Chapter 208: Jamlyn
Thursday, January 19th, Evening
The bedroom door opened slowly, and Ashlyn walked through it. From his seat on the floor, Landon looked up and smiled. Ashlyn smiled back and walked over to the small radio on a nearby shelf. She turned it on and made sure it the right station, was set.
Ashlyn turned back around and looked at Landon. The young boy looked up at her and smiled.
"Daddy's playing tonight?" Landon asked.
"Yes, he is," Ashlyn said.
"Yay!" Landon said.
"What are the rules?" Ashlyn asked.
"Radio off and in bed no later than half time," Landon said.
"Exactly," Ashlyn said, "Now come and give Momma a kiss."
Landon got up and walked over to Ashlyn. She got as low as she could with her knee. The kids knew well enough about how bad Ashlyn's knee is. Ashlyn embraced her son and kissed him.
Ashlyn separated from her son and walked out of the room. The next stop on her journey was just a few feet down the hall. She slowly opened the door and walked into the room. Logan, her other son, was sitting on his bed, fiddling with his radio. He looked up at her.
"Hi Momma," Logan said.
"What are you doing?" Ashlyn asked, concerned.
"Daddy is playing tonight; I don't want to miss it, Momma," Logan said.
Ashlyn came over to the bed and sat down next to Logan. She gently took the radio out of his hand and studied the digital display. With a careful, practiced hand, she set the radio to the correct station, with a nod she handed the radio back to Logan.
"Thanks, Momma," Logan said and smiled.
"You're welcome," Ashlyn replied.
"So, the usual rules?" Logan asked.
Ashlyn nodded, "Yes, the same rules," she said.
"Okay," Logan nodded as he said it.
"May I have a good night kiss?" Ashlyn asked.
Logan nodded and kissed his mom. Ashlyn took the radio from Logan and placed it back in its place on the shelf. Ashlyn turned and smiled as she walked out of her son's bedroom.
Ashlyn looked down the hall. The last child she would visit tonight, her second daughter, Maeghan. Ashlyn worried about Maeghan and felt sorry for her. Maeghan wasn't the oldest, but was also the oldest, in the same way, Angela, or Keith was. Also, she hated basketball and was surrounded by people who loved, played, had played, or coached basketball. Ashlyn found it hard to balance her time between Maeghan and the rest of her kids.
After taking a deep breath, Ashlyn walked into her daughter's room. Maeghan looked up from her bed. The young girl nodded and lowered her tablet. Ashlyn walked over to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Hi Momma," Maeghan said.
"Hello Maeghan, what' cha you doing?" Ashlyn asked.
"Just some YouTube videos," Maeghan said.
"Oh, really? Anything interesting?" Ashlyn asked.
Maeghan shook her head, "No, just killing time," she said.
"Well, I'm going to turn on Daddy's basketball game," Ashlyn said.
Maeghan nodded, "Okay, if you have to," she said, Ashlyn detected a slight huff.
"Okay," Ashlyn said, "What's on your mind?"
"We're spending the weekend at Grandpa Nate and Grandma Haley's?" Maeghan asked.
Ashlyn sighed, "I'm going to be in Miami," she said.
"With Daddy?" Maeghan asked.
Ashlyn nodded, "Yes, with Daddy," she said.
"Why aren't we going with you?" Maeghan asked.
"You and your brothers have school," Ashlyn said, "And it's not too long."
"But when will Daddy be home?" Maeghan asked.
"The middle of February," Ashlyn said.
"How long is that?" Maeghan asked.
"About three weeks," Ashlyn said.
Maeghan nodded, "Okay," she said, Ashlyn noted Maeghan wasn't happy with that answer.
Ashlyn stood up and walked over to the radio and turned it on. After making sure it was at the right station, she turned to look at Maeghan.
"You know the rules," Ashlyn said.
Maeghan nodded, "Radio off and in bed at half time," she said.
"Good, and good night," Ashlyn said, came over, and kissed Maeghan on the top off her head. Maeghan let her and returned to her tablet.
Ashlyn left her daughter's bedroom. She paused and looked at a closed bedroom door, Brett's door. Ashlyn's oldest child was over her dad's this week; she sighed and went downstairs.
She headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Ashlyn left the refrigerator with two bottles of water. She's been drinking too much wine on game nights, so Ashlyn promised herself she'd not drink any more wine, on game nights.
Once done in the kitchen, Ashlyn went into the family room. Getting comfortable on the sofa, Ashlyn placed her bottles of the water on the nearby side table. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the TV and set it to the channel that the Miami-Dallas game is on. The game is taking place in Miami. She kicked off her shoes and put her bad leg up.
Watching the game, Ashlyn yawned from the game. It's a long day, and she didn't want to stay up for the game. Leaning back, she took a sip of the water from one of the bottles.
It was a good game tonight, playing a close game. James had a good game as well. That meant James would be in a good mood when he would call after the game.
Ashlyn stood up and stretched. It was halftime, and she went upstairs. Slowly, she checked in on each of the three children in the house. They were good kids; all three radios were off and in bed. Even Maeghan had her tablet were off and put off on a side table.
Finally, Ashlyn returned to the family room to watch the second half. She reached for a bottle of water and found she had drunk them all. Getting up, Ashlyn went to the kitchen and collected several bottles of water and some snacks.
She settled in now, putting her feet up, and snacked while the game went on before her. After finishing the snack size chip bag, she started to drink another bottle of water. She felt cold and pulled on a blanket.
The game came down to the final quarter. James and the Miami Heat pulled it out in the end, winning 99-95. Ashlyn nodded; it was their second win in a row. This win was after four straight losses, including three losses out of the four games they played in California. James scored thirty points.
Ashlyn finished her bottle of water and watched the post-game. That's when her phone rang. Reaching over and took up the smartphone.
"Hi James," Ashlyn said.
"Ash, how are you?" James asked.
"Tired," Ashlyn said.
"I know," James said.
"Yeah," Ashlyn said.
"Well, we'll see each other tomorrow night," James said.
Ashlyn nodded, "Yes, we will," she said, and smiled.
