Sharon had never understood the phrase of "time standing still" because for as long as she remembered, time had been flying by. Her babies were getting bigger. Emily was growing by leaps and bounds, both in her academic development and in ballet. Sharon sat at her desk and shook her bed as she thought about the idea of Emily starting kindergarten. It would be happening soon, in just a few months. Now that the holidays were over, Sharon realized that Emily would soon register for school and then summer would happen, and finally, she'd start school. Ricky was growing in his own ways too, developing quite a little toddler attitude. He was moving around so well now, running after his sister most of the time. Soon, he would be two. Both children were thriving in their daycare, and Sharon loved having them at the church where she knew they were getting great care while she worked each day.
Work was keeping her busy, but that was always the case. It seemed like lately, though, she was having to stay later than she wanted. Jack had been somewhat helpful with the kids on a couple of occasions, and that also surprised her. She kept waiting for him to mess up, and so far, he hadn't. It almost reminded her of the good times they'd shared, not enough to want to rekindle things with him, but for the sake of the kids, she was glad he was around and in their lives.
Sharon snapped out of her state and looked down at the paperwork she needed to finish for the day. Overtime sheets. She hated these, not that she had a problem granting her staff overtime, but she also hated denying it. Most of the time, overtime wasn't authorized; thankfully, today, the paperwork she was signing, it had been authorized. She, as well as anyone, knew how much people needed that extra pay. Sharon's mind started to wander again. Money. In just a couple short months now, Andy would be moving out of the house. He'd been a great roommate to have around the place, better than she ever could have expected. It wasn't just the money or the work he'd done around the hoses either. That had all been greatly appreciated and needed, but he'd become a trusted friend. Sharon hadn't realized how quiet the house had been without anyone in it to talk to in the evenings, and she'd enjoyed his company. Right now, she was undecided on what she wanted to do with his room. On one hand, she could try and find another tenant. On the other, she could see the benefit of having her house back, just Sharon with the kids. That would allow her to move back into her master bedroom and give the kids their own rooms too. Of course, the money lost would be an issue, but she was doing a bit better now, still waiting on most of the back child support from Jack, but she was really doing better. She'd managed to put away some money each month, and on some level, she wanted to reclaim her independence. The more and more she thought about it, it would be nice to just be in her own home with her own children. Andy leaving would be a great loss, but if he had to go, she wasn't sure she wanted to replace him. Through it all, she realized she'd gained a great friend in addition to her financial security and independence.
Her phone ringing made her jump, which only clarified to her just how lost in her thought she had been. Her phone never made her jump; she was usually very focused at work. Today, she just couldn't focus. Her mind had been wandering a lot, reminiscing over things. If she had to pinpoint why, it was probably related to seeing Andy's paperwork on the kitchen table the evening prior. He had been filling out paperwork for an apartment, one that he'd seen and really liked. The apartment was going to be available in April, and while it was only early February, he was hoping to secure the place. Andy had told her he was a little worried about his credit report and just all of the specifics that went into securing a place. Sharon had told him he was welcome to stay as long as he needed, but he'd told her that this was something he really needed to do.
"Raydor," she said as she cleared her throat when she answered her phone.
Her eyes spoke, if that was possible, as she listened, darting around and moving quickly. She listened and nodded, even though no one was there to hear her. Finally, after she'd been given all the details, she sighed and pinched the bridge of her hose, "Okay, has he called you today? No, let me give him a call. I don't know his court schedule, but he could be tied up with something. Yes, I'm aware it's late," Sharon said as she nodded and stood. I'm very sorry about that; I'll be right there."
It was a Friday evening, one that she'd planned to stay at work and finish the overtime sheets and as well as finish the stack of work on her desk. She shook her head as she tried to hurry, all the while she picked up her phone to call Jack's law office. He was supposed to get the kids tonight; they'd discussed this. He was supposed to have a lunch meeting and then get the kids. Now, it was well after 6:00, and Jack hadn't picked up the kids. She stopped her movements to wait for the secretary to answer. She waited. No answer. Sharon sighed and hung up the phone, slamming it down, and then, she called the number again. She knew Jack would mess up this at some point; she'd started to let her guard down lately because he'd been doing a decent job. He hadn't argued with her about her trip to the zoo with Andy and his kids, and he'd been pretty good about being on time, even for Jack. Sharon held the phone in her hand and dialed again. This time, the call was finally answered.
"Yes, hello, this is Sharon Raydor. I need to speak to Jack, please; it's about our kids."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, and when she was about to say more, she heard the secretary put her on hold without a word. Finally, she was getting somewhere. As she stood there waiting, she heard a knock at her door.
