Page 7 of Big Red

“Cindy.”

“Dad. It's fine. I told you if it got out of hand, I would say something.”

As soon as we make it back to the clubhouse, I’m going to see if Tech has found anything on this kid's parents. After I deal withhis parents, I’ll be dealing with the school. They should be doing something about this.

Arriving at the mall, I take Colt to his favorite department store. Cindy and I follow behind him as he begins picking out clothes.

I know most parents think that their kids shouldn’t be able to pick out their own clothing, but I disagree. As long as it’s nothing inappropriate, I let my kids decide. They’re old enough to know what they like and don’t like.

After Colt is satisfied with everything he’s picked out, we make our way toward Cindy's section.

Whatever is going on at school is really taking its toll on my baby girl. She doesn’t even light up like she normally does when she’s shopping. She picks out a handful of items and calls it quits.

When she starts walking to the register, I notice the frown on my son’s face. He knows as well as I do that Cindy loves to shop.

After I pay for the clothes, we head to the food court. I know dinner will be served at the clubhouse, but it’s kind of a tradition for the kids and me to eat at the food court every time we come.

“What’s it going to be today, kids?” I ask as I look around the food court.

“Tacos!” Cindy and Colt shout together.

Once we have our food, we take a seat at an empty table and eat. Halfway through the meal, a shriek of laughter catches our attention. A little girl is being tickled by her mother while her father sits across from them with a smile.

I hear a sniffle beside me and turn around. My heart constricts in my chest, watching the agony swirling in my little girl's eyes.

I could kill Chloe for leaving my children to feel like this.

I lay my hand on top of Cindy’s. “Baby girl?—”

“Don’t,” she snaps. “I already know what you’re going to say, but all I want to know is why. We deserve to know why she left us. Why does everyone get a mom but us? Did she hate being our mother so much that she just had to abandon us?”

I’m left speechless. There are a number of reasons why Chloe left, but how do you tell your childrenyour mother left because I couldn’t love her.

I haven’t told anyone I was the main reason Chloe walked out. She thought after two children that I would give her my patch and my ring, but no matter how hard I tried…I just couldn’t fall in love with her.

Before I can open my mouth to say anything, Cindy and Colt get up with a sigh, throw away their food, and begin grabbing their bags. Knowing they don’t want to continue this conversation, I follow suit, and we leave.

As we head back to the clubhouse, an idea crosses my mind. I know this won’t fix everything that’s going on with them, but it’ll definitely put a smile on their faces. When we arrive at the trampoline park, their faces break out into a full-blown smile.

“Let’s go have some fun.”

I pay for our wristbands and socks, and after two hours of jumping, rock climbing, and zip lining, they're not as happy as I would like them to be, but there is some improvement in their mood.

“How about we go to a late-night movie like we used to?” I ask them.

“Can we go an hour early to play in the arcade?” Cindy asks.

“Sure,” I say, shrugging.

“Yes!” they cheer and race off to the truck.

I might not be able to change the fact that Chloe walked out on them, but I can damn sure make them happy.

After a long day of shopping,trampolines, and one long movie later, we headed home. The kids had so much popcorn and candy during the movie they're not even tuckered out. They’re rambling away in the backseat about their favorite scenes from the movie.

As I approach the clubhouse, I first notice police lights and the gate is left wide open. Pulling through the gate, I see a lot of commotion in front of the clubhouse. Parking my truck, I spot one of the prospects.

“Kids, stay in the truck.”

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