Until the sun explodes

 Gavin knew something was up, the moment he saw Darry talking to Kat at the Youth Center.  Honestly, it burned his ego to think Kat might see something in Darry that he didn't. Not that he thought Darry was up to no good, but the guy was a wild card in Gavin's book. 

He'd never told Kat that he didn't like him, but she knew. Yeah, she was a mind reader of sorts. She knew how he felt.

She never brought it up, but now he wanted her to. Was she afraid he'd be upset and punch him or something? At least Darry was down in Lincoln now, so that was good.

"Have you heard, from..um, you know-" He shrugged when they met up after school so he could carry her backpack on the walk to the library.

She looked at him a bit strangely.

"Just tell me, will you?" He did his best not to snap, but this college guy was a big mess, as far as Gavin was concerned.

"Well." It sounded like a cry to help to Gavin.

"Well, what?" He looked down at her with his eyes lit. One arm clung to her backpack strap on his shoulder. He tilted his head, thinking he knew her. They'd bowled all summer together. Sometimes, they hung out at the pool. They'd laughed. She'd seen him in swimming trunks, and of course, he liked the fact that she wore a two-piece at the pool that was almost a bikini. Yeah, all the feels of happy togetherness spun even if he didn't think they needed to go any further. It was the noble thing to do. After all, the words I LOVE YOU were on the tip of his tongue.

He ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. Why did she make him perspire so much?

"It's just-" Kat nursed her bottom lip. She wouldn't look at him. "He, he sent me letters."

"WELL, I WANT THEM!" screeched in his head. Gavin couldn't help but have a sour look. It was no time to be stoic. He sighed. "You should read them." He was going against the grain of his nature.

"What?" She looked troubled about it.

"He's probably homesick. That's all it is." Gavin suddenly responded as they slowly walked toward the library. 

"I applied for Darry's job at the library."

"Oh." Kat's eyes opened wide.

"Yeah, why not." Gavin shrugged. He mentioned it was close to home.

"But..but I thought you wanted to work at the bowling alley?"

"I did, but the hours were all wrong." Gavin, straight-lipped, acted as if he probably wouldn't get the job. But when they got to the library, there was good news.

Tell me your troubles and doubts

 Kat wanted to forget Darry. She really did. What was going on with him? Besides, things were tight with Gavin. It was an established fact that they were good together. Even her Dad approved, and so did her grandmothers.

But when Darry showed up at the teen center while she waited for Gavin (their Friday night together for pizza and hanging out), it shocked her.

"What are you doing here?" She hadn't seen him all summer. She thought he might already have a new girlfriend at college. Kat knew it was none of her business. She was over her middle school crush, wasn't she?

"I thought you might be here." He wasn't smiling about it. Still, she felt it might be a bad omen. She hugged herself as if she'd shield herself from any drama. 

"So." Kat shrugged, not wanting to look him in the eye. She didn't want to have feelings for him.

Darry promised he'd write to her while he was away in Lawrence, Kansas, where he would be in college. She knew it wasn't that far away, but he was leaving his hometown. She looked at him wide-eyed.

"You don't have to," she said instead of complaining. Maybe she did want to hear from him, but she didn't think so. True, she wanted to know why. Still, she'd see how it went. She had her doubts. "Who else are you going to write to?" She looked him in the eye. 

"Just you." So plain and simple. It made her sigh with a slight ache that made her dizzy. 

"Well, don't you want to send my little sister a postcard or something?"

He chuckled then. "No, just you. I just hope you know-"

"Know what?" She was absolutely shocked, thinking this was a confession of some kind, but then Gavin showed up, and she grabbed Gavin's hand as if it were a warning. Nothing was going to break her. Not with Gavin.

Only now, the letters kept arriving, and Kat didn't know how to reply.

When the doubt you always knew becomes real

 Oliver had noticed a change in Carrie. He knew he should have expected it, but it was a bit bittersweet. First off, she wanted the baby to be a girl. Actually, he could see Gabby was a little let down as well. Although, they knew Corey would be a part of the family. 

