Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.21

I sat at that bar, drinking and playing darts, imagining that the board is Tristan's face. My phone has been ringing non stop, I finally just turn it off without checking to see who called. It couldn't be anyone important anyway.

I drink and play darts, the sun is starting to go down and the place starts to get busy. The bartender on the second shift is a cutie, I flirt with her a bit. She likes it and even gives me a few on the house. A killer pair of legs sits down beside me, I'm happy to see that the rest of her is just as nice. She tells me her name, but it's not really important.

The bartender looks a bit ticked that I'm flirting with this girl and charges me extra for my next drinks. I don't care. She wasn't who I expected to spend my evening with, but a warm body is better than an empty bed at this point. We talk a while longer and I convince her to come back to my hotel. We are making out, stumbling, our way into the building. She's hot, and just the distraction I needed from my thoughts.

Continue Reading: "Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.21"

Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.20

As I get ready I briefly second guess what I'm about to do. True I have never been happy over the idea of her with that Tristan guy. The girls say he's ok, but they've never been overly enthusiastic about him. Mom seems to think I'm in love with Cora, I don't know if I'd go that far, but I know I don't want her with him. Or anyone for that matter, but love? Either way what I am about to do feels like the right thing, I only hope she agrees. When I arrive at the church, I quickly make my way upstairs in search of Cora, I've come early, so there aren't many people around.

Davis: You make a beautiful bride.

She looks at my reflection in the mirror. I can see she's shocked to see me here.

Davis: Although you wear that dress well, it covers way too much of you.

 Cora: I'm getting married, not going to a night club. I should be covered. Besides, Tristan's family is very traditional, so I needed to please them.

Davis: So you picked this for them...what about what you want. It is your day after all.

Cora: Why are you here Davis?

I reach out and stroke her beautiful face. From the very beginning Cora proved herself different from all the other women that filtered through my life. She was smart, funny, and very head strong. She was an amazing person and the mother of my children. Without a second thought, I kissed her.

She was shocked at first, but then I felt her body melting into mine. When I pulled away I was not expecting the hand that connected with my face.

Cora: What the hell Davis? Today is my wedding day are you trying to ruin it?!

 Davis: What the hell indeed! You kissed me back, not pushed me away. You enjoyed that kiss as much as I did.

Cora: You just never change! Is that all you think about, your next lay?

Davis: I have changed! The fact that I'm here proves that I've changed. I don't look at you like that, I never have...well not once I got to know you.

Cora looks shocked by my admission. I try to capitalize on that moment before her anger returns.

Davis: I get it, I like to party and have a good time, I don't see anything wrong with that, but there are 3 very important women in my life that think I need to grow up.

Cora: Only 3? She rolls her eyes as she makes the comment.

I smile because I know that she is thinking this conversation is headed a different direction. I can almost feel the renewed hostility rolling off of her. She's cute when she's angry.

Davis: Well if I am being honest, they're actually 5, but 2 of them think I'm pretty damn cool the way I am. However, my mother, Sha, and....you think differently.

I pull her into my arms and she doesn't resist.

Cora: And the other two?
 
Davis: Well, Hope and Grace enjoy staying up past midnight and having milkshakes for breakfast.

Her beautiful blue eyes sparkle when she laughs. I still love that sound.

Davis: Don't marry him Cora I know that's what you think you want, but I'm here to say you're wrong. We have fun together, you can't deny that.

Continue Reading: "Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.20"

Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.19

I tried to keep things casual with Blythe but it didn't work. She was sweet, and fun and just sort of struck a cord with me like...Cora did. Of all the women I'd dated, Blythe was only the second one to really meet Mom and Sha. They both took a liking to her. When the girls came to visit she was happy to meet them. She'd get up in the mornings and fix them breakfast since she didn't approve of me feeding them pop-tarts and other non-healthy options.

Hey they never complained. Hope warmed up to her quickly, Grace took a little while longer. We'd have fun on family outings and have dinner some nights with Mom and Sha. Mom often had that look of hope that I was finally settling down.

I liked Blythe, I did but something still felt like it was missing. Mom thought it was all in my head since I was a self-proclaimed bachelor for life according to her. Cora called me after the girls went back, I guess they told her about Blythe and she was asking questions. She didn't approve of me having a parade of women run through the girl's life. I told her Blythe was the first one I'd introduced them too.

She asked me if it was serious and when I told her I thought it could be the tone of the conversation changed. She seemed ticked off, but also a little sad and got off the phone with me quickly. I continued to see Blythe and when the girls came out for Christmas, and for summer, they were happy to see her. Cora had become a little stand offish again, the girls said she was tired a lot working late hours at the hospital. I tried really hard not to grill the girls about their mom and her relationship, but when I heard some of the things they told me, I was worried about them and Cora.

