Divorced in Danville

by E. M. Sadler

  Since the funds he had available for down payment only covered half of the required funds to guarantee the stipend, my father went back to work as a defender for another eight years until he had paid the annuity requirement in full.

  Unfortunately, the stress from being a defense attorney took its toll on my ordinarily easy-going father and led to his heart attack last year. Luckily, the doctors seemed hopeful that as long as he stayed in retirement, he'd have many years left to annoy my mother and play golf.

  Inspired by his dedication to my mother's financial security, I started applying for our county's principal training program in 2008. This opportunity would increase my income cap by 50 thousand dollars, which allow me to purchase an annuity for retirement.

  Since my Ph.D. had given me the option to travel the county overseeing and teaching academically gifted students of all ages, I was able to complete my administrative training courses in less than a year. Shortly after, I received a promotion and became a Vice Principal at Danville Middle School. Even though I probably gained my position because everyone approached to fill it declined out of fear for the dreaded age group. Many of my colleagues warned me that it could break my career, but instead, I found the position extremely rewarding.

  Yes, middle schoolers were amongst the more unpredictable of students, but they were also the most open to guidance. Once they reach high school, they become surly and hormonal, but if you show a pre-teen that you care, they'll be less likely to cause problems.

  To date, I am still the only vice principal to make it at Danville Middle School past six years. My seven-year record tenure at Danville Middle School is also how I became the youngest principal in the district at 37 years old.

  By the time the calendar read Thursday, I was a ball of positivity. Hopefully, Kelly wasn't turned off by my can-do attitude that usually stayed inflated till the mid-quarter grading period.

  I would just have to remember to dial down my excitement, which had grown considerably due to the knowledge of her existence in Danville.

  It should seem crazy to want a long-term relationship with someone that I had just met, especially after 15 years of being married to someone who turned out to be a stranger, but everything came so easily with Kelly.

  The little blips of her personality that she had shared with me, and of course her fantastic performance in New York, only added to my conviction that I didn't need to look anywhere else at this time.

  After Monday's text-a-thon I had hoped that we would continue communicating regularly throughout the week, but other than coordinating our play-date for later this afternoon, she'd been silent.

  Hoping that her silence was not because I had over-stepped some invisible line, I endeavored to remain positive.

  But not too positive... because then she might run in fear.

  Chapter 13 – Kelly

  Why can't I find anything to wear?!?

  Yes, I was still carrying my pregnancy weight way past the acceptable timeframe, but I knew that I had at least ONE outfit that said “I'm comfortable but stylish,” without looking too crazy at the playground.

  Maybe I could get away with wearing a work skirt and play it off as, "I feel so overdressed, but I didn't have a chance to change after work."

  That settled it, work skirt and blouse won.

  Rushing the girls and myself to the car before I could change my mind, I merged out of my mom's driveway and onto the main drag. Hopefully, the extra time I took destroying my closet wouldn't make me late to work.

  My boss was super understanding when it came to the delays moms must endure on a regular basis. She was, after all, a mom of four herself, but I always felt like I was taking advantage if I wasn't at my desk at exactly 8:30 am.

  Thankfully, I arrived at work with five minutes to spare.

  After arriving at work, my day was filled quickly with group insurance presentations that prevented my mind from keeping track of the minutes until I got to see Dale. After my fourth presentation of the day, I permitted myself to finally glance at the clock only to realize that I was now 15 minutes late leaving work.

  Crap! Now I would have to pick up Mazie at school and backtrack to the daycare.

  To make sure that Dale knew that I was not standing him up I decided to break my texting fast...That's right; I wasn't allowing myself full access to Dale's texts, because then I WOULD do something or say something that would send him running... and send him a message regarding my delay.

  Kelly -

  Leaving work late. Won't be able to pick up Mandy on the way to pick up Mazie. Will be 30 min late due to the backtracking.

  Dale -

  Would it be easier if I brought Mazie to my office with my twins after school?

  I have a small table set up in here so that they can draw while I finish my workday.

  That way you don't have to rush to the parent pick up line, and we can caravan to the park.

  Kelly -

  Doesn't that violate the parent pick up rules?

  Dale -

  Only if you fail to have it approved by the principal in advance. (see section 3b)

  Shoot Mrs. Dalton and me a formal email. That way all legalities have been followed.

  Mrs. Dalton,

  Mr. Wilson has agreed to pick up Mazie today so that I may pick her up at the administrative office 15 min later than my regular scheduled time.

  I apologize for the short notice and will work to ensure that my work schedule allows for promptness in the future.

  Sincerely,

  Kelly Jenkins

  Licensed Insurance Agent

  Pine Insurance Company

  Ms. Jenkins,

  As long as Mr. Wilson is willing to take on three 5-year-olds, who am I to judge?

  Yours,

  Laura Dalton

  Kindergarten Teacher and Professional Child Wrangler

  Danville Elementary

  Twenty Minutes Later

  Dale -

  Closing up the office will meet you at the pick-up curb so that you don't have to get Mandy out of her seat before the park.

  Kelly -

  The person you are trying to reach is currently driving and will receive your message when they arrives at their destination.

