Page 37 of Tinder B@ng

I’m in the gym, just hitting my stride, when a call comes through on my apple watch. I answer, without checking, thinking it’ll be Channing. It’s not. We still haven’t had a chance to talk, and I haven't texted her either. I need to and I will. It’s my god-damned-ex-wife. Her voice is like a diamond cutting glass that goes straight through me.

“Kalon.” Fuck. “Kalon?”

“Yes, what do you want?”

“Jesus, are you trying to wreck our reputation?”

“Jesus has nothing to do with your reputation. And we don’t share a reputation any longer — we’re divorced.” I can’t deal with her dramatics. I am not in the mood, I simply don’t have any desire.

“You’re naked in a public pool with some girl half your age, Kalon. It’s all over the place. Everyone is talking about it. You took her to polo; is this serious?”

“This is none of your business.” She wants to get a rise out of me, she wants me to react. To do what she wants me to do — only I no longer play that game. “Did you call for a reason?”

“Well, yes. I am appalled, and shocked.”

“An actual reason? That is not about you sticking your nose where it no longer belongs.”

“The kids say you’re throwing them a party. I didn’t get an invite.”

“You’re in another country, getting married the same weekend, I didn’t think you’d make it.”

“An invite would have been nice, Kalon. I am their mother.”

“I never said you weren’t.” I walk away from the ladies who are now eavesdropping on this chat. “You decided to get married again, the same weekend as their birthday.”

“If I had known.”

“You knew it was their birthday, they’re your children. So don’t come with that shit.”

“Kalon, don’t be so rude.”

“I’m not being rude. To call me to pry, to fish about my relationship. You never call me, and in eleven years I haven’t dated, and now that I am, you have decided to stick your nose in my life. Fuck off.” I’m angry. This — this is why I didn’t date.

“I heard you met her on some app.”

“You met your last husband while he was married to your shrink. Let’s not play that game. It’ll get ugly.” I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Grabbing my towel, I walk outside onto the deck by the pool. Instantly memories of Channing and I come flooding back — that picture was every bit as intense as the moment between us was.

“You have to think about your reputation, Kalon.”

“I no longer have a business, so my reputation has no effect on anything.”

“Out like that with your tattoos and everything showing. What will people say?”

“Who gives a shit, you used to like them once upon a time, remember that?”

“You’re in your forties, Kalon, act like it. You have grown kids and their reputations to worry about too.”

“I’m going to hang up before we talk about which parent’s behavior is more reputation wrecking. Goodbye.” My blood is literally boiling by the time the conversation ends. I don’t even get in the shower. I go to my office and order a camera with the longest zoom lens I can find, binoculars, and a telescope to be delivered to 8B. If she’s going to spy on me and send pictures, we might as well make them good ones.

My week doesn’t get any better, the constant calls, texts, and fights with my children suck the life and time out of me each day. By Friday morning, I’m not even a little surprised when Luke and the guys ‘cancel’ golf. Apparently my reputation is shot to shit, and I am officially an outcast.

I have a feeling that Channing may have taken some heat too, because I haven't heard from her at all. I know it’s a week, and I should have called her sooner, but my calls went unanswered today. I know she doesn’t like texting back and forth, so I will try again later. Maybe she’d like to have dinner with me this evening. They usually work on a Saturday morning, maybe she’s busy.

I know they’re busy, it’s wedding season in New York after all; they’re probably drowning in taffeta and tulle. But, when Wednesday rolls around and she’s not called me, I begin to wonder if I should just take it as a sign that she’s had her fun and moved along. Maybe my silence when she expressed feelings wasn’t the right response, but I didn’t know what to do. This is uncharted, never before sailed seas for me. I had no idea what the right response would be, I didn’t want the weekend to end, but I was afraid that she’d be scared off if I said it. The truth is, I liked having her in my house — way too much, way more than ‘something casual’ and ’nsa’ – after the weekend, I wanted more. I think maybe she did too, and I have missed my shot.

I reach out, maybe she’s waiting for me to make a move. Although she said she would call me. If all else fails, I will take Tala to fetch her dress and our suits tomorrow afternoon.