catching up

Ellie knew she owed Lonnie an apology. She finally realised after Charlie got his cast off his arm was up to his old tricks. Yes, there was a lot of little boy angst in Charlie. She couldn't be certain where it came from, but he was a trying little one who was all of three thinking he was going on 23.


Charlie loved to curse. Of course, a lot of times, they couldn't make out the words, but of course, Hannah knew. And Ellie couldn't be sure if he were just angry that Hannah had friends to go off with, or something else entirely.

Charlie threw a wooden block on his toe which meant a trip to the emergency room. Lon took him. She stayed home to tell Lonnie all about it.

"He's a handful." And she did have her hands full with Zoe. It felt as if all the energy she knew she should have was zapped. Maybe she was too tired to even care, anymore. "I'm sorry..I doubted you like that." Funny, how she'd seen one side of it, before. But she could see how a tantrum of Charlie's could make one give in.

"Its OK." Lonnie promised. "I'm just not the greatest with kids. I let my own get away with just about anything. Maybe that's why she's overweight." They were still having trouble with his baby daughter's diet. "All I can say..I hope it gets better. We did turn out OK, after all..right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Ellie smiled then watching Zoe try to walk from one dining chair to another.

"So now you know why your Mom stays so mad." Lonnie told her.

"Well, she's not that mad these days." That's when Ellie told him the story about Blake who was at her mother's. "She's engaged to his Dad." Ellie felt she was the last to know, but it was a relief to find out she wasn't engaged to Blake.

"So another new step-brother?" Lonnie laughed.

"I guess so." Ellie sighed. It was true her family was growing on all sides.