  Thank goodness for a red light, or I would have parked in the visitor parking lot and made an unneeded trip into the building with a cranky Mandy in tow.

  Kelly -

  Ten-Four

  When I approached the pick-up lane, I noticed that Dale had not only brought Mazie out to greet me but was currently laughing while passing a soccer ball with them back and forth.

  My heart stuttered.

  The vision of Dale in his suit, playing soccer, was the sexiest thing I have ever seen. Even sexier than the annual British rugby team calendar that I kept next to my vibrator.

  Before they could notice my arrival and break their happy bubble, I quickly snapped a photo with my camera. If things worked out with Dale, I guarantee I would be putting this picture in my family's yearly scrapbook.

  Once everyone noticed my arrival, the happy crew began to make their way towards me.

  Exiting the vehicle so that I could load Mazie into her booster seat, I called out cheerfully to our afternoon play-dates, "Are you guys ready for the park?"

  Avoiding eye contact with Dale so that I could welcome my little girl's hugs without losing the ability to speak, I focused on her excited chatter instead of the 200 pounds of manliness that was standing behind her.

  "Mommy, I'm so excited to have a best friend! Did you know that Katie's favorite color is purple too? Today we had so much fun at school. Mrs. Dalton let Katie and me paint our sandwiches with food dye, and then we ate it, and you know what mommy? "

  "What's that baby?"

  "It tasted JUST like a normal sandwich. She took pictures and said she'd send you a copy to see my pretty purple tree that I painted on it."

  "That's awesome sweetheart! Now let's hurry so that we ca
n follow Mr. Wilson to the park."

  After closing the door, I turned and noticed Dale sliding his van's door back into place. No wonder every woman in Danville was after him, just watching the man walk over to the driver’s side of his vehicle nearly brought my body to orgasm.

  I had to figure out a way to function in his presence if these play dates were going to continue.

  "Hey," we both said at the same time when he noticed me staring, causing him to shake his head and laugh.

  "Why don't you follow me to the park," he said. "There are three different playgrounds there, and I usually take the kids to the one designed for children under seven."

  Who knows the age designations of playground equipment?

  Duh, Kelly! How about a person who probably orders playground equipment on a regular basis?

  Like a certain sexy principal.

  I swear, sometimes I wonder if I’m still recovering from mommy-brain, or if maybe this is Dale-brain.

  "Sounds good," I replied.

  After a ten-minute drive to the public park, we were about to unload the kids when I realized that I had forgot to check for allergies before packing the kids a snack.

  "Hey Dale, can you come here before we unload the kids."

  "Sure, what's up?" he asked while jogging up to my car.

  "I packed all of the kids' snacks, but I forgot to ask if yours have any allergies or restrictions." Then I added, "Plus, I don't want to get their hopes up if it's something they're not allowed to have."

  "Well, Katie is allergic to raspberries, but John is only allergic to baths," he said with a smile causing me to shake my head at his corniness. "What did you pack, because I may have to confiscate it for myself?"

  "Don't worry. There'll be plenty. I brought grapes, popcorn, and juice boxes."

  "I'm completely on board with those choices, but since you brought snacks this time, let me bring them next time. Any allergies and/or restrictions?"

  "The kids are luckily allergy free, but I am allergic to raspberries like Katie. So if you're bringing the snacks, I'll assume raspberries won't be in the mix."

  Once Mazie was unloaded, Dale walked the three older children over to the play set so that I could retrieve a dozing Mandy and the snacks.

  Though generally a delightful baby, Mandy becomes uncharacteristically cranky for the first minute after being woken. Thus, I was glad that Dale's first impression of my ordinarily angelic child wouldn’t be of her flailing about like a beached fish.

  Once Mandy was alert, I grabbed my bags before locking up my sedan and headed over to the bench that Dale was occupying.

  Before I could even set down my bags, Mandy was already trying to climb down and get to her sister, completely ignoring the presence of Dale.

  Chapter 14 – Dale

  "Mandy seems adorable," I said as Kelly took her seat next to me.

  "Thank you! I'd say she's a keeper."

  "How was your day? Any shenanigans?"

  My question was apparently hilarious because Kelly suddenly burst into a fit of infectious giggles.

  "What did I say that was so funny?" I asked with a mock hurt tone.

  "Two things," she said while trying to catch her breath. "1. What person under the age of 80 uses the word ‘shenanigans?' and 2. There were INDEED shenanigans."

  "Maybe I too am cursed with an anti-aging gene," I said in a silly tone.

  "Not possible, especially since you already told me you were 40, so unless you're lying to me, which I don't think you are, you're still too young to say ‘shenanigans."

  "Well I'll let you in on my secret," I whispered conspiratorially. "Outside of work, most of my friends reside at the Danville Seasons Retirement Village."

  "Do you have family living there?" she asked.

  "I do! My dad and mom have a cottage by the golf course, and after his heart attack last year, the kids and I spend most of our weekends with them," I confessed. "The kids love all of the attention they get from the residents. Too many people our age go months without visiting their parents there, so the kids have become something of a commodity. It's quite sweet how much the residents have become a part of our family."

