"I'm thinking that even if I hadn't, you know, done the things that I did…" No one needs more of an explanation. My sins have been aired more than enough that there's no reason to rehash them. "… our marriage was already doomed. I didn't take care of you emotionally at all.""Well, I think doomed is probably a little extreme," Justin counters. "A woman losing her feelings of self-worth when she becomes a mother isn't an uncommon problem. So you may have been headed for some rough patches, but I don't think it would have been the end of your relationship."I'm not really sure I believe him. "I'm sorry, Mari," I say to her. "I had no idea you felt so badly about yourself.""Honestly, Santos," she responds, "I don't think I had any idea about it either, so how could you? It sucks that we ended up divorced, but it also sort of forced me to face my own demons that I didn't really want to know were there. Is it weird that I can kind of see a silver lining to this whole thing?""It actually
"The house was built in 2001, which is really young for the neighborhood. Now, I know the lots are a little smaller, but that really cuts down on the cost and it means less yard maintenance for you." I look through the pantry and kitchen cabinets as my realtor, Alice, continues to drone on about the benefits of the home. I'm already sold on it, though. But she doesn't need to know that yet.The house is perfect. Four decent-sized bedrooms and two full bathrooms are upstairs, which means I can be close to the kids at night. It also has a game room that will come in handy as the kids get older and more independent. Downstairs boasts a small open-concept kitchen and den area with a small dining room just off the kitchen. Perfect for keeping an eye on the kids while I cook. There's also a half bathroom and a laundry room. And a small room that's supposed to be a formal living room, but I'd rather turn it into an office area.Despite how open and spacious it is inside, from the outside, it
"That's a nice idea, but I know how much we both have in savings, or at least how much we each started out with. It would deplete everything. With you not working for the next year…" I shake my head. There's no way it'll work."You don't remember how much we're making off the current house, do you?"I think back to the conversation we had about numbers right after we got divorced. Things were so emotionally heightened back then, I don't remember a lot of it. But I do remember that."You were serious? We have that much equity?""I'm the math major remember?" he teases. "We had saved for so long we made a huge down payment during a buyer's market. The market has swung and now it's a seller's market, so already the value has gone up. Not to mention, up until we separated, we were making double payments every month. We shaved off something like fifteen years' worth of interest that way.""But Santos, that's your money. I don't want to take your money. Especially with you being in school."
"As you can see, there are five groups. Each group has four stars in it. Let's count the stars. Ready?" I use my dry erase marker to count how many stars are on the board. "There's twenty. So five times four equals twenty."I look up at Kimberly who has a grimace on her face."I'm doing a terrible job at this, aren't I?"She turns off the camera we're using to tape our lessons while trying really hard to give me an encouraging look, but finally gives up. "Well, it's not good."I toss the dry erase marker down on the table of the small library work room and drop myself into the chair. "Why do I have to present a third-grade lesson?" "Do you want the real answer or a sarcastic answer?""Let's start with sarcastic.""Because Professor Johnston randomly chose third grade for your project."I make a "hrmph" and cross my arms. "And the real answer?""Because in order to be certified to teach middle school, you have to know both the kindergarten through seventh grade and eighth through high
I race to the door when I hear the knock. Santos and I have spent a lot of time together lately, but this is the first time we're going to leave the kids behind when we do it. I'm both excited and really, really nervous. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives, and I'm feeling good about it.I open the door and he turns around slowly. Wearing khaki shorts and a red shirt with leather flip flops, he looks just like I remember… breathtaking. My heart beats a little faster and the nerves fade away, leaving me feeling giddy about this new chapter."Mari," he breathes. "You look amazing."I look down at my knee length dress. It's black with red dots and hugs me in the right places. It's a jersey dress, but the strappy black heeled sandals dress it up just enough. I feel pretty."Thank you. I'm getting better at doing my hair and make-up.""It's different?" He looks at me quizzically.My heart sinks. "Oh. Yeah. I'm trying to learn how to do my make-up. I thought that's what you were t
"Mari, look at me," I hear him say through the fog I seem to have fallen into. He grabs my hand. "Mariana, I already went to my professor and asked to be assigned to another study partner.""What?" The fog starts to lift enough to hear what he's saying."I didn't appreciate her proposition, so I went to my professor and asked to be reassigned to another partner.""What… what did she say?"He continues to rub my hand gently with his thumb. "She said she didn't like doing it. That the whole point of it was to learn how to get along with a teaching partner. So I explained a little bit about what happened and she agreed to reassign me. Said that I did the right thing telling her, because in a school environment the first person I should tell is my principal to keep something like this from getting out of hand."I nod, still shocked by this turn of events. "So who is your new partner?""Her name is Jerry.""Her?""Her. She's fifty-seven years old and has always wanted to be a teacher but ju
I drop the last of the boxes in the kitchen. At least, I think it's the last of the boxes. There may be more hidden somewhere, but at this point, I'm not asking.Putting my hands on my hips to help regulate my breathing, I look around the room. When Mari said this place was perfect for her and the kids, she wasn't kidding. Just standing here, I can imagine her chopping vegetables on the black and white granite island while looking on as the kids play in the den area. The kids race into the room and jump up and down around me. "Can we play outside, Daddy? Can we, please? Can we go swing?" "Okay, okay, you can go outside," I laugh and try to get to the back door through the gaggle and arms and legs surrounding me. "But be careful with the swings. Don't go too high and watch out that your brother doesn't stand in front of you while you're swinging."The chorus of "Yays" sound as I open the door, and just as quickly as they ran in, they all run out."You think they'll be okay out there?"
"EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!" Myra's scream can be heard from at least a block away. But who can blame her? When Santos launches her into the air, he doesn't hold back. She lands in the water with a splash and comes back up giggling.Lina's up next. She's even more funny because she's the exact opposite of Myra. When Santos throws Lina into the air, her eyes get huge and her mouth opens wide, but no sound comes out. At all. She's literally scared silent. It's hilarious.Theo's turn. Santos doesn't throw him nearly as high, thank goodness. But that doesn't keep Theo thinking he's just as cool as his sisters. His deep voice comes out more like a "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh" than a scream. My boy still hasn't figured out how to baby giggle. Being almost two, I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed.The whistles sound and the lifeguards all yell, "Adult swim!" to the chagrin of all the kids in the pool. Not that there are many. Just ours and a few others.Santos quickly plucks our brood out of the water, and