I looked into the mirror of my bedroom and adjusted my tie, trying for a second time to get it lined up with my belt. My son had his middle school jazz concert and I was getting ready to make my appearance. Beth, my ex-wife, was certainly going to be making an appearance, and for some reason, I felt the need to show up well dressed.
Seinfeld was on in the background on the TV, playing the final stand-up routine to close the show. That meant it was 6, and I had plenty of time to stop and get dinner before the show started at 7. I was not going to arrive late, having received a fairly condescending email the last time I completely forgot about an event. Even after 4 years of divorce, she managed to still push my buttons.
As I made a final adjustment, a loud chirp came from the television. I looked, thinking the usual warning was going to scroll across the bottom about an amber alert. Instead, I saw the Skype icon pop up and my son's picture was displayed - Tom in his baseball uniform. I looked for my phone, instinctively thinking I should pick it up and answer. After a moment, I realized I needed the television remote.
Technology is great for divorced dads. Sure, I saw Tom every weekend, and every other day during the week. But, for the off days, we kept in contact and often Skyped during hockey games or playing X Box. Still, with his concert coming up, I figured he was on his way and wondered why he wasn't texting or calling. I got on the bed, reached across to the side table, and grabbed the remote. With a couple pushes, I answered the call.
Sure enough, there he was, standing in front of a camera, with a large king bed right behind him. Instantly I realized he was not in his room. For some reason, it looked like he was in his mom's room. His face was staring into space, obviously looking at the television with the camera slightly above him.
"Hey, what are you doing? Where are you?"
He spoke hurriedly, not in a panic, but not wanting to chit chat. His voice was soft, as if he was trying to hide from someone.
"I can't find my dress shoes. Are they there?"
The usual last minute panic when something he needs at mom's house is at dad's. It was becoming a weekly habit as he got older since Beth and I stopped packing for the back and forth trips. It was her idea, to help him become responsible. It was creating more problems than it solved.
"I'll look. Hang on."
I moved out of my room and into his. With a quick search, sure enough, they were right in the middle of the closet. I grabbed them, not really annoyed. I had become very accustomed to the requests. "I can't find my phone." "Is my math book over there?" "I'm looking for my coat." On and on.
Returning to my room, I held them up as I came back into view. He looked relieved. I stared again at the background, again curious as to where he was.
"Yea, I've got them. But, where are you?"
"I can't find my phone, so I'm using mom's TV. Can you bring them to school now?"
His mom's room. Beth would have flipped if she knew I was being given a behind the scene look into her private life. The woman who blocked all Facebook and Twitter views of her profile, who allowed no posts or tweets to mention her or show her face. I began to look around, take in the dΓ©cor, the sights, when suddenly her shrill voice yelled in the distance.
"Tom! Let's go! You are going to be late!"
Before I could answer, he yelled back.
"Coming!"
Then, with a final look, he spoke softly.
"Thanks dad, I'll meet you by my locker."
With that, he turned to run, pointing the remote at the television and throwing it on the bed. I grabbed the shoes, knowing that he would be there before me and I had better get going. With a final look at the Martha Stewart inspired room on my television, the family pictures on the wall, the mounds of pillows on the bed, I turned off my tv and left. Inside, I was glad he left the shoes over. Being able to quietly resolve Tom's crisis's was one of my little pleasures.
Luckily, it was early enough that I didn't have to park far away from the school. The mad arrival of parents was at least 30 minutes away, so at least I would be avoiding that. Kids were being dropped off, running into school with youthful excitement. The atmosphere always put a smile on my face.
Sure enough, as I entered the school and turned into Tom's hallway, he stood by his locker waiting for me. He smiled, relieved when he saw me. Tom's face and reaction always made the work worth it, and as a single guy, it was one of my few sources for positive reinforcement.
"Thanks dad."
He took the shoes from me and started to take off his tennis shoes.
"No problem. Did mom notice?"
"Yea. But I told her I left them in my locker."