Grace: Dad are you going to marry Blythe?

Davis: I'm not sure why?

Grace: Well, cuz you are with her all the time and you guys are happy.

Hope: Yeah, we like her. You should marry her like Mom is gonna marry Tristan. She said we'd be her flower girls when we got back.

Davis: They are getting married when you guys go back?

Grace: Uh-huh. Mom had been putting it off. They didn't know, but Hope and me would hear them talking.

Hope: Yep. Tristan was mad that Mom wouldn't set a date, but she finally did I guess. She told us when we talked to her the other day.

That was interesting news. I knew they'd been engaged for a long time, but I had no idea it was Cora that was putting things on hold. She was so gung-ho to get married I thought she'd had jumped at it the first chance she got. I'd known she was planning on marrying that guy, but hearing that the date had been set had an unsettling feeling on me.

Hope: Hopefully now she'll be happy too.

Davis: What do you mean?

Grace: Well sometimes she's just sad. When she thinks we're not around she cries for no reason.

Hope: Yeah, but she gets happy when you call. Maybe you should call her more often.

The girls didn't say much after that since Mom showed up. They were having a girls' spa day and they were very excited. After they left, I called Cora but she didn't answer. She sent me a text saying she was working and would call me later. When I did talk to her, I noticed she sounded tired. I offered my congratulations on her upcoming wedding, she was shocked I knew about it but I just told her that the girls were excited to be her flower girls.

Continue Reading: "Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.19"

Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.18

A lot changes in two years. The adjustment to not seeing the girls daily took some time. We did talk or text a lot and we'd use Skype as well. I worked a lot and dated here and there, but no one was ever that serious. Rebecca I met at work. She was a new hire and my boss wanted me to show her the ropes. After dating Raven, I'd tried not to mix business and pleasure, but Rebecca actually pursued the relationship.

We went out for a few months but I had to end it, I quickly learned she wanted more than the casual dating I had in mind. It caused a bit of a hiccup at work, and she ended up being transferred to a different office. When the girls came back for the summer I made sure we enjoyed our time together.

Hope had gotten into computer games and we'd play together a lot, Grace was still found with her head in a book. However the two of them got along well. I think they complimented each other nicely since Hope was still the more outgoing one. At the summer fair they talked me into a hot dog eating contest, who would have know Hope could eat so much so fast, and that I couldn't.

Boy they didn't let me live that one down for a while. Cora and I talked often. She did a good job keeping me informed about the girls and their activities. I even flew out for their first ballet recital. She was loving her job in the pediatric department of the hospital. We didn't talk much about her relationship with Tristan (I still called him Tracy when we talked just to annoy her) but I did know they lived together and were engaged. The girls liked him ok, and said he worked all the time and was hardly ever home. They didn't like his dad all that much, they'd only met him a few times but they said he was scary looking and wasn't very nice. To them, or Cora. Hearing that ticked me off, but when I asked Cora about it, she just brushed it off.

She did say they weren't around him often so I had nothing to worry about. When the girls went back in the fall, I went back to focusing on work more. Mom even talked me into having dinner with her and Sha some nights. Dad said Nick was doing good in college, he was studying telecommunications and apparently partying hard like I did. Of course I didn't tell Dad that part when Nick would call me. I also told him to make sure he was extra careful, not that I didn't love my girls, but he needed to avoid that oops that I made. At least at such a young age.

Continue Reading: "Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.18"

Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.17

Over the next few weeks things were tense. Cora wasn't speaking to me, and we used Mom's house as a drop off point when I wanted to see the girls. We had both hired attorneys and she delayed her starting time in Barnacle Bay. I tried to make the most of my time when the girls stayed over. Hope complained that she wanted a better room instead of being tucked away in my gym so I found myself giving up my bed once again.

We did all the fun things, like having pillow fights, playing rock, paper, scissors, and just generally goofing off. They liked being with me. I could already tell Hope would be a social butterfly. I'd gotten them phones since it would be easier to call them directly instead of going through Cora.
Hope informed me that Cora was not happy I didn't talk to her first, but how exactly was I supposed to do that when she wasn't talking to me? But I digress, back to Hope. It was a good thing money wasn't tight because I feared getting a large phone bill with the way that thing always seemed to be attached to her head.

