Page 31 of Taking The Shot

Hee hee, my butt,she thought, beyond frustrated and tired – and knew the kids had to be feeling the same way.

Keith had said at first that he wanted to fly down to return with them, but then the electrician had to come back out to the house to replace the rest of the light fixtures that had to be ordered. Yet another change, yet another delay in seeing him, and things were getting tough between them. He stopped using Facetime and texted instead, which didn’t seem as personal or intimate between them.

“Mom, can we go?”

“Paige, wait a moment…”

“Momma, I gotta go potty,” Kayla said suddenly, and Constance immediately turned, grabbing Paige’s hand and sprinting for the nearest family bathroom, which thankfully happened to be thirty feet away.

“Kayla, hang on, sweetie,” she rushed, silently begging that she didn’t meet Keith for the first time in two weeks with bodily waste down the side of her shirt from where the toddler was propped on her hip. To Kayla, ‘potty’ meant anything – and it was usually immediate.

Putting the toddler on the potty, Constance glanced down at her shirt and sighed in relief before whispering a‘Thank you!’quickly. A few minutes later, they were all washing their hands and singing a ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ as the children stood on a metal step stool over the sink. Yeah, this was a blessing for a moment, getting them out of the hustle and bustle of the airport. Wiping Kayla’s hands, she pointed at the trashcan for Paige before holding out her hand again, scooping up the toddler. Everything was checked – and that included her stroller. Carrying forty pounds of child was easier than the stress of trying to hang onto a squirming child who would dart off without a second thought.

“Okay,” Constance said determinedly. “Let’s go find, Keith.”

“Can wenot, and pretend that we did?”

“Paige,” she drew up, staring at her daughter in disbelief. “Look, I need your help with this and understanding. Keith is going to live with us. He’s your new stepfather, and while I will never forget your daddy – Keith is my friend. I need you to be nice to him for me. You don’t have to like him, but you do have to be polite.”

“He looks at you weird.”

“How?”

“Like he wants to do this,” Paige uttered, and then to her disbelief, her daughter started mock hugging and kissing herself, sticking out her tongue and almost touching her cheek, chin, and nose, as she tried to literally lick her face all over… and stopped on a dime. “It’s disgusting.”

Constance barked out a laugh – and heard the sweetest sound in the distance, Keith’s laughter. She looked over her shoulder to see him standing there, holding a bouquet of pink roses – and two balloons.

“Ba-wooon, Mama,” Kayla announced, holding up her hand excitedly. “Look, Paige… there’s a ba-wooon!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Paige grumbled, causing Constance to look at her swiftly. “What? I agreed. It’s a dorky pink balloon.”

“Be… nice…”Constance stressed, realizing she was just about fed up with everything with today, with the move, with people, with all of it. “I just want to get to our new home, sit down, and stop moving for a bit. So let’s go see Keith so we can make that happen sometime within the next two hours.”

“What happens if it’s three hours?” Paige mumbled under her breath – and Constance jerked her to a stop, glaring at her child, who looked so much like her. “Sorry, Mom…”

“If it’s three hours, then it’s three hours, but either way – we are going to our new home, keeping an open mind, and on an adventure together. Okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now, let’s try this again,” Constance muttered, trying to be upbeat and hesitated, looking at both kids, realizing that they might be picking up on her own mood and her own attitude toward this whole even. She was frustrated with the move, with Keith, with her marriage-that-wasn’t-a-marriage, and beyond frustrated with herself for being scared to handle the problems herself.

“Hey…” Keith said simply in welcome – and that seemed to say so much. They were friends. No hug, no kiss, no ‘honey, I missed you’… but an awkward ‘hey’ tossed casually. “Can I help with something? Want me to carry Kayla? I’m parked close by. Hi Paige. I think you’ve grown two inches since I’ve seen you.”

Bless him, he was trying. Maybe it was her?

“Hi, yes, um… can you take Kayla. I’ll get the bag and the stroller…”

“Wait, I can get it,” he interrupted softly, touching her arm. “I didn’t know you checked a bag or a stroller.I’m here,” he stressed, meeting her gaze. “I’m here. Let me help.”

Yup, she was hitting her breaking point and looked away before she started crying. Nodding, she drew in a shaky breath as they started toward the baggage claim carousel.

“You look great,” he said softly, “I think you’ll really like the house.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be fine, so long as I can sit down for a few,” she hesitated and looked at him. “I’m just really tired and done with people. I’m not a crowd person, and I think thirty to a classroom was my absolute limit.”

“I get it,” he smiled in understanding, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he held out his hands. “Here, Kayla. Let me carry you for a few minutes while your mom takes a break.”

“No,” the little girl said – and Paige gave her a thumbs up happily.Great. The two were conspiring now? And before Constance could say anything,

---