Page 7 of Single Daddy To Go

She didn’t love me, she just loved my money and my status. She wanted to be my wife so she could go to all the right parties and meet all the right people, but she didn’t seem to care about me as a human being at all. The connection grew cold, in and out of the bedroom. Eventually we stopped having sex at all because we couldn’t stand each other.

If it wasn’t for the kid, I would have up and left sooner, but I liked the idea of having a family, even if in practice, it wasn’t what I had hoped. Idocare about giving my daughter a healthy home and I wanted to try my best to keep my marriage together. But my home life just kept getting worse and worse until eventually we had no choice but to file for divorce, which was a hell of its own.

Lindsay didn’t want to be married to me, but she did want to waste as much of my time as possible. Her lawyers found every possible way to drag the court battle out, filing motion after motion, fighting over every scrap like hungry dogs. I’d arrive to court only to have them continue the case again and again.

I glance at the calendar on my phone, noting that the anniversary of our legal split was only a few days ago. Tellingly, it’s been just about a year since we called it quits, but Lindsay has already remarried.

Sheldon Sty, her new husband, is the CEO of a major cosmetics empire. Like me, he’s a billionaire. Technically, his net worth is greater than mine, but he’s also got at least twenty-five years on me. He’s got the approximate body type of my doorman, portly and round, and like Bennie, he’s going bald and trying to hide it. He chain smokes expensive cigarettes and always sounds like he needs to clear his throat.

We run in the same circles, though I wouldn’t say we’re friends. I suspect that Lindsay might have been sleeping with him towards the end of our marriage, after I’d stopped trying. The man’s kind of disgusting, but that’s not my problem. She’s the one who has to see him naked.

Sheldon’s got four grown kids from his first and third marriages. Lindsay is wife number four. He trades them in every so often for a younger model. His oldest son, a well-known lawyer, is two years older than my ex wife, but I guess that doesn’t bother her.

I think the whole thing is disgusting, but I hold my tongue. It’s not like I want to deal with the woman anymore. If she wants to be some old man’s latest piece, that’s her business. I mostly only worry about Katie, growing up around a man like that.

So yeah, I can feel my hackles raising. I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but I feel my blood starting to boil in spite of myself. I’m cringing, thinking about showing up to the school’s annual fair alone while Lindsay is there on the arm of her new billionaire husband. I shouldn’t care about the gossip and the stares, but deep down inside, I really do. I would hate for everyone to think that Lindsay is doing better than I am.

I wish I had a date to take to this stupid shindig, so I could show everyone that I’ve moved on. I mean, Ihavemoved on, but the look I’m going for is a stable, committed, and healthy relationship. I don’t haveanythinglike that in my life. I don’t have anything even close to it. Where would I find the right date to take to a preschool event on such short notice?

Casually, I’ve been seeing a few women here and there. I roll through the file in my mind, debating whether I could call up any of them and ask them to accompany me. At least two would say yes, but I don’t know that I’d want them to, to be honest. I’ve mostly been using these girls for sex. I have physical needs, child or no child, but that doesn’t mean I want to bring another woman into my life in anyrealsense. So I’ve been messing around with a couple of hot blondes with whom I have little in common besides mutual attraction. They’re all younger than me, and the usual social climbing types that I tend to attract because of my job. I know how to spot it now, after Lindsay. I don’t mind it as long as there’s no attachment on either side.

Plus, I don’t know if these sort of girls would be able to handle a kiddie event. They’re the kind of girls whose main interests revolve around expensive shoes and brand name handbags and making sure they stay connected enough to keep enjoying those things. What do they know about children? I don’t want to make things worse for the rumor mill by bringing a date who gets too drunk or says the wrong thing. Then I’ll get pegged for mid-life crisis pathetic loser.

More to the point, I really don’t know if any of my little side pieces could handle Lindsay, the high queen of all the social climbers. She’s a demon, and she knows how to rip another woman apart with just her eyes and her words.

I heave a sigh, laying the flyer out on the counter so it can dry. The orange paper wrinkles a bit in the afternoon sun. I feel sort of sick to my stomach, dreading the event. Whether I go solo or bring a date, it’s going to be a mess. Shit. I have a week to think about it. I’ll come up with something. I let the wheels in my mind spin as I pour myself a stiff drink. Hopefully the alcohol will wash away the taint of my ex-wife’s shrill voice, and leave me in peace for the moment.

4

Rob

The next day, I take another break from work to pick up Katie from Ladybug Tots. A good 75% of the reason is that I want to see the pretty day care attendant once more. Ally’s been wandering through my thoughts non-stop, interrupting my accounting and distracting me while I was on the phone with a Chinese investor.

I arrive at the cheery day care center to find Ally sitting on the floor, surrounded by a circle of kids, playing some kind of a game involving brightly colored blocks. She doesn’t notice me at first, so I watch from the sidelines as she entertains her charges. She has a playful spirit herself, squealing with laughter along with the kids, but she also seems wise. Yesterday I watched her handle Katie’s squabble with that other little boy with aplomb.

I feel myself drawn to her. I could watch her all day. The woman seems so wholesome and caring, and she’s just so good with kids. Suddenly, a bolt of inspiration strikes me, like it’s been thrown by a Norse god. What better date could I possibly bring to the school’s fair than this wonderful girl? She’d be perfect. Ally’s great with kids, projects a wholesome image, and she’s a day care provider to boot. If she cared about being in the right social circles or making a bunch of money, she wouldn’t be here so she’ll be immune to my ex-wife’s barbs. What could Lindsay even say to her?

I smile to myself, satisfied with my plan. At that moment, Ally looks up and notices me. She smiles back, her big brown eyes sparkling. She seems a little bit embarrassed, like I’ve caught her in her lingerie lounging on a plush sofa with a glass of wine in hand. Oh shit. Hold that thought. I’m getting hard just thinking about it here at Ladybug Tots.

But then the woman smiles sweetly and nods. “Oh, hello Mr. Lockhart. How long have you been standing there?”

“Not very long. I just got here.” It’s close enough to true.

“Katie was very good today as usual. There were no problems with sharing, and no hair pulling.” The woman walks over towards me. She’s in flats, and not a very tall girl to begin with, so she’s looking up at me with her innocent eyes. She’s such a sweet girl, so different from the ladies I normally play around with.

“I’m glad to hear that,” I say. I want to steer the conversation away from the kids and towards Ally herself. “I must say, I admire your spirit. Putting up with all these little kids must be a lot.”

She shakes her head. “No, not at all. I love children. It’s a responsibility, sure, but I really enjoy them. I like the way they think. You can always learn a new way of looking at the world if you hang out with children. They see things that you and I don’t notice.”

Good point. “I hadn’t thought about it like that,” I say slowly. “But you’re right. My lifehaschanged since Katie came into the picture. She makes me think about things differently for sure. When it was just me, it didn’t matter what I did. If I wanted to... I don’t know... run off to Colombia or take up racing motorcycles I had only myself to think about. But now I have to make sure I’m around for my daughter.”

Ally’s smile widens. “That’s good. We wouldn’t want you to disappear now that ...” her voice trails off, cheeks turning pink again.

I’m intrigued.

“Now that what?” I press her.

“Now that you’ve started coming to pick Katie up. Little girls need their dad.” She recovers her composure.