I Fall Apart

Lin

I smirked at Nora as she smiled. "What?" She asked me, smiling.

"Do you like him a lot?" I asked, loading the dishwasher.

"Yeah," she admitted, leaning against the counter on her elbows. I could tell she was starting to daydream.

"What about that Justin kid?" I asked her.

"He's nice," she said.

"Are you dating two guys at once?" I asked.

"Not really," she said. "Justin and I just get together sometimes."

"And by get together you mean..."

"Dad!"

I held up my hands. "Sorry. Vanessa, have you had the talk with her yet?"

"Not really," she said. "We should do that soon."

Nora rolled her eyes. "I know how it works."

I chuckled at that. Did a fifteen year old really know it all worked? Teenagers liked to think they knew more than they really did. I really didn't want to be the one to have the talk with Nora. I figured it would be uncomfortable for her as well. Somehow, I doubted her mother had really addressed it much. Luckily, Nora and V seemed to have a pretty good relationship.

A couple nights later in bed, Vanessa said she'd just had a talk with Nora. She had more questions than she wanted to admit. I knew she'd heard things at school - it was part of the health curriculum. I'm glad Nora trusted her stepmother enough to ask some personal questions.

"She claims she's only ever made out with boys," she told me as she rubbed some lotion into her hands.

"Mmmhmmm," I said suspiciously. I had, after all, caught her in her bedroom with Justin. Since last year, she had started to dress differently as well.

"We need to keep her busy," Vanessa said. "Then she won't have time for boys."

Nora had never really done any extracurriculars. I wondered if it would do her good.

"Does she have an interest in anything? She's not really in to sports," I pointed out.

"No," she agreed. "Maybe I can convince her to try the debate team. She does like to argue."

I grinned at that. "That she does. Or maybe she could get a job. That would give her a little extra money."

A couple days later, Vanessa and I were in dire need of a night out. A childless night. I asked Nora if she'd be interested in babysitting the boys for a little cash. She readily agreed. The boys were pretty well-behaved and we'd established a good evening routine for them. I made reservations at a nice restaurant and bought tickets to a musical.

We got dressed up, which always felt a little odd to me. As we were kissing the boys goodbye, Cisco managed to get a raspberry stain on my white shirt so we were delayed for a few minutes while I changed.

I gave Nora a reminder before we left. "No boys," I reminded her, and she rolled her eyes at me. V and I had a great dinner. It never ceased to amaze me how I'd gotten so lucky. She was smart as hell and quick-witted. I didn't remember a whole lot about her from high school. I was vaguely aware of her, but we weren't really in the same social group. She was on the swim, tennis, and dance teams, and I didn't have an athletic bone in my body. I was a theatre nerd. I do remember thinking she was beautiful.

Before we headed to the theatre, I sent Nora a text to see how things were going. She responded with a picture of the three of them playing Legos on the floor. I let out a sigh of relief. Nora was really good with the boys. She could convince them to do things that we sometimes couldn't. Sebastian thought the world of her, and adored his big sister. When Nora had first come to live with us, he'd been three, so I didn't think he remembered a time when she wasn't in his life.

V and I went to see Dear Evan Hansen. Throughout the show, she was in tears, She held my hand most of the time, getting emotional. I hadn't wanted to make her cry on our night out. But, by the end of the show, I could tell she had thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved how musicals could touch people in that way.

The show let out around 10:30. The boys had long since gone to bed. We decided to stay out a little longer. We walked down the street to the bar to have a few drinks.

"So what did you think of me the first time you saw me after high school?" I asked her curiously.

"I thought you were handsome," she said.

"Handsome?" I said, adjusting my tie. We had reconnected on Facebook in 2005, and I'd invited her to come watch my improv group. She'd brought her friends and somehow I'd impressed her. I was a substitute teacher at the time, doing improv on the side. She was an MIT grad working as a scientist. I knew she was out of my league. She'd loved me when I was just a scrub, and she'd stuck with me through my trials and tribulations. No one else was more proud of me for my success than V.

She nodded. "What did you think of me?"

"That you wouldn't even give me the time of day," I admitted. "You were gorgeous."

She blushed at that. I liked to think I was a pretty awesome husband. I showered her with affection and tried to keep her happy. As I'd said before, I spent my whole life trying to earn those dimples. Seeing her smile made my day.

We linked hands as we drank and chatted about the beginning of our relationship. Now, thirteen years later, we had two beautiful boys and a fiesty teenage girl. I loved that Vanessa didn't treat Nora like a stepchild. She truly loved Nora. That made me love her even more, if that was possible.

Around 11:30, we figured we should head home. Nora was set up on the couch, in her sweats and a hoodie, watching a movie.

"How'd it go?" I asked her, loosening my tie.

"Fine," she said. "They tricked me into reading them four stories though."

"Rascals," I commented as I kicked off my dress shoes. Vanessa took off her heels.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Vanessa announced. "I'm sure the boys will be up nice and early."

I handed Nora forty bucks, then kissed her on the head before following Vanessa back to our bedroom.