I saw Hailey when Corey worked in her apartment, and we texted each night. It wasn’t enough, but it was our reality for the time being.
Friday night was my late night at the garage. I was just closing things up when Tiffany called. Heading back into my office, I answered, “What’s up?”
“How’s Corey?” Tiffany asked.
“He’s doing good.” I wondered why she was calling. I knew she texted Corey on occasion, but she hadn’t been in contact with me that much.
“Has he gotten into any more trouble?” she asked.
When he’d first come to live with me, I worried it was a mistake to move him, but she assured me he was better off with me. He’d fallen into a bad crowd in Texas.
I filled her in, telling her about the after-school homework club, football, and his exercise regimen.
“I want him to move home,” she said softly.
“What?” I sat up in my chair, not sure I heard her right.
“Corey should be with me.”
My mind was working overtime to catch up. “You sent him here because you needed my help. You thought he’d be better off.”
“I changed my mind.” Her tone was matter-of-fact like what she was asking wasn’t a big deal.
“He’s a twelve-year-old boy. You can’t just ship him off when you want some free time and take him back when you’re bored.” Against my better judgment, I let my frustration slip into my words.
“That’s not what’s going on.”
“Isn’t it? This was your idea, and when I questioned it, you said his being in Annapolis with me was the best thing for him.”
“The best thing for a child is to be with his mother.”
“What about everything I just said? That he’s doing great in school, in sports, he’s making friends.”
“You know I never liked him being in sports.”
“I know you were worried about whether football was safe, but I thought you talked to Reid and you were on board?”
“I wasn’t.”
I’d weighed the pros and cons and thought that if it was something he was interested in doing, we’d try it. “He loves it.”
“He’s unhappy.”
“When did he say that?” I knew they communicated, and I didn’t interfere with their time. It was important for Corey to talk to her.
“I can tell.”
“You should ask him because I think he’s happy here.” Now that I’d gotten Corey full time, there was no way I could go back to how it was before.
“You knew this was temporary.”
We’d signed a temporary custody agreement, but it had been such a big adjustment for him, I didn’t expect Tiffany to change her mind. “It wouldn’t be good to move him again, especially not in the middle of the year.”
“I miss him.”
“You could move here.” For the first twelve years of Corey’s life, I’d moved to be with him and his mother. Maybe it was her turn to accommodate us.
“My life is here,” she said stubbornly.