A Soldier's Guide to Single Parenting

Pleasant Surprises Part 2

The following day was stressful; my hangovers were getting worse, although I couldn't remember having that much to drink. I spent twenty minutes searching for my car keys and when I found them, I remembered I had left the car at work. I slumped in the armchair and closed my eyes.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Suzanne, where have you been?"

"I could ask the same of you. What time did you get in last night?"

"Not late."

"Come on, Dad. I went to bed at eleven and you still weren't home."

"I had a lot of things to sort out, we had to work late." I could tell that she didn't believe me, but unlike David, Suzanne rarely argued with me.

She hardly ever complained, even when her mom was ill, and she had to take over the running of the house. She just got on with it; I wasn't sure what I would have done without her.

"Aren't you going to work today?"

"Yeah, I felt a little rough, I'll be better in a minute."

"Would you like me to make you some coffee?" She sat next to me on the arm of the chair and put her arm around my neck for a hug. "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too dear. Is everything okay?"

"Uh huh."

My wife used to call it parental intuition; I wasn't sure if such a thing existed, but I knew my daughter well enough to know when something was bugging her.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever it is you're worried about."

"It's nothing Dad. I'll make you your coffee."

"Forget the coffee. I should be going. We can talk tonight if you want." I put my hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. She was the image of her mother. It was almost spooky.

"Are you okay, Dad?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you tonight."

"I'm making meatballs. Why don't you try to come home early tonight? I mean, without going for a drink first."

"Oh come on, I have a few drinks...."

"Every day, Dad. We miss you when you're not here."

"I'll see what I can do."

It hurt me to see her upset, and I knew she was hiding something, but my job paid for everything, and it was a big tab to cover. The summer break was proving expensive, but some of that burden would be lifted if David could land the job at the mall. I was banking on Todd to make it happen.

It was a twenty-minute walk to the station, but once there, taking the 'T' to work was easy. Only seven stops to Downtown Crossing, but I was still over an hour late and had to use the kids as an excuse when questioned by my supervisor.

"You need to work something out," she said. "Don't you have any family who can help you with the kids during the summer?" I hated being told what to do by a woman; I didn't even like working alongside them. It was different in the army. There were no women telling me what to do then, and none of them could have done my job either.

I was forced to swallow my pride and make amends for my tardiness by working an hour later on a busier than usual Thursday. Extra stress from an increased workload meant an obligatory trip to the bar, and later that evening I was back on the 'T'.