Grace on the other hand rarely used hers. Instead she kept her head buried in books and avoiding direct conversations with strangers. She'd come alive and be talkative with her sister and with the rest of the family, but large groups was not her thing. When not with them, I threw myself into work. The pressure of negotiating contracts seemed to be less stressful than dealing with Cora and all that mess.

After work, if they weren't with me, I'd have a drink and chill in the hot tub. My attorney told me I needed to cut out my going out for a little while. It would help me seem more 'stable' and 'responsible', like cutting loose and partying was such a bad thing. I sucked it up and dealt with it. I was getting ready to relax when my doorbell rang. It was Cora, and to say I was shocked to see her was an understatement. We hadn't talked in nearly a month and a half.

Continue Reading: "Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.17"

Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.16

The next morning I awoke to the constant ringing of my doorbell. Disorientated, I rolled over, only to hit the floor. Groaning, I stumbled my way over to the door.

Davis: Cora.

Cora: I just came to get the girls. I'm not leaving without them today.

Davis: The girls? What?

Cora: Yes Davis, the girls. You know the two whose party you ruined acting like an ass. Where are they?

Davis: With my mom.

Cora: Of course they are. I don't know why I expected you to have grown up, but whatever. You did the favor I needed in keeping them, now we can move on.

Davis: Hold on a second! Yes, I may have not acted so friendly towards that Tracy guy, but I think I've done a good job with Grace and Hope.

Cora: His name is Tristan, and it doesn't matter. We both knew this was only temporary...

Davis: So what? You just expect me not to see them even with us living in the same city? You think I'd just ignore them or worse you won't allow me to see them?

A funny look flashed across her face. I don't know if she was shocked that I'd want to continue to be a part of the girls' lives, but they had grown on me over the years. I never planned on having kids, but now that I did I couldn't imagine not having them.

Cora: Well...we won't be in the same city.

Davis: What are you talking about?

Cora: Well...Tristan, he will be working for his family's company, but not here and I got a job offer at the Barnacle Bay hospital so I'm moving there, with him.

Continue Reading: "Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.16"

Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.15

When I woke the next morning Cora was gone. At first I thought she was just downstairs, but no, she was gone. I called her, she didn't answer so I called Mom.

Davis: Morning Mom, how are you today?

Kerri: I'm good. Having the girls keeps me busy.

Davis: That's good...hey is Cora there by chance.

Kerri: She was honey, she stopped by to see the girls and said she had to get back to school.

I couldn't believe she'd leave without even saying goodbye. Over the next few weeks our conversations took a different tone. She'd immediately ask to speak to the girls and once she was done talking to them she'd get right off the phone.

It was odd. Her standoffish behavior lasted for the next month or so. I didn't understand it, we'd been getting along great and she just started giving me the cold shoulder. Eventually she did stop being so short with me on the phone, but she also stopped staying the weekends at my house. Instead she'd take the girls with her to Mom's. She had to be the most frustrating women I'd ever encountered. After two months of her not being in the same room with me for more than a few minutes, I devised a plan. I took the girls to Mom's house early, knowing Cora would come over to pick them up. She was going to talk to me one way or another.

Cora: Where are the girls?

Davis: At Mom's.

Cora: What didn't you tell me?! I could have saved the trip over here!

Davis: Because we needed to talk.

She reluctantly sat.

Cora: So talk.

Davis: What's going on with you?

Cora: Nothing, I'm just stressed, trying to finish school. Then I can move on and really get life started for the girls and I.

Davis: I understand school, but something's different. You haven't been the same since that night.

Cora: Look, I have to go. My time with the girls is limited as is and now you've cut into more.

She got up and left. I could have stopped her, but I didn't. My suspicions were confirmed by her avoidance of the topic. I don't know why sleeping with me again upset her so, but it did. It's not like she ended up pregnant again or something. After she left, I needed to go out. I called Chrissy to see if she was free.

We were still seeing each other every so often, so she was happy to get my call. A night out is just want I needed, free of the stress of kids, and my moody baby momma. I started treating Cora with the same sort of disregard she had for me. When she'd call, I'd instantly get the girls on the phone instead of even saying hello. I started making a habit of taking the girls to Mom's house before she arrived in town and letting her know via text. My weekends, now free, were spent hanging out. Work was going well, I'd gotten another promotion. My life was good, other than Cora seemed to get pisser with me for some reason. When her graduation rolled around, I wasn't going to go, but Mom wouldn't get off my back about it. The girls and I were there to support her, but we weren't the only one. I saw her kissing some guy right before the ceremony. The following week was the girl's birthday party.

Continue Reading: "Going Solo: Davis Gen 3.15"