Spring is one of my favorite seasons. It’s
the season when everything starts regrowing with all their vibrant colors. Grass
is no longer the brown color, it’s a bright green. It’s no longer the crisp,
brittle pieces that crunch under your shoes, it’s soft and lush. You can walk
around barefoot, as each blade of grass cushions your feet.
Spring also happens to be prime wedding season. I married in
April, and married a wonderful man named James McDonough. He was a hot shot up
and coming director. We had two beautiful kids- Ava who was five and Caden was 2
months.
That was when James decided it was over. It was the end of
March, Caden was one month old. My parents had just left for Boston, where both
of our families are. His parents had only come out for a few weeks and had left
earlier that month.
James came home from set, a copy of newest book under his
arm. He went straight to the bedroom, packed himself a bag, laid a manila folder
in front of me and said he’d be staying at a friend’s.
I was being divorced. He was leaving me, right before our
anniversary. It was in the few following days that I came up with this list- The
Top Ten Reasons It Sucks To Be Me While Divorcing (which, by the way, has been
going on for way too long…) by Meygan Cable
10. I have two kids running
around to care for, the oldest being five and still requiring a lot of
attention. Attention that I used to be able to give her but now must split
between ten thousand different things. I do love my kids though, so there isn’t
total suckage here…. It probably should have been worded different….
9. Divorcing really makes
it harder to write romance books. You can’t really be inspired to write romance
if you don’t have a romance.
8. My ex, the great man
that he is, has already moved onto his newest obsession- some actress on some
soap opera that he met through turning my latest book into a movie. She’s
blonde, tall, toothpick thin, and at the age of twenty, is the age when I had my
first kid.
7. Said ex is allowed to
come and go through my house as he pleases, due to the fact that we are unable
to divorce without being separated for a certain amount of time. My best friends
do already have the countdown going to when it’s official.
6. I have a deadline for my
newest book slowly creeping up on me, and I’m dealing with a very bad case of
writer’s block. I still have time, but my agent has already had to color her
hair three times. Twice before a book is published is her record, so far….
5. I had started to finally
losing my baby weight with Caden and now it’s all slowly creeping back on. Now,
I have to work out twice as hard to keep it all off.
4. I think the guest
bedroom’s bathroom needs something fixed and I’m not sure how to fix it. I was
never the one to be able to fix things like that. I was never really a fixer of
anything.
3. The kids want a pet. Or
more specifically, Ava is saying that she wants a dog and she swears that Caden
wants one too. Though, I highly doubt a 2 month old really knows what a dog is,
let alone if he wants one.
2. Ava’s kindergarten
teacher keeps calling me by the soap star’s name every single time she sees me.
She always corrects herself but come on! It’s April, the school year is almost
over, you should know who I am!
And the number one reason it sucks to be me while divorcing is….
1. My friends swear I need
help, or more specifically, I need a nanny….
*************************************************************************************
“You know, nannies are for anyone who can afford them. People
who don’t need to have a nanny can have a nanny.” Sam mentioned as they all sat
in Meygan’s living room. Ava was at school while Caden was down for a nap.
Samantha, affectionately called Sam, had been Meygan’s friend
since college, when they had met working on a newspaper. Sam had chin length
brown hair that was usually pulled back from her face and green eyes. She tended
to dress with a more vintage style that had a few hints of punk rock to it.
Phoebe had met Meygan when Meygan had just moved out to LA
with her new husband. Phoebe was younger than most of the girls, but she never
acted younger. She fit right in with all of them, and felt like she was the same
age as all of them. Phoebe had green eyes and auburn hair. She tended to wear
jeans and t-shirts.
Cassidy had moved to LA from Texas and had met Meygan on set.
Cassidy was working as a tutor for one of the kids who were in the movie and the
two had instantly bonded. Cassidy had light brown hair that came to her
shoulders. It was pulled back when she worked, but when she was just hanging
out, she left it down. She also dressed rather casual, with jeans and a t-shirt.
Joey, short for Joelle, had known Meygan for a short time,
but they felt like they had known each other for years. They had instantly hit
it off from the moment Meygan had walked into Joey’s bakery. Joey had blue eyes
and she had blonde hair that she usually kept falling to her shoulders. Like
everyone else, she usually kept it pulled back when she was at work, but when
she hung out with friends or they all went out to party, she left it down or did
something decorative with it. She had more of a punk rock style, but she kept it
casual still.
“Besides, what about your book tours? And when you’re on the
set when your books are made into movies?” Cassidy asked.
“Guys, she doesn’t need a nanny.” Joey spoke up.
“Thank you!” Meygan said, excited that someone saw her point
of view.
“You need a manny.” Joey quickly replied.
“I am not worried about my hands right now.” Meygan quickly
replied. She turned her attention back to the blank page on her laptop that she
hoped would turn into a book at some point.
“No, not a manicure. You need a male nanny.” Joey informed.
“Ooo, that would be good. I mean, it assures that Caden will
have male guidance that isn’t your brother, or Shane. And if he’s still here
with Ava starts dating, he can give the guys the scare for you.” Phoebe added.
“We’ll even help pick one out.” Sam tossed in.
“There can be an ad in the paper, and an interview.” Cassidy
said. “It could be amazing!”
“I don’t need a male nanny.” Meygan said.
“He can fix whatever is wrong with the guest bathroom.” Sam
added in a sing-song voice.
The four girls watched as Meygan closed her laptop. She took
a deep breath and looked at her friends. “Do you think I need help?” She asked
as the front door blew open and Ava walked by.
