Chapter 7 (Bella)
Taking chances
March 2012
After dismissing over a dozen flirts and icebreaking emails I was ready to give up on the online dating idea. "It's useless, Alice." I complained as I stood beside her as she snapped spring pictures of my girls.
"It's not useless, Bella. Just give it time." She said as she lowered herself to the ground.
"I have lost count of how many times I have been asked if the girls in my profile picture are my nieces or younger sisters." I complained as I helped her up off the ground. Alice had taken the picture at Mia's birthday celebration back in January. The picture was one of my favorites of us. It was taken as we all walked away from Alice holding hands while only I looked back at her over my shoulder.
"They're douche-bags but not every guy out there is like that. Just keep weeding through them. For now though get out there with our girls." She told me with a shove. We were taking our pictures in a field of wildflowers that were in full bloom. I was wearing my favorite blue jeans, brown leather knee boots, dark blue t-shirt, and a white infinity scarf. Molly was wearing a blue tunic top with white tights and sandals. Mia was wearing a frilly blue skirt with a white t-shirt while Maci was wearing a white lacy dress with a dark blue tights underneath since the blue clashed with her bright red curls.
Just as the photo session came to an end my phone dinged with another email alert causing me to groan. "Here, look at this and you will see what I mean." I said tossing the phone to Alice as I took over gathering up her stuff while she read the email on my phone.
"This one's not so bad. Said he loved your photo and that he has a little man of his own. He admits that he is nervous but overall this seems like a good one, Bella." She said handing me my phone as she held her hand out for Maci and Mia as we headed for the car.
Reading over the short icebreaker email caused me to smile. Finally someone who didn't ask if the kids in my picture were my nieces or cousins or little sisters. I had one guy ask me if my age was correct on my profile or if I had a child while a teenager, I immediately kicked that douchebag to the side and moved on to the next one. But this one seemed genuinely interested so I took a peek at his profile to see if I liked what I saw.
Never Married.
Has a child.
Single father.
CPA.
Lives in Tennessee.
32 years old.
Hmm…a bit older than me might be a nice change of pace because all the ones my age were still immature and just looking for a good time so I sent him a return email.
Return email:
Date Sent: Monday, March 5, 2012 11:36 AM
Subject: You don't seem nervous…
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
To answer your question…yes I am extremely nervous. Like you I have children involved in this too if it ever goes to that point but my oldest is a bit more perceptive than yours probably. From the look of the profile picture your 'little man' is indeed little. My oldest has already commented about my phone dinging all the time with email alerts but for now I've brushed her off saying that it's work related. Not sure how long that fib will work considering she will be a teenager in a few weeks. This almost makes me cry…
I am not going to pry…right now…on the fact that you and your son have been scorned but just know that you are not alone in this department. Though I am sure our stories are going to be widely different but the end result is all the same…single parents to beautiful children.
How about we get to know one another? I have an idea that will help that along if you are game?
VirgoMama2_3G AKA Bella
After typing out the email I quickly followed after Alice and the girls so that we could go grab some lunch for the pregnant woman and cranky children.
"Did you actually respond to his email?" Alice asked as she grabbed another slice of her pizza. Sausage, black olives, and peppers were the flavors for today.
I nodded as I chewed my own slice of supreme pizza. "I did. He seemed sincere but I am still cautious."
She nodded her head in agreement. "I don't blame you but not every guy out there has a hidden motive, Bella. Everybody has seen how devoted you are to those girls but you have to do something for yourself also because when they leave the house what will you have then? Your job? A lazy ass dog? I refuse to let you become that woman." She said emphatically with a shake of her head.
The laugh that bubbled up out of me couldn't be stopped because she had just complimented me and then dogged on me in the same breathy rant. "I love you, Ali."
Once we got finished with lunch Alice dropped me and the girls back at our house where I carried a sleeping Maci to her bedroom. The very beautiful bedroom that the crazy kid refused to sleep in most nights since moving into this house. "Sleep tight, sweet girl." I whispered as I laid her down on her toddler bed that she was having a hard time adjusting to though she crawled out of her crib nearly every night to join either me in my bed or Molly in hers.
I walked out of Maci's room only to catch a glimpse of Mia curling up with Bubbles in her big girl bed. "You gonna take a nap sweetheart?" I asked her quietly.
She nodded before blowing me a kiss to which I smiled to and promptly returned. I found Molly in the living room playing with our rescue cat, Garfield, in the middle of the floor. The wild cat was chasing a piece of yarn that Molly was tugging all around the floor. Since all the kids were occupied I grabbed the book that I had been trying to read for the past few weeks and settled into the corner of the couch to read a few chapters.
"Mom?" Molly asked a little while later pulling me from my fantasy world I had been getting lost in.
"What's up?" I asked her laying the book across my lap. She looked down at her lap before pulling her lip between her teeth letting me know she was nervous about something. "Whatever it is Molly, you can tell me. We will talk about it, whatever it is." I reassured her.
She nodded before looking up at me. "It's about my birthday party in a few weeks." She said softly.
"What about it? You change your mind about going to the pool?" I asked because I had already booked and paid the deposit for the local indoor pool for half the day.
With a shake of her head she dashed that worry but something was still weighing heavily on her mind. "No, I still want to have it at the pool. I was just wondering if I could invite one more person." She said as she tugged her lip further into her mouth. A habit she had picked up from me because she didn't do it when I first took them in.
She had already invited 20 other kids and their parents to the party so I wasn't sure why this was making her so nervous. "You know I don't care, Molly. We just can't go over 60 people total. Who is this other person?" I asked, fearing my greatest fear was about to become a reality.
