There she was
Mitch looked at his watch for about the fifth time in as many minutes. He looked longingly at the pack of cigarettes that he knew were in the glove box. It'd been a little over seventy-two hours now since his last cigarette. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel nervously. Over the stereo system a group of children sung off-key versions of the biggest hit songs of 2001 on an old CD he'd picked up at the thrift store. His daughter was probably too young for it, but he told himself he'd be dead in the cold cold ground before he bought another Raffi CD. He turned the volume down.
"I think your mom needs a new watch." He said to his passenger.
"Is it Mommy's birthday?" the little girl asked.
"Not yet," he said "you'll know it's Mommy's birth day when Nordstrom's throws a parade in her honor." he said.
"Really?" Kimberly asked, oblivious to her father's sarcasm.
"Yep," he said continuing "since she started shopping there they've been able to construct their own international airport with money left over to buy their own private island in the Bahamas." he told her.
"Oh." she said in that casual tone that children often use when they really don't know what you're talking about. He laughed a bit at that. He would put money down that Kim would repeat this exact conversation sometime in the following week. He checked his watch again. He looked around again, this time to see the coffee shop was open yet.
There she was. She'd cut her hair since he'd last seen her, short in back, longer in front, very business-like. She was also wearing her grey business suit. He looked in the back seat at his daughter.
"Guess who's here." he said with a cheerfulness in his voice that belied the frustration he felt about how late his ex-wife was.
"Mommy!" Kim said with a smile that revealed her missing front teeth. Mitch got out of his car and walked around to open the door. Kim hopped out and ran up to her mother who met her halfway from her own car and wrapped her in a hug. Mitch waved, Ellen frowned. She turned to Kim and said something he couldn't hear and she walked over to the car. Ellen approached him.
"Great she wants to talk." he said under his breath. When she got there he smiled a fake smile at her and gestured to the business-wear Ellen was clad in "Nice threads, did your mother return to her home planet or is there some other cause for celebration?" he asked. She gave him the same glare she always did when he told a joke about her mother.
"Not funny, Mitch." Ellen said, which is another thing that always happened. "It's business attire, it's what professionals wear when they care about their jobs." Ellen said to him. Mitch thought of a joke about not seeing the broom-stick or the pointed hat to go with it, but he kept it to himself. "Look, Mitch, I'm interviewing for another position in the company today. If I get the job I'll be making almost double what I'm making now."
"Well I'm sure Nords will put up a gold statue of you in the foyer if you get it." Mitch said. He mentally patted himself on the back for that one. His mood picked up, as it often did when Mitch made fun of his ex-wife.
"The job's in Kansas." She said to him. His mood darkened immediately. Kansas? She'd really said Kansas. He just stared at her for a moment.
"That's over two-thousand miles away." Mitch said.
"More like eighteen-hundred." Ellen told him.
"The point is you can't do it, I barely get to see Kim now as it is." Mitch's tone caused a few passers-by to glance briefly in his direction. Ellen kept a cool, emotionless look on her face.
"Don't fight me on this, Mitch. I'm struggling to make ends meet out here and your check doesn't get me that much farther even when you do pay it on time. This job in Topeka is a once in a life-time thing. It's more money and a better chance for advancement down-the-line which means a better life for Kimmy then you could hope to pay for in two lifetimes." Ellen said. Mitch's lips tightened and his fists balled-up. Ellen's face softened.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean...look I know you're trying to bounce back. But this is what's best for Kimmy, alright?" Ellen said. She looked at him for a moment, but he turned his face away from hers. "Anyway I'll call you when I know more." She said and turned to walk away. Mitch stormed into his car and slammed the door closed. He fumbled at the glove box and pulled his cigarettes. He tried unsuccessfully to light it up three or four times before getting frustrated and tossing it and the lighter at the passenger door. He grabbed the steering wheel so tight his knuckles began turning white.
"She's not going to get this job." he said to himself quietly. He said it to himself over and over again for about five minutes before pulling in a deep breath and letting it go. Without another word he drove home.
"I think your mom needs a new watch." He said to his passenger.
"Is it Mommy's birthday?" the little girl asked.
"Not yet," he said "you'll know it's Mommy's birth day when Nordstrom's throws a parade in her honor." he said.
"Really?" Kimberly asked, oblivious to her father's sarcasm.
"Yep," he said continuing "since she started shopping there they've been able to construct their own international airport with money left over to buy their own private island in the Bahamas." he told her.
"Oh." she said in that casual tone that children often use when they really don't know what you're talking about. He laughed a bit at that. He would put money down that Kim would repeat this exact conversation sometime in the following week. He checked his watch again. He looked around again, this time to see the coffee shop was open yet.
There she was. She'd cut her hair since he'd last seen her, short in back, longer in front, very business-like. She was also wearing her grey business suit. He looked in the back seat at his daughter.
"Guess who's here." he said with a cheerfulness in his voice that belied the frustration he felt about how late his ex-wife was.
"Mommy!" Kim said with a smile that revealed her missing front teeth. Mitch got out of his car and walked around to open the door. Kim hopped out and ran up to her mother who met her halfway from her own car and wrapped her in a hug. Mitch waved, Ellen frowned. She turned to Kim and said something he couldn't hear and she walked over to the car. Ellen approached him.
"Great she wants to talk." he said under his breath. When she got there he smiled a fake smile at her and gestured to the business-wear Ellen was clad in "Nice threads, did your mother return to her home planet or is there some other cause for celebration?" he asked. She gave him the same glare she always did when he told a joke about her mother.
"Not funny, Mitch." Ellen said, which is another thing that always happened. "It's business attire, it's what professionals wear when they care about their jobs." Ellen said to him. Mitch thought of a joke about not seeing the broom-stick or the pointed hat to go with it, but he kept it to himself. "Look, Mitch, I'm interviewing for another position in the company today. If I get the job I'll be making almost double what I'm making now."
"Well I'm sure Nords will put up a gold statue of you in the foyer if you get it." Mitch said. He mentally patted himself on the back for that one. His mood picked up, as it often did when Mitch made fun of his ex-wife.
"The job's in Kansas." She said to him. His mood darkened immediately. Kansas? She'd really said Kansas. He just stared at her for a moment.
"That's over two-thousand miles away." Mitch said.
"More like eighteen-hundred." Ellen told him.
"The point is you can't do it, I barely get to see Kim now as it is." Mitch's tone caused a few passers-by to glance briefly in his direction. Ellen kept a cool, emotionless look on her face.
"Don't fight me on this, Mitch. I'm struggling to make ends meet out here and your check doesn't get me that much farther even when you do pay it on time. This job in Topeka is a once in a life-time thing. It's more money and a better chance for advancement down-the-line which means a better life for Kimmy then you could hope to pay for in two lifetimes." Ellen said. Mitch's lips tightened and his fists balled-up. Ellen's face softened.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean...look I know you're trying to bounce back. But this is what's best for Kimmy, alright?" Ellen said. She looked at him for a moment, but he turned his face away from hers. "Anyway I'll call you when I know more." She said and turned to walk away. Mitch stormed into his car and slammed the door closed. He fumbled at the glove box and pulled his cigarettes. He tried unsuccessfully to light it up three or four times before getting frustrated and tossing it and the lighter at the passenger door. He grabbed the steering wheel so tight his knuckles began turning white.
"She's not going to get this job." he said to himself quietly. He said it to himself over and over again for about five minutes before pulling in a deep breath and letting it go. Without another word he drove home.