It Had To Be You

I'm a single dad, ex-band member, and am freshly divorced. A.k.a. I'm a looser no one wanted to be with. Well with the exception of my daughter, Madeline. And I guess, I'm making it sound like my band kicked me out. When really, we all just needed a break, one that seems to be lasting a few years. I really shouldn't complain, although then it gave me time for a social, which has gotten me into some major messes, it kind of then made me unsocial.

See, I'm not really explaining this very well. My band, Motion City Soundtrack, yes we gave it a long name for no apparent reason, had made a few records. And every time they seemed to drop a star. Then Josh the guitarist, got his wife, who is has been happily married to for a billion years, pregnant. Now, he seems to be breeding like rabbits. Can't blame him, he's happy, why not? At least Josh is still getting any, unlike me who hasn't been brave enough to even go to a school event where women might be. Yeah I guess you can say I'm a shy person, not typical of a front man, I know. And then there's Jesse, he still goes on dates. He lives a while away, from what I hear he's gotten serious with someone. Lucky. Oh Matt and Tony! Now I said, Jesse lived far away, they're like, I don't even know, how many fuckin' states away. Lately I don't even know what shenanigans they've gotten into down in Virginia. Matt just got engaged, and I suppose will soon be working on that whole rabbit thing too. Tony is apparently still happy just swinging.

That pretty much covers that, I think.

So you're wondering why I can't just get on and do the same? Not that easy here people! Between Maddie and trying to keep my life together, yeah, not on my list of things to do. Then there's that fact of my wife of seven years just going off and leaving one day for reasons she still won't tell me. I read the papers it just said 'irreconcilable differences'. She pulled a Nicole Kidman/Tom Cruise on me. All that wasn't just the least bit scaring…….

The only good part in my life is my kid. She's beautiful, and she is nothing like me. I love her. Plain and simple.

Now if only she wouldn't wake me up every morning so early.

"Daddy!" Maddie jumped on my bed. I looked at the clock, only 6:45 and she's already ready. "Dad!" she whined, half laughing at the yawn I faked. "Get up! Time to open your eyes!!" Maddie grabbed my glassed and shoved them on my face. This kid's hilarious, I tried not to laugh.

"Ima-up!" I jumped up making her almost fall of the bed giggling. Then I adjusted my glasses and sat back, "Morning my Maddie Addie." I kissed the top of her head, and Maddie just gave me a death glare.

"Daaaddd, don't call me that anymore!" She reminded me irritably. I forget that she's going through that phase of 'before tween'. When everything I do is starting, but very slowly, to become un-cool. The day that happens I think I might die.

"Sorry I forgot," I looked at the side table to my right. Maddie sighed then crawled up and cuddled under my arm, "So, what's going on for you today?" Calendars were never my thing, but she always seemed to have everything neatly planned inside her head. It amazed me.

"After school I have, curling club, and you have to pay lunch money….Oh!" Maddie's face lit up and she squirmed out from under my arm, "Parent teacher conferences are coming up!" Damn. It. Seriously it is only a few weeks into first quarter, there can't be anything to talk about yet.

"Ok, ok," Going through a mental checklist of my own, "Have you made your bed yet?" the one chore that she never does in the morning. I foiled her! Maddie rolled her eyes, and ran to her room. Now it was time for me to get dressed, and eat something. As I walked from the kitchen I heard Maddie shuffling around in her room. Something had to be wrong, she was moving too quickly and sighing way too much, "Madeline, your cereal is getting mushy."

"I can't get it……" she sighed. Then walked to the kitchen. I saw her bed, it was almost perfectly made, only it was missing a pillow and her stuffed giraffe. Maybe that's why she hated making her bed, everything had to be perfect, and Maddie is rather small. So pulling covers and a crazy comforter like that up must be quite a challenge. I snorted when I found them behind the head board, and then turned to see Maddie giving me another death glare, "Hey! Don't laugh at me."

"Sweetie I wasn't laughing at you," I came and lifted her up unwillingly she accepted, "G.g.'s head was being squished!" I showed her the giraffe's head that was now lacking stuffing. Maddie relaxed and started giggling. "Now, go and actually finish you breakfast!" we were both smiling. I sent her back to the kitchen. Come on, it is physically impossible for her to eat in thirty seconds.