"She won't let me help," Carrie insisted she could take care of a baby even if she was almost five. "Let's not say I'm four anymore." Carrie crossed her arms and was still a little too sassy for her own good.

Truly, Oliver knew Gabby must be a bad influence. Carrie was already too independent. But she was watchful, and they let her help. This meant she learned to do a lot of vacuuming and kept the livingroom picked up as the days were full of wake-up calls once Corey found his voice. No more holding just a sleeping baby.

Still, Carrie had her grandparents and her cousin to go to each day while Gabby stayed with the baby. Even so, he knew Gabby was not going to quit her job. By the time the six weeks of maternity leave were gone, he knew she was ready to escape too.

He took off some time from school,  as well. Hoping he'd get a schedule down, but that was like asking for the lottery. Every day was evolving, but it helped to find the right baby formula because Gabby wasn't doing well with breastfeeding. It was excruciating. 

He knew it would do no good to talk about how she'd planned on breastfeeding for months before the baby arrived, and now it tensed her to the point where she wanted him to feed the baby all the time.

"Well, maybe you need to see if you need something to help-" He didn't even know how to finish the sentence. But he was ready for her to see the therapist instead of himself. But she was against that too.

The livingroom might have looked great, but there were dishes piled high in the kitchen. Loads of laundry waiting. Oliver knew this was coming. He knew from the moment she'd talked about having a baby.

"Maybe..maybe I should ask for more time off," Oliver told Gabby as she was getting ready to go back to work.

"What? No." She looked at him as if he was being weird, but who was the one making sure the baby was fed and his diaper was fresh? It was Oliver. 

"Yes, who's going to take care of Corey?" Honestly, he felt no one was on Corey's side but him. Maybe it was the fact he saw himself in the baby, and he'd wondered if he'd been loved enough as a baby maybe his life would have been much better. He wanted Corey to feel loved. He loved his son, and found joy in every moment with him.

"Well, I thought your mother was?" She shrugged. He felt she was indifferent, and it frightened him.

"She's been far too kind to us." He pressed his lips in an effort from being angry. "We need to get our act together at home."

"Well," she said. She knew for certain that his mom said she'd help until they found someone.

"It's going to be me, isn't it?" He glared at her as if he knew Gabby's true colors. She was a great consumer, always being trendy and tossing it away when it passed its prime. Evidently, the newness of Corey was already wearing off.

"You?" She looked at him blankly.

"I'll quit my job, and stay home with him." It was the only solution he could see in the future.

"Don't say that," she winced. "You love your job. And well..." She sighed as if she got the hint that maybe she should put away the clothes that were on the bed. They had to go to sleep sometime around midnight.

"You know I love you," Oliver said on his way to a crying baby that Gabby didn't even want in their bedroom anymore, "But I hate some of the things you do." He said under his breath. Of course, she wasn't listening. She never really listened to him.

We're in it together now

 CW felt nauseous lately. He must have lost a good twenty pounds since Miracle came home. It wasn't like he was sitting around all day thinking of tomorrow. It was right now. He was a bit lightheaded. It might have been his blood sugar or his blood pressure. Really, he was too young to think like that. However, Crystal did. She could see him stagger to get things done around the place. But he was on it, even if it felt like more things were added daily to Daddy duty.

Not that he hated it, but it was new to him. He'd never held a baby until Miracle, and it was unbelievable then, but now it was life. His life. Her life. Their life. It pained him that he hadn't accomplished more. To be ready for something so extraordinary. He wanted to think clearly instead of being muddled with the could-of and should-of memories that dragged him down.

It was hard not to be sad, knowing he wasn't good enough and in his head, he might never be.

"Well, stop thinking that way, will you?" Darry told him his family would help him out.

"What? He's done more..more for me..than he should." CW winced, remembering how his dad had come through for him with his wisdom teeth problem last year. "I can't ask-" CW shook his head no. 

"They already know about the baby," Darry told them. "Who do you think sent me?" Darry's brow furrowed with concern as he shook CW's shoulders.

