I don’t have any children. There are a few reasons, the most important of which is…that I don’t like children. I don’t hate them, but I have little patience for them and prefer the variety found on calendar pictures to the real thing. My house is not childproof, and neither am I.
JD’s stepson is Jacob; called Jake. I think he’s eleven or so, and as far as kids go, he’s a pretty good one. Still, when I go to the park, I’m there to do one of two things (caddy or take pictures), and neither of those things involves being trailed by a living, breathing question machine. Jake is nowhere near as annoying as Ashton or Ashley or Ashford or whatever Jeff’s loud, hyperactive daughter is called, but I just want to be left the hell alone to do what I came there to do.
I knew that JD was bringing Jake yesterday, and I told P that he’d have to caddy for himself because I wasn’t in the mood to tolerate even a good kid. That was fine with him, but then the poor child got bored with the boys and walked across from the fourth hole to the ninth to wait. I pretended I didn’t notice, but he did look kind of pitiful, just sitting there on his own at the tee box on #9. He left with JD and P after that, and I went off stalking critters and greenery, but when we reached #14, I ran into them again and Jake decided to hang out with me from that point on. On one hand, I feel kind of bad for him because he obviously likes hanging out with me (I’ve no idea why); he tries to find things I might like to photograph (and does a pretty good job), but on the other hand, it’s annoying because I don’t want company, I just want to do what I want to do. That’s one of the other reasons that I don’t have children (or pets like dogs or cats, and why I like being married to a man who can amuse himself); when I want to be left the hell alone, I want to be left the hell alone.
We’re leaving in a few minutes. I don’t know whether JD’s wife will allow (yes, allow) him to play on a Sunday (though it is after church), but if he’s there, I hope he came alone. *sigh*
