just the way it is

It was going to be an adjustment. Ellie with a job. Lon was thankful it was part-time.

"What? You don't want me to work?" She eye-balled him as soon as he fretted the least about it.

"Of course, if you're ready." Maybe it was he, who wasn't ready. But of course, he knew Charlie might not ever be ready for her to go to work. Charlie was good at making things hard for everyone. One moment he was going on twenty-one all clever and suave, and in the next breath he was back to being three, again.

He was supposedly the angry child. Ellie even brought home a book from the library about it. He was a lot to deal with. But he was a boy. He did enjoy throwing things, hitting things, even smashing them and of course having blown out tangents which meant screaming, stomping and maybe even biting.

Charlie and Zoe would go to someone's house down the street while Ellie was at work. She'd be back to pick them up by one in the afternoon.

"What if he goes..." Lon didn't want to say it. He knew Ellie thought he was the one in control when it came to Charlie, but Lon wasn't so sure if it were true. Yes, Lon was the one who got Charlie to be sweet and kind during his last picture at the mall. Of course, Lon hadn't intended to get his picture taken with the kids, but he had too. "You know..bonkers." He sounded as if he were talking about a dog who might rip up the couch while they were away. Still, he wanted Ellie to have this opportunity.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." She left for her first day at work, and he took the kids down the street to the neighbor's house. There were a few other kids there. So far so good. Then Lon handed over Zoe to the babysitter.

"HEY!" Charlie whacked the woman in the leg with his hand. "That's my sister." He gave her a pout.

Lon winced thinking the woman must think they were a violent bunch. He thought of all the places they'd sent Charlie too. How could he explain Charlie? He wasn't always bad.


"Its all right, Charlie." Lon pulled him aside. One thing for sure Charlie did know how to express himself. "Remember, what we said. No touching.  Everyone deserves their on space." He wasn't sure what good it would do. But he was following Ellie's orders. This parenting thing was trying, sometimes.

Charlie explained to Lon... the woman was touching Zoe. She was holding his baby sister.

"Its all right." Lon told him that Zoe was going to play with other babies and he was going to play with kids his age. But he could see Charlie wasn't sold on this. He crossed his arms and looked up at Lon just the way Hannah did. Lon wanted to laugh. Charlie was picking up all of Hannah's mannerisms. He knew who he was having to talk with when he got home from work. It was someone who thought she was the boss of Charlie. Hannah.