Miles Away

I headed inside the room as he drove away. I pulled the sundress off and put a pair of pajamas on, careful not to make any noises and wake up the boys. As I laid back and tried to fall asleep all I could think of was his face and how serious and passionate he was when he talked about his family and hometown. I saw the sadness in his face when he mentioned being traded and when he spoke of the fans he would miss. He told me how much he was going to miss Jeff. He told me that even though he was a distraction, Jeff would do anything for him and he helped him learn how to have fun and relax. It was actually quite sobering to listen to him talk. It was the reality of an athlete. Things weren’t all glitz and glamor, that’s for sure.

I had a pretty good night of sleep. The boys woke me up around nine o’clock, complaining they were hungry. They were sitting the end of my bed, playing Xbox when I heard a knock at the door. “Get it, it is probably your Uncle Joe.” My ex’s brother in law lived down the shore year round and he knew I had just came into town yesterday. Needless to say, I didn’t expect it to be him. I was kicking myself for not getting up earlier. I looked a mess. I had on a red Phillies Hunter Pence shirt and black basketball shorts. My hair was thrown up messily and I probably had morning breath.

“Uh, I thought you were going to call.” I said to him with a weak smile.

“Well I was, but it was too early and I didn’t want to wake you up if you weren’t awake yet. Besides if I would have warned you I would have missed all of this blushing and embarrassment” he said grinning and handing me a coffee. “Although, I don’t know why. You look fine, your eyes are pretty right now too. It’s almost like they are colorless. They are a deep gray color.”

“Ok stop sucking up Mr. Richards. You can stay I guess.” The boys cheered and he suggested going to breakfast.

“Come on Mommy, let’s go. I am starving.” Matt whined. I threw the covers off and headed towards the other bedroom for clothes. I put on a tank top and shorts and threw on a light hoodie. The boys got dressed quickly and we walked the three blocks to one of several diners near the hotel.

The boys ordered chocolate chip pancakes. Mike ended up with an omelet and I got French toast. It was good but I was stuffed by the time we were leaving. “Let’s go back to the hotel and relax for a while. I need to digest this food.” I suggested and he nodded as he stole the breakfast bill from me and paid it. When we got back to the hotel Mike hooked up the Xbox in the bedroom for the boys and I made the bed in the living room. I laid down on it, him sitting comfortably next to me looking for something to watch.

I felt myself getting drowsy. Him rubbing his thumb across my forehead must have been the final knock-out punch. I jumped up and looked at the clock. I had only slept for forty minutes but the space beside me on the bed was empty and the room was silent. I opened the door. They weren’t on the balcony but I immediately heard their voices below me in the pool.

It was a sight to see, Matt on Mike’s shoulders as Michael tried to catch a pass while jumping off the diving board. Mike looked up and smiled with a small motion for me to come down. I went back into the room and changed into a bathing suit. It was two pieces but not as revealing as a bikini. I threw my hair up in a pony-tail and grabbed a towel, locking the door behind me.

The water was warm as I dove in, swimming right up to my son. Mikey was so cute he gave me a big hug. “Have a nice nap Mom?” he asked and turned his attention back to Mike.

“It felt great buddy. Thank you guys.” I sat on the side of the pool and watched the three of them wrestle around for a while. They were having a blast throwing the ball back and forth. I caught Mike’s attention and told him to come over. “So I have a sitter for tonight. My ex’s sister will take them tonight overnight and Friday overnight, so if you don’t have plans, do you want to do something?” He nodded and swam back to the boys.

After two hours of swimming, I made the boys get out and dry off……… Mike was sound asleep beside me on the beach chair. The boys had worn him out. “Inside, go straighten up now. You are going to Aunt Maria’s at four o’clock. After your straighten up you can watch TV or play Xbox for a little while. I’ll make you guys lunch in a little while. They ran up the steps and I read the magazine while he lightly snored beside me.

Twenty minutes later he started to stir, fluttering his eyes open. “Hey beautiful” he whispered as he sat up and stretched. “Where are the boys?” He asked as he looked around.

“They are upstairs. I need to go up and make them lunch. They are supposed to be cleaning up right now.” I started up the steps and into the room. Surprisingly the room was clean and the boys were quietly watching a movie. I pulled out the lunchmeat I had and made them two sandwiches and put pasta salad on each of their plates.

Mike came in from the pool deck and put his hands on my shoulders, sending butterflies swimming in my stomach. “So one hour until freedom. Go get a shower and get dressed. We are going out to dinner and out with some friends tonight. Don’t make plans for Friday either.” I just laughed.

“Ok, captain. Any more orders from me?” I asked and his eyes lit up. “Never mind Mike, get your mind out of the gutter.” I said quickly and headed towards the shower.

Notes

:) Hope you enjoy.