After lunch, I hung out with Tara and Kelly while the kids played.  We talked, and it was nice to have an adult conversation that didn't revolve around Plankton, SpongeBob, or Patrick Star.  Sometimes you need that.

"Is anyone home?"  We heard Kara yell.

"In the living room," Tara yelled back.

Kara walked in with her daughter Avie and boyfriend Wyatt. Like me, Kara is divorced and has a five-year-old daughter. To say her divorce was pleasant was anything but that. It was pretty nasty. A few months later, she met Wyatt when she went with Tara and Kelly to look at bikes. He owns a bike shop called Carter's Cycles.

It took her a few months to agree to go out with him, but she did, and they have been together ever since.

They walked in as Wyatt shook Kelly's hand, and Kara sat next to her sister, who also happened to be her twin. Avie hugged Tara, Kelly, and me before playing with the others.

"Hey, I got a new bike. If you want to test drive it," Wyatt said to Kelly.

"What kind?"

"2018 Heritage Classic," he answered.

"That's a sweet bike."

"Yep, and we just got it in," Wyatt said.

"Yeah, I'll stop by one day with the missus and take it out for a spin," he said.

"Cool."

As the boys talked about bikes, we talked about other things.

"Lina, girl, you need to get out and meet someone," Kara said.

"Twin, not everyone is like you who needs a man around," Tara countered.

"Are you saying I'm easy?"

"No, I'm saying people don't need someone to make their life complete," she retorted.

"Not everyone has a Prince Charming, you know. I got stuck with a toad. I kissed that toad thinking he would become Prince Charming, only to get stuck with warts and all," she replied, making a face.

"Momma told you he was no good. We all told you," Tara said.

"Yeah, well, now I have a good one," she pointed to Wyatt. "So good he makes my toes curl, mmmm."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"No one wants to know about the kinkiest ways you got going on there with the king of motorcycles," Tara said, rolling her eyes.

That was the thing about the twins. While Kara had no issue discussing adult things, Tara was more low-key.  I didn't mind. They balanced each other out.

"By the way, Mel told me about this hot new club that just opened. Let's check it out," Kara told her.

"Twin, you know I don't do clubs. Plus, I prefer to be home with my own man," she scoffed.

"Come on, twin, you need to stop being a grandma for once and have some fun. I'm sure the boys can take care of the kids for the night while we shake our booty," Kara said, dancing around in her seat.

"Hmm, okay, but only if Lina goes."  They both looked at me.

"Oh, I don't know," I said, shaking my head.

"Lina, you're going. Call up your ex. Have him take Kami and come out and have some fun. When's the last time you went out anyway?"  Kara gave me a look, as did Tara.  Ugh, they knew I didn't go out. Why did this surprise them so much?

"It's just that I don't usually go to clubs and have nothing to wear," I said.

"Leave that to us. I'm pretty sure I can see if Mel has something for you. That girl has so many clothes. She could open a clothing store," Kara said as she smirked. I just shook my head. I knew I would not be getting out of this one.

I looked at the time and noticed I needed to return home because Ben was picking up Kami. We shared joint custody. In our divorce, we decided to keep things out of the court and shared fifty-fifty regarding her.

I didn't want Kami to feel like she didn't matter.

"I got to go. Ben is picking up Kami in a half-hour," I said, standing. "Kami! Come on, sweetie! Daddy is coming to get you!"

"Okay, mommy," she yelled back.

"Now, why can't I have an ex like yours? I have to beg Jerome to take Avie or to even get child support from him. That good-for-nothing sleaze is always finding ways around the system," Kara grumbled.

"Well, he could have always come home and told you he didn't love you anymore. Then, later on, you find out why you're not male," I shrugged.

Kelly and Wyatt looked at me as Tara shook her head while Kara didn't know what to say. Honestly, there wasn't much to say.

Kami ran up, and I helped her with her coat, then I pulled on my jacket. We left, waving goodbye as we walked out to the car.

It took about ten minutes to get home from Tara's. I walked up with her and inside. I pulled off my coat, and so did she, as we went to gather a small bag for her to take. It contained items she took everywhere with her. Ben already had clothes for her and everything else.

I heard a knock at the door and answered it to find Ben and Rob standing there. I waved them in as they walked through and closed the door behind them.

"Want some coffee," I asked.

"Sure," Ben said as they followed me to the kitchen.

They sat at the counter while I pulled down some mugs and poured each of us a cup of coffee.

"Ben, I was going to ask if you could take Kami next weekend," I told him as I brought the mugs and set them down.

"I don't see why not. What's going on?"

"My friends have some crazy notion of getting me out of the house for the night to go dancing," as I took a sip of coffee. Please say you have plans. Please mention if you have a reason for not saying yes.

He looked at Rob and then looked at me. "Lina, you should go." Well, that didn't work out too well. "Rob and I will take Kami and do something fun with her. You deserve a night out," he reasoned.

"Lina, all you do is work and stay home. You're young. You should be able to let loose," Rob said to me.

"I'm thirty, divorced with a five-year-old. Who the hell wants to be with someone who has already hit their prime," I asked them.

"Lina, you're still young, and people won't care about the other things either. Do you know how many single parents there are? There are a lot."

I just sighed, "I don't know."

"Well, too late. We are taking Kami, and you are going out. Live a little," Ben said.

"Daddy," Kami squealed, running into the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, picking her up and giving her hugs and kisses. "So, next weekend, you're going to stay with Rob and me, and we will do something fun," he told her.

"Can we go to Jungle Time and Safari?" She asked him.

"Anything you want. We will have a fun weekend. What do you think?"

"Yay!"

He set her down, "Now go get your bag, and we will get going."

"Okay, Daddy," she said as she ran to get her bag.

He looked at me, "Lina, go. I will pick up Kami from school, and then you can just come home and get ready for girl's night."

"Okay, fine," I said, rolling my eyes.

Kami came running back in and grabbed Ben's and Rob's hands as she dragged them out of the kitchen.

It looks like it's just Saturday night with me and Ben and Jerry.

                               ********
I soaked in a hot bath and dressed in comfy sweats before settling in with a container of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and watching a movie. That's what my life has become when Kami is at her dad's. Sigh.

Maybe Tara and Kara are right. A night out will do me wonders. I mean, it's just one night. What could go wrong?

I will discuss this further with Mel on Monday when I see her at work. Right now, it was a date with Ben and Jerry's.