CW sighed. "I don't get it, I'm just a stranger-"

"You remind us a lot of my older brother." Darry shrugged. CW went to tend to the baby while Darry filled him in on how his brother was bipolar. "He won't let any of us help him now."

CW still wasn't sure where he fit in. 

"Why do you think we always help out at the homeless shelter?" Darry asked as he took the baby from CW. "We miss him, even if he doesn't want us to."

"But he could get help." CW looked at Darry as if this was just nonsense.

"If he wanted to, but he doesn't." Darry smiled at the baby. Still, CW knew there was more about this no-name brother of his.

"Look, my dad knows people," Darry told him.

"So?" CW wasn't expecting the lottery. Just a full-time job would do. Well, one that paid more than minimum wage. "Maybe I could get on at the slaughterhouse, or-" He didn't know. It would have to be one of those jobs nobody would really want. 

"There are jobs at the veteran's hospital." Darry nodded.

"I wouldn't have to kill small animals, would I?" CW looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

Darry cracked a smile.

Big wheels keep on turning

 Carol could handle it. She would find someone to cook. Unfortunately, her husband was the only fry cook she could find. 

"But it's like being in the Navy all over again." He laughed about it. Only Carol was serious about the Coffee Shop. She didn't want to hear about any Navy stories when he was a cook; that was decades ago.

Eventually, her daughters came around to help. It just wasn't the same without Crystal. The customers let her know soon enough.

"It's just temporary," Carol assured them. Of course, it was nice to see her girls helping out at the diner. 

"I had no idea you had waitress skills." Carol teased her stoic Tyra, who was actually smiling. 

"Ma, are you sure you can do this?" Tyra was concerned.

"It's only temporary," Carol promised. Yet she enjoyed filling in. She loved the customers. She wanted to have great food. But it was a bit iffy. She was thankful they could sell the bakery's pies and muffins. She knew somebody wasn't fond of making over-easy eggs. Actually, she ended up having to do that when anyone wanted them.

Thankfully, she had the waffle recipe and she did know how to make a good cup of coffee. She was pleased when anyone asked for another cup of coffee.

Crystal Q&A

 

 What are you reading? Infant care books

What are you eating? Anything in sight, but I only got scrambled eggs and toast this morning. You'd think I would get more after having a C-section.

What are you drinking? Apple Juice

What’s in your cart? A lot of baby girl things, even if I can't afford them.

What are you thinking about? How freaked out I was. The shock of not knowing I was even pregnant. I feel so upset that I wasn't getting ready for a baby. I didn't even get to enjoy being pregnant.  I didn't know. And I...I'm just exhausted. Still, it makes me sad. Thinking I could have...Oh, but she's all right and well, CW and I can't decide what to name her. It even sounds funny to say, "Our baby."  But I know I have to keep moving. I need to get my act together. So I'm making CW read all these books with me. Actually, he's reading them to me, and we can do this. We can. We have to. I'm pretty sure Miracle should at least be her middle name.

It's a new Day

 

When Cedric saw CW coming into the ER with Crystal, he couldn't imagine what might be happening. Finally, it hit him.

"When did this happen?" Cedric wanted to know when he helped CW get ready for the new arrival. It was all happening so quickly. He knew CW was in shock.

"Right now," CW sputtered. "I mean, there was a time or two I wondered if..if this might happen, but I was afraid to say anything. I didn't want her going off the deep end. Really, I just wanted to be there for her. I wasn't thinking it would be the three of us."

His brow furrowed as if he might be in thought of what might be next as he crawled into the blue paper suit. CW looked as if he might be ready to work at the hospital.

"I dunno what to say," Cedric told him, that he was probably Crystal's closest family. "She's been solo most of her life. It's just. You two? Having a kid." Cedric looked at CW. Was this twenty-something-year-old really going to be on board with the idea of fatherhood?

"I just want her to be all right," CW confessed that he loved Crystal and he'd do what he could to support her.

