and . . . maybe I’ll learn . . . you know . . .” She shrugged, then started picking at her food again. “How to deal with Ansley better sometimes.”
Brad stiffened. There wasn’t anything wrong with Ansley. “I don’t think you can compare Ansley to the kids at that school.”
“I’m not comparing, just saying that sometimes I don’t understand what’s going on in Ansley’s head is all.”
Brad pushed his critical thoughts aside and refocused on his wife’s new endeavor. He had plenty of friends whose wives worked full-time jobs and tended families, and he’d heard their mixed reviews. He put his fork down and looked up at Darlene, her beautiful eyes longing for his approval. “I think you will be the best teacher in the world. I think all the students will love you. And I think that school is blessed that you walked in their door.”
Her face lit up instantly. “Thank you, Brad.”
“When do you start?”
“A week from Monday. And I don’t have to dress up or anything. Just jeans or Capri pants. Very casual.”
“My wife, the working girl. Guess you’ve already been doing it for years. You just didn’t get paid for it before.” Brad smiled. Darlene had always been a homemaker, and although he found it challenging to be as excited as his wife, her happiness was the most important thing. Her life revolved around the kids, and she’d always said that’s what fulfilled her, but he supposed she needed more—or something different—these days. He missed the early part of their marriage, when her life revolved around him. It was a selfish feeling, and given the chance to steal her away from their children, he would have declined. But now, as she shared this news, he couldn’t help but worry their time together as a couple would be rarer than ever. He’d pray about that later. For now, he was going to enjoy the chicken spaghetti . . . and the way his wife was playfully batting her eyes at him from the other end of the table.
He ate faster.
On the morning of her big day, Darlene climbed out of bed the same time as Brad. She wanted to get ready for her first day of work and still have time to make breakfast for the kids. Brad usually just ate a banana or muffin en route to Houston.
As she curled the ends of her hair, Brad brushed his teeth in the sink next to hers. She hoped he was on board with her new job. Over the last week, she’d sensed that he was worried about the time commitment, even though he did his best to assure her otherwise. Darlene was worried about the time she’d be away from home also. She’d made arrangements with the school for Ansley to have a tutor work with her for an extra hour each day since Darlene wouldn’t be home to help her with her homework after school.
“I should be home by five fifteen, in plenty of time to straighten things up and make dinner, and if—”
“Darlene . . .” He spit toothpaste in the sink, then turned to face her. “It’s gonna be fine. The kids are older now, and you need to make them help out more anyway.” He kissed her on the cheek. “This is important to you, and we will all get by just fine.”
She’d been with Brad since she was eighteen years old. He knew her. Really knew her. And sometimes she suspected he said exactly what he thought she wanted to hear. But this morning, she’d take it. She was nervous enough without having to worry about her household falling apart because she went to work. And Brad was right; the kids did need to help out more.
“Thank you for saying that.”
He pulled a shirt from a hanger and slipped it on. Buttoning up, he turned to her. “If having some extra spending money will make you happy, then I’m happy. So don’t worry about things around here.”
They’d always stayed on a fairly strict budget, so having some money that wasn’t included in those numbers would be a nice perk. “It’s not just that. I’ll be able to meet some new people too. You have friends at your office, and I’d like to have some relationships outside of just . . .” She turned off her curling iron, put it on the counter, and shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
Brad nodded. “I get it. Really. We’ll make some adjustments. And when I