Yesterday I left work early because I could, planning to pick S up from daycare. I was expecting that he’d have a hard day but he was fine. As I’m on my way I see my wife going the other direction. It looked like she’d just left her favorite non-work hangout. It was my day to pick up the kids but just in case she was on her way there I texted her and said that I was on my way early.
I got the kids and headed home. To my surprise she was home already. Not to my surprise she smelled of her hobbies. She explained something about her afternoon schedule which did not line up with the fact that I saw her on the road. But I didn’t call her on it. I’ve played hooky too. But my place is a burger joint.
Then it went south, D was being a brat about having W take her somewhere while I took S to swimming. Somehow that descended into a fight. W ordered D to the car, but she took off taking a walk down the street. Her impulse when upset is to remove herself. All of this put me uncomfortably in the middle. Before D did her act I thought she was only being a brat and while she shouldn’t be rewarded for that, I thought W was much more upset than seemed warranted. I can’t help but think this was due to her chemical state and that probably made me much less supportive than I should have been.
I took S to go swimming, gambling that I’d be able to locate D on the way. I did and made her get in the car and come with me to the lesson. I thought this was better than sending her home for the two of them to continue the fight. She moped the whole time. Of course it means she missed out on going anywhere.
On the way back she did open up a little and wanted me to explain why mom gets upset the way she does. I had to walk a very fine line here. First off all she, my daughter, did a number of things wrong that night. I didn’t want to let her off on that and I tried to explain. But on the other hand I couldn’t hide the fact that I thought W had over-reacted, but I did hide why I thought she had. I don’t think I really got my point across. Fuck, I don’t know what my point was.
I expected to come home to more of the same, but apparently despite the amount of booze currently in the house she was done for the day and was pretty calm. I didn’t expect that.