"I know you do. You just have to keep telling her that until she believes it. She can be..." Cedric shook his head. "So testy. And to think how she wanted her sister's baby and now she's having one." Cedric remembered how motherly she was when Cedric and his partner adopted Crystal's sister's baby. Crystal thought then that might be the only way she'd ever be a mom. But now.....

There was no time to waste. CW was in his surgical attire, waiting to help with the baby.

I'm too tired to end the war

 It didn't sit well with Crystal that Nico was moving out on his own. He'd be moving into the apartment over Joe's garage, where he worked full-time, but he washed dishes at the Coffee Shop on the weekend.

"Why are you so worried?" CW shrugged about the matter. "It's not like he's your kid or anything."

He spoke so openly to her now. It left her a little gruff. "What's the matter with you boy?" She knew she was harsh for no good reason. After all, he was everything to her lately. "If there's any child around here, it's you." She hugged herself and stomped away to the kitchen for a glass of cold water. CW followed.

"What's the matter with you?" He tilted his head as if he hadn't been listening to her at all. "You get so crazy."

"It's the heat." She fanned herself with the cheaply decorated fan CW kept getting her. She heaved a sigh as if she really wished he'd get out of her face.

"You haven't had a period in months."

His words alarmed him. How did he know? She looked at him as if he were bringing up some kind of ghost.

"Why won't you go to the doctor?"

She sucked in a breath as if it might keep her from listening, but that's when he confessed that he knew she was bipolar. Crystal scrunched a frown. This was off limits. So was her menstrual cycle, but he stood in the middle of the kitchen wanting to know. 

"You need a haircut." She dragged out the kitchen chair as if she just might shave his head this time.

He told her he didn't need one, but she sat him down as if he were the only child she would ever need.

"I have periods that come and go. So don't be alarmed. It's nothing." She told him, combing through his greasy hair. For a moment, she thought about what was causing this greasy hair. Soon, she decided this was what happened to fry cooks.

"Why can't I worry? Huh?"

She started to snip at his hair. It was just a trim. Actually, she liked the length of it. Suddenly, it occurred to her if they had a child it would end up with her nappy hair. Still, she didn't want to get ahead of herself. There was the coffee shop to worry about. But it was late July now. Things were slowing down. Next month, school starts. Time marched on.

She closed her eyes for a second. Her body began to sway. The scissors dropped to the floor. Crystal felt as if an earthquake was about to happen. Or maybe her spine was cracking. A  gush of water flooded the kitchen floor.

CW jumped up. "Holy Shit!"

Crystal sighed and told him, "No swearing allowed." It was the least she could do as she staggered toward the bathroom, but CW was on the phone with 911.

Crystal stared at the commode. She was too constipated to think.

Thought that was a good solution

Amy knew her parents would be upset when she told them she broke up with Eli. After all, Eli worked for her Dad at the Music Center in Old Towne just a block away from the Coffee Shop. But they were OK  with it. Just when she thought she might be a bad girl, they turned it around, inviting Nico over for dinner.

"I like him," her mother said. "He's really sweet." She made it sound as if Nico was a keeper. After all, he'd brought Amy lunch from time to time. In fact, he never let her run at night [which was the coolest part of the day to get her two-mile run in to keep up with her distance running]. "He cares about you, and he's got like two jobs, doesn't he?"

Her mother didn't talk about the fact that Nico wasn't in school anymore. She liked that he did things with her. "You make sure to appreciate his efforts. Maybe sometime, you could bring him lunch."

Amy gritted a smile. Yes, she was still in high school, and she was in angst mode less and less thanks to Nico. Still, he'd say to her from time to time, "You gotta chill more." Of course, later, as they got closer over the summer, he always added Babe to these one-liners, which gave way to her smiling more.

"Now, if you'd just get over this, whatever it is with Junie, well..." Nico shrugged.

"Well, what?" She was back in envy mode.

"Friendships are important," Nico said there was no need to be angry with Junie. Besides, he could tell it was a relief to break up with Eli. "I know you two go way back."

"She's changed." Amy found herself yelling at Nico as they walked off one of the summer runs down at the park after dark.

He took her hand and clasped his fingers between hers.

