I had taken a consulting job. I wanted to be closer to my daughter, Zaida, and it was good money that allowed me to live wherever I wanted. I kept things simple...small apartment down the road from where my ex-wife, Tina lived. I got to see Zaida more often, but had plenty of opportunity to travel. Tina and I were getting along better, almost too much so. But I knew that she still saw her role as caretaker for her mother as primary, so I pushed back thoughts of reconciliation.
It had been a good week. I had buttoned up a big consulting contract for my boss, and he had shown his gratitude with a hefty bonus. I was in the best financial shape of my life and had socked away savings and paid off debt. Life was good. I still wanted companionship, but I had only been divorced less than two years.
When the phone rang with Tina's tone, I wondered what was up. I still worried when she called, because normally Zaida called me on her own phone.
"Hello?" I tried not to sound too interested or too terse.
"Hey. How was your trip?" she asked, knowing I had been on a trip to Louisiana, which was my least favorite place.
"It was okay. Got the work done, but didn't go out much. You know how I hate New Orleans. But they like my work, so I'll be going back quite a bit."
"Too bad I just sold the house, or you could stay there." She dead-panned.
"You want me to move away? I thought this arrangement was working for us." I tried not to sound too defensive.
"Not at all! I was trying to be funny. It's a good thing I sold it." She had made some money on it, but I didn't begrudge her that. She still thought I was broke. The less she knew, the better. "I feel a little guilty not sharing the profit with you."
"You shouldn't. I turned it over to you, and you did well with it. So what's up?" I wanted to get back to my cold beer and movie. It wasn't my weekend with Zaida, and I didn't have anything pressing. A weekend off was sorely needed.
"Zaida is having a sleepover with Abby, and I don't want to stay here. Mom and Dad need some space." Since her grandmother had died, Tina's folks had become resentful of her and Zaida still living with them, and it showed. "I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie together."
I didn't know how to respond. We had gone to dinner, the three of us, quite a bit since I moved to New Braunfels, but Tina and I had not been alone together since we decided to divorce. "Umm, yeah, we could do that. What movie do you want to go see?" I was also surprised, because I knew that Tina hated going to the movies on the weekend.
"I thought we could watch a movie at your place. I'll bring pizza and wine. And we can use my iTunes account to rent a movie." She liked the thought of paying for everything...made her feel in control.
"That's not necessary. I'm doing just fine. Come on over. I have wine, and I'll order a pizza."
"You have wine?" She was surprised.
"I do. I keep a few bottles, just in case I have company." I wanted to say 'just in case I have a woman over,' but knew it would just piss her off.
"Okay, then. Can I come over in an hour? That should give you time to clean things up." I could hear the grin in her voice. What she didn't know was that I had a regular cleaning service now, and my place was perfect.
