I generally always do everything from Mike's point of view, or at least with him as the main character, but I am changing that up with this. It will be from Christine's point of view, will go throughout the series, from her perspective, but with a happier ending.
Married into the Navy
Chapter 1
Christine smiled at the notes and cards her kids had written and made up for Mike. She packed them into his rucksack, along with the candy and gum he preferred. Their marriage was taking its dying breath, but they both adored their kids and Christine had lovingly ironed his uniforms, did his laundry, packed the bag and encouraged the kids to write the notes, so that Mike could spend the last moments at home with them.
They had been in marriage counseling for over two years and had separated formally three months before. He had moved into the BOQ, but on his 'weekends,' stayed in the basement to be near the kids. They both did their best to co-parent their three kids, but it wasn't easy. Kaitlyn was angry at both her parents for not fighting harder for their family, and Hannah and Lucas were just confused. It probably didn't help that since they separated, they had simply stopped fighting. It had become a resignation.
Christine heard the kids and Mike come in the front room, so she walked out of the laundry room to greet them. Judging by the chocolate on Lucas's face, Mike had taken them for ice cream and then she noticed the ice cream sundae in Hannah's hand.
"Mom, Daddy got you a hot fudge sundae! See?" Hannah pointed out.
"The kids wanted you to have it since you stayed home. I tried to tell them you were dieting but…well, you see." Mike said nervously.
"Its alright. A treat will be nice." Christine said. She was on a low-carb diet, trying to lose an extra twenty pounds since she would be rejoining the dating world in a few months.
"See, I told you!" Hannah told her older sister. The sibling rivalry between the two was strong and had gotten worse since Mike and Christine's separation.
"Girls, enough. I don't need the two of you sniping at each other the last twenty-four hours that I'm home." Mike intervened before Christine could. He took the ice cream out of Hannah's hand before she dropped it and gave it to Christine.
"Not like you're staying here tonight. You are probably going to your girlfriends!" Kaitlyn yelled before running into her room. Mike just rubbed his face in frustration. Both Mike and Christine had told her their separation and eventual divorce was not due to an affair on either part, but Kaitlyn refused to believe it and Mike got the brunt of her anger.
"You know there's no girlfriend, right?" Mike asked, for about the hundredth time. Christine had gestured for Hannah and Lucas to leave them before answering.
"I do. I know its not your weekend now, but if you want to stay the night; its fine. I will even fix you a home-cooked meal." Christine offered. The kids had complained about Mike's cooking when they visited him.
"That is an offer I won't pass up. Course, Little Miss won't be happy." Mike said, referring to their oldest daughter. It was a nickname he had given her while Christine was still pregnant with Kaitlyn and it had stuck.
"She'll survive. While you're here though, would you care to clear out the gutters? I know you'll be gone until November and I don't want them to get stooped up. I don't want to hire someone to do it." Christine admitted. She had recently returned to the workforce and was struggling with maintaining the house without Mike's income. Of course, he paid child support, but it wasn't the same. And Christine had only gotten a job as a receptionist at a doctor's office. It was not paying well.
"Yes. Hey, speaking of money; my pay will be deposited into my account, and your name is still on the account due to not having anyone else. If I gave you a book of checks, could you make sure the truck payment and child support payment get made? That's pretty well the only expenses I have, so if you need help, don't hesitate." Mike said. Christine was savoring the taste of her ice cream and nodded.
"Sure. Have you gotten your will updated?" Christine asked.
"No. This deployment came on so suddenly that I couldn't get into the attorney. I will just have to trust you to use the money to care for the kids. I would have probably set you up as an executor anyhow, so its not so much of a change." Mike remarked.
"The thing is, Mike; I don't mind, but if either of us get involved with someone, they might not like me being your power of attorney and such?" Christine pointed out.
"I don't look to get involved with anyone anytime soon." Mike said.
"Yeah, me either; but I figured I should at least voice it. Anything else?" Christine asked as she tossed the ice cream container away.
"I changed the oil in your van yesterday. Here's the checkbook; and I may run to the BOQ and get a few things, bring you the box of checks. I'll do the gutters before I go." Mike said, while handing her his checkbook.
"Thanks. And Mike, don't stress too much about the kids, especially Kaitlyn. She's twelve and angry at the world. You are just the focus. It'll shift." Christine said. She rubbed Mike's arm and gave him a sympathetic look. She hated how Kaitlyn treated her father and hoped Hannah and Lucas didn't pick it up. She did all she could to keep the peace.