"You've changed too." He reminded her that Junie did ignore her when she met that Connor fellow. "I bet she regrets a lot of things that happened."

"Well, she left me out," Amy pouted. "We were best friends."

"Yeah, yeah, as long as she was there for you about every little thing, but you-"

"What?" Amy snapped.

"You're a funny girl," Nico smiled with a chuckle as if he knew something she'd have to find out for herself. "Now, just chill, Babe. No need to get worked up about it."

Amy sighed, knowing he was right. Actually, a lot of things worked her up in life. Her mother came back into her life. Her father and mother started a new family. It was so easy to find something to sulk about, yet it was taking a toll on her health. There was a time when she'd go without eating for days, and no one seemed to notice. 

She looked at Nico, finding his laughter infectious. She kissed him on the cheek. Finally, it felt she had someone on her side.

 

Junie & Eli

 

Junie wanted to say the 4th was spent with family, but who was she kidding? If Eli hadn't been there, well, there would be no thrill.  She couldn't help but smile about it now. Of course, most of the night was walking and talking in the humidity and soot of the 4th. Somehow they'd made their way down to the river. 

Now she kept wondering if she deserved this. The whole time, she kept switching the conversation back to what she'd done and what kind of fool she was for ending things like she did with Darry.

"How long are you going to carry this burden?" Eli looked at her as if a friend would, and then he took her hand. "Don't you know, not everything is about you."

His quote made her laugh. He grinned. Junie found herself smiling too. She coughed, then, in the smoke of the fireworks, and they ran through the streets of old town to the old bar where they shouldn't have been, but the air was refreshing, where the old-timers sat at the bar, and they made their way to the back booth in the dark of the neon lights.

Junie looked around, thinking they shouldn't be here, but soon enough, Eli told her the cheeseburgers were great here.

"Cheeseburgers?" Junie thought they only served alcohol, but she soon found out the vanilla Coke was exceptional, and the fries weren't even greasy. She hadn't realized this was the VA hall. 

He mentioned his dad was a member, and they knew him. She nodded, learning something new about Eli. Still, she had to ask, "Did you ever bring Amy here?"

"No," he cracked up with laughter. "Do you think she'd eat here?"

Junie shook her head, no as she dipped a fry in ketchup. She didn't want to bring up Amy. She didn't want to think about friends who didn't want to know her anymore. It was best not to mention it even if a lump of emotion lodged in her throat. She could barely eat even if she wanted to enjoy the meal.

Later, they went down to the park on the river. It was a short walk on the main street. Junie was quiet, letting Eli lead the way. She thought about not moving forward, but there was a certain rhythm that connected with Eli. His stride was a dance of life that she needed.

Yes, he was the friend she never knew she had. It was baffling and endearing. She didn't want to overthink it. Besides, she even wanted to know where it might go. And there at the water's edge, she knew. She knew she was more grown-up now. And when he put his arm around her, she knew she didn't want to go anywhere. She liked this closeness. It felt as if they were equals. And this was just the beginning. 

She reached up and pulled him toward her. "Are you sure we can just be friends?"

When his body shook with laughter, she knew then nothing was going to tear them apart.

The 4th is coming

 1. Damn, if those fireworks are ruining my week. The smoke is giving me headaches.

2. I have to work extra this week just to have Friday off. 

3. Can't watch the news. D.C. and the president are on the brink of God knows what, and I'm afraid he's just bluffing, as usual.

4. This holiday just isn't what it used to be. You know, poke cakes, and other cold treats with a backyard BBQ. 

5. It's just too hot to do anything. And I think that will be what July has in store for us. That is, if the state doesn't burn up with grass fires.

Yeah, not exactly what I was hoping for. Be careful out there.

-Crystal

One hand in my pocket

 

"Hey, now, don't be so blue," Rafe touched KC's shoulder as he contemplated going into the coffee shop.  "Let me buy you a coffee."

