Dave had to admit that sometimes it was difficult raising six kids all alone. His most recent wife had gone crazy about five years ago; the son they'd had together had been no older than seven at the time. Since then, Dave had juggled his job, the kids from all five marriages, and the house by himself and he'd done a damn good job, all things considered. Now that the kids were older, however, he no longer had a clue how to help them through their problems. Back in the day it had been easy. Band-Aids were distributed for cuts and scrapes and a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream was enough to cheer anyone up. Then things had suddenly become complicated.
There was Aaron, the eldest, with the mentality of a wizened grandfather and the habit of shouldering all responsibility. Aaron took it upon himself to watch out and care for his younger siblings, and Dave worried that the eighteen-year-old didn't invest enough attention or time in himself. It was one thing for Aaron to be a strong and reliable older brother; it was another thing for him to repress his own emotions and desires for what he perceived to be the betterment of the family.
Then there was Emily. Like her brother, she was smart as a whip and incredibly hard-headed, but the girl was so insecure in her own skin that Dave knew it was only a matter of time before Emily caved in to peer pressure and lost sight of her identity and goals. She was just so eager to please and so desperate to be accepted that nothing could deter her desire to be liked.
Derek was the more obvious type of "troubled teen." He was angry, short-tempered, and a bit too rebellious for Dave's taste. The freshman had spent the past few months making a name for himself at the high school. Dave knew that beneath the hot-headed, impulsive exterior, Derek had a gentle, unconquerable heart. It was just a matter of reaching it.
Fraternal twins Penelope and JJ seemed happy enough on the outside. Penelope, with her quick wit and razor-sharp tongue, was a giggly and flirtatious class clown while JJ, with her soft demeanor and excellent people skills, was well-liked by everyone. If he looked deep enough, however, Dave could see a blaring vulnerability in each girl. They were both hypersensitive and too trusting and Dave knew that he could only protect them for so long against inevitable corruption.
Last, but certainly not least, there was Spencer. Dave lost a lot of sleep over this boy. Spencer was a genius, but there was no room in that giant brain of his for social skills. When Spencer wasn't getting the crap beaten out of him, he was alone in a corner somewhere, reading. He didn't have any friends and now that Derek was no longer at the middle school to protect him, Spencer was enduring more taunts and abuse than ever. Just how much longer could the kid put up with the teasing and the beatings before he broke down into an instable wreck?
If only for his kids, Dave was determined to find a partner – a new lady – to help him out. But how was he supposed to do that? He hardly had any time between work and home life to sleep, let alone date. As the man paced back and forth in his study, pausing momentarily to shift through papers on the desk, he was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea. He'd have to ask his tech-savvy daughter for help as soon as she arrived home.
