Lovingly Divorced

01

"Jamie, would you stop using that thing and eat your food!" I groan loudly as I try to quickly fix the boys' lunch for school. I woke up super early this morning to get everything done hoping that at least we would have a fifteen minutes head start but getting the boys to do anything had been even harder than pulling a good tooth. Jason more so than Jamie. And now, we are going to be late at this rate.

While I am trying to get Jamie to drop the iPad in his hand, I see Jason in the corner of my eye jumping up and down on the couch in front of the TV.

"Unguard!" He shouts in a voice mimicking that of the characters in the cartoon he is watching as he swings his hand in the air wildly. I'm guessing he was supposed to be holding a sword.

"Jason, what have I told you about watching those violent movies?" I ask him. He either ignores me or he doesn't hear me in the first place.

I sigh and go into the living room and stand in front of the television with my hands on my waist and a stern expression on my face.

"C'mon, mom." He whines. "It's almost done anyway."

"Go eat your breakfast. Now!" I order him pointing at the kitchen island where Jamie is sitting with the iPad still in his hand and his food untouched in front of him. Immediately, Jason walks away in fear of what I'll do next.

It's their first day of school here and I am already going crazy out of my mind. At this point, I really don't want to know what tomorrow, next week or even next month would be like.

I run a hand through my hair as I let out a frustrated sigh. Looks like I just might take my mom up on her offer of hiring a nanny afterall.

Finally, after about ten long minutes of struggling, everyone is ready so we quickly rush into the car and begin the drive to school. Fifteen minutes later, we arrive at their school and get out of the car.

Colin Mccarthy elementary school is one of the best and most expensive elementary schools in Atlanta and it was my mom's idea for the kids to go to school here. After not seeing them for a really long time, I felt guilty so I decided to indulge her.

I quickly go to the administration office and after sorting out everything necessary, the boys are led to their classroom by another boy their age who they immediately hit it off with. I watch them with a smile on my face, glad that they made a friend already.

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs Wallace." The principal says with an outstretched hand.

I shake her hand firmly. "It's Miss Freeman." I correct with a polite smile which she returns with an apologetic one. "And it was nice meeting you too."

I leave soon after that to meet up with my best friend, Jesse, at our favourite café downtown. She's pretty much the only one, apart from my mom, who knows that I'm back in town.

After getting a good parking space, which is kind of hard because this place is almost always packed full, I look in my rear view mirror and ruffle my hair a bit before grabbing my purse and getting out.

Almost immediately I walk in, I spot Jess sitting at our usual spot in the back, away from the crowd. You would think that after three years of not seeing each other on Atlanta soil that things would feel slightly different but it doesn't. I feel a strong sense of déjà vu as I walk up to her with a bright smile on my face.

She is engrossed in her phone and doesn't notice me approach her so I playfully trap her in a hug from behind, wrapping my arms loosely around her neck, the wooden chair in between us.

She looks up, startled, before noticing that I was the one. Immediately, she squeals loudly, grabbing the attention of a few people no doubt, before pulling me into a bone crushing hug which I reciprocate.