Page 3 of Broken Dreams
My brother is a damn idiot.
“Listen, I was thinking about you.”
“This is never good.”
“Shut up. Anyway, I was thinking that you should get out and meet people,” she says as she shoves some papers in her bag.
I stare at my sister like she just grew horns. “Meet who?”
“People! You need to make friends or date someone.”
“I have friends.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You don’t. You have siblings. We’re not friends. I’m serious, it’s been just under four years and...I don’t know, you should get out there again.”
It’s not the first time I’ve heard this. However, I have no desire. I loved my wife. I lost her, and I would really prefer to keep myself safe from that level of pain again.
Besides, I am focused on Jett and starting a business. Now is not the time to deal with this, and my sister, while coming from a good place, doesn’t get that.
“It’s not all that easy to find dates when you don’t know anyone. Besides, I’m enjoying getting to know the town. I don’t have time to go out and...deal with that shit.”
“So you do want to date again?”
“No. I don’t want to date anyone.”
She continues as though I didn’t say that. “I have this friend, you’d be perfect together.”
“I’m not dating your fitness friend.” I swear to God.
“Why not? You said you don’t have time to meet people, I know people. There you go.”
I sigh heavily. “I don’t need you to set me up.”
“You need someone to step in.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Listen, go out with Margaret. She’s sweet, beautiful, has a good job, and likes kids. I have a reservation and everything for you.”
“Cancel it,” I say through gritted teeth.
Jett comes back in the room. “Daddy, I have shoes!”
I’m so not done with this conversation, but I’m not having it in front of Jett. I turn to look at my son and shake my head. “You do, bud, but you have two different ones on, and they are on the wrong feet.” I lift him up into my arms, and he laughs as I roar like a lion. “Come on, let’s go find the right ones. See ya later, Brynn. And I mean it, cancel it because I’m not going.”
“We’ll see! Have a good day, boys! Love you!”
Once I get him fixed, I grab both our bags and get on the road to head to the daycare, leaving my sister’s asinine idea at the house. The drive there Jett seems fine, he’s watching something on the iPad on our twenty-minute trek. Finding childcare was nothing like I thought it would be. We only have one in town, which had a waitlist, but thankfully, there was an opening in his classroom and we were able to jump the line since Brynlee helped the owner out of a legal issue a few months back.
When we pull up, Jett is looking out the window with a pouty face on.
Please don’t let today be like yesterday.
“Let’s go, bud,” I say as I take his hand and we walk to the building.
It’s been an adjustment for all of us. The first few weeks after we got here, it was fun. I showed him around, spent the days going to the park and for ice cream, but now I have to get our lives going.
“No school, Daddy.” He pulls on my arm as we reach the front.
