The next morning things seemed to be getting better by the moment. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and the kids were excited to get back out and away from their crazy parents. Peter remembered what it was like to want to get away from his old man, and now he would give anything to sit down with the old bastard and share a beer. Peter couldn't make his kids realize that anymore than his father could drive it into his thick skull. It was something he knew they would all regret later with time, but there was nothing he could do about it. Peter prayed that it would in time make them better parents much like his Dad did for him one way or another. If anything, his old man taught him how not to be a parent, and that benefited his grandkids a great deal. His Dad was never there for him, working long hours and on the road for a company that didn't care how those hours effected his home life. Peter's mom was also a nurse who also worked insane twelve-hour shifts, so even when he was in grade one Peter would remember walking home from school all by himself. He spent more school days with his television than he did his parents, and while many people thought that much TV wasn't good for you, Peter didn't turn into a homicidal maniac for doing that and was pretty normal... whatever that was. Peter had become a writer because it was the one thing that he was good at. Telling stories and tales that made people's hearts swoon was everything he lived for, but the money was pretty good too. One great benefit to living his dream was the location of his office. His work allowed Peter to be home twenty-four seven, and the ability to spend every day with the kids was his inspiration to keep writing one novel after another.
While Peter wasn't a bestselling mega millionaire writer, he was perfectly content with that. Not everyone can be Barry Bonds, but he was pretty sure the little players on the same team had fun just being there. To be on the field, live the dream, and play a game for a living. There are millions of people who lived that dream every day, and while not all of them can make the hall of fame, Peter was pretty sure most of those players were happy just to be a part of the game. It was the same attitude he had regarding his craft. He was happy just to be in the sandbox that was the publishing industry, making enough money to support his family and even a little left over to do something for those less fortunate than himself. Combine that with the chance to be home for the kids all the time to help them with homework and sign permission slips, Peter couldn't have asked for a better outcome. The fact that he loved every minute of it was just an added bonus. Being a writer to him came second to being a father and he loved his kids with all his heart. Peter never blamed his parents for working such long hours, as they did it all for him so he could have the things in life he needed to get by. They worked their hands to the bone, something he would never have to do, and he held nothing for them but love and respect.
It was the same love and respect he held for Sonya who for the better part of seven years had been the best thing in his life; his savior. Peter laughed to himself when he thought about where it all started. Just a simple place and simple run in. Nothing special and no way to ever predict what would happen in life. He remembers it was a Tuesday because the previous day had been a holiday.
* * * *
"Excuse me." A voice called out.
Peter turned around and there she was. Nothing had quite prepared him for what he was about to see, but the weather had been really warm for that time of year, so it wasn't completely inappropriate. He had never seen her coming, but this beautiful woman who was asking for his help was wearing a pink dress that showed a lot of let and cowboy boots. A weird combination, but one that he would not soon forget as it looked almost as amazing as she did.
"Yes, can I help you?" Peter asked.
"I just wanted to know if this area was where the kids get in line for grade 3." The young lady asked. She was holding hands with a small boy who was no older than eight who obviously was there to attend.
"Yes. Grades one through three line up here every morning." Peter managed to finally spit out. "Hi there, Peter Anderlini."
"Sonya Pawluk." She shook his hand and gave a warm smile. "You come here every morning too?"
"Yes, I do." Peter said with a proud smile. "This is one of the highlights of my day before I head for work. That little one over there, running after the other kids while pretending to be a man-eating dinosaur is mine. That's my Nate. He's in grade one."
"Where's mom?" she politely asked.
Peter had no intentions of hiding anything. "She's in daycare. Her workday starts very early. Thankfully mine doesn't start until later, So I do drop off and she does the pick-up. This seems to work out very well for the both of us."
"I'd say." Sonya said with a smile. "It's just nice to see a father take more interest in doing stuff like this. As you can see, there are not many here with their kids."
"I like to consider myself the exception." Peter said with a grin. "I love my little guy more than anything in the whole world. I enjoy bringing him here every morning, gives me a chance to talk to him before he starts his day."
They stood there for a few moments, waiting for the bell to ring. When it finally did, they stood there and watched as their kids ran to their own lines and waited to be ushered into the building to learn something. Peter waved goodbye as he watched Nate walk into the school and then watched as Sonya did the same for her boy.
"Bye Jacob!" she called out, "Love ya!"
"It was nice to meet you." Peter said as he started to turn to head home.
"Wait, I need your help." Sonya suddenly called out.
Peter turned back to face her. "What's up?"
"Well, I am new to this part of town." Sonya started. "I was hoping you know where I could find a place where I could access the internet."
