That Would Be Enough

8

The next evening when Lin knocked on Kate's door, he knew immediately something was wrong. Kate seemed like a pretty laid-back person, and she was uptight and anxious. Maddie was running around, being a normal four year old, but the little girl seemed to be testing her mother's patience.

"Maddie, you need to quiet down," she told her daughter firmly. "We don't need the neighbors calling management again."

She went into the kitchen and I followed her. As she put a few dishes in the sink, I walked up beside her and put a hand on her hip.

"You okay?" he asked, gently stroking with my thumb.

She sighed and leaned on the counter with both hands. "My ex," she began. "He's petitioning for joint custody of Madeline."

Lin sighed and then leaned back against the counter, folding my arms. "Seriously? Hasn't he been MIA for the last two years?"

"Yep," she said, pouring herself a glass of wine. "Want some?"

"Sure," he agreed.

"There's not really anything I can do about it," she admitted. "He's her biological father. He doesn't have a prison record and he's gainfully employed. There's no reason the courts wouldn't give him joint custody."

"Well, could you argue that it would be too much to have joint custody right away?" he pointed out. "Couldn't it start out with every other weekend or every Wednesday or something?"

"Maybe," she said, her face looking off in the distance in concentration, planning. "I'm just worried about Maddie. She has no memory of him at all. I don't even talk about her father with her. I don't want her getting disappointed."

Lin nodded in understanding, knowing there wasn't much he could do to quell her fears. The courts were allowing fathers more and more rights these days.

"Do you think he'd disappear again?" He asked her gently.

"I wouldn't put it past him," she said and took a long swig of wine. "He hasn't even sent her a birthday card."

Lin shook his head, not understanding how people could just ignore their own children. If he had kids, he'd be in their lives constantly, whether he was with their mother or not. As Kate reached for the wine bottle again, Lin gently took it away from her and set it back on the counter.

"Let's go out, the three of us," he suggested. "Take your mind off things."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I look like crap."

"Go take a shower," he suggested. "You'll feel better.  I'll watch Maddie."

"Are you sure?" She asked, thinking the offer sounded really good.

"Of course," he said, stepping forward and planting a kiss on her forehead. "Go."

Kate disappeared down the hall to enjoy her shower as Lin sat down in the living room where Maddie was playing. Maddie launched herself at Lin, and he proceeded to tickle her gently.

"What are you up to, you little monkey?" He asked her.

"I'm playing Wonder Woman!" she told him, if he hadn't guessed from her outfit. Apparently she was obsessed. She had the full costume, including a headband. She stood up and struck a pose and proceeded to demonstrate a couple stealthy moves. The four year old kicked into the air and protected herself against attack using her shield. He played along, tossing a toy block at her shield.

When Kate walked back into the room 20 minutes later, the living room was a mess. Blocks and toys were everywhere, and Maddie had Lin pretend locked-up in jail underneath the kitchen table.