Rafe looked KC over. Usually, they kept their distance because of Ruby, but she hadn't been mad at KC for some time now. Rafe was still friends with him, in spite of the past. Even though he knew why Ruby's first love was KC, the dude was cool. He could be slumming and still master the walk of being his total self, no matter what. No matter how much trouble it was with Millie being sick with morning sickness.

"So how's it going?" He asked KC when they found a seat at the coffee bar.

"Oh, you know." KC yawned with a shrug. He looked slimmer than usual, and his hair was getting shaggy. 

"Yeah, you're still a long way from the finish line," Rafe nodded. "She's still having trouble sleeping?

"Uh-huh." KC was doing a few gigs these days. His boss was finding a way for him to have a side gig when he wasn't working at the recording studio. But the venues were close, and only on Friday nights. KC stretched then as if he'd just got out of bed, and his long fingers bumped the wood of the bar accidentally. He made a face of aggravated pain. "God, I'm getting old."

"You're not any older than me." Rafe's bright eyes glared back as he stirred his coffee with a little cream. KC drank his straight up black as if that was the only way to take it. 

"Yeah, well, these days are making me feel old. There just isn't enough time. I can't keep the place clean. I feel I'm at the grocery store all the time buying groceries. And that alone can be horrifying."

"But aren't your parents and her parents helping you guys?" Rafe looked at him as if it could be worse.

"Yeah, they do, but then she snarls her nose up about my dad's cooking or the bottled water her mother bought."

"She is sensitive. Probably just as sensitive as Ruby."

"Yeah, you got that right," KC agreed as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. "We're really into real food, you know. None of that packaged stuff." KC said it took longer to complete prepping. "But you know.."

"Never-ending is what it is."

KC chuckled at Rafe's remark. 

Happy Father's Day!

 Maddie and Boone took a road trip to Harrisburg to see her father, Clark, for Father's Day. Maddie was so happy to see his home and where he worked. It somehow felt like both a new beginning and closure. She felt relieved yet giddy with this chance to know him better. Of course, they kept in touch via email and text daily, but being here with him on Father's Day made it all the more special.

Yet they made a homemade meal together with Boone's help. "It's the best Father's Day ever," she couldn't help but gush about it to someone back home. That someone was her cousin Junie, who laughed softly over the phone. She said she was glad she was spending Father's Day with her Dad.

"How about you, do you ever want to find your Dad?" Maddie let slip. She knew it was a forbidden subject, but she was so happy yet instantly sad that she'd mentioned it to Junie.

"What Dad?" It was as if Junie already knew. "The only dad I have is KC's Dad." She quickly mentioned they were going to KC's with food. "I know we're not like some families." She pointed out how her mom and dad worked hard. "They are both workaholics. I wish they'd slow down, but they won't until they absolutely have to. They must love their jobs even if they complain about them all the time." She sighed. "But right now, I know KC is going to be a good dad. He already is the best dad to Millie. And I hope things get better with her pregnancy."

Maddie smiled. She understood. Maybe Junie had grown up after all. She seemed calmer now and wasn't being outlandish about her own dreams. 

"I'm glad you're there for your brother," Maddie said. "We'll stop by to see you soon. You'll have to let me know what KC and Millie need. Maybe we can see them together soon."

Yes, Maddie knew she had family back home, too. If only her Dad could move closer, but he had a life in Harrisburg, which included long-time friends and a job he certainly enjoyed.

Oh, is it June?

 

Graduation was over in a heartbeat, and Memorial Day came in between the humidity and stormy weather. But Junie learned to play the drums with Eli's help, and for the first time, she actually got to do something with her brother, KC.

Perhaps it was a ploy to let everyone know about the recording studio where Eli and KC worked. But they soon found their weekends full of local music festivals. However, Junie did have summer school, but that was online. 

Junie got to spend her June birthday on the road. Still, there were lapses in wondering how to approach Darry. She only saw him in passing at graduation. Of course, he was stone cold. Maybe she was, too. There was nothing to say, but still she thought of him ever so often, wondering where it all went wrong. How could she have turned her back on her first love? Even Eli had stopped talking to him. At least she had Eli on her side.

