She leans over her husband, patting my arm. “I meant to ask. How’s the little one?”
I laugh. “He made plans for us to visit the Christmas market tomorrow night. We have to see Santa to pass along his list.”
“That’s cute,” Chris says. “I bet having a kid that age makes the holiday even more special.”
“It does,” I agree. “It’s going to be freezing, though. I probably should have taken him to the mall. That way, I could have told him that it’s one visit to Santa per kid.”
Sarah chuckles. “I might have to save that for when we have kids one day. Oh, by the way, I asked my friend at work about the registration for her children’s school. I have the paperwork in my purse.”
I smile and force out a quick, “Thank you,” but there’s no way I’ll be able to do anything with that paperwork. I checked out the school online after she mentioned it. The tuition is close tohalfmy yearly income. There’s no way I would be able to afford all of our living expenses and that school.
“Definitely get your kindergarten application in soon. There’s a wait list, but you might have some luck. People relocate for jobs or find other options they like better,” Sarah says. “And if you do apply, my friend said to put her down as a reference. It looks good if you have someone whose children already attend the school to sponsor your application.”
She’s trying to be helpful, but my chest tightens. I do my best to focus on anything outside of all the things Lucky will miss out on because I can’t afford them.
With Christmas coming up, everyone has been generous with their tips, including Sarah and Chris.
It really helps, but I’ve been considering finding a second job or maybe seeing how I do over at the strip club portion of Tasty Treat.
The pheromone clinic pays well, but stripping is a different level of income if someone knows what they’re doing.
I’m scraping by as it is, and that means I can’t save up for emergencies or even things like private school tuition.
If I have to work my ass off, I would rather make the most money possible during the hours I have to be away from Lucky. If I did take the plunge into dancing, I might have more free time to spend with my kid.
If I could work fewer hours, I’d probably be a lot less exhausted, so I could actually enjoy our time together rather than feeling like I’m barely getting through the day.
The mommy guilt smacks me in full force as I pack up to head out, and that might be why I corner Lacey, my coworker, begging her to come with us to the Christmas market tomorrow night.
We’re friendly, but we’ve only hung out once outside of work. It surprises me that she even says yes. Though I’m grateful. Most of the time, if I’m not working, the only person I talk to is Lucky.
It’ll be nice to have another adult with us.
“Can we go now?” Lucky asks, nodding and bouncing on his toes.
“Not yet, kiddo. Just a few more hours.”
“I wanna go right now,” he huffs.
I really should have known better than to give him advance notice when we’re about to do something. He continues to remind me approximately every three minutes that he can’t wait for it to get dark so we can go see Santa. It makes for the world’s longest day, but I am grateful to have time off work.
We make a quick grocery trip, and I cook dinner before we both take showers and get dressed. It gets dark earlier during winter, and while I don’t love driving when it’s snowy and dark, there’s no way around it this time of year.
I’m hopeful we can be home by nine, so I can get a full night’s sleep for a change, but I won’t shortchange him on time enjoying the Christmas festivities.
By the time we get into the SUV, I’m already exhausted, but there’s no backing out now. It’s a quick trip, and I get us settled in a parking spot, leaving the vehicle running because the heat finally caught up.
Lucky fusses and complains as I dig for my phone in my purse. “Mommy! Get me out my seat. Let’s go.”
“I told you, my friend from work is coming with us. I need to text her, then I promise, I’ll get you right out.”
Lacey and I have known each other for months, but I don’t get a lot of free time to hang out, which I’m pretty sure is the only way to make friends once you’re an adult. She’s around my age, maybe a year or two younger, and she has a lighthearted energy that I haven’t been able to muster in ages. Even if we’re opposites in a lot of ways, I still love being around her.
She has shoulder-length brown hair, and she’s bundled up like we’re visiting the frozen tundra instead of a Christmas market in Boston. Then again, I’ve got Lucky in like four layers too.
“Mommy!” Lucky squeals, pointing at the hot chocolate and coffee stand. “I can have one?” He gives a cheesy smile, nodding like that alone will convince me.
Lacey chuckles. “It’s crazy how clearly he speaks.”
