The Neighbors

Chapter 14

Fall passed quickly. Harry and I continued to forge an unorthodox friendship. He was so mature and understanding for a kid. I knew he wasn't just being nice anymore, but that he genuinely enjoyed being with my family. And I enjoyed having him around. We just seemed to click.

Sure, my parents and sister were supportive, but it was nice just to have a friend with whom I could talk on almost a daily basis. Most of my girlfriends were very busy with growing families and careers and I didn't see them often. My mom took care of the girls and we talked regularly, but it seemed like Harry was always there for me.

In November, I received the call that I had been dreading since I saw Eric at the soccer game. He called to see if he could come and visit. Of course, I said yes because I would never dream of keeping his children away from him. He managed to distance himself from them all on his own. But I was still worried sick about how my children would handle it. And I wondered what on earth he wanted. Was he finally realizing that he loved his children and missed them? Was he thinking that he wanted to see them on a regular basis?

When I talked to my mom, my greatest fear came out. “Mom, what if he wants custody of the girls?” The words weren't even out of my mouth when I started crying hysterically.

“Lise!” She practically shouted. “There is no way he would ever get custody. He hasn't been involved in their lives at all.”

“I know,” I said, blowing my nose. “But what if he wants some kind of visitation rights, like on weekends or something? I can't stand the thought of letting the girls go every weekend.” I was sobbing again.

“Lise, honey,” she said, trying to comfort as best she could over the phone. “None of that is going to happen. He does have visitation rights, he's just never used them before. So let him come and see the girls and he'll probably get it out of his system.”

“I know, Mom. You're probably right,” I said, finally calming down. “Can you and Dad be here when he comes to visit next Saturday?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

I debated about whether I should talk to Harry about this. On the one hand, he was becoming a really close friend and I could talk with him about almost anything. But on the other hand, he was still the neighbor kid, still in high school, and I didn't want to burden him with my grown-up problems. I didn't mention it to him.

The day of Eric's visit arrived. I waited until that day to tell the girls that he was coming. I tried to make it sound as innocuous as possible. “Girls, your father is coming to visit today.”

“Okay,” they responded. Aurora had just turned four in August, and Grace was about to turn three, so they didn't have much memory of him anymore, except for the fact that Aurora had recognized him at the soccer game.

My parents arrived just before Eric did. They busied themselves around the house so that it didn't seem like they were just there to chaperone the visit, although that's really why they were there. My mom started making a batch of banana bread and my dad stayed in the kitchen with her, reading the paper.

Eric knocked on the door. I found it a little strange considering he used to live here, but I opened the door and welcomed him as a guest. He gave me a little hug and then came in and sat down.

“Hi, Aurora. Hi, Grace,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. They just said quiet hellos and went back to working on a puzzle I had set out for them. I handed Rachael to Eric, as a courteous gesture. He took her, but didn't really interact with her.

“So, how's it going?” He asked.

“Great,” I said, trying to relax my nerves. “I sold a lot of houses this summer.”

“That's awesome,” he said. “My job is going well. Dad made me a partner, so that's good.” Eric had worked at his father's tool and die company since the day he got out of high school.

“Congratulations,” I told him, and I was sincere. I was glad he seemed to be doing well.

“So, are you seeing anyone?”

“No,” I answered. “You?”

“Um, yeah. Kind of. She's a girl I know from high school.”

“Patti?” I asked. He nodded. He and Patti had always been close. I never met her, but he talked about her a lot. I wasn't surprised.

At that moment, Harry came to the door. The girls rushed to let him in, yelling “Harry!”

As soon as he walked in the door, Rachael practically jumped off Eric's lap, reaching for Harry. He picked her up and snuggled her. Then he turned to Eric and said, “Hello, I'm Harry.” And he extended his hand.

Eric shook his hand and said, “I'm Eric.”

Harry's face fell as he realized he probably walked into an awkward situation. He handed Rachael to me and quickly said, “I just wanted to say hi, but I'll be going.”

“Harry, it's okay. My parents are in the kitchen if you'd like to go and say hello,” I told him.

He nodded and went to the kitchen.

“Who's that?” Eric asked.

“That's Harry!” Aurora said loudly. “We love him!”

I jumped in. “He's our neighbor. His family moved in last summer. Harry spends a lot of time with the girls and they adore him, obviously.”

“That's nice,” he said. And then, “Well, I guess I should go.”

I was surprised that his visit was so brief, but I was also relieved. I walked him to the door.

As he was about to leave, he said, “I hope you find someone who will make you happy.”

“Thanks, Eric,” I smiled. It was nice to hear his sentiment.

But then he said, “If you get married again, it's okay with me if he wants the girls.”

My stomach dropped and I just nodded as he walked away. I couldn't decide whether to feel relieved that he didn't want to pry his way back into our life, or to be furious that he wanted to drop the responsibility for his children like they were last week's garbage. It slowly dawned on me that this was all about his lingering obligation to support them financially. He was hoping I would move on and find someone else so that he could terminate his parental rights and stop paying child support. His checks weren't very consistent anyway, but I felt sick to realize that he truly wanted nothing to do with the girls.

When I went back to the kitchen, my mom noticed the odd look on my face.

“What happened?” She asked.

“He doesn't want them,” I whispered.

And yet again, I began sobbing and my mom and dad came to put their arms around me. I couldn't decide whether they were happy or sad tears, but I just let myself relax as the people I loved surrounded me.

After I collected myself, I heard Harry in the other room with the girls. He was helping them finish their puzzle and then he asked, “Would you like to go to the park with me?”

“Yes!” The cried.

“Okay, I'll ask your mummy,” he said. But since I had heard the interchange, I said, “Of course you can go to the park with Harry. Don't forget to put on your warm coats.”

“Can I take Rachael, too?” He asked.

“Sure, Harry. That's very generous of you.”

“I just thought you might need a little time,” he said, giving me a knowing smile. He was so mature for 17.

My dad ended up going with Harry and the girls to the park while my mom and I finished baking the banana bread. I replayed all the details of Eric's short visit, and my mom agreed with my assessment of his motives.

After meeting with my counselor again and hashing out all of my conflicting feelings toward Eric's statement, I felt like I had some closure, some level of acceptance for what had happened to us. It felt good to just accept the way things were and not to continue mourning for the way they weren't.