Of course, they were just friends. Still, he could make her feel happy. But she still felt like the Bad Girl that she knew she'd been. Hadn't she even broken up Eli and Amy?

"We broke up in a text," was all Eli had said about the matter. "Besides, she never did like my stinky feet."

Junie sighed with a laugh. 

"We were very unlikely to succeed. I would never be successful enough for her." Eli sighed as if he'd put all he memories of Amy in a folder to put in the trash of his heart.

"But, you knew her, forever."

"Well, maybe we knew each other too well." He told Junie, as they were packing once again to go somewhere in the tri-state area.

Junie nodded and knew she had to let it go. Still, she was in shock that Amy was with Nico. 

Making the wrong right

 "I think what you need to do is just be there for your Mom," Naoki told Tyra as he was squeezing a lime for a fresh margarita. "You need to think of something you can do with her. Like write a song. Or maybe you and your sister could take a road trip with her."

Tyra sighed. She was too hot even in her bra and slip pants. She might as well get naked. The AC was blasting, but she felt as if she could melt. There was no way she was going anywhere with her sick pregnant sister.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind if we had a kid, but you know, you might not be up for that." He shrugged. His back turned to her in the open kitchen.

She just wished he'd hurry up with the drink, but no, he had to shake it like a professional before he would pour it over a bed of ice.

Tyra blew a breath. Was he serious?

"What has gotten into you?"

"I guess I love you." He teased. "It's just everyone's got a kid."

"That is not true. Just your brother and, well, you know, Millie."

He handed her the salty and tangy drink. She wished he'd made it sweeter, but he knew where to cut calories. "You'd really want to be a dad?"

He cracked up, a bit giddy, but then he nodded. "If my brother can do it, I know I'd be a much better dad."

Now Tyra laughed with a smile. "Millie is so miserable. She can only keep Dr. Pepper down. I don't know what's wrong with that girl."

"Maybe, we should ask your parents over for dinner."

"But, then we'd have to ask your parents too?" Tyra shot him a look.

"Not necessarily, we could just ask them, some other time." Naoki had accepted Jo to be his new stepdad. After all, he was handy when it came to car troubles.

"Oh, God, I just thought if we were here and they were there, it would be, far enough away." She closed her eyes. She was tired. She just wanted to sip her drink and ask for another, but Naoki was already making the stirfry.

"We need to be there for them," he said, looking back at her as he scooped up the slices of chicken and veg while they browned. "I love your mom. I want her to feel happy. She needs us."

Tyra guessed he was right, but when was the last time she told her mother that she loved her?

Q & A with Nico and Amy

 

Is there anything you don't know about each other that you want to talk about?

NICO: [he laughs and shakes his head, no] I already know she has a boyfriend. Besides, I know I'm really not her type.

AMY: Things have been different since [she presses her lips as if she'd rather not say] since Eli's been so......I had no idea he'd be this way about...my best friend Junie. I mean, I didn't know. [She looks as if this is all Eli's fault, not hers. She hugs herself] Maybe..maybe our love had... an expiration date.

NICO: Now don't you go blaming him, I think it was over a long time ago, and you just didn't want to face it. You didn't think you'd meet anyone. That's it. Yeah, it's expired all right. 

AMY: I dunno. [she looks as if he might cry, but she doesn't.] I know he means well, but we just don't have the connection. [she sighs and looks at Nico.] We were good, but it didn't happen overnight, you know..with Eli. Not really. We've known each other since, middle school. I wanted to believe he was the one, but it took work. We had this goodbye thing that we both waited for at the end of the date. It's not like we...we ever did it. Sex. You know. But I've just gotten used to how it is. At the end. Kissing. At first it was so new, and later it got old. I guess. I don't mean for it to end this way. But he knows it too. I know he does.

NICO: Don't you think it'll be that way with us, too? [He looks at her out of the corner of his eye as if she might have been using him for an excuse].

AMY: [Shakes her head no.]

NICO: You don't really know me. [He stares at her hard] I don't look like your family's type. Besides, I like to buck dance.

AMY: [She looks at  him as if he's talking about a strange sex life, perhaps].

