Hidden Burdens (working title)

Chapter Thirteen

Kayla was already in bed when Ben was finished with everything for the night and the kids were in their rooms. She was watching an episode of The Golden Girls to wind down for the night, despite having seen the old 80s sitcom over a dozen times.

Ben headed for the closet to change into his pajamas.

He heard Kayla ask, "So, you didn't tell me there will be visits with Miguel's father."

Ben sighed under his breath as he pulled off his T-shirt and changed into a white undershirt. After a moment, he admitted, "It slipped my mind."

"Seems like a pretty big deal, not to mention that to me."

Ben walked out of the closet to face her. "What do you want from me, Kay?" he asked defensively.

Kayla paused the show to give him her full attention.

"My mind was a little too preoccupied to think straight." He shrugged, holding his hands on his sides.

Kayla softened. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ben tilted his head back to look up at the white ceiling. Where would he even begin?

Ben paced around the room to gather his thoughts, still keeping his hands on his sides. All he could say was his anxious thoughts after seeing Claudia talking to a boy.

"You mean Jake?"

His head shot over in Kayla's direction. "You know about this already?"

"She shared with me while we were talking the other night," she said.

"And you're okay with it?"

Kayla shrugged as if it was indeed not a big deal. "It's natural for teens her age." She at least reassured him they had talked about the dating rules she and Ben were allowed to have, including how Jake could come over as long as an adult was present and he wasn't allowed upstairs. They would also drop Claudia off at the movies or wherever else, and pick her up afterwards.

It didn't help Ben feel any better, but accepted dating as a part of the teenage experience despite not doing much of it himself when he was a teenager.

"There has to be trust, Ben." She said, with a shrug.

"I do have trust, Kay," he said with a sigh. "Just not for the guy. Can I at least put the fear of God in him?"

Kayla gave him a death stare that would make Darth Vader piss himself and gave him a firm no, putting the fear of God in him instead. She pointed out, "God put the Forbidden Tree in the garden with Adam and Eve, you know."

Ben scoffed, throwing his hand in the air. "Yeah, and look where that led."

"Not the point," she said. "Yes, there are rules that have to be put in place. We can't control everything. We have to give them as much freedom as we can so they'll learn. Besides, they might go behind our backs and do it anyway if we forbid it."

He shrugged, considering what Kayla was saying. After all, the life he had now wasn't what his mom wanted him to have, either. He had to take control of his life and do what he wanted. 

Ben rubbed his hands down his face.

"So, the court hearing is next month?" Kayla asked, changing the subject.

Ben brought her more up to speed with what Jennifer had told him over the phone, including Miguel's father wanting visits with them. He also shared how helpless he felt when Mary had broken down and apologized for not waiting until he had talked to Kayla about it before bringing the matter up to the kids, beating himself up over it.