I Fall Apart

Lin

The next day, I got a text from Shannon.  She wanted to know if I could meet her for lunch.  Luckily, my day wasn't too busy, so we agreed on a place in Washington Heights.  She already had a booth when I arrived.  I was relieved that she looked like a normal person.  She was dressed in work clothes and wore glasses.

We shook hands and I sat down and started looking through the menu, though I'd been here many times before.  There weren't many places in Washington Heights I hadn't been.

"Nora and I had a nice time yesterday," she told me, and I looked up at her.

"You met with Nora yesterday?" I asked, flipping through the pages.  I was surprised Nora hadn't told me, but then again I'd only seen her briefly yesterday.

"Yeah, we met for coffee after school," she said.  "She seems like a great kid."

"She is for the most part," I agreed.  "She can be a firecracker like her mom."

Shannon chuckled a little bit.  "Yes, Laura could definitely have a temper.  Nora said she met you when she was thirteen?"

I decided on what I'd order and closed the menu.  "Correct.  My wife and I took her in when Laura was arrested.  I had no idea she existed until then."

Shannon nodded.  "When Nora was born, I asked her who the father was and if she'd told him.  She said they didn't need a man."

I shook my head a little bit, thinking of what could have been.  "I wish she had."

"Me too," Shannon agreed.  "I mean, I think we both know Laura had her issues.  She wasn't exactly mother of the year."

"No, she wasn't," I agreed.

"You must be a pretty amazing dad for Nora to be doing so well in spite of all that," she said.  That felt good to hear.

"Thanks," I told her.  "Things are a lot better now.  It was a little rough at first.  She's got two little brothers and she's a great big sister."

The waiter came and we ordered our drinks and food, then small talked a bit more.  I figured she hadn't asked me to lunch just to chat, and I waited for her to bring up something more substantial.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about something," she began, moving her fingers up and down her glass a little bit.  I waited for her to continue, sensing she was a bit nervous.  "I've been thinking about moving back to New York, and I was wondering...would it be alright with Nora to spend some more time with me?"

"Like, hang out?" I checked.

"Yes," she said.  "And possibly stay with me sometimes."

"She doesn't do well away from home," I told her, thinking of her Fall Break homesickness.  "But I'm sure she'd like spending the night with you every once in a while."

She smiled and said, "I'd love that.  I'll be honest, Laura didn't really want me in Nora's life.  I don't know why.  We just weren't close and she didn't want me butting in.  Plus I moved to Chicago.  It would've been nice to see her more growing up."

"Tell me about it," I agreed.  "When are you thinking of moving?"

"Possibly next month," she said.  "I've been doing some networking at the conference.  My husband works from home, so his job is flexible."

"Any kids?"

"No," she looked down, and it seemed like I'd hit a sore spot.  "My husband and I are trying to adopt."

"I've heard that takes a while," I said, having some friends who'd recently adopted.  We chatted a bit more, then I paid for her lunch.  She thanked me and we actually hugged on the way out.  I promised her I'd bring up hanging out with her aunt more.

In the evening, it was my turn to cook dinner.  Nora wandered out to get a Gatorade mid-homework sprint.

"Hey," I told her, carefully measuring some ingredients.

"Hey," she said, unscrewing the cap.

"How was school?"

"Fine," she said.  "How long til dinner?"

"Half an hour or so," I told her.  "I had lunch with your aunt today."

She got a deer-in-the-headlights look.  She probably thought I was mad at her.

"I'm not mad," I assured her.  "You don't have to tell me everything."

"No, I should've told you," she said.  "Sorry."

"It's okay," I said.  "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, she seems nice, and...strangely normal?"

I smirked.  "I was thinking the same thing.  I was afraid she'd be more like Laura.  She told me she and her husband are thinking about moving back to New York."

"Really?"

"Mmmhmmm," I said, turning to switch the oven on.  "She wanted to know if it was okay for you to spend more time with her.  I said it was up to you.  It's fine with me, as long as she doesn't cause you any drama."

She nodded and bit at her lip.  "I think she'll be okay.  That's cool that she'll be moving here.  I didn't know her much growing up."

"That seems to be a pattern," I observed.

Nora seemed to perk up a little more now that she knew her aunt would be around more.  She told me they'd be meeting up for coffee the next day, which I thought was great.  I hoped Shannon would be a good influence.

Later that night as I walked by her room on my way to bed, I heard her laughing from inside.  I furrowed my eyebrows, momentarily wondering if she had someone in there with her.  I knocked and she told me to come in, so I opened the door.  She was curled up in bed with her cell phone.

"Having fun?"

"Oh, I was just texting with Shannon," she told me, touching the phone screen with her finger.  "She's got a good sense of humor."

I smirked a little as Vanessa walked by and grabbed my tush.  "Well, you two have fun tomorrow.  Love you."

I hurried off to my bedroom, excited that V had touched my butt.