Father Figure

“Mama! Monsieur Mario is here!” Kris screamed from the kitchen.

I let out a long breath as I finished putting my hair up into a pony tail. I hurried into the kitchen to see Mario standing by the front door, a newspaper in his hand and a grimace on his face. My stomach sank as I walked over. “Hey,” I greeted softly.

He glanced at the boys. “I need to talk to you about something,” he told me.

I swallowed hard. “Okay, what’s up?” I asked, motioning to the living room area. He followed me over to the couch before holding out the newspaper.

On the front page of the sports section was a photo from the night before, when the boys still hadn’t noticed the men taking pictures. I slowly sank down onto the couch as I began reading the article.

Mario sat quietly beside me as my blood began boiling. “Who would even write this?” I demanded as I threw the paper down on the coffee table. “That’s a load of lies!”

He sighed and nodded his head. “It’s Sidney. They’re going to always make these kinds of outrageous statements,” he told me, his finger tapping the article.

I glared at the printed words, wishing I knew just who had written them. They'd gone too far. I could handle all the heat about myself, but when it came to insulting Sidney and the boys, I got defensive. “So, what do we do?” I asked slowly.

He rubbed his hands together. “Sid’s been on the phone all morning with his PR manager. He’s livid about the article. I think it may come down to having to have a press release or something… I’ve never had a situation like this, so it’s all kind of being played by ear. If it can’t be taken care of by a few phone calls and all that, then we’ll most likely end up doing a press release. Are you okay with being up in front of people that way?” he asked.

I ran my hand over my hair. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. Will the boys have to be up there?" I questioned. 

He thought about it for a moment. "I don't think you have to, but I'm sure it'd help if the press was introduced to them up front."

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. Mario lightly patted my arm. "It'll be fine. Just give this a little while and things will settle down," he told me. "I have to get going, though. Good luck."

I gave him a small smile and thanked him. As the boys finished up their breakfast, I pushed myself off the couch. "Let's get going, boys," I called out. 

They filed outside, one by one. I locked the door before following them to the car. "Mama, how come Monsieur Mario was here?" Beau asked from his seat. 

I glanced at him in my mirror. "Why do you guys call him Monsieur Mario?" I asked back. 

"Because Daddy called him that and it was funny," Gab answered with a cheeky smile. 

I laughed and shook my head, making a mental note to call him at lunch. "But how come he came over? Do we have to move?" Beau but in. 

I shook my head. "No. We're staying here," I told them. 

They were quiet for a few minutes as I drove through the streets leading to the school. "Mama, I miss Grandma," Kris mumbled sadly. 

"Me, too," Beau added on loudly. 

"Yeah, me, too," Gab quickly called out. 

"Is she gonna come visit us again?" Beau continued. 

I turned down the street that their school was on. "I don't know. Maybe we can call her to tonight and ask," I suggested. 

They all bubbled with excitement. "Grandma could meet Miss Vero!" Kris screamed out. "But not Marc," he muttered darkly. 

I let out a small laugh. "Sweetie, don't be mean," I warned him. 

He pouted out his bottom lip. "But Mama, he's gonna steal her away!"

"No, he's not. He's too busy playing hockey," Gab scoffed. 

"Yeah! She's all yours," Beau insisted with an encouraging smile. 

I bit my lips together, begging my laughter not to come out as they continued on with their childhood sense of logic. "We're here," I told them as I put the car in park.

They all unbuckled themselves and grabbed their back packs. "Je t'aime!" I told each of them as they gave me a kiss before running to the woman who escorted the children inside. 

I watched the three of them walk up to the doors, already talking to the lady. Gab turned around, like always, and made a heart with his hands. I did the same and blew him a kiss. He grinned, snatching it out of the air and planting it on his cheek. I smiled to myself before leaving. 

Those small moments where I got the chance to have something individual with each of them always meant a lot. They were always grouped together making it hard at times. As they got older, it became easier, though. Gab continued to develop into the "mama's boy" he was while Beau became independent and Kris did the same. Though now Kris seemed attached to Vero. 

On my way to the hospital, my phone rang. I hit the speaker button to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, we need to talk..." Sid began slowly. 

"I already know. What's the official plan?" I asked. There was no point in stressing about it when there wasn't a thing I could do to change what was bound to happen. 

"Press meeting on Wednesday at four. Is that okay?" he asked. 

I thought through our schedule quickly. "Yeah, that should be fine. What about the boys?"

"Vero and Marc said they'd keep an eye on them in the locker room. Marc will be there for a meeting with coach, anyways, so it'll work out fine," he explained. He let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Nat... I never thought it'd turn this way... I thought the release in December would be enough..

His voice was soft. It was obvious how much he'd been stressing about it so far and it'd only been a few hours since the paper was delivered. My smile grew a little. Sidney was a good guy, through and through. He honestly cared and tried his best when it came to his friends and family. "It's fine. We should have known it wouldn't just be accepted so easily."

"I guess... I just wish they'd be more... I don't know," he mumbled. 

"Hey, it's fine. Okay? The boys are safe, we're all okay, and it's not world shattering. It's no big deal," I assured him. 

He chuckled quietly. "That's what you tell the boys when they have melt downs over a toy breaking, huh?"

I giggled softly. "Maybe."

His chuckled picked up more energy. "Like father likes sons, I guess," he commented. 

I parked in the employee parking lot. "Guess so. I'll call you at lunch and we can work on things more thoroughly," I said as I gathered my purse. 

"Alright. I just wanted to check in with you. Have a good day at work," he replied. 

"Have a fun day not working," I responded teasingly. Sidney laughed again. "Bye," I mumbled. As our phone call disconnected shortly after that, I felt my smile fade. I stared down at my phone, wanting to call him back and spend more time talking to him. I had gotten used to talking to him a lot. Each goodbye felt like a small let down now, though. 

With yet another sigh, I pushed myself to get out of the car and walk into the hospital. The familiar sterile smell greeted me like it normally did. Four hours to go until I had to sit and figure out what to say to a bunch of gossip deprived reporters.