We walked into the restaurant across the street. Mandy and I found a booth
to sit on while Carter went to wash his hands.
"I want a burger and fries and a chocolate shake and ice cream and, hmm, what else?" said Mandy when the waitress arrived to take our order. I couldn´t help but laugh at my girl, she was getting cuter each passing second, but she was also resembling her dad more each day.
The waitress looked at me, waiting for me to tell her if she could write down that order. Before I could say anything, Carter walked towards us and sat down.
"Have we ordered yet?" he asked
I shook my head "Only Amanda has, and if you don´t hurry up, she´ll eat all the food there is here and leave us nothing" I said smiling and looked at the waitress "Bring the girl a kid´s menu with burger and fries" then I turned to Mandy, who was sulking "What do you want to drink?"
"A chocolate shake" she said "and I also want ice cream, mommy"
"Bring her a small chocolate shake, please" I said "And I´ll have a cheeseburger and a coke"
"Same for me, please" said Carter "And bring a fudge sundae to the girl after her burger" Mandy smiled at Carter when she heard what he had said.
The waitress nodded and walked away and I stared at John, giving him a disapproving look "What?" he asked.
"Nothing" I sighed "It´s just that ... nevermind"
"No, tell me!" he demanded "I want to know what I did wrong this time"
I closed my eyes and sighed again. I leaned into the table to prevent Mandy from hearing too well what I was saying "I don´t want her eating so much junk food, ok? I agreed on the burger because she likes you, and well, we wanted to spend some time with you, but you had no right to order that ice cream without my consent" I said trying not to raise my voice.
"Well, I am her ..." he was about to say the d word, but he refrained from it when he looked at the girl across from him who couldn´t keep her eyes away from him "Mandy, do you like Chicago?"
Amanda nodded eagerly "I like snow! Mommy will play with me on Saturday, we´ll have snow fights" she grinned at me "Right, mommy?" I nodded.
"Oh, I´d love to play too, Mandy, can I go with you?" asked Carter.
I couldn´t believe he was doing it again, he was trying to charm Mandy, I knew that, but he did things without asking me, that was what bothered me. Saturday was going to be a very special day for me, because I never got to play with Mandy with my busy schedule, but now I had to share my day off with Carter as well. I stared at him and like magic, I felt my anger going away and it was replaced by a feeling I hadn´t experienced in a long time. It was as if I were a teenager again and I was looking at my crush for the first time. I felt that excitement, that whole ... My thoughts were interrupted by my daughter yelling at my ear.
"Mommy!" I looked at Mandy "Can he?" she asked. Now, that was what I liked, she was asking how I felt about it, I felt loved and special.
I couldn´t say no, Mandy was very happy around him and I was as well. Carter and I were very different, but we had always managed to overcome our differences and be best friends. Yes, that was what I wanted now. If I couldn´t have his love, I wanted to be his best friend.
"Yes, sweetie, we´ll have lots of fun on Saturday! And we´ll teach John why girls rule" I said winking at Carter.
When our burgers arrive, we all ate them in silence. Well, Mandy kept talking with her mouth full, but for the first time, I didn´t bother her with telling her not to do that and allowed her to enjoy her meal. She was still a kid and that is what kids do.
Suddenly, Carter spoke "A penny for your thoughts, Abby"
"A penny? Boy are you cheap!" I said laughing "You are a millionaire and you only offer a penny?"
Carter laughed and so did Mandy. I was sure my girl didn´t know why she was laughing, but she didn´t want to be left out. The three of us were happy and that was all that mattered.
The waitress brought the ice cream, and Carter looked at me, checking if I was okay with it or if the wonderful moment we had just had was over. I smiled and looked at the waitress "Could you bring us three spoons, please?"
We all started eating the sundae and in that moment we became a family, I was having what I had always wanted, ever since I was a little girl like Amanda, a mommy, a daddy and a little girl who was loved by both.
"I want a burger and fries and a chocolate shake and ice cream and, hmm, what else?" said Mandy when the waitress arrived to take our order. I couldn´t help but laugh at my girl, she was getting cuter each passing second, but she was also resembling her dad more each day.
The waitress looked at me, waiting for me to tell her if she could write down that order. Before I could say anything, Carter walked towards us and sat down.
"Have we ordered yet?" he asked
I shook my head "Only Amanda has, and if you don´t hurry up, she´ll eat all the food there is here and leave us nothing" I said smiling and looked at the waitress "Bring the girl a kid´s menu with burger and fries" then I turned to Mandy, who was sulking "What do you want to drink?"
"A chocolate shake" she said "and I also want ice cream, mommy"
"Bring her a small chocolate shake, please" I said "And I´ll have a cheeseburger and a coke"
"Same for me, please" said Carter "And bring a fudge sundae to the girl after her burger" Mandy smiled at Carter when she heard what he had said.
The waitress nodded and walked away and I stared at John, giving him a disapproving look "What?" he asked.
"Nothing" I sighed "It´s just that ... nevermind"
"No, tell me!" he demanded "I want to know what I did wrong this time"
I closed my eyes and sighed again. I leaned into the table to prevent Mandy from hearing too well what I was saying "I don´t want her eating so much junk food, ok? I agreed on the burger because she likes you, and well, we wanted to spend some time with you, but you had no right to order that ice cream without my consent" I said trying not to raise my voice.
"Well, I am her ..." he was about to say the d word, but he refrained from it when he looked at the girl across from him who couldn´t keep her eyes away from him "Mandy, do you like Chicago?"
Amanda nodded eagerly "I like snow! Mommy will play with me on Saturday, we´ll have snow fights" she grinned at me "Right, mommy?" I nodded.
"Oh, I´d love to play too, Mandy, can I go with you?" asked Carter.
I couldn´t believe he was doing it again, he was trying to charm Mandy, I knew that, but he did things without asking me, that was what bothered me. Saturday was going to be a very special day for me, because I never got to play with Mandy with my busy schedule, but now I had to share my day off with Carter as well. I stared at him and like magic, I felt my anger going away and it was replaced by a feeling I hadn´t experienced in a long time. It was as if I were a teenager again and I was looking at my crush for the first time. I felt that excitement, that whole ... My thoughts were interrupted by my daughter yelling at my ear.
"Mommy!" I looked at Mandy "Can he?" she asked. Now, that was what I liked, she was asking how I felt about it, I felt loved and special.
I couldn´t say no, Mandy was very happy around him and I was as well. Carter and I were very different, but we had always managed to overcome our differences and be best friends. Yes, that was what I wanted now. If I couldn´t have his love, I wanted to be his best friend.
"Yes, sweetie, we´ll have lots of fun on Saturday! And we´ll teach John why girls rule" I said winking at Carter.
When our burgers arrive, we all ate them in silence. Well, Mandy kept talking with her mouth full, but for the first time, I didn´t bother her with telling her not to do that and allowed her to enjoy her meal. She was still a kid and that is what kids do.
Suddenly, Carter spoke "A penny for your thoughts, Abby"
"A penny? Boy are you cheap!" I said laughing "You are a millionaire and you only offer a penny?"
Carter laughed and so did Mandy. I was sure my girl didn´t know why she was laughing, but she didn´t want to be left out. The three of us were happy and that was all that mattered.
The waitress brought the ice cream, and Carter looked at me, checking if I was okay with it or if the wonderful moment we had just had was over. I smiled and looked at the waitress "Could you bring us three spoons, please?"
We all started eating the sundae and in that moment we became a family, I was having what I had always wanted, ever since I was a little girl like Amanda, a mommy, a daddy and a little girl who was loved by both.