Three Shoeboxes e-book by Three Shoeboxes (epub)

Author:Three Shoeboxes (epub) [Shoeboxes, Three]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781945839191
Published: 2018-03-19T21:49:58+00:00

Chapter 13

Jen sat slouched over, the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. Joel approached her messy desk and grabbed her by the hand. “Okay, okay, the doctor’s here,” he said, “Want to go for a cup of coffee?”

As they walked, Jen filled him in. “I honestly don’t know what to do, Joel.”

“About what?”

“Mac finally got himself into therapy. He’s at Presbyterian.”

“Good for him,” Joel said. “It’s about time.”

“The problem is, I got a letter from him yesterday and it’s addressed to the kids.”

Joel cringed. “Uh, oh.”

“Exactly. If the court finds out about it, Mac will get sent to jail for violating the no contact order.”

“What did the letter say?” Joel asked.

“I couldn’t even bring myself to open it,” she said sadly.

“So what’s the big deal?”

As if he were insane, Jen stopped and glared at him. “The big deal is that I honestly don’t know what to do with it.” She shrugged. “Joel, I have no idea how long Mac is going to be there. If I let the kids read it and…”

“You can’t let the kids read it,” Joel blurted.

“Yeah, that’s what my mother says.”

“And she’s right. Hey, I know it sounds cruel, Jen, but if I were you I wouldn’t get the kids’ hopes up.”

Jen’s heart skipped a beat. “That’s what I was thinking,” she reluctantly admitted. “They’ve just gotten to the point where they can function somewhat normally again. I’m not sure it would be all that smart to jeopardize that.”

Joel nodded in agreement. “I know it stinks, but you have to keep the letter from them. I’d hold on to it and give it to them when all of this craziness blows over.”

“See, I’m not sure I should do that either. They’d hate me for keeping their father from them. They already feel…” She stopped, feeling so torn and overwhelmed.

Joel grabbed her hand. “Hey, you’re not keeping their father from them, Jen. You’re protecting them from more pain, that’s all. I’m sure they’ll understand when they get older.”

Jen nodded her gratitude, feeling a tinge of relief. “I just hope Mac doesn’t send any more letters. It’s tearing my heart out.”

⧝

Dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, worn jeans and a new pair of running shoes, Mac sat in a circle of recovering alcoholics and addicts, each one sharing details of the nightmares that had landed them there.

“Every day I waste away in this shit hole,” an angry patient named Andrew said, “is another day I’m not with my kids, teaching them everything they need to learn.”

Mac’s stomach flopped sideways. He couldn’t have chosen better words himself. As one of the counselors spoke of the glory found along the Twelve Steps, Mac’s mind drifted off.

⧝

I have three wonderfully different children, Mac thought, and each one of them needs me to be home. A different version of panic filled his heart. There’s no way I can teach them that dreams come true unless I’m there to show them. There’s so much I need them to believe…to know. He felt dizzy from the bombardment of examples that saturated his brain.

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