"Come in," she said and turned back to her call. She glanced up and smiled; a smile greeted her, and Andy waved as he stepped inside her office. Aside from briefly talking with him about his apartment lead the night before, she'd barely seen him all week. His unit had been tracking a case, and he'd told her last night that they'd finally solved it. Today was a paperwork day for him, and while she was a little surprised he was stopping by her office now, it wasn't unusual. He had a stack of paperwork, and she knew that he had started volunteering to bring things to her that needed to be signed. It looked like he was doing this again.
"Hello?" Sharon said this time with a question. "I'm holding for Jack Raydor," she explained. She glanced to Andy, and he pointed to the door, suggesting that he would step outside and let her finish the call. She waved at him and pinched the bridge of her nose again. He nodded and stood by the door, his hands folded in front of him, with the paperwork in hand. Sharon looked his way, trying to get his attention to explain, but he was looking at the floor, apparently, trying to not be part of her conversation.
"To whom am I speaking?" Sharon asked. "What do you mean he no longer works there? I'm his ex-wife, and I'm only calling because he didn't pick up our children today as he was supposed to do. I thought he might have gotten caught at work." At this, Andy's head snapped up, realizing Sharon had a problem on her hands. She looked away as she tried to focus and continued to listen to the other end of the phone.
"Thank you for the information; you have been very helpful," Sharon said and hung up the phone. Andy stepped toward her desk, gesturing toward her.
"Hey," he frowned. "Sorry to walk in on your mess, but it seems like I stepped in at just the right time. What's up? Jack didn't get the kids?"
"No!" Sharon exclaimed as she now, furiously tried to gather her things to leave quickly. "Not only that, he's been lying about his job. He was fired two weeks ago and didn't say a word. In fact, when we discussed today, he told me he was going to a business luncheon and would then get the kids." Sharon shoved her hand in her bag, looking for her keys. Andy stood there and nodded as he listened. He held up his hand.
"Okay, before you lose it, which-don't get me wrong-you have reason, but could his lunch today have been a job interview? Sharon, you know I'm not going to defend him, but maybe he was trying to not have to tell you anything. I mean, technically, you are divorced, and I know I wouldn't want to admit that to Sandra. Just a thought, not that it excuses the kids. Oh, do you want me to go get them for you? I'm done for the day."
"No," Sharon stopped and brushed the hair out of her face with her hand. She took a deep breath, "I'm trying not to get to upset, but the kids are at daycare, and I need to go. Jack never answers his cell for me, ever, and I-" she started to say. Andy nodded and pulled out his own phone.
"Hold on," he said. "Let me try your favorite person. He might answer if he doesn't know the number. What is his number?"
Sharon repeated the number to Andy, and he gave her his phone to let her speak. She waited, and her eyes widened as she shook her head and handed it back to him, "It's one of those automated messages saying the phone isn't in service."
Andy sighed and closed his eyes, while he shook his head. Sharon frantically moved around her desk, looking for her keys. Finally, she pulled them from her jacket pocket.
"I have to go," she said. "Whatever is going on, I need to get the kids right now. I can deal with Jack later."
"Hey, hold on," Andy said as he opened the door for her. "Look, I was bringing up this paperwork on my way out. I'll go with you. I mean, you could use the moral support. Maybe we can talk through this on the way, okay?"
"What about your car?" Sharon shook her head.
"Leave it," Andy waved. "We can get it later. As you said, the kids are important now. Let's get your kids, and we can deal with my car later. Rumor has it my landlord is pretty kind, and if I desperately need a car, she'll loan me hers. Sandra is out of town with the kids for the weekend, so I don't need a car right now. Sound okay?"
"Sure, fine," she waved, her eyes darting around. "I can't believe he did this. Actually," she said as she took a deep breath, "I can. I'm going to kill him."
"Understandable," Andy said as he raised his hand. "Just hold off for now, okay? I'm not in the mood to hear a confession. I'm off for the weekend, so put your killing on hold until Monday morning when I can process the scene and all," he flashed a grin. She sighed loudly, and he followed her out of her office.
"Sharon," he called as she almost ran across the office. No one was left; the place was quiet, as she'd sent her staff home an hour ago. Sharon spun around, and he nodded to her with a sympathetic smile, "Whatever he's done, the kids are safe. You're already divorced from him, and no matter what, you've got a friend on your side who is here to help."
Sharon paused and met his eyes, "Thank you. Seems as if we've both needed a friend these last few months. Let's start to figure out this next mess."