By the time I was done making my bed and had come back into the kitchen, Maddie was playing with Fig, our dog. Yeah, the one I should have never let her get, the one that she made 'the face' for. But that dog makes her the happy, plus she insists on keeping him clean and feeding him on the exact same time every day. This kid makes my life easy, well most of the time. It was a 'walk day', we have to walk him every other day, besides he's only a medium breed, of something or other….. Anyways, I wrote a check for her lunch money, then sighed the parent teacher conference slip.

"Come on Maddie!" I called picking up a leash from the entry way closet. "And don't forget your hat." Speaking of hats, I hadn't done my hair. I grabbed a green and teal beanie, maybe my hood wouldn't hurt either.

"I want to walk Fig!" Maddie happily declared, putting on her backpack. She wasn't demanding at all.

"Ok, just make sure you don't loose control of him…..Or we might had a kid pancake!" Well some of her classmates did deserve to be punched in the face. Yet again, it was more or less the parents fault for the way the kid turned out.

"Kind of like G.g.!" she laughed again at the way the giraffe looked. I nodded opened the door and mumbled a 'yeah'.

We walked out, the few blocks to the school. I told her the time that I'd pick her up, ect. Fig still needed to be walked a little more, and I needed inspiration for anything. Maybe I was going to write a script or worse a song. Getting wrapped up in all of these thoughts made me let out Fig's leash a little more then I should. Before I knew it there was a little boy under his paw. Fig was going nuts, I'd never seen him take to someone so quick, he usually only did that with Madeline and me.

The boy was laughing, the woman with him was smirking, and how do you begin to apologize for that? 'Yeah so you're both laughing, but yet I'm uptight, and I'll just get my dog off your kid.' Kidding me….

"Fig!" I scolded then tightened the leash. The woman helped who I think was her son up.

She was pretty, not overly done. Simple earrings, wavy light brown hair, shorter stature, and had hunter green eyes. At first glance there really wasn't anything special about her, then when you watched her smile, and saw the way she held herself in her movements, you would be captivated. Trust me. Her son looked like her, same wavy hair, a little lighter then hers though, and same small softly pointed nose.

"You ok Ian?" she brushed some dirt off of his back. He nodded then looked me up and down. I felt like I was being looked right through, he turned to Fig.

"I'm really sorry." I felt my cheeks get warm, then twirled the leash around my finger.

"It is fine." She looked at 'Ian' who was smiling and laughing as Fig placed slobbery kisses on his face. I realized I should apologize to him too, even if he was only four or five he still deserved to be treated well, human.

"I'm very sorry sir!" I bent down to his eye level, "I hope I didn't get you jacket too dirty." Ha! Dirty with a boy, not possible. I noticed underneath the jacket his shirt was navy blue with a dinosaur under it. Too bad Maddie never liked dinos…..

"You didn't." he looked very inquisitive for a child of his age, and concentrated on Fig yet again.

"Ok, and may I add that is a very nice shirt." I added in before I stood up to face his mother. She was smiling a little bigger now revealing very white straight teeth.

"He seems to want to wear that one everyday!" She patted Ian on the head, "We just love this shirt." She said sarcastically through clenched teeth. I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Yep!" he was looking at his collar now pretending to count or something. Then again today's youth is super geniuses.

"Well, I hope you know Mr. Ian that it is very pterodactyl-ally awesome!" Now I thought I had, had enough time to think of what to say to this lady. Of course in Justin Pierre style I didn't, time to make something up. But it wasn't coming very fast…. "Yeah, so. I really hope I didn't- well didn't…" what was I trying to say anyways?

"Don't worry, I don’t think he is too scarred." She smiled warmer, it surprisingly made me feel a little better, "Anyways," she cleared her throat and then jingled some car keys in her pocket, "Ian we'd better get going." That jerked me back into reality.

"But mommy!" Anyone could tell this kid wanted a dog of his own now. I felt kind of bad for putting that idea in his head, "I was playing with him……" he stuck out his bottom lip. It was pretty cute if I say so myself.

"Ian…." She gave a warning tone. He simply pouted even more then grabbed her hand. I pulled back Fig so they could get through on the tight squeeze of a sidewalk.

Then like the idiot I am, shouted: "See you around?" my cheeks went pale, waiting for an answer while she walked away. Did she even hear me? Probably not, she was talking to Ian anyways.

"Yeah." She turned her head and shouted. My mouth twitched holding back a smile, or at least until she couldn't see me. Fig stretched making a sound or two then lead me on ward. Overall that meeting wasn't bad, just really, really embarrassing.

Damn dog.