"Yeah, I do." Peter said with a smile. "There is this amazing internet cafe just a few minutes from here. I use it whenever I have to print a resume or a project for school."
"How far is it from here?" she asked.
He could tell she was a little nervous about walking around this part of town alone. "It's not far at all. I've got a few hours before I have to get to work, I can walk you there."
"Oh, Thank you," Sonya replied as she smiled back at Peter.
He basked in his glory for a few moments to admire was a very beautiful smile. "Come on, it's this way."
As he walked down the street with her, all Peter could think of was how amazing she looked. Peter never forgot that he was married, and understood it was natural for him to feel attraction. What he did with that attraction is what defined him as a person and a man. Despite how he felt for his new walking buddy, she seemed very grateful for his effort to show here to a place where she could connect and get in touch with people via email and other sources. Turns out her and her son Jacob had just moved back into town after living out of province for a few months. She was from the city too but hadn't been back in a while and was the reason why she needed help getting around. Peter didn't mind helping her because he hoped one day if he was ever in that situation in another city, someone would take the time to offer him assistance as well. The fact the person he was helping happened to be a good-looking woman in a pink dress and cowboy boots was just an added benefit.
After he lead her to what was his favorite internet café, he shook her hand and wished her well and went along his way. As he walked away, he thought he heard her calling back out to him...
* * * *
"Peter!" a voice called out.
Peter looked up from his desk and saw the same lovely face he met that day. Yet this time looking down at him with a semi-disapproving scowl. He looked at his watch to discover what was going on.
"Dinner time?" he asked.
"Ugh, yeah." Sonya confirmed with a smile that indicated she was ready to playfully backhand her deaf hubby in the back of the head. "Get your butt downstairs and share a meal with your family."
"Of course, on my way." Peter said as he closed the book he was looking at and leaped out of his chair.
He dashed down the stairs and while he was first surprised to see pizza, Peter was never a picky eater as long as one the pizzas didn't have pineapple on it. As he sat down at the table, he looked over at the three kids that were already woofing down their chow.
"How are we all doing?" Peter said as he sat down, "Feeling a little better with the expanded space between us?"
"Much better, dad." Fiona answered before taking another bite.
"You owe me a burger." Jacob reminded from the other end of the table. The last few days had been especially hard on him. Because he was years older than his sisters, over half a decade, Peter really pushed him to help out and there were times when he took that help for granted.
"You're right," Peter agreed, "I owe you that and lot more. Maybe we'll see if Ray will let you drive the buggy this summer."
Peter looked over and while Jacob was grinning from ear to ear, Sonya's scowl was a little less approving. She had reason to be worried, but Jacob would be in good hands. Peter and Ray were always careful with the kids, and even though it was her job to be worried it was most of the time unnecessary. Peter would never let anything happen to Jacob, he was a good kid and was treated no differently than anyone else in the family. He was family, and always would be. Peter had mixed feelings sometimes, only because hanging out with Jacob gave him an idea of what it might be like if he had spent more time with his own son, Nathan. Peter had lost a lot of time over the last several years since the end of his first marriage. It was an ugly affair that didn't have its collateral damage, the biggest being Nathan's childhood. The boy's life was torn in two, and Peter had no choice in the matter. He walked away from that marriage for good reason, and no one would be able to convince him otherwise.
"Are you alright dear?" Sonya asked as she could see something was bugging him. She had known him long enough to realize what it was. "Do you want to call tonight, try again?"
Peter looked back up at her and nodded. He didn't like the idea of being here with almost all of the kids. Yet whenever Peter tried to call the house, there was no answer. Not even a machine to let him leave a message. Peter tried to call a few more times, hoping the constant ringing would frustrate someone enough to pick up the receiver, but there was no use. Peter was unable to get someone on the other side to connect, and his attempt to speak to his son had failed. Peter's heart sank every time he couldn't talk to his son, as he sometimes got a flooding of regret as he recalled what happened and what his part might have been in it. He decided to use technology to reach out a little further as he pulled out his cell phone and sent a text message to his ex-wife, Nathan's mom, which read: We need to talk about Nathan. This is very important.
There wasn't much more Peter could do from there. He didn't like talking to his former first wife, but there were times when it was just unavoidable. If it hadn't been for Nathan's existence, Peter would never talk to Lisa ever again. It was only out of duty and his love for Nathan that he ever shared a single word with her at all. Just the thought of his former wife seemed to ignite an anger that rarely flashed in him. Peter could feel the skin on his arms tingle, as if there was an imaginary hot flame scorching them. Peter decided to get back to work and pour his soul into the next novel, rather than into his past. He moved back to the den where his computer and his next literary work patiently waited for his return.