There was such a ruckus. Four kids and 3 adults reeking havoc on the buffet table. I did catch Bob's eye once or twice, but he never held the stare more than a second or so. It reminded me of being in Junior high and "liking" someone. I watched though. How he played with his kids. How he disciplined them for mistreating their food or their siblings! How he laughed and how he finally spoke to me as natural and causal as could be. He asked how I knew Kim and how long I was friends with Dawn and how great it was that Kendra was in between the ages of his boys. He seemed unscathed concerning the tragic break up of his common law marriage. A loss caused by what would be the worst thing that could happen in any relationship...having your significant other cheat on you with someone NOT of the opposite sex, accompanied by a confession that you were merely nothing but a sperm donor. However, he seemed quite content with the remaining love of his children, but yet seemed trapped by it as well. My heart pounded as my attraction to this man grew. The chaos grew too, the kids became too much to handle in this public venue. By the way, I was pre-warned that Kim and Bob's kids where not angels from heaven nor did they posses even the rudimentary scruples. In other words, they where a bunch of brats. . Civilized, leisurely adult conversation was not an option at this time. So, we went our separate ways. He politely said "Nice to really meet you" and laughed. He ran after his boys out the door. They had stolen grapes from the salad bar and they all seemed to be playing some kinda army game with them. I almost wished I was playing too, but I would have taken the Strawberries and had the advantage over the enemy.
I would soon find out the secret that allowed Bob to appear so easy going and the vises that kept him sane.
