Father Figure

Just after 11 pm, the front door swung open. Joe walked in, a smirk plastered on his face already. His eyes lifted when he noticed I was sitting on the couch. "What are you doing up still?" he asked as he shucked his shoes and dropped his things off. 

I lifted my book slightly. "Reading. Just spending some time by myself," I told him. I looked over his disheveled suit. "Late night working?" I asked. 

He nodded his head. "Yeah. Big case," he said. He ran his hands through his hair. "I'm going to shower and go to sleep," he told me. Without waiting for a reply, he disappeared up the stairs. 

I frowned in confusion, but brushed off his strange behavior. I closed my book and turned out all the lights after setting the alarm system. I made my way up to our room. His clothes were already put in the dirty hamper while he was locked up in the bathroom. Normally his clothes were thrown all over the place. 

I shook my head. I needed to sleep. My mind was working double time tonight and it was exhausting. I curled up under the sheets, feeling uncomfortable like always. This bed never felt right to me. 

I didn't know why. The mattress was perfectly comfortable, as we're the sheets. I was guessing it was just where I was. I was in a new home in Pittsburgh, living with Joseph. The city wasn't quite home yet. I wasn't fully comfortable yet. 

Getting settled wasn't hard at all. The people here were generally nice. Our neighbors were all kind and happy. But for some reason, it didn't feel as home as much as Seattle had, let alone Nova Scotia. 

Joe stumbled out of the bathroom. I could feel the warm air from the shower follow him out into the bedroom. But minutes later, they both disappeared down the stairs again. 

I let out a sigh. So our fighting and butting of heads wasn't over yet. 

--

"Boys, hurry!" I yelled up the stairs. I could hear their chaotic movements pick up pace slightly. 

"So, I was thinking about something," Joe began. 

I glanced up at him. He'd come home for an hour's break about three. I didn't question it, figuring he was just now getting his lunch break. "What's that?" I asked, fumbling over writing down the directions I needed. 

"What do you think about me taking the boys to a Penguins game tomorrow?" he asked. "We'd get to spend some time together, just the four of us. Maybe bond a little more?"

I stopped writing and looked back at him. "That'd be great," I told him honestly. He gave me a small smile in return before quickly going back to eating in silence. 

Just then, three pairs of feet came stomping down the stairs. "Mom! We're ready!" Beau yelled. 

I hurried and got my keys. "Let's go!" I told them. I held the door open as they heaved their duffle bags out to my waiting car. I helped them throw the bags in the back before getting them buckled up. "You guys ready?" I asked as I turned on the car. 

"Yeah!" each of them yelled out. 

I smiled widely. My little hockey players were going to their first practice of the year. The rest of the team was made up of five year olds, but I convinced the coach to let them play since they'd be turning five shortly. They'd been excited about it ever since I told them the good news. 

"Did you get your goalie pads, Kris?" I asked. 

"Yup," he hummed out. 

"Got all of your gear, Beau, Gab?" I continued. 

"Yes, mama," Gab answered. "I even have my helmet with my Penguins sticker on it!" he told me excitedly. 

I laughed softly. Already, Gab had decided he wanted to be a defenseman. He was more than determined to only play that position for the rest of his life. Beau, however, nearly jumped at the chance to be a center, just like his favorite player. In the end, all of their decisions didn't surprise me at all. They each seemed to fit with what they wanted. 

I helped them get laced up and put together once we reached the ice rink. There were several other mothers doing the same thing, only with one child. I'd gotten down a pattern for getting all three done in record time.

As the coach called all the boys over, I took my seat on the bleachers with the other moms. "Which one is yours?"

I looked over at the other youngest mother in the group. She was probably just a few years older than I was. "Those three with the matching lime green skates," I told her proudly. 

Her eyes went wide. "Three of them?" she asked in shock. 

I laughed and nodded. "Yup. Those are my triplets," I responded. 

She laughed. "That must be quite a handful. I can only imagine raising three at once," she commented. 

I shrugged. "I guess it can get hard at times. Other times it's nicer having more than one. They always have a play buddy." She laughed at that. "Which one is yours?" I asked. 

She pointed to the shortest boy on the ice. "That one there. Josiah," she told me. 

I grinned. "He's adorable," I told her. 

"Thanks. He looks a lot like his dad." We watched the boys skate around with their coach for a few minutes. "I'm guessing yours all look like their dad? They don't resemble you too much."

I nodded my head. "Exact replicas of their father," I agreed. 

She suddenly stuck out her hand. "I'm Tracey Parker," she introduced. 

I smiled brightly. "Nathalie Harris," I replied. We shook hands happily.

"I don't think I've ever seen you around the city or at any of the ice rinks before. Are you new here?" she asked curiously. 

I nodded my head. "We just moved here awhile ago from Seattle," I confirmed. 

"Wow, quite a ways. Why such a big move?"

"My fiancé got a better job here," I told her. "You lived here all your life?" I asked. 

She nodded her head proudly. "Born and raised here. My husband grew up here, too."

We talked throughout the practice, getting to know each other. She was a nice woman, that was for sure; but nowhere near Vero. There was still a lot of reserve and stuck up attitude to how she acted. I could tell the other mothers tried not to associate with her much. That sign made me slightly nervous. If someone was avoided by a whole group of mothers, something must be off. 

--

I closed the back of my car as the boys all squished into the back seat. Just as I was getting ready to walk to my door, another mother approached me. She was most like closer to 45 and had a more knowledgable look to her. I could tell right away that the boy she'd brought today must not have been her first. 

"Hi, I'm Marisa," she introduced herself. 

I shook her hand. "Nathalie," I responded. 

She smiled kindly. "Listen, I know this isn't my place, but I thought I'd give you a heads up. I overheard you saying you were new in town. I don't know if you noticed, but us other moms were a little... Reserved about interacting with Tracey," she began.

I nodded my head in curiosity. She inhaled deeply and let it out. "We've all been through getting close to her. Let me save you the heartache and just say be careful. She's done a lot to hurt our trust," she told me. I shifted uncomfortably. "Of course, she might have changed. I just want you to stay on your toes a little bit. I'd rather not see a girl as nice as yourself get hurt by her."

With that last word, she walked away. I chewed on my lip, contemplating what she'd told me. I wasn't sure if I should take it seriously or let it go. Obviously something was wrong between Tracey and every other parent, but I didn't know the whole reasoning. 

I decided I'd take her warning. I wasn't going to straight out ignore the woman, but I'd stay reserved until I knew for sure I could trust her. 

I climbed into my car to find a message on my phone. "Play date tomorrow after a workout at three?" it read. I smiled widely at the text from Vero before replying "I'd love to!"