James

I've talked about James a few times in the past. His attitude since I divorced his father, mostly. Most of the time he's the worlds biggest brat. Even after a year and a half, he still blames his failing in school and total disregard towards authority figures on the fact that I left. Sometimes he's good, others, not so much.
A few weeks ago, the boys all stayed with us for their Spring Break. We had a couple problems with Shawn (he broke the neighbors window) and with Johnny literally laughing at us when we'd tell him to do or to stop doing something.
But James, he was an actual JOY to be around the whole week. He was respectful, helpful, talkative.... a picture of the boy I once knew. And he talked to me. One night we sat and just talked about anything and everything for nearly two hours. It was great! Before he went to sleep that night, he gave me a big hug and said he loved me and missed being able to talk to me like that. I thought he was finally coming around and accepting the fact that his dad and I are better off not being together. I even held out a little hope that he would finally realize that Allen makes me happy and would be happy for me.

I was wrong of course.

Any time I take the boys home to their dad, when I leave they always make me roll down the car window for one more hug. In the last year and half, James has never joined in on that little moment. He did this time....only he wouldn't let me go. He clung to me, with half his body hanging out of the car and arms around  my neck. He told me I couldn't leave, that I had to stay. Kinda broke my heart to tell him that I had to go. He'd say "No you don't, you can stay, just don't go back"
Of course I had to go. I thought he was just messing around. Apparently I was wrong about that, too. It was his last ditch effort to right everything he thought was wrong, and in his mind, I left him all over again. Sigh.....
He moved in with his Grandpa next door to his dad (his grandma and grandpa's idea), totally stopped talking to me, didn't come for his next visit, even acted like I wasn't even there when I went to pick them up. Just brushed right passed me like I was nothing more than air. Then the other day, I guess his phone called me while he was getting ready to leave school. I sat there yelling into the phone, but it was obvious he wasn't aware that he had accidentally made a call. So I hung up and called back, no answer. We kept calling back, over and over again, to no avail. Finally, he called back, asking whose number it was. He KNEW who it was.... I've seen his contact list, my number is there. Little turd. Anyways, he got all pissy about me calling, claiming he was mad at me again and that I knew the reason. I finally got flustered and hung up on him myself.
The next night, he called me. Just talked a few minutes, and when someone came into the room, he said he had to go and hung up without so much as a goodbye. I got the impression that he didn't want anyone to know he talked to me. Not saying that's the case, just what I got from it.
Easter Sunday I called him. I didn't think he would answer, I was just gonna leave him a v-mail saying Happy Easter and I love him. But he answered. We chit-chatted for a few minutes. He's going to come visit this weekend (the nieghbors daughter is getting married and he wants to go to the wedding)

So I guess we'll see how it goes.