Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
I stop by the brown door where the teacher waits for everyone. “Okay, Rain.” I squat down in front of her, blinking away the tears that are itching to come out. “Give me a hug.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “You’ll be here to pick me up, right?” she whispers.
“You betcha,” I assure her. “Then we’ll go and get Luna together,” I whisper in her ear before kissing her cheek. “I love you, baby girl.”
“Love you too, Mom,” she replies and then turns around, walking into the brown door. I stand back up and watch her walk down the hall with another little girl. My heart feels like it’s going to pound right through my chest. I wait until I can’t see her anymore and quickly wipe away the lone tear from the corner of my eye.
“Shall we go drop you off?” I look over at Luna, who’s standing beside me, holding my hand.
I walk toward the gate to leave the schoolyard but have to move more to the side when the school bus gets here. About seventy kids all rush to get into the school. I come face-to-face with the wives, who are all hanging out chatting. “Hey,” Paulette says to me, a smile on her face, “how are you?” She comes to kiss me on my cheek.
“Hi, guys.” I put on a fake smile, going to the four of them and kissing their cheeks. The team has been really good about bringing food for us periodically. At first, it was every single day, sometimes twice a day. The calls were nonstop, but now they are slowing down, which is something I knew would happen.
“Hey,” Brittany reminds me, “don’t forget Friday night.” I look at her confused about what Friday night is. “Remember, I called you last week?” She laughs. “It’s the big family skate day right before the preseason starts.” It’s something the team has been doing for the past ten years. It was a night when everyone had the best time. Back from summer break, right before heading back to the reality of being on the road and starting the season. It was one of the girls’ favorite times, so I said yes because I thought they would love it, but deep down, I don’t think it’s a good idea.
I swallow down the big golf ball. “Yeah, I think we’re still good to go,” I say, put on the spot, knowing I can’t lie with Luna here. Because one thing I’ve learned about lying with kids is that they will out you each time. “I’ll let you know.” I look down at Luna, who is waving like crazy to a couple of girls who have come over for playdates. “You ladies have a great day,” I say as quickly as I can to get the fuck out of here.
Drop-off for Luna is a little less awkward but still the same. The teachers look at us like they all feel sorry for us, and I have to fight not to tell them all to fuck off, which is the stupidest thing. Luna quickly waves her hand before rushing to play with her friends.
With my head down, I walk out of the daycare to the car. The phone beeps in my hand, and I see it’s a text from Christopher.
Christopher: Happy first day back at school and daycare.
My heart hammers faster and faster seeing the sentence. When the phone pings again, this time the back of my neck is burning.
Christopher: I’d like to come by and see the kids, maybe take you guys out for dinner? Let me know.
“What the fuck,” I mumble. Opening up the text app, I see that instead of sending the picture to Eddie, I sent it to Christopher. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I curse, pulling open the driver’s side door and getting in. Christopher is the only one who has been calling daily. Every single day, he calls, and every single time, I decline the call. I don’t even know why I decline the call; I just do. But lately, he’s been texting me also. Every single day, he asks me if I need anything. I answered him once and never again, but the texts still come. He tries to word the sentences different each time, but in the end, it’s the same. Are you and the girls okay? Bottom line—we are not.
I toss my phone aside, starting the car and driving to go get myself a coffee before I make my way over to my appointment.
The phone feels like it weighs a million pounds as I pull open the glass door before taking the elevator up to the seventh floor. “Hi,” I greet as soon as I step off the elevator. “How are you, Melanie?” I say to the receptionist.
“I’m great, Dakota.” She smiles, using my full name. “She is waiting for you. You can go ahead.”