"His name is Dusty." She said ducking her head low so her long black hair covered her face from my view. I reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear as I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "He wants me to be his girlfriend but I told him I couldn't date until I was 13."
"Do you want to be his girlfriend?" I asked her softly as I raked my fingers through her beautifully thick hair that she got from Jake.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He's a really good friend and I don't want that to change. Chasity and Trevor were the best of friends since kindergarten and now they can't stand one another because they dated and broke up."
"I wished that I could give you the right answer here honey but all I can tell you is to follow your heart. After your birthday." I reminded her though it wasn't necessary.
She nodded. "Okay. Love you."
"Love you too sweetheart."
Almost two weeks had gone by and I still had no return response from Edward so I had chalked it up to him not really being interested. "Maybe he's just been busy, Bella. Don't give up so easily." Angela told me as we sat at a local coffee shop during our lunch break from the clinic. She still worked at the hospital but we met up for lunch when she was on days rotation. Besides Alice she was the only other adult I felt comfortable enough to divulge the fact that I had actually been interested in someone I met online.
"I understand being busy, Ang, but I still manage to return emails fairly promptly." I told her as I bit into my sandwich.
"Oh really? What about when Maci was keeping you up all night when she first started teething? I distinctly remember my email about her birthday party being ignored for almost a month until I said something in person." She reminded me kindly.
She had me there. I remember seeing the notification on my phone but simply swiped it away thinking I would come back to it in a few days but ended up forgetting all about it. "Yeah, well he's not here for me to remind him to respond or to ask if he got it." I told her, frustrated with online dating already.
"Okay, so maybe send him another email. Tell him you were worried and wanted to make sure he was okay. If you like him then it is only natural to be concerned when you don't hear from him when he sent you the first email." She told me with a kind smile.
Nodding I pulled out my phone and began doing just that.
Concerned email:
Date Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 12:27 PM
Subject: You alive?
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
Not sure if you are not responding to my email for a reason or you have simply been too busy to respond. I know it may be a bit premature but I'm worried about your lack of response.
Sincerely,
Your concerned friend Bella AKA VirgoMama2_3G
Over a week had went by and I still hadn't received a response back from Edward so I just brushed it off as him truly not being interested and went about my life. I made plans for me and the kids for this summer. I had three weeks' worth of vacation time and was planning to use them this summer for a family vacation to the beach. As soon as Alice and Angela heard what I was planning they quickly jumped on the bandwagon and decided to join us.
After settling on the location of Biloxi, Mississippi I began searching for us a place to stay. We had all decided that we would spend seven days on the beach together before I took the girls to Disney World for a few days while everybody else had to head home.
I was so engrossed in searching for the perfect place within walking distance to the beach that when my phone dinged with an incoming email alert I nearly jumped off the bed. It was late and the kids were all in bed so the house was quiet making the sound echo off the walls and scare the bejeesus out of me. "Jesus." I said placing a hand over my racing heart as I reached for my phone that was laying on my nightstand.
I couldn't help but smile as I saw that the email was from Edward.
Return email:
Date sent: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 10:27 p.m.
Subject: Please accept my sincerest apologies…
Recipient: VirgoMama2_3G
Sender: GreenEyedDaddy2011
I am so sorry it has taken me this long to get back to you but when you hear everything that has been going on hopefully you will forgive me. My darling adorable little boy decided that Daddy's phone belonged in the toilet so that is where he hid it from me at. Until almost ten o'clock at night. Once I got a new phone and all my stuff set back up, Mother Nature decided I needed a jolt of adrenaline in my life so she struck my office with lightening causing the building to catch fire. Luckily the fire didn't completely demolish the building but I have spent the past three weeks sorting through all of my files and contacting my customers while closing up that office for good and relocating it (twice).
Finally, all the decision making I've had to suffer through for the past month has finally paid off because my new house/office is finished. Then it was time to move and let me tell you that you never realize how much stuff you have until you go to box it all up to haul across town.
Now, back to your original email, I am interested in this idea you have to help us get to know one another though a lot of information about me is in my spiel above.
What's this idea you have?
I am in awe that you are concerned about my safety but I didn't mean to worry you. Life just got crazy. On top of all the above catastrophe's my little man celebrated his first birthday, fell and split his chin open on the coffee table, and I have been suffering from a spring/summer cold.
Until later,
Your very sorry friend Edward.
Hmmm…seems like he has had a rough few weeks so I couldn't do anything other than forgive him for his lack of communication.
I quickly pulled up the reply screen to return his email.
Reply email:
Date Sent: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 10:43 pm
Subject: Hopefully things will calm down for you soon…
Recipient: GreenEyedDaddy2011
Sender: VirgoMama2_3G
That is a lot for one person to handle but at least you seem to have come through it all in one piece. Congratulations on surviving the first year of parenthood, losing your business office, and the new house/office.
I understand what it is like to pack up and move across town. Me and my girls moved not long ago into a new house when my roommate/their aunt found out she was pregnant with her first baby. We had moved into that house from our college apartment when the girls came to live with me so that is when I first went through all my crap so this move wasn't so bad because you can't really accumulate that much stuff in a year's time.
Okay, so my suggestion for us getting to know one another better is this.
90 questions. 90 days. Then we decided where we go from there.
We have to answer the questions we ask.
You game?
Your friend,
Bella
After sending the email I shut down my computer and headed for bed. I couldn't help but smile as I stood in the doorway to my bedroom. In the middle of my bed was my little bundle of joy with Bubbles snuggled in my blankets. "Oh Maci." I whispered to myself as I quietly slid into bed beside her pulling her into my chest as I settled onto the pillows.