Three o’clock rolled around, and I left everyone to greet my kids and welcome them home. I wanted to give them a personal tour of the house and let them choose their bedrooms. But I couldn’t do that effectively with a house full of strangers, so I told them to hang out in my room until the neighbors left. Luca said they invited some friends over, so they waited outside for their arrival.
Gemma came by to see me as well, and I was so glad to see her. I was usually open to making new friends, but I didn’t vibe with the neighbors and caught up with my girls instead. Nylah was also married but didn’t have children. Apparently, there was one other household I hadn’t met yet. Hopefully, they’d be drama free, unlike the divorcee and other freaks.
I got impatient with my neighbors and snuck upstairs to check on the kids. Although I trusted Luca and Alessia completely, teenagers could get a little bold when left unsupervised with other teens. I didn’t want to interrupt their fun, so I tiptoed quietly and peeked my head in as covertly as I could. A movie was on, and Alessia conversed with a blonde-haired boy. Luca… Well, honestly, it looked like he was flirting with his guest! Wait a minute… Googly eyes? Blonde hair?? They invited their crushes?! I didn’t know how to feel. I was kind of excited for them to have quality time outside of school because teen love is just so cute. But I also felt like I should have known about this. Should I establish ground rules or something about inviting girlfriends/boyfriends over? Wait until something happens to bring it up? I didn’t want to be a helicopter parent like Mommy. They should have enough rope to get a little fun in, but not enough to go crazy. I didn’t have time to consider any of that while I was supposed to be undetected, so I went back downstairs and waited for the neighbors to leave. I said I trusted them, so that’s that.
A few moments later, Luca came downstairs with a long face! I wanted to hold him but wasn’t sure how he’d feel about that. These kids changed faster than vampires in bat form. If he was in that eww, Mom, you’re embarrassing me phase, I didn’t want to risk it.
But it pained me to see him like that! My son was usually so cool and confident. Nothing ruffled his feathers. Well…nothing except his parents splitting up. Whatever went on with him, my heart ached, for I knew it had to be quite serious to push him to that level. He stood there for a few moments, lip quivering and all. Finally, he spoke.
“How do you make friends with someone who doesn’t want to be friends with you?”
My poor boy! He must have gotten his heart broken. I guess that girl really was interested in Alessia. Ugh! I hate my baby boy had to go through that so young. But, maybe it was better to get that over with now while he was still resilient.
To save further embarrassment, I didn’t ask why he looked so sad. I thought of a suggestion quickly and hoped it was a decent response.
“Maybe… Make a big friendly gesture. You know…something really nice to make them remember you.”
He nodded and stood there, as if unsure of what to do next. Oh, duh! Our house was full of strangers, and he didn’t know where his room was. I politely asked everyone to leave. Not only had they outstayed their welcome, but also my babies needed me.
I asked my children to help with dinner, and they did more than stand around that time. They may have actually learned something. Dinner was a bit silent, but I didn’t press them. Teenagers needed space to figure out their feelings.
After dinner, Alessia helped me with the dishes. Unprompted! I’m glad I apologized to her the other day. Maybe she didn’t think I was a raging lunatic.
She too had a less than happy expression, but I didn’t want to pry for the same reason, so I asked around what I wanted to know.
“So… How is your friend?”
“Boys are dumb.”
Okay then! I suppose we’ll bury that topic for now.
