“New mommy?!” Betty yelled in shock as she did the dishes. “Has Derek completely lost his mind?!”
“Josh! What are you doing?” Betty said, stepping into Josh’s room.
“Nothing, mom. Just looking at this old picture of you, me, and dad. It was an awesome picnic. I remember being so angry at you guys for finishing all the strawberries,” Josh said with a chuckle.
“Oh, yes. I remember this. It was so long ago. A different time,” Betty said, sitting next to her son. “But I hope you understand things are different between your dad and me now. He isn’t the same man he was there. He seems to only care about himself these days,” Betty explained.
“I just wish things could return to how they used to be,” Josh exclaimed.
“Yeah, well, that’s life, Josh. Things change,” Betty said, getting up. “Come now, get ready for school,” Betty said, kissing Josh on the forehead and leaving.
Betty wished her son would understand that his father was not the saint he admired so dearly. Derek was an easy-come, easy-go kind of guy. He liked things easy, so when Betty fell pregnant with Josh, he was upset to lose his freedom to the responsibilities of being a father.
Later that week, Josh was scheduled to meet his father’s new girlfriend, Sylvia, for the first time. His father had hoped it would help mend the family differences, and while Josh was excited to see his dad, he wasn’t particularly happy to meet his new girlfriend. He still hoped their family could get back together, and Sylvia only got in the way.
“Hi, champ!” Derek said as he opened the door for Josh.
“Hi, dad,” Josh said, entering the small apartment.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” Derek said as a young woman approached him from the kitchen. He kissed her on the cheek, holding her in his arms.
“Josh, I would like you to finally meet your new mommy, Sylvia,” Derek said. Josh instantly felt uncomfortable with the term ‘new mommy,’ but held his peace.
“Sylvia, this is my son, Josh,” Derek added.
“Nice to finally meet you, Josh. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Sylvia said, shaking Josh’s hand.
“Nice to meet you too,” Josh responded casually. Josh couldn’t help but admire Sylvia’s beauty. There was something very kind about her face. But she was by no means a match for his mother and could never replace her.
Josh, Derek, and Sylvia had an amazing dinner that night. Josh was happy to finally spend a little time with his father. Unfortunately, most of his attention was focused on Sylvia, and he began feeling like a third wheel.