“I hate my Dad, by the way.” Ava quickly said as she walked
through the room. The four girls turned back to Meygan.
“Need we say more?” Joey asked.
*************************************************************************************
“What are you guys doing here?” Meygan asked. Her best
friends all stood on her front porch. It was so early that Meygan could swear
she still saw the sun rising in the horizon, but all four girls looked chipper.
“You have an interview.” Sam said as they stepped into the
house.
“And we want to make you look less soccer mom and more mother
I’d like to…” Joey started.
“But I don’t always look glamorous and everything.” Meygan
cut in before Joey could finish her sentence. “Wouldn’t you rather the guys see
me as I’d normally look?”
“Not this guy.” Cassidy said.
“Trust me, you’ll thank us.” Phoebe added as they pushed her
towards her bathroom.
A few seconds later, Meygan sat on her vanity chair in front
of her bathroom mirror. Joey was working on Meygan’s make-up. Sam was piecing
together an outfit while Phoebe was working on her hair. Cassidy was getting
snacks ready to sit out on the coffee table in the formal living room and giving
opinions when she came into the room.
They dressed her in a pink paisley print tank top. It tied in
the back, the edge of the top coming to the pockets on her tight blue jeans and
the ribbon flowing down to mid thigh. On her feet were simple pale pink high
heels. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face with a pink hairclip and
then had been curled into soft waves. Her make-up was natural, with a light
brown lipstick and peach eyeshadow.
“Girl, a guy would have to be Shane to not want to jump you
when you’re dressed like this.” Cassidy stated as they started back towards the
living room.
“I thought I was going to be looking for a nanny, not a
boyfriend.” Meygan grumbled a little.
“Wait till you see this guy. You’ll change your tune.” Sam
said as there was a knock at the front door. Sam headed to the door while the
others led Meygan to the formal living room.
“Miss Cable, this is John Krasinski.” Sam said, as she came
into the room with a guy.
Meygan looked up from the plate of cookies that Cassidy had
made and set out. She smiled a little at the brunette man who stood head and
shoulders above Sam’s petite frame. ‘He has to be over six foot’ Meygan thought.
She noticed his nervousness was slowing filtering from him, leaving a shining
pair of brown eyes and a smile on his face. “Come on in John.” She said,
watching as he strode across the room and took a seat across from her. “I’m….”
She started, extending a hand out for him to shake.
“Meygan Cable, or as your pen name says, Shay Cable.” John
said, shaking her hand.
“A fan?” Meygan asked, raising a now perfectly manicured
eyebrow at him.
“Not me, but my mother and sister-in-law are huge fans. They
have loved that all your books are set in Boston.” John answered.
“Well, my next one may not be. I’m not quite sure yet.”
Meygan said, smiling. “So, you apparently know about me, let’s hear a little
about you.”
“Well, my name is John. I’m from Newton, Massachusetts. I
don’t have any kids of my own, but I have a godson, who is also my nephew.” John
said.
“Any siblings?” Cassidy asked.
“Two brothers, both older.” John said and then chuckled. “I
know I don’t have a lot of child care experience. And, I’m sure you’ve probably
seen other people who have more experience than I do. But, I have been taking
care of my dog, Finn. I know it’s not the same as a child, but I believe it
shows I can care for something. And, I promise not to tell any of your plot
points to the fans in my family.”
“Mommy?” A soft voice asked from the doorway. Meygan turned
and motioned for Ava to join them. Ava raced over and climbed into Meygan’s lap.
“Who’s this?” Ava asked, motioning at John.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Meygan suggested. Ava turned her
brown eyes on John.
“I’m Ava, what’s your name?” She asked, smiling as John
smiled.
“I’m John.” He replied. “You look a lot like your mother, you
are both very pretty.”
“Thank you.” Ava said. “Mommy, can Rachelle come over to play
tomorrow?”
“Sure, we can get her after we all get up and have
breakfast.” Meygan said. “Ava, do you think you would like John to come and hang
out with you and Caden on a daily basis?”
Ava thought hard for a second. “I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you discuss it with him, ask him some questions.”
Meygan suggested.
“Do you like playing tea party and dress-up?” Ava asked.
“Of course!” John said. “Though, I might have to get a new
tie. I think my old tea party tie got lost in my move.”
“Do you like watching movies and reading books?” Ava asked.
“I do very much enjoy both of those.” John said.
“Would you help me with my homework?” Ava asked.
John watched Meygan for a second, and kept his eyes on her as
he answered. “As long as your mother wouldn’t mind.” He replied.
Ava smiled at Meygan. “I like him.” Ava whispered loudly to
Meygan.
“Thank you Ava.” Meygan said as Ava slid out of her mother’s
lap and raced towards the playroom. “My kids are here full-time, with Ava
visiting her father every other weekend. Caden stays here, so there will rarely
be down time from kids. Also, there will be some traveling involved at times.”
“Doesn’t sound like anything I can’t handle.” John replied.
“Well, thank you for your time Mr. Krasinski.” Meygan said,
as she stood up and rand her hands over her jeans. She extended a hand out for
him to shake as he stood up.
John shook her hand and then placed a soft kiss on it. “Thank
you for interviewing me.” John said, as Meygan quickly took her hand back and
walked him to the front door.
“I’ll let you know when I’ve made my decision.” Meygan said.
She watched him drive off before she shut the door. “I need a
cold shower.” She said as she walked off.