My heart felt like it was breaking all over again. This wasn't the first time.
Shawn, a guy I dated earlier that year, had done the same. Before him, it was Victor. All these men knew about my past and my daughters. So what was going wrong?
I was determined to find out. The next day, I met my colleague and friend Jose at work and poured my heart out.
"Jose, it's like a pattern. Every time a guy meets my daughters, he just vanishes," I explained, feeling tears prick my eyes.
"Come on, Melinda, it can't be that bad," Jose said with a chuckle.
"I'm serious. I need your help," I insisted.
He agreed to help me. A few weeks later, I brought Jose home for dinner, introducing him as my "new boyfriend." Veronica and Casey's smiles vanished immediately.
"Jose, why don't you talk to the girls and get to know them?" I said, leaving them at the dining table as usual. I waited in the kitchen, my heart pounding.
When I returned, Jose's face was paler than usual. He was gripping his fork nervously and would barely look at me.
After dinner, he left quickly, and I knew something was up. That night, after the girls went to bed, I called Jose.
"Jose, what happened?" I asked, barely able to keep my voice steady.
"Melinda, we need to talk in person," he said. My heart sank.
The next morning, I hurried to the office, finding Jose before our shift started.
"Tell me," I demanded. "What happened last night? What did the girls say?"
"Melinda, your daughters... they think you and Roger will get back together. They're scaring off your boyfriends on purpose," he confessed.
I froze. "What do you mean?"
"They told me horrible things about you. That you're terrible at cooking, taking care of them... cleaning. They said you're a shopaholic and have sleepwalking issues. They even said you've brought home seven guys this week alone," Jose explained.
Tears streamed down my face. "None of that's true, Jose."
