did! Thank you.”
“Then?” He was sorry right away for his brusqueness, which she tended to bring out in him. If only she’d just once in her life come right out and say what she wanted.
“Melissa did really well on a big math test today.” She offered it like a sprig of olive in a bird’s beak: a tentative peace.
Ryan shifted the phone so that he cradled it between his shoulder and ear, freeing him to take a swig of pop. He needed it. “Good.”
“Tyler is loving soccer. Ronald videotaped the last game. We’ll send you the tape.”
As if wobbly, grainy images on the television screen could make up for never being able to see his own kid on the field. For not being able to pace the sidelines, yell encouragement, give quick hugs, see the triumphant grin dawn on the eight-year-old’s face when he made a gigantic save.
By moving, she’d cheated him of all that. He tried hard to be adult about this. He couldn’t expect her not to remarry, not to move when her husband got a better job. Ryan did his best not to resent her too much for what she’d stolen from him.
Most of the time, he failed.
“Yeah.” Voice gritty, he forced himself to add a curt, “Thank you.”
She started chattering about Ronald’s family and their holiday traditions, as if Ryan cared. “So you can see why we want a break,” she concluded.
Frowning, he reran what he remembered of her narrative and couldn’t find a connection. A break from what? From whom? “Yeah. Sure.”
“So you won’t mind having them? You don’t have other plans?”
He sat up, gripping the phone. Okay. He’d missed something, big time. Who was he supposed to be having? Ronald’s family?
He gave his head a shake. No. She wanted to ship the kids to him.
“For Thanksgiving,” he said tentatively.
“Actually, I thought it wouldn’t hurt if they missed a couple of days of school.” She gave a high nervous laugh. “Well, three days, technically, but you know the Wednesday before Thanksgiving they have only a half day, and that’s a joke, what with class parties and all the excitement about having a break and—”
He interrupted ruthlessly. “When do you want to send them?”
“Friday night? Before Thanksgiving?”
“For a week stay.”
“Weren’t you listening?” she asked in exasperation.
Ryan drew a breath. “I was supposed to get Christmas this year, and you Thanksgiving. Are you suggesting we switch?” He lovedChristmas! The kids had two weeks off. He’d been really looking forward to that.
“No,” Wendy said. “I know that’s not fair, especially not when I’m asking you for a favor. You can have both, if you’re okay with that.”
Okay? He was jubilant. On his feet and pacing, Ryan suppressed the exultation in his voice. “Yeah, you know I always like to have them. Have you told them…”
“No, I wanted to clear it with you first. They’ll be excited.”
“You’re sure?”
“Ronald really wants us to do something with just the two of us. We’ve had so little time alone,” she said apologetically. “Ronald has been terribly nice about taking on two school-age children. He’s really good to them. But we haven’t been married very long, and sometimes we want to do something romantic.”
Ryan said nothing. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to do anything romantic with Wendy. Listening to her light, quick voice, to the breathy apology and the clutter of details that obscured the point of her call, he couldn’t remember ever having loved her. He knew he had—or knew he’d thought hewas in love—but his primary emotion now was gratitude that Ronald wanted Thanksgiving without Melissa and Tyler, thus forcing Wendy to be uncommonly generous.
“Just let me know what flight they’ll be on,” he said. “I’ll give them a call tomorrow night after you’ve had a chance to tell them about the change in plans.”
“Wonderful!”
The rush of relief in her voice seemed excessive, giving him pause.
“Then?” He was sorry right away for his brusqueness, which she tended to bring out in him. If only she’d just once in her life come right out and say what she wanted.
“Melissa did really well on a big math test today.” She offered it like a sprig of olive in a bird’s beak: a tentative peace.
Ryan shifted the phone so that he cradled it between his shoulder and ear, freeing him to take a swig of pop. He needed it. “Good.”
“Tyler is loving soccer. Ronald videotaped the last game. We’ll send you the tape.”
As if wobbly, grainy images on the television screen could make up for never being able to see his own kid on the field. For not being able to pace the sidelines, yell encouragement, give quick hugs, see the triumphant grin dawn on the eight-year-old’s face when he made a gigantic save.
By moving, she’d cheated him of all that. He tried hard to be adult about this. He couldn’t expect her not to remarry, not to move when her husband got a better job. Ryan did his best not to resent her too much for what she’d stolen from him.
Most of the time, he failed.
“Yeah.” Voice gritty, he forced himself to add a curt, “Thank you.”
She started chattering about Ronald’s family and their holiday traditions, as if Ryan cared. “So you can see why we want a break,” she concluded.
Frowning, he reran what he remembered of her narrative and couldn’t find a connection. A break from what? From whom? “Yeah. Sure.”
“So you won’t mind having them? You don’t have other plans?”
He sat up, gripping the phone. Okay. He’d missed something, big time. Who was he supposed to be having? Ronald’s family?
He gave his head a shake. No. She wanted to ship the kids to him.
“For Thanksgiving,” he said tentatively.
“Actually, I thought it wouldn’t hurt if they missed a couple of days of school.” She gave a high nervous laugh. “Well, three days, technically, but you know the Wednesday before Thanksgiving they have only a half day, and that’s a joke, what with class parties and all the excitement about having a break and—”
He interrupted ruthlessly. “When do you want to send them?”
“Friday night? Before Thanksgiving?”
“For a week stay.”
“Weren’t you listening?” she asked in exasperation.
Ryan drew a breath. “I was supposed to get Christmas this year, and you Thanksgiving. Are you suggesting we switch?” He lovedChristmas! The kids had two weeks off. He’d been really looking forward to that.
“No,” Wendy said. “I know that’s not fair, especially not when I’m asking you for a favor. You can have both, if you’re okay with that.”
Okay? He was jubilant. On his feet and pacing, Ryan suppressed the exultation in his voice. “Yeah, you know I always like to have them. Have you told them…”
“No, I wanted to clear it with you first. They’ll be excited.”
“You’re sure?”
“Ronald really wants us to do something with just the two of us. We’ve had so little time alone,” she said apologetically. “Ronald has been terribly nice about taking on two school-age children. He’s really good to them. But we haven’t been married very long, and sometimes we want to do something romantic.”
Ryan said nothing. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to do anything romantic with Wendy. Listening to her light, quick voice, to the breathy apology and the clutter of details that obscured the point of her call, he couldn’t remember ever having loved her. He knew he had—or knew he’d thought hewas in love—but his primary emotion now was gratitude that Ronald wanted Thanksgiving without Melissa and Tyler, thus forcing Wendy to be uncommonly generous.
“Just let me know what flight they’ll be on,” he said. “I’ll give them a call tomorrow night after you’ve had a chance to tell them about the change in plans.”
“Wonderful!”
The rush of relief in her voice seemed excessive, giving him pause.
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