3. Dealt With It

3

DEALT WITH IT

“ W e’ve got food, Mom,” Ty yelled when Electra opened her apartment door.

“Hi, Tyson,” Electra said to their son. Michael didn’t care for the name, but it wasn’t his decision in the end. Everyone shortened it to Ty but Electra. His son had told his mother to call him Ty, but she did what she wanted.

He supposed that was her right as the mother in some cases. It was just a name.

“Dad and I went food shopping just now.”

He looked at his ex and saw her eyes start to fill with tears. “Thank you.”

“Why are you crying, Mom?” Ty asked.

“Hey, buddy, why don’t you go put your clothes away,” he said.

Ty ran to his room with his book bag. He was sure his son was going to pull out his clothes for tomorrow and toss them on the bed. If he didn’t say anything, his kid came home in wrinkled clothes telling him everything stayed stuffed in there until the next day.

It wasn’t a major enough deal that he ever said a word about it. There were bigger issues in his life to deal with than some wrinkled clothes.

“You won’t leave without saying bye, right?” Ty asked.

“Never. I got a weeks’ worth,” he said to Electra. “Ty picked out half of it. Not sure what to get.”

“It’s fine,” Electra said. “I’m so sorry. I got paid last night and was going to get some things with him today. It’s just I needed my check last week for rent. Not many people leave cash for tips anymore so I don’t always have the money I used to daily. And with the tips being on my check, taxes come out.”

He knew how it worked. It was part of the reason he tried to leave a tip in cash when he went out even if he paid for the meal on his credit card.

“You need to tell me,” he said. “I can’t have Ty coming here and not eating. If you don’t give me the full truth or tell me what is going on, I’m guessing from a four-year-old.”

He’d finally called Electra on Thursday night. She’d been working and called him back yesterday. She said she didn’t have much in the house, but there was bread and peanut butter. Ty hadn’t wanted that for dinner and since he was going home, she didn’t stress about it. She knew he’d eat there.

He asked what Electra was eating and she said she was okay with peanut butter sandwiches and she got to eat for free at work.

The whole situation made him sick, but he couldn’t and shouldn’t have to pay for Electra’s living situation when they weren’t together.

But he was damned if he was going to let her stress about not being able to feed their kid.

He’d played it up as he wanted to surprise Electra and do the shopping for her so they could spend more time together when he’d told Ty they were going to the store first.

Ty wouldn’t know one way or another.

“I know,” Electra said. She took two bags out of his hand and he carried the other three in. Her apartment was tiny, but it had two bedrooms so Ty got his own space when he was there.

She started to take the food out of the bags and he did the same.

“Ty picked out this cereal and then some frozen breakfast foods. They should last for a bit. I can bring more things when he comes if you need them. Things he’ll like.”

“I should be okay,” Electra said. “This alone helped out. As I said, I would have gotten food today. It’s just I was low with the rent due and a few other bills came up unexpectedly last week.”

He didn’t ask what they were. He didn’t want to know.

Electra liked to shop and she probably had a bigger credit card bill than normal.

Looking around the apartment, he saw there were a few new throw pillows and pictures on the walls that weren’t there a week ago. For all he knew, she took her tip money and spent it on that rather than food, just assuming she’d get more cash on her next shift.

She never planned and was never going to change.

The only smart thing she’d done in his eyes was admit she wasn’t cut out to be a mother for more than a few hours or a couple of days at a time.

She liked to hand Ty back to him knowing things would always be taken care of without her having to take responsibility.

It broke his heart to hear those words said as simply as if she were describing the clouds were white.

“It happens,” he said. “We all have expenses we don’t expect.”

“They had this sale,” Electra said, shrugging.

Yep, didn’t want to know. “Stop,” he said. “You spend your money your way and I’ll spend mine my way. If I have to start bringing food with Ty, then tell me that.”

“It wouldn’t hurt.” She was batting her eyelashes at him.

“Fine. Done.”

He emptied the rest of the bags on the counter.

“You bought me ice cream,” Electra said. “I love strawberry ice cream and Tyson doesn’t like it.”

He remembered she ate a bunch of it when she was pregnant. He’d started paying for most things once he found he was going to be a father. He wanted her and the baby healthy and then when she was pulled out of work, he just took over the bills until she returned and got on her feet.

He could have had her move in with him but refused. There was no way they were getting back together and if he let her in the house, he might not be able to get her out.

It was for the best.

If he was stretched thin on funds, he dealt with it.

Now, money wasn’t an issue in the least.

“We were in the aisle, so why not?” he said.

“Did you want to try to work things out with us?” Electra asked. “Is that why you did it? To soften me up?”

“No,” he said. She’d brought it up a few times. It was never anything serious and wasn’t now with her hand running down the front of his chest.

All they had was sex before and it was all she would want now.

She’d tried that game for years with him. He was stupid enough to fall for it months after Ty was born, to just tell himself he was going to give it a try.

He was the only one trying and all she wanted was fun. She wanted him to get a sitter for their son so they could go out like they had when they were dating.

There was no talking to her about the fact life would never be for just the two of them anymore. They had a child and it’d be trying as a family.

She’d put a sexy pout on her face and told him he was no fun and then giggled while she started to lift her shirt over her head.

He’d walked out the door with his son and she hadn’t tried again after that.

But she sure liked to push his buttons doing shit like this.

“I thought maybe you were lonely,” Electra said. “We know it doesn’t take me much to want to get you naked.”

He wanted to growl. “You don’t bring men here when you have Ty, do you?”

He’d been very clear about his feelings on this with her. “No,” Electra said. “I don’t. I wouldn’t. I don’t have him enough that they just come over when Tyson leaves. He’s only here two nights a month and a few hours during the week. I’ve got some discipline. Though you liked it when I didn’t.”

She only reiterated the words back to him he’d said to her after he’d found out she had men here last year.

“Enough,” he said, putting his hand up. “Ty. I’m leaving. Come kiss me.”

His son came running out of the room and into his arms for a hug. “Bye, Dad. You’ll get me in the morning?”

“I will,” he said. He always dropped his son off and picked him up. Even when Electra had Ty during the week, he left work for thirty minutes to get his son from daycare and drop him off. He didn’t always trust Electra’s driving or her beat-up car. A car he’d paid a few repair bills for so she had something to get to work.

Everyone told him he was an idiot.

In his mind, it was his son’s mother. He was trying to do what was right.

He was never going to change her, but he could try to not stress her out more. He wanted Electra in Ty’s life but not if she was going to be full of drama. He’d do the right thing to keep that at a minimum for his son’s sake.

Ty ran back to his room. He must be playing with something.

“He’s got some puzzles in there my parents gave him.”

“That’s good,” he said. “Are you doing anything today with him?”

“No,” she said. “I just wanted to get food. They’ve got a movie day in the community room here. It was like five dollars a person for a movie and snacks. Maybe I’ll bring him down.”

He pulled his wallet out and handed her a twenty. It was the smallest bill he had having stopped at the ATM to get cash for his date with Kelly tonight when he was at the store.

“Here. Take him. Let him have some fun. I know you said before they’ve got some vendors outside or something. Just have a good day.”

Her eyes got a little teary again. She always put tears out when she wanted something when they were dating.

“Thanks again, Michael. I’m glad you’re the one that knocked me up.”

He took a deep breath. It wasn’t funny, but she always wanted to joke. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He walked out the door and told himself he had to get out of the mind space he was in or his date tonight was going to be a shitty one and he didn’t want that to happen.