Flying Too Close to the Sun

Pippa

I didn't have much going on Friday, so I hung around at home most of the day.  Cam was holed up in her room on her first day of suspension.  Lin didn't plan on letting her have a vacation.  She had work to complete, and he had a long list of chores she could do if she finished early.

Around lunchtime, she wandered out looking for something to eat.  I was getting hungry myself.

"Want some soup?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said, plopping down on the couch.  She turned on the TV and I decided it was okay for her to take a lunch break.  Cam was still in her PJs, her hair up in a ponytail.  I boiled a big can of tomato soup and made a couple grilled cheese sandwiches.  It was a dreary day, so it was nice to have comfort food.

We ate at the coffee table as we watched a talk show.  Cam was silent and I could tell she was bored.  She'd be stuck in this apartment a lot for the next few days.  Lin was pissed that she had brushed it off, and she was just making it worse by having an attitude.

"There's a school dance tomorrow," she told me as we neared the bottom of our soup.  "Do you think Dad will let me go?"

I glanced at her, surprised she was asking.  "I doubt it, Cam.  You haven't even shown any remorse for what you did."

She sighed as she dipped her grilled cheese into the soup.  "She's such a snitch," she complained.  "No one likes her."

"Well apparently she's new to the school," I reminded her.  "She's having trouble making friends."

"Well she's not gonna make any by snitching to teachers about every little thing," Cam quipped.  We were quiet for a minute or so.

"Think about things from her point of view," I suggested.  "You humiliated her.  That really hurts."

She sighed as she sopped up the last of the tomato soup.  "Can I have my phone for a few minutes?"

I'm not sure why she thought I was going to cut her slack and undermine Lin.  "No, Cam," I told her.  "No phone for a month."

"But that's ridiculous!" she countered.

"I disagree," I said as I stood up with my plate.  Cam sighed as she went to the sink and rinsed out her bowl.  She disappeared to her room for the afternoon.

Lin called a while later to see how things were going.  He had more press today and some meetings.  I checked on Cam every now and then to make sure she was making progress.  She was getting it done apathetically, but she was getting it done.

I picked the kids up from school and took them to the park to play for a while.  Raina seemed almost like normal now.  I had her sit out once, but she seemed to have endless energy otherwise.

When we got home, Lin was there and in the middle of an argument with Cam.

"But I already paid for it with my own money!" she told him, exasperated.  I deducted that they were talking about the school dance she mentioned earlier.

"I'm sorry, but the answer is no," Lin told her, filling a pot with water for dinner.

"Then are you giving me money to pay for the ticket?" she asked.

"Nope," he said.

"That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is you bullying that poor girl," Lin countered.  "Now drop it."

Cam stormed off to her room and slammed the door.  Lin sighed as the other kids and I walked in gingerly.  I told the twins to go play in their room so Lin could have some peace while he cooled down.  I walked over to him and rubbed his arm supportively.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"I'm fine," he said, busying himself with dinner.  "I can't believe the nerve Cam has sometimes."

I nodded.  "She asked if she could have her phone for a while earlier," I said.  "Don't worry, I didn't give it to her."

"Thanks," and he gave me a quick kiss.  I got out some more ingredients as we waited for the water to be ready.  We talked about our days.  The interviews he had to do for press were a bit exhausting after a while.  He had to answer the same questions over and over again and appear happy about it.  I told him I'd handle bath and bedtime so he could relax.

Cam was silent at dinner, which was fine.  Lin disappeared to our bedroom afterwards to read and relax.  The twins requested bubbles for their bath and I put in a bit too much.  It escalated into Santa beards and giant hairdos, which they thought was hilarious.  I took some pictures and sent them to Lin's parents.

After I'd put the twins to bed, Molly was in a cuddly mood and wanted some mom time.  We settled on the couch with a blanket over us and watched a movie together.  I loved my time after the twins had gone to bed.  I loved them, of course, but they could be exhausting.  It had been just me and Molly for a long time, so I loved when we got to spend some time alone.  She was a sixth grader now.  I wondered how much longer she'd wanted to have this snuggle time with me.  Somehow I knew we'd always be close.

Around 9:30, Molly went to bed and I decided to go as well.  I found Lin already asleep over the covers, his book laying on his chest.  I smirked as I gently picked it up and marked his page.  As I set it on his bedside table, a text popped up.  From Sofia.

Another bad date.  Can we talk?

I felt my heart drop.  Why did he have her number?  And why was she texting him this time of night?  I glanced at my sleeping husband.  I thought what we had was very special.  He adored me and I adored him.  He wouldn't cheat on me, would he?

Unsettled, I found my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed.  I turned and looked at my sleeping husband.  My partner.  Did I need to worry?  Would this man betray me?  I sighed and turned off my bedside lamp, worrying.