Close Call

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Sophie

I drove down to IKEA, parked my car in a space, and made my way inside grabbing a kart. I am so overwhelmed with all that is happening, coming out here was definitely a game-changer for Nathan and me, but I had a good talk with him this morning before taking off, he surprised me by taking it fairly well. 

It feels good to be back home, the more I roamed through these old streets, the more at ease I became. I pushed my kart around as I shopped for new plates and kitchen goods; Deciding on blue and light gray colors for my kitchen.

"Uff. I am so sorry." I said as my kart bumped into a girl that looked around my age. Her eyes went wide as if she had been startled. 

"Oh,n- no, it's ok. Don't worry about it. I wasn't looking to where I was going." She smiled and moved her kart the other way. She had a kart full of stuff as well. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and vanished from my sight. "Ok, that was weird," I said out loud as she hurried away. I shrugged it off and continued to browse, picking up new cups, a nice coffee kettle, and deciding on these cute wine glasses.

I kept seeing the same girl over and over, she smiled awkwardly each time we kept walking near each other. Though I tried to avoid hitting her kart again, we kept bumping into each other and decided to stop to chat. She was really friendly, loud, but friendly. Her name is Roxanne, though she told me to call her Roxie. She seemed like she was one of those big party-goers who has no problem making friends everywhere she went.

She just moved to a new apartment a few weeks ago down by my old high school. I learned she has lived in the next town since she was born. Funny, I never saw her in any of the football games before, but maybe I did, I just don't recall seeing her. Apparently, she is one of the new teachers at the elementary school in our town.

I told her about Nathan, and how I will be enrolling him in school this upcoming year, which is only a few weeks away. She just so happened to be a first-grade teacher, which is where my cubby-bear will be going into.

"Please don't tell anyone though. I just got back a few days ago. No one, not even my friends know about my son. I'm sort of keeping it as a surprise when I see my friends until I go see them in a few days." She smiled with eyes wide open.

"Really? oh my god, that is going to be such a big bomb you'll be dropping on them. What about the dad? Is he in the picture?" I sighed and pursed my lips.

"No. We broke it off a long time ago. It's a long story." It's as if she sensed my discomfort with the subject. She immediately changed the subject. She was so fun to talk to. It's as if we had known each other forever. We walked around shopping for a long time, both of us joking around. 

It would be so cool if my son had her as a teacher. She seemed so nice, I really liked her. She also told me she was seeing someone who just came to town and works as a lawyer in a new law office that just opened. Though she says it's nothing serious because the guy says he's not ready for a serious commitment. Guys! I swear all they want nowadays is to have a bit of fun and then walk away as if it never happened.

I was glad I chose to stay completely single and strived far away from dating. The last time I dated a guy, he acted like a real jerk, trying to yell at my son just for spilling his juice on his carpet when we went to visit. I knew he didn't like that I had a son, but was not about to choose between him and my son. That's when I went mama bear on his ass, broke it off, and told him to take a hike. No one mistreats my baby.

We shopped together for the rest of the afternoon and had lunch together. There was a nice restaurant nearby, so we stopped to get a quick bite to eat. By one, she got a phone call from the guy she was seeing and left. She gave me her number so we could hang out sometime.

I got in my car and began driving away. I turned into the parking lot of the restaurant where Nancy texted me she'd gone to pick up food for my son, herself, and Lexie. Nancy would be my son's new nanny from now on while I worked.

I turned to look for them inside since they were only getting takeout. My heart began to skip uncontrollably as I saw Logan and Troy sitting together inside, eating at the same table. I knew they were good friends now, but I still couldn't get used to seeing them together. I remember Logan thinking I was dating Troy. They constantly got into arguments and fights a few times.

But what really made me lose it, was that my son was right in front of them, talking to both of them.

I had to do something quickly. I dialed Nancy, Nathan's nanny's number, and shook eagerly in place. My nerves were getting the best of me.

"Hi, Sophie. Are you almost here? I just got our food, we're waiting for you."

"I'm outside. Can you please hurry Nancy? I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Oh, sure no problem. We'll be right out."

Things just got complicated for me. I came back hoping Logan had a busy life in New York. What was he doing back in Lakeview so early? For my sake and everyone, I hoped that he was only here for a quick visit. If not, things were definitely going to take a big turn for all of us.

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