A Little of This, A Little of That
As I sit down tonight to blog, I realize that it’s been awhile. I have so many different things I could write about that it is difficult for me to pick just one.
Do I write about my youngest child being diagnosed with a long-term illness and the effect that it has had on our lives over the course of the last month? Getting the news that we are going to be facing a life-long battle to help keep her healthy was upsetting; having her be hospitalized with a 105.5 fever that wouldn’t leave just two weeks later was traumatic. Sitting in the hospital while I watched the IV give my baby the nutrients her little body wasn’t able to get any other way gave me a lot of time to think. Thoughts of the transient nature of romantic love and how much time the pursuit has taken up in my life the past three and half years; or the fact that no matter who else comes and goes in my life, my children will always be the purest and most enduring love. I had idle time to reflect on the strangeness of spending so much time with the man who helped me create these little people and the sadness of realizing he is the one man who can completely get this aspect of my life…and the one man who seems to get so little of the rest of it.
I could write about A, the man with whom I had a brilliant first date, quickly followed by a second date. Funny thing about second dates is how quickly they can point out the untruth that was the first date. One day after our second date, during which I somewhat reluctantly agreed to a third date (I was getting a definite vibe of smothering), he was telling me that I needed to give him more positive reinforcement because I didn’t respond quickly enough to his emails of “Do you miss me?”; “When can I see you again?”; “I keep thinking of how soft your lips are.” Despite the fact that I did reply, I was at work and quite busy that day. Not to mention the fact that it all seemed a bit…excessive. Was he a puppy that I needed to pat on the head every five minutes? I mean, this was a man in his forties! I sent him back a message stating that perhaps we had different expectations for such an early dating relationship. Then began the email, text and phone bombing. Every few minutes, before I could even reply, I would get a new email or text. Something along the lines of, “I’m the best man you could ever find, don’t be too hasty.” When I finally get to the point in my day when I can call him back, we talk for a long time. I let him know that I like him, but need him to back off because I feel like he is expecting too much, too quickly. He agrees and says he will wait to hear from me. Less than twenty-four hours later I get the message, “Is missing me as hard as I think it is?” Then the onslaught began again, finally ending with me refusing to answer anymore. The next day I get a text from him, “Want to check in with you before I make plans for the weekend.” Seriously? This is his version of backing way off? Still, the first date was definitely a success, so perhaps the tide is turning…
Had a first date the other night with B. Con: He showed up thirty minutes late without even calling. When I finally called to find out what was going on, he told me he was on his way. Pro: He walked in with flowers. Con: He ordered his martini in such a complicated and pretentious way that the bartender actually had to try to keep from smirking; when sitting the drink in front of him, told him that “anything I can do to make this martini better for you, let me know.” Pro: As he told me that I was so beautiful that it made him nervous, his hands were shaking. Con: As he told me that I was so beautiful that it made him nervous, his hands were shaking. Yup…that one could really go either way. Pro: He insisted on paying for our first date, which I never expect, always assuming I will pay my half. Con: There seemed to be some sort of dental issue, of an indeterminate nature, which I didn’t want to pry about. Pro: Despite the dental issue, the goodnight kiss was quite nice. Con: He quickly became overly excited by the goodnight kiss and turned it into something akin to good-night kiss porn. So, basically, the jury is still out. We have another date planned. After all, second dates usually reveal much more!
Finally, spoke on the phone with a charming man with whom I had exchanged a day of emails. When the call dropped and he didn’t call me back (the first time it happened, I called him back, so I thought I would wait for him to call me back this time), I sent him a text to find out if we were done talking. Received a phone call back and was told, “If you ever text me again, I will have to cut you. Don’t think that this means you are special or bad, simply that you are not allowed to text me, ever.” Alrighty then.
Now, I’m off to play tooth fairy to my child who attempted to blackmail me into leaving additional funds since they are the oldest and their tooth is older and bigger. The blackmail comes from her cunning knowledge that while she knows I am the tooth fairy, her sister does not. Do I pay up in the hopes that she will help me maintain her sibling’s innocence a bit longer? Or do I take a hard and fast “The tooth fairy cannot be bribed!” stand? What the hell. An extra dollar might be one less battle to fight right now…
Sex and the Single Soccer Mom 
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