All things happen for a reason. I've always been a believer in that philosophy, but when I lost my high paying executive job a few months ago, I was having a little trouble comprehending how that particular event was going to work out for the best.
After fifteen years of hard work climbing my way up the corporate ladder and sacrificing a lot of my family and personal life along the way, I decided it might be nice to take a few months off and spend some quality time with my eight and ten year old kids before I reentered the rat race of corporate America.
I must admit, I was a little bit naïve when I suggested to my wife that it might be fun to play Mr. Mom and be a stay at home dad for awhile. It wasn't something I wanted to do forever, but a few months of doing Dad duty sounded pretty good. How tough could it be?
My first week on the job proved to be considerably tougher than I ever imagined. The list of new experiences included, breakfast for the kids in the morning, laundry and housework during the day, running the kids back and forth to school and after school activities. I had no idea staying at home could be such hard work. My day started at six o'clock in the morning and if I was lucky, by eight o'clock at night I could finally sit down and relax a little. It didn't take me long to realize why stay at home moms often feel under appreciated.
After dropping the kids off at school one morning a few weeks ago, I decided to stop by a local café for a much needed cup of coffee. The kids were satisfied with a bowl of corn flakes when we overslept like we did that morning, but I needed a few cups of caffeine and a hot breakfast to get my day headed in the right direction.
I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered some eggs and bacon. The smell of the coffee wafting through the air as the waitress poured the magic serum into my cup was enough to bring my brain cells out of their nightly hibernation and back to reality.
Just as my food arrived, three attractive young ladies entered the café. I quickly recognized the trio as three of the mothers who shared my routine of picking up and dropping off our kids at the school. We had shared some casual conversation in the past while we were waiting for school to let out, but that was about the extent of our acquaintance.
Donna was always the outspoken one in the group when we chatted outside of the school building. Despite the fact that she almost always wore baggy sweat pants and sweat shirts, rarely wore makeup, and always looked like she must have been in the middle of housework and just jumped into the minivan to get the kids, she had a certain attractiveness about her. With the "real Donna" cleverly concealed beneath those baggy grey sweats she always wore, I could never tell if she had a great body, or just an average one, so I chose to let the image in my mind drift in the direction of the firm, well toned version.
Julia was just the opposite of Donna. Every time I saw Julia she was dressed to impress. It didn't matter if it was morning or afternoon, at the grocery store or an after school event, Julia was always in style and the best dressed person in the crowd. The first time I saw Julia I assumed she must be a working mother and was fixed up and dressed for work, but I later discovered that she was just one of those ladies who never left the house unless she was fixed up and fashionable.
Unlike Donna who cleverly kept my curiosity piqued about what was hidden beneath those sweats, Julia kept no secrets. The tight jeans she often wore showcased her long and sexy legs. The fashionable high heels she wore with those curve hugging jeans made her look like she was ready for the dance floor, but more importantly, they made her well toned legs and hips beg for attention. Between the choice of button up blouses that she liked to wear to flaunt her cleavage and the skin tight sweaters she chose for cool morning attire, it was obvious Julia was proud of the perfect bosom that either the good Lord or the good plastic surgeon had blessed her with.
And then there was Trish. Like the other two, Trish was also attractive in her own way. I'm not sure if it was the way she dressed, the matronly style of her feathered brown hair, or the studious appearance of the wire rimmed glasses that framed her inquisitive brown eyes, but something about her just radiated, "Sexy PTA Mom." I remember the first time I saw her I thought to myself, "She comes across like the All American Mom, but I'll bet she's hell on wheels in the bedroom."
"You didn't tell me breakfast was part of the routine," I laughed, as the trio sat at the table just a few feet away.
"Are you kidding," Trish responded. "It's Time Out Tuesday," she continued, as the three of them shared a friendly giggle amongst themselves.
"Time Out Tuesday," I inquired. "Care to explain to a rookie what that might mean?"
It was Donna's turn now to try to explain it to me.
"One day a week we get together for coffee, breakfast, and girl stuff," Donna began. "It's the one hour a week that we can just relax and forget about all of the things we should be home doing."
I had no problem understanding that logic. After only three weeks of playing Mr. Mom, I was already finding myself caught up in the same rat race. Never enough hours in the day to get everything done that needed to get done, someone constantly asking for something else to be done, and no time or energy left over for me.
