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My ex-husband was the perfect father. If Viri called, he dropped everything to make time for her. Michael was very hands on when it came to our daughter. He attended every recital, every game, every spelling bee, you name it. Viri was as much of a daddy's girl as she was a mama's girl. She enjoyed spending time with her dad no matter the occasion or activity. Michael was her protector, and I loved him dearly for that.
He was also the perfect husband. I got lucky when I met him in college. He was studying engineering and even though he was so heavily focused on his education, he made room for me in his routine. We got married right after graduating undergrad and became parents two years later. Our marriage lasted eleven beautiful years, and I was convinced that we would be together until death did us part, but we grew apart romantically.
Michael waited on hand and foot for me, and I catered to him just as much. We were very affectionate and smitten with one another, and our child was created from love too. We had the perfect love story, but by the end of our marriage, we realized that we were better off as friends. Our divorce wasn't nasty — we remained close friends after the fact, and we co-parented well. I was afraid that our separation would affect Viri negatively, but she took it surprisingly well. We'd been divorced for nearly six years, but our family unit was still as strong as ever.
"Ma, is the food ready?" Viri asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Almost. You wanna set the table?" I asked.
She nodded and placed her phone on the island before going to the cabinets to get the plates. I felt extremely blessed to be able to provide my child with a beautiful home and to be able to teach her such valuable life skills. We lived in a spacious four bedroom home in the quiet suburbs of Atlanta. Michael and I bought this home once I completed my master's, and Viri had been raised here ever since. This home held a lot of beautiful memories, and although Michael moved out after our divorce, I couldn't see myself parting ways with this house at least until Viri left for college.
I finished our dinner and carried the pots into the dining room, placing them in the middle of the table. Just as Viri finished setting the table, the doorbell rang and our phones chimed with a Ring notification.
"Open the door for your dad, please," I said, making my way back into the kitchen.
Viri wasted no time sprinting towards the front of the house. That child loved her dad. I moved all of the food into the dining room and Michael walked in with Viri on his back.
"Sheeesh, my baby mama looking fine," Michael smiled, pulling me into a hug.
I laughed, hugging him back. "Boy bye. I'm not anybody's baby mama."
We pulled away from the hug and I smiled up at him.
