Kevin and my niece Jackie came to visit me for a day in April. Out of the blue, Kevin gave his big brother the gift of a newer computer than the one I had. I didn't know what to say or how to thank him. No more spending an hour at Hard Drive Café to check my email, though I do still pop in for coffee or a high-speed connection when I need one. Kevin knew how much work I was doing at home and figured how frustrating it must have been for me to be working on one so slow.

Catherine is doing well, though her last visit here was a strange one. On Friday, April 30, I went out to her Girl Scout troop's "Me and My Guy" dance, my first in three years. The theme this year was a pajama party, and all the dads wore pj's or sweatpants... the girls brought stuffed animals and wore nightgowns or pj's as well. I learned something valuable about not living with her anymore... no one there is teaching her how to dance. Cathy just wanted to hold my hand and run around me... it was weird. Every time I tried to get her to settle down or show her to dance, she said, "I just want to go around in circles." So, I let her.

One of the younger girls there (I believe a little sister to someone in Cathy's troop) had a disability of some sort... Down's or M.D. (I don't know and felt awkward asking), asked me to dance. After that she was asking me all night long, and during the times Catherine was busy playing with her friends, I danced with the little girl. Her dad thanked me for paying attention to her... I suspect some of the kids in her school might not treat her nicely... but the pleasure was mine. Seeing the smile on her face and the freedom in her expression on the dance floor was just a joy. Still, I wished it was Catherine out there instead of her.

I finally forced the issue and made Cathy come out for a slow song that I liked. I told her to stand on my feet as I moved. For the few other slow songs remaining in the evening, Cathy took her place, but always "danced" while standing on my feet. Well, it was a start.

After a $30 cab ride home, we played together on the computer for a bit and watched a movie. I couldn't believe she'd never seen The Princess Bride before... I thought that was mandatory-viewing for all girls. Still, after the show, I got giggles from her anytime I said, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

During the day Saturday we were just talking about stuff in general, and she brought up the topic of the recent trend she'd seen on the news of gays and lesbians being allowed to marry in some places. She said that it was wrong, and that she didn't like gay people. It was strange... I mean, I'm happy for her that her bent is toward heterosexuality because it will make life easier for her, but I was bothered by the prejudice being shown at such a young age. I led the discussion into why it's wrong to show prejudices and that just because she isn't gay doesn't give her the right to hate them all as a group... pointing out the fact that her mom's favorite cousin was homosexual (before he died).

Before we boarded the bus for the mall for her mom to pick her up that Saturday night, I wanted to take Catherine out to an early supper. There I received another disappointment. She had always made me proud of how she acts in public, but that night her manners were atrocious. Again, I blamed myself for not being around to teach her the right way.

In the meantime, I've seen two of her three soccer league games so far this season. She's happy to see me cheering on her team from the sideline. I'm looking forward to seeing as many games as I can this summer. One other thing I'm looking forward to is our summer time together. Dear Reader, you know from 13 Seasons how last year's June visit helped turn my life around. For this June she said she wanted to spend her first week off from school with me... which happens to be my last week of teaching this semester. I thought it odd that she'd pick that week, but she said she liked my school and wanted to go there with me every day for the week. I can only hope she'd want to perhaps attend The Academy, but I know her mom would never go for it. I could get Catherine to graduate from high school a year early if she attended, then get her degree another year early with all the college credits she'd receive through our school... but I know deep in my heart that the bitch ex-wife wouldn't allow it because that'd give me opportunity to see my daughter every school day.