That was if you didn’t count me coming home from work and Keira rushing out of her room, arms wheeling, Mooch following her yapping as she ran down the hall, shouting, “Joe bought us new computers!”
That day Kate had off from the Custard Stand so I knew Joe and the girls were going out to make final decisions on kitchen appliances, faucets for both kitchen and bathroom and to select tile for Joe’s house.
As far as I knew, computers weren’t in the mix.
“New computers?” I asked my daughter as she skidded to a halt in front of me (though Mooch came right at me and jumped around my legs).
“Yeah!” she shouted, her face alight with glee.
“Computers. As in, plural?” I went on, bending down to pick up Mooch and give him a snuggle.
“Yeah, one for Kate, one for me and a new desktop to replace our old one and act as a server.” Keira was watching my face, reading my expression and sensing my reaction, therefore her enthusiasm faded and she quickly explained, “Joe says they’re for homework. He says we need ‘em for school. He says our old one is too old and one computer for four people is ridiculous in this day and age.”
I let this information sink in, hearing Joe speaking these words in my head (and he probably used the f-word somewhere while saying them) as I juggled Mooch, dumped my purse on the counter and reminded myself that Joe had just got the family he always wanted. He was making up for lost time. It wouldn’t be good for me to blow my stack at Joe’s alarming tendency to spoil my daughters every chance he got. I had to be patient with him and find the right time to explain that new computers and the like were things family discussed. Or, more to the point, things adults discussed prior to them being purchased.
Then I heard what sounded like a drill.
“Is that a drill?” I asked Keira.
Keira turned her ankle to the side, bit her lip then stated, “Well, Joe decided we also needed desks to put our computers on while we’re doin’ our homework and…” She hesitated. “Um…” She hesitated again. “Shelves for our books.”
“Joe!” I shouted, forgetting about patience.
Mooch yapped and Keira jumped.
Then Keira muttered, “Uh-oh.”
The drill kept right on going as I dropped Mooch and stalked down the hall, repeating on a shout, “Joe!”
The drill stopped when I turned at the door to Keira’s room and saw Kate holding up some shelves (that I had to admit, to myself only, looked really good in Keira’s room). Joe was standing with her, his neck twisted to look at me standing in the door. I also saw there was a desk that matched the shelves. Both were painted white, both were immensely girlie and the desk had a laptop on it, the cover looked like it was purple glitter.
I was screwed. Keira was never going to give up a laptop with a purple glitter cover.
My narrowed eyes went to Joe. Mooch, having come to sit by my feet, yapped, giving me puppy backup.
Kate’s cautious eyes went beyond me to where I knew Keira was standing.
Joe put the drill on a shelf and moved toward me.
“In our room,” I demanded, “we gotta talk.”
He didn’t let me turn and stomp to our room. Before I moved an inch, he hooked me with an arm at my waist, pulling my stiff frame into the room as well as into his body and I realized he was fighting a smile as I watched his face dip close to mine.
“Baby, you don’t even have wi-fi,” he said, and, being Joe, he started his explanation somewhere in the middle.
It was true. We didn’t have wi-fi, because we didn’t need wi-fi because we only had one computer.
“We gotta talk,” I repeated.
“Girls can’t get shit done, sharin’ a computer,” he went on.
“Bedroom. Talk,” I bit out.
“Now they can work anywhere in the house where they’re comfortable. They’ll be more productive,” Joe continued.
This made sense.
I didn’t give him this point, instead, I snapped, “Joe –”
His head dipped closer and he touched his mouth to mine, effectively quieting me before he continued. “Katy’s gonna be a junior. She told me she’s college prep, come second semester, she’ll already be takin’ college credit courses. Work’s gonna get tougher, she’ll need her own space to concentrate and she’ll need a system to take with her when she goes away to school.”
“Right,” I replied sarcastically, “the rate your goin’, you’re not gonna buy her a new one before she goes off to college.”
At my words, firm indication to Joe, as well as the girls, that Joe was going to be there in two years to get Kate a new computer, Joe’s eyes went soft, his face grew tender and he grinned at me. Through this, I heard Keira stifle a giggle and Kate cough to hide her laugh.
Hearing my daughters’ amusement, seeing Joe’s face like that, I forgot why I was mad.
Joe saw it, or sensed it, and his arm around me tightened.