" I muttered as I gave her my best mother death glare.
"You need to start looking again! Now, be nice." Max scolded me and then smiled at the man coming to sit at her table. Following her lead I grinned and held out a hand to the want-to-be suitor.
He began talking, and after the first sentence I didn't even remember his name. I was off in my own world. I was trying to fine similarities in the man in front of me and in him. He just kept talking, and within seconds a new person was in front of me. I felt so uncomfortable, it had been years since I'd been in a situation like this. I didn't remember how to flirt or be interesting and I surely didn't want to be with these people. Maxine nudged my chair and cleared her throat at me. I shook out of it and pretended to be interested for the rest of the night. Not only did I feel tired, but I was strangely homesick…
Yet, when I got home that night it didn't cure it. I washed up for bed, and then laid there staring at my ceiling. No matter the position I was in the bed always felt too lumpy, too cold, or too big. Sighing I retreated to Ames's room.
It was a week after I'd seen him and two days since my sister, Maxine, had flown over from Arizona. We had planned to go out. Well, she planned for us to go out.
"Why do you and Auntie Max have to go out?" Ames asked as he remained focused on the page he was turning.
"It's what some grown-ups do on Friday nights. But we'll be back before you wake up." Sometimes, I felt weird calling myself a grown-up, although technically it had happened the day I decided to raise a child.
"Oh." My smile dropped a little, they sounded exactly the same, "Mommy," Ames scanned the new book in front of him and then back at me, "You look sad."
"Well, I'm not," I kissed his head smiling and noticed the time, "Now, mister, it is twenty minutes past your bed time."
"Oh no!" He covered his eyes with his hands and wiggled.
"Oh yes." I reinforced as I helped him under the covers.
Ames quickly snuggled in and was out in what seemed seconds. I stole one more glance at my child who was turning into his father more and more everyday. Sighing I shut his door and walked out to my younger, who almost herded me into the car. All along the way she refused to tell me where we were going. When we did stop it was at a restaurant that looked pretty shabby.
"There better not be male strippers here." I mumbled and walked to the front doors. Along the way I nearly fell on my high heels.
"It isn't. It's better!" Maxine skipped in and automatically told our names to the hostess. She led us upstairs where multiple tables were set up in a circle. One woman sat at each table and a larger group of men were in the middle of the circle.
"Max, what the hell?!" I tried to keep a straight face and even tone. "Speed dating?!"
"Good, you know what it is." She sat down and I began to walk away. Maxine quickly pulled my sleeved and shoved me to the seat next to her.
"I can't believe this…" I muttered as I gave her my best mother death glare.
"You need to start looking again! Now, be nice." Max scolded me and then smiled at the man coming to sit at her table. Following her lead I grinned and held out a hand to the want-to-be suitor.
He began talking, and after the first sentence I didn't even remember his name. I was off in my own world. I was trying to fine similarities in the man in front of me and in him. He just kept talking, and within seconds a new person was in front of me. I felt so uncomfortable, it had been years since I'd been in a situation like this. I didn't remember how to flirt or be interesting and I surely didn't want to be with these people. Maxine nudged my chair and cleared her throat at me. I shook out of it and pretended to be interested for the rest of the night. Not only did I feel tired, but I was strangely homesick…
Yet, when I got home that night it didn't cure it. I washed up for bed, and then laid there staring at my ceiling. No matter the position I was in the bed always felt too lumpy, too cold, or too big. Sighing I retreated to Ames's room.