THE HERE AND NOW
CHAPTER 7
" PLAY TIME "
Jean looked at the boy who smiled at her shyly. This was weird. He was with a play group, but the thing was, April was nowhere near that play group. (confusing) She was playing baseball with her dad. It seemed he rushed towards them and Jean followed him with her eyes. The boy was new at her school and she had heard he had picked on the O'Neill girl.
She glanced at the blond woman who had arrived with the boy. She was attractive and seemed to know her way around the General's house. She smiled and approached her.
"Hello, I'm Jean, Summers PTA and this is our play group. Welcome."
"Ah, hello, I'm Samantha Carter."
"Oh, single mother?"
"No, just didn't change my last name."
Jean smiled too sweetly for Sam to like; she knew the kind of woman Jean was. But she needed to play nice and be friendly. She had just gotten here and was new. She didn't need to be alienated from the rest of the mothers. So she accepted the invitation of the woman to join the other mothers who were around a table drinking and eating, while their children played away.
Aron was not too sure of himself when he had first walked up to April and her dad. He was sure they were going to invite him to play with them, but when the invitation appeared and he accepted, he knew he was in trouble. He didn't know how to play baseball. But Jack O'Neill, being Jack O'Neill, could read people like books.
"Say April why don't we just toss the ball around"
"Dad?"
"It'll be fun and Aron could use the warm up."
"Right. Ok Aron grab a glove!"
The boy nodded and seemed to be uneasy. He didn't want to embarrass himself around April and her dad. Not to mention the other kids who were around.
"It's ok kid. Just catch, throw and catch, throw. Piece of cake."
"Never played ball before."
"Every one has played ball."
"I haven't...mom was busy and so was dad."
"Umhh ok… April front and center!"
"What's up dad?"
"We need to teach Aron here how to play like the pros. A little practice, a little warm up, you know, like we did with Uncle Daniel?"
April smiled and nodded, throwing the ball slowly at first. Making Aron comfortable with the ball was the first thing to do. She remembered when she had tried to play with Daniel she had almost laughed a lung out when he ran from the ball. Aron seemed to be pretty into the game once he found his stride. Then they started on the bat and rules of the game.
Within minutes they were running around and tossing the ball like pros and Jack smiled at the way the kids were getting along. It was good to have a kid who wasn't afraid of April. She was after all shunned by both girls and boys.
Carter stopped paying attention to the woman who was talking to her when she saw Aron with Jack and April. He was laughing and playing a sport. She was amazed at how quick he had gotten a handle on the game and how he seemed to actually enjoy it. He had always been afraid of sports and with Pete's constant nagging of him to join one, she had been afraid that her husband's insistence had made the boy fear all sports, like he did soccer.
Pete was such a sports dad and had pressured Aron too much, making her son dislike and give up on it all together. Since that day Aron had never joined another sport and had buried himself in books. Much to Pete's disappointment he had become a book worm and had inherited Sam's brains. But to Pete Aaron wasn't the athlete he had imagined him to be, and that hurt Sam.
Now seeing him with Jack and April, Sam wondered and imagined what it would have been liked if things had been different and she had taken what she wanted instead of settling. She was no fool; she knew Pete was the one whom she had settle for because she couldn't have Jack. She had let her fears take over and never acted on her feelings for the gray haired man.
"I see you're watching our living breathing perfect man."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh don't be ashamed. Every woman here has fantasies about Jack."
The woman smiled and glanced dreamingly at Jack who was running around with April. Sam frowned and looked at the other women who were also looking at him with a dreamy expression, most being single mothers.
"I love my husband, but that man is just…"
"Too fine."
Another woman put in and they all laughed, making Sam feel even more uncomfortable. It wasn't that she didn't see it. No, it was the fact that she saw it all too well and not just today, but as long as she had worked for him, she had seen it and had been tied down by the regs, unable to do anything about it.
"Devoted father, easy on the eyes and good with kids. If I weren't married…"
"Ah yeah, I guess…"
"Oh don't be shy…"
"I like his scar."
She blurted out and the woman smiled at her while the others laughed and giggled. She felt like one of the girls and joined in the talk. It was nice to be one of the gals, just gossiping talking about kids, about their careers and just enjoying herself. Bottom line, it was nice to spend time with humans of the same gender. Being a military woman she had spent the majority of her time with men, so this was nice.
It ended all too soon when she felt a pair of arms snake around her and her husband's all too familiar voice loomed from behind her. She smiled and pulled away from him.
"Surprise."
"Pete what...?"
"Time to go babe."
Sam cringed and the other women smiled politely at the man. (repetitive) She never liked his so called nick names, nor did any other woman, so it was no surprise the others acted the way they did.
"I'll go get Aron."
Aron was running around while April was trying to touch him with the ball. Jack smiled and Aron rushed towards him hiding behind him and use him as a shield, while April tried to tag him. Jack smiled and lifted Aron from the ground making the boy laugh out loud and April frown.
"No fair Dad!"
"It is so fair!"
"You're just saying that cuz I cant get to you."
"So? I win!"
"Aww, Dad that's no fair."
"Ok then, Aron is coming down!"
The boy laughed and gripped Jack's shirt not wanting to get down. April jumped towards them and knocked them down. The two kids were laughing their heads off while Jack was groaning since both of them had landed on top of him. April smiled and sat on her dad's chest while Aron stood beside them.
"Hey sport, having fun?"
"Dad, Mom!"
April jumped off her dad and Jack sat up on the lawn. April was laughing her head off and Pete was looking at them as if they were out of their minds. He glanced at Sam and was surprised to see her smiling at the sight of them. April rushed towards Aron and smiled.
"Gotcha!"
"Hey! No fair!"
April laughed and rushed towards her dad who smiled at Aron's pouting expression. He wondered if that expression came standard with every kid. Standing up he smiled at the approaching couple.
"Hey going already?"
"Work and all that."
"Aww, do we have to dad?"
"Sorry sport."
"He's your dad?"
"Yeah…"
"I'm Pete."
"I'm April, that's my dad, Jack."
Pete smiled and nodded O'Neill's kid was a confident kid, who knew what was what and carried herself with confidence.
"I know, we've met before." Pete said.
"Way before you were with me squirt." Jack added looking at April
It was uncomfortable for Sam and she wished she knew why Pete was being nice. He had a smug look on his face making Sam even more uncomfortable. She closed her eyes and decided to end it. Pulling her husband by the arm she smiled and when Jack nodded she went back to her son who was looking at his mom with worried eyes.
O'Neill always told her she was too smart for her own good and now she knew that her kid had been given the same blessing and curse.
"Dad went to get the car."
"Okay mom, bye April."
"Bye Aron."
"Thanks for inviting us Jack."
"No problem Carter."
She smiled and nodded, leading Aron to the car. She felt as if she was going back to a life that held her down, trapped. She was extremely happy to have Aron and wouldn't change that for the world. There were certain aspects of her life she did like, but as she woke up every morning they began to diminish.
Now glancing backwards and waving along side her son, she wondered how things could have been different.
To be continued