There are just so many curious things to me. The following are ramblings based IMHO. There are somethings I have read and mentioned. I hope someone will chime in if they have not been verified. Sorry for the length just thinking out loud! TIA.
Got here and scowling - I would think Dylan would have been thrilled to see his old buddies. I think if he must have had some solid reasons if he was really upset about the trip and staying with the father so much it overshadowed seeing his friends.
The scowl could have been because Mom had sent several texts while he was on the plane. I know the plane was about an hour late, but I haven't heard if it left Colorado Springs late or if a stopover took longer than expected. As it is, has there been any confirmation of the scowl, or just Mom's word for it? (I don't doubt it was there, but if nothing can be based on Dad's word without confirmation, it shouldn't be based on Mom's word alone either)
Brother - Is MR the father to both kids. Why didn't the brother come at the same time. I realize DR's was court ordered but it seems it would have been advantageous to have both visit the same time. Especially if DR was reluctant to come. IOW...have a special Thanksgiving in both places at different times...or etc. Was it because of strained relationships, financial, work schedules, or ? CR has a job, and I don't believe he's had it real long. I doubt they'd look kindly on him asking for a week off to go see Dad with his brother.
Running around/back&forth - As far as I can tell there is some distance to MR house from the friends, errands, airport, and etc. I lived in the country before. You plan everything to minimize round trips. I think others have mentioned trip time it would have made sense to take him Sunday night to his friends. It wasn't that late and the Walmart trip could have been paired with the errands the next day. Plus, the other kids were probably going to have their own family things later in the week so it seems reasonable for DR to do the socializing from the beginning.
Plus, if he planned on taking him in the morning wouldn't he have gone all out to follow through. Returning from running errands to a 13 year chomping at the bit to get to friends knowing you'd have to turn around and take him wouldn't be on my favorites list.
Whereas, it wouldn't bother me. He knew DR had been up most of the night Saturday night, and would probably not get a lot of sleep with his friends the first night. I think it would be healthier for him to stay with Dad and get rested up so he could actually be awake to enjoy the time with friends. MOO
Fishing Pole - Fisherpeople living close to a lake keep their gear staged and ready to go. Fishing is what they do when they get home from work, before lunch on a weekend, and anytime they have a few min. They have gear pole, boots/shoes, coat, tackle and etc. If a family member wasn't home they might say their fishing gear is missing or their fishing stuff.....they wouldn't say pole.
If the were fisherpeople and thought a son was out fishing waiting for you to return and give them a ride, they would pretty much know where to gather them up from at their fishing hole. They would look there first.
If only a pole was gone that would imply they were meeting someone with tackle, maybe a boat. I can't envision a group of 13 yo planning a fishing outing on Thanksgiving week. Snowboarding, yes. Videos, yes. Movies, yes. Fishing....not really.
It's hard to go snowboarding without snow. There really hasn't been anything indicating that MR was really into fishing that much. He might go now and then, but that doesn't mean he's a "fisherperson" who would use all of the correct terminology.
While I was away - Did MR try to contact DR while he was running errands? A text to say did you find something to eat for breakfast? Want me to pick up lunch on my way home? Are your friends pissed you overslept? I think such communication would have been the norm for most.
Divorce Atty - Really? On Thanksgiving week during your visit with son? Most likely the visitation schedule was worked out when the custody modification occurred. What made a visit at this point and time necessary? Were they preparing a motion to submit? Were they responding to a motion? The timing for the appointment seems very odd if he really did meet with his divorce atty.
I'll trust LE, since they have confirmed it. Sometimes we take our appointment times when we can get them. As long as he's off work that week anyway (if he has a job), why not use a small part of the time for business purposes?
Hitchhiking - If my husband drops me off at work I very well might say I'll see if I can hitch a ride home. I don't mean I'm going to stand at the side of the road and stick my thumb out. I am going to check with co-workers to see if any are headed in my direction. Similarly, I can see a neighbor, friends mother, or others known might be the equivalent of "hitchhiking" from Dad's to Friend's.
There have been people who live in the area and said that hitchhiking isn't that uncommon there. It doesn't matter what adults in other places do. MOO
I have more but that's where I'm stopping for now!
