I need to settle down with someone.
Friday night Pizza and Poker with my boys is starting to get old, and truly it just leaves me broke. After every game, they go home to their wives and families. As for myself, I just clean up and go home to my PlayStation and World of Warcraft III. I live in a lonely ass bachelor pad. Love don’t live here, and disappointment is my next door neighbor.
Now there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m tall, dark, handsome, hell I’m perfect. I just can’t meet a girl that’s worth my time. Well—there was this one girl, she was perfect. I mean everything you could ask for in a woman, she was it. She cooked well, and I mean huge dinners, she could make a sandwich that would fill up the greediest man in one bite. She’d give me the best back massages after work, and not to mention her beauty. Compared to her, Beyoncé was just “cute”. Her long, beautiful brown curly hair made me want to marry her the very day I saw her, but there was this one thing about her that made me uneasy. It was the deal breaker for me. She has kids.
Two kids in fact, a five year old boy and a ten year old girl. Now don’t get me wrong, they’re great kids, it’s just—they aren’t my kids. She didn’t tell me until after our third date, but I was stupid for not noticing it after our first. When I went to pick her up there were little Hot Wheels cars all over the place, but I thought nothing of it.
I took her out to Le’ Bou on our fifth date, because I really liked her man. Who am I kidding? Forty-five dollars for a Caesar salad? I loved that girl. Then she hit me with it, the daggering phrase “Calvin, I have two kids.”
“Wow, I only have one question babe. Where’s their father?”
“He died at war, about six years ago.” she muttered.
I remember my heart dropping to the ground, probably to catch the tears shedding from her eyes when I responded, “I’ve got to go.”
I’m not an asshole, it’s just that’s a lot to deal with. My mom keeps telling me that I made a mistake by walking out of that restaurant, but she just doesn’t understand how serious of a situation this is. I’m not ready to be a father. What if I decided that I’m not cut out for this family life? I don’t wanna hurt those kids. I’m looking out for her if anything, but those kids didn’t make me stop loving her.
I just can’t see her being with anyone else. My boys said I need to let it go, but they have wives, they have someone to spend their life with. I’m just going to call her and see how she’s doing. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less, just a “hi” and “bye”.
(Begins dialing)
“Hi, can I speak with April”
My heart was pounding about a thousand times a second.
“April’s not here, but I’m her husband. Can I take a message—hello? “