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CP had a way of sucking the fun out of everything. That was something he had in common with my mother. To this day, I hate board games and most other games because of her. She would throw temper tantrums, adult style when she was losing. She would accuse people of cheating and throw the board plum off the table! It was unbelievably embarrassing. CP was not the type to throw a temper tantrum like my mother did but he sure knew how to take the fun out of things.

When my daughter was turning 1 year old, I had semi-planned a party and we both agreed that the zoo would be a great place to have it. The problem is, CP wouldn’t take part in the planning. Every time I’d bring up the subject, he would hum-haw around. I ended up planning the party myself. The day of the party came and everyone met at the zoo. CP moped and bitched about this, that and the other all day long. He was perturbed that his weekend off was being gobbled up by unwanted conversations with his brother, and just being there. Some father.

Later on, my good friend and I planned a trip to Marine World. My kids were excited, and CP knew about the idea from the very beginning. He was all on board until he learned he would have to drive us there. We were to take 2 vehicles because there were 4 of us and 6 of them. Boohoo. He also complained that it wasn’t a spontaneous trip. “I don’t like planned trips. Things like that should be spur of the moment,” he bitched. I told him, “You can’t do everything spur of the moment! When you have small kids there’s a lot to consider. You have to make sure you have snacks and drinks for the drive, extra clothing, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, extra shoes…and the list goes on. It takes TIME to prep for a trip no matter how small.” He was just pissed and mumbling shit under his breath. I knew it was going to be a long day….and it was. He moped the entire time. We all walked on eggshells and I was glad to get home that night.

The year we left CP’s stupid ass in California, we had the opportunity to go to Marine World again, a Science Museum, and a HUGE aquarium. At the time, my Dad was living in San Francisco and he wanted to take us to these places. I wanted my kids to see the ocean before we left California, too. The kids were excited but I wasn’t thrilled about CP coming along and ruining the fun, yet again. I made sure to plan the trip for a day CP had to work. He was upset about that and I told him, “Why are you upset? You don’t like planned trips, remember? You just mope and ruin the fun for everyone else. We all end up walking on eggshells when you have to endure a planned trip so it’s your own damn fault you’re being left out.” He was was pissed now. I could see the anger in his eyes and with my eyes, I dared him to fucking start something over this! He kept his trap shut and guzzled a beer down his throat. Coward.

The kids and I went on that trip with my Dad. We saw the ocean and had a blast at Marine World! We got to ride an elephant and watch the dolphins perform. We spent the night at my Dad’s apartment and the next day we went to the Science Museum and Aquarium. The kids were amazed at the sharks swimming above and around us. It scared the shit out of me! We walked on the beach barefoot. My kids collected some shells and we ate hot dogs for lunch. The kids said they wished their “Pop” didn’t have to work but they had a lot of fun. We made some really good memories that day without CP’s sorry ass. I’m glad I was able to shelter them from the effects of their father’s behavior. They had no idea.