  At some point during our conversation, and without realizing it, I had shifted my hand so that her pinky was curled around mine. The tenderness of our magnetic pull caused me to slowly squeeze my pinky against hers in an attempt to show her how affected I was, even if we were currently on a dating hiatus.

  All of my senses were begging me to grab her hand so that the other parents on the playground knew that she belonged to me. But I refrained and was forced to look away so that I didn't scare her off.

  Kelly was someone worth waiting for, and I needed to remember that.

  Deciding that moment was a great time to check on the children and re-group, I glanced over to the play area just in time to see John helping Mandy climb the stairs to the slide.

  Following the direction of my gaze, Kelly caught the interaction of our children and let out an audible gasp.

  "Is he always this good with younger children?" she asked in awe of John's tenderness.

  "I think this may be the first time John has been around a younger child. Most of my friends have children who are older. "

  "What made you wait to start your family?"

  "Well, it wasn't intentional. Years ago, we were told by Maggie's doctors that it was unlikely for us to conceive naturally because of the scarring caused by Maggie's endometriosis."

  "That must have so difficult for her," Kelly stated empathetically.

  "Honestly, looking back, I think she was relieved. Sometimes I wonder if she only married me because my father was a judge and had access to an exclusive country club. But when you're 25 and in love, your brain gets clouded."

  "I completely understand that," she said in agreement. "Geoff was my first long-term relationship and though I wasn't naïve per se, I was inexperienced. Before dating him, I had one serious boyfriend at 25 and then spent four years contemplating if I should enter the religious life or mission work. When things became serious with Geoff so fast, I thought that it was God's way of telling me that I was meant to be a wife. Unfortunately, I was wrong about Geoff being my match, and my religious leanings against divorce kept me in the marriage a lot longer than I should have been... I kept worrying that I was missing a lesson in faith."

  "You're Catholic?" I asked surprised at having something else in common.

  "I am! But I was raised Baptist."

  "What made you convert?"

  "Well, after my breaking up with my boyfriend back in 2005, I felt ashamed for having sex out of wedlock and found solace at my friend's church," she explained.

  "Wait, were you a virgin until you were 25?" I asked doing the math quickly in my head.

  "I was. But please don't look at me like I'm a freak. My views on human sexuality have obviously changed, but back then I saw sex as something that only married couples could enjoy."

  Worried that she'd feel self-conscious and wanting to reassure her, I said, "Kelly, I promise I don't think you're a freak. I only wish you had had a more positive experience."

  "I try not to feel regretful. After all, my experiences in relationship failure did give me two beautiful girls."

  "You do make pretty babies, Miss Kelly," I said flirtatiously.

  "Ditto, Mr. Wilson."

  "Now tell me about these shenanigans."

  "Well, how much do you know about health insurance?" she asked.

  "I'm vaguely familiar with policies, but most of my experience is dealing with my Dad's Medicare when he was recovering from surgery."

  "Okay, but what I say here stays between us. The party in question is my company's biggest client and, though we jointly loathe this person, we should play nice since his account pays our office's rent."

  "You have my word, within reason." As someone who is in charge of the well-being of four hundred children, I tend to stay away from absolutes.

  "So, one of my cli
ents, let us call him Al, threw a huge tantrum in our office today because his insurance rate raised by 60%."

  "That's insane!" I said a little too loudly.

  "Trust me, that was the cheapest one available in the entire county. But you won't feel too sorry for this guy when you hear what he wanted to do.

  "Because we figured this would be his reaction, we have spent the last week preparing a presentation to show him all of the reasons why his rate increased and how to lower the costs.

  "One of those reasons is that his wife and three of the men at his various locations turned 65 this year and are now of age for Medicare. Not to mention that he and four women in his offices are already over the age of 65 and still on the group plan.

  "The other reason was that his MISTRESS, who he keeps on the payroll, but who doesn't even work there, had his triplets this year. Since they were born prematurely and each one of them needed an insane amount of surgeries, it jacked up the entire group's cost.

  "Side note: I never share medical information unless the person has given permission to share it themselves, but I figure since she gave the local news station a detailed account of this medical history so that she could encourage fundraising, I don't need to feel guilty sharing it with you."

  "Wait, hold on a second! Did my school host a fundraiser for this particular single mom?"

  "I cannot confirm or deny your question," she said while nodding her head up and down.

  Damn! That's Mary Jo Johnson, which means that the guy she is having an affair with is Franklin Nash the 70-year-old owner of most of the state's car dealerships.

  "But Mary Jo is only 35 years old. Not only is it disgusting that he's cheating, but if this ‘Al' is who I think it is, then it's almost incestuous because he's her godfather."

  Ew!

  "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, because if this man sinks any lower in my estimation, he'll come out in Mainland China," she said while a chill ran through her body. "Ugh!! After his negative reaction, we then proceeded to show him all of the data surrounding the cost of his group's health plan, hoping that once the increase was justified he'd calm down. Instead, he continued to tell us what freeloaders the older ladies are in his office and how he's just going to have to lay them off and force them to live off the social security check they have.