"Good God in Heaven!" I thought.... “what in the world is wrong?!” I couldn't open my mouth to say anything without getting my head bitten off; even the slightest (positive) remark resulted in the emergence of 'the snarl'. Finally Paula whispered the problem to me....
“Oh. Now I see.”
It was strange, but about 6:30am, one of the gas station grandpa farmers was telling me that his giggly, sweet, chipper little granddaughter “turned into another person on Friday nights”. (He got to witness this phenomenon since he and his wife were watching the youngsters this week again.) I was puzzled until he said, “Their dad was coming to pick them up for the weekend...” Ahhh. That statement explains everything without saying anything more at all...
I can't tell you how many times over the years people in my job field get to see the 'different person' appear on Mondays or Fridays—no explanation by these kids' regular parent is necessary. All said parent has to say is: 'it's visitation weekend.
' Ahhh indeed.
Thinking of this, upon hearing Paula's explanation, I recalled the mask of resigned doom frozen on my son's face all morning—a look I hadn't seen in almost a year and for good reason...it's been almost that long, since he's had to go. He was supposed to, at Christmas, and he left our family's fun game of Pitch to drive over, but they weren't even home. (A normal occurrence I'll call 'bait and switch' at kid's expense. Hey, I made a rhyme! But it's not funny....just mean, sad, and immature. For heaven's sake, I don't understand how anyone can break a promise to a kid...or at least have the courtesy to give them an explanation...Hmm. Never mind.)
I learned long ago not to be bothered by, or take to heart, the growly moods that permeated his return and I was glad that these visits were very random (and some years almost non-existent). If I am the brunt of his hurt, and that's the only way he can express it right now, so be it!
And that goes for any of my kids, cause I love 'em!
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