The Prelude

The first time I met the boys, we took them to a dirt bike race at the local fairgrounds. DH had only weekend visitation at that point, along with a few hours for dinner Wednesday nights. I look back to that day with happiness (the one and only day with them not filled with some degree of anxiety). Thankfully, DH had not yet shared all the drama that had recently occurred, or hinted at all the drama to come, or I'm sure I would not have such fond memories of the day. DH and I had been dating for about a month, he had been legally separated, after 9 years of marriage, for almost 4 months, and emotionally separated for about 6 years.

It was like meeting the children of an old friend from college. We played, laughed, told stories and had a great time. They tried to swindle me out of money, and I made DH pull over the car after realizing they hadn't really put their seat belts on. A typical day with children. After that day, DH couldn't see the boys for 3 months.