"I can certainly appreciate that," I replied. "I've been at this Mr. Mom thing now for three weeks," I continued, as I took another sip of coffee. "Please tell me it gets easier with time."
The simultaneous burst of laughter that erupted from all three of them gave me my answer before any words were spoken.
"Would you care to join us," asked Julia, with a raise of her coffee cup and a wink of her sexy long eyelashes. "It sounds to me like you need some advice from the pros."
"An invitation from three lovely ladies to join them in their weekly stress relief ritual," I answered. "How could I refuse?'
The only empty chair at the table was between Donna and Trish and directly across the table from Julia. It was my lucky day. Sitting straight across from Julia meant there would be no danger of me being caught wrenching my neck to get a glimpse of those perfect tits she was proudly displaying.
For the next sixty minutes we talked, laughed, and drank enough coffee to keep a small army awake for the night patrol. I shared my story of why I decided to take some time off and they each shared theirs. It was certainly fun and relaxing and a good break form the daily routine.
At ten o'clock sharp, Trish brought us back to reality.
"As always," she said, "This has been fun, but I have three loads of laundry to get done, the kitchen floor to mop, and dinner to get ready before Dan's parents come over for dinner tonight."
"Sounds like fun," Donna piped in. "All I have to do this afternoon, is run the sweeper, dust the upstairs, run Molly to the dentist to get her braces tightened, and bake three dozen cookies for some party Josh's class is having tomorrow."
As we stood to leave, I told the ladies thanks for letting me crash their party.
"Let me pick up the tab," I offered, as I reached for each of their checks on the table. "It's the least I can do to repay you for the insight and wisdom you shared with me today."
"Don't be silly," Donna slapped my hand. "We've enjoyed this as much as you have. You're welcome to join us anytime."
"So if I happened to show up here next week at this same time you wouldn't have me arrested for stalking?" I inquired, half joking and half probing to see if the invitation was genuine.
"Of course not," Julia countered, with a wink, a grin, and a playful brush of her firm tits against my arm as she wrestled into the suede jacket that matched perfectly with the rest of her outfit.
When the following Tuesday arrived, I couldn't wait to get to the café for another round of "Time Out Tuesday." This time when I strolled into the café, the girls were already there and seated at the same table. Just like the week before, the empty chair was between Donna and Trish and I was forced to sit across from Julia and try to avoid drooling over the sight of those incredible tits. It would take my full restraint today since Julia had chosen a white silk blouse with the top three buttons open to display her well tanned cleavage.
"Good morning ladies. It looks like it's going to be a fabulous day."
"Aren't we chipper mood this morning," Trish replied, sounding as if she had already had a rough day and was jealous of my happy go lucky disposition.
"Ladies, ladies," I said, "The sun is shining, spring is in the air and it's 'Time Out Tuesday.' Of course I'm in a good mood."
"Besides," I said, "I thought the purpose of 'Time out Tuesday' was to check your stress at the door when you come to the café and forget about all of the work you have to do when you get home."
"Easier said than done, Professor Happy," Donna responded.
We spent the next hour chatting about everything from soccer practice to what's the best soap for washing walls, to how much homework our kids seemed to have these days that required parental help to understand it. The common theme I heard over and over was, "there is never enough time for me."
"At the risk of being exiled on only my second 'Time Out Tuesday', may I offer some advice I learned a long time ago on way journey up the corporate ladder?" I cautiously probed."
"A wise mentor of mine once told me, 'Brian, if you don't take time to take care of yourself along the way, you may burn like a rocket for a while, but you'll burn out long before you reach your target. Work hard, play hard,' he told me. That is the secret to keeping your sanity and still being successful."
Before we broke up for the day, I gave the ladies a homework assignment.
"Between now and next week, I ordered them, you have to set aside two hours of time for yourself to do something fun. Next week when we get together, I expect to hear some great stories about what you did on your two hours. I'm going to teach you ladies about balancing work and fun if it's the last thing on this precious earth I do."
I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when the next Tuesday rolled around. My pulse was beating a little faster than normal and I couldn't wait to get the kids off to school so I could meet up with my new friends at the café.
"Okay ladies, it's kiss and tell time," I joked, as I sat down for week three of my real life Desperate Housewives episode.
"Who wants to start with the juicy details of what you did on your homework assignment?