NICO: [laughs and points his finger at her] I knew I'd get you on that one. I come from a whole different world. A world where everyone wants to be the same, and they'll go out of their way and make life hell for you until you realise you are the same. And then you're stuck. [He's straight-lipped yet a little sad] You don't want to go out of your way to be any better. They call it unity, but the truth is they want to drag you down as far as they can. And if you don't, well, they'll kill you. 

AMY: What's Buck Dancing?

NICO: [shakes with laughter] I thought you'd never ask. [He grins from ear to ear] My grandma used to play the fiddle, and she knew an awful lot about the Tennessee walk. It's not exactly tap dancing, but you gotta keep up with the music. It's not that I've ever been in a competition, but sometimes when I got nothing to do, I remember. Maybe I do the soft shoe for her, or maybe it's just for me.

I beg your pardon I never promised you a rose garden

 

Carol had heard enough out of Tyra wanting her to retire. She couldn't. Not right now. Especially, with the husband home.

No way did she want to let her daughters know how hard it was getting used to this truckdriver at home.  They might as well have been in quiet divorce mode. Now this didn't mean they'd actually get a divorce. They were cheap, and she did need his insurance even if she was already on Medicare. She needed to work to pay for it. Besides, they were nice to each other, even if she was very tired of his jokes that were never funny to begin with.

"Things are fine at the coffee shop." Wasn't like she was there every day, but if she wasn't a cashier, she was mending ways with the cook and his girl (who was supposed to be the manager while Millie was having morning sickness). But even the manager needed a day or two away from the Coffee Shop.

"We're just lucky your sister is going to give us a grandchild." Carol let slip. She didn't mean to put Tyra down, but she felt the girl was a little selfish. Deep down, it was a dream that Tyra and her significant other would start a family, but she knew it wouldn't happen, even in those dreams where she imagined having a baby for them.

Why was it that she was always having to take care of the baby in those dreams? Hell if she knew what these dreams meant.

Carol didn't apologize to Tyra. She meant to, but she couldn't. It felt to her these days she was being treated like the misled teenager, and Tyra was her overbearing mother. Still, the conversation kept her up at night. Tyra came back with nothing, and the flowers she had given her for Mother's Day were dying in the kitchen. It would have been nice to have gotten a gift card from Amazon or even Walmart, but she'd never suggest it.

Perhaps she was the worst mother. She couldn't think of their good times at the moment. She felt she was slumming in this old house that she knew he'd never think of leaving. He had too much junk that he couldn't live without. After a while, Carol had made it a competition. She got her own stuffies. Even rescued a few from thrifting. There was a whole room of them now. She took over Millie's room before her husband could.

What was Tyra expecting if she retired? Bedazzling her wardrobe.

And when Spring gets to me

 "God, when is this going to stop!" Nico threw the wet dish towel into the steel sink. He was tired of all these questions from CW. Wasn't it enough that he still worked the weekends at the coffee shop? He was there for the Mother's Day Special. So was Amy.

"Something is going on with you two," CW pointed a finger at him, as it were just the two of them cleaning the kitchen after the place closed. "I just know it."

Nico rolled his eyes at him. They weren't even fussing. They were giving each other the silent treatment. It was perhaps a truce. It had to be this way, or....

He kept a straight lip that posed a grim frown. At least, he was still in the building. He hadn't gone anywhere. He worked at Joe's mechanic's place during the week. He'd shown he was good at the simple tasks, like changing oil and filters.

"Just shut up," Nico was tired of CW, accusing him of liking Amy. "She's a kid with a smart mouth, that's all." Besides, he wasn't one to be smitten. He'd learned the hard way to just be alone. Always. He gritted, turning away from CW.

"No, no, you two are trouble, I just know it." CW shook his head and went back to wiping down the stove to get ready for tomorrow. 

Nico went numb, stopping himself from going back to when it happened. The kiss. He sighed, thinking he'd grown accustomed to being a crusty old fart that was immune to such a thing. Obviously, that was not true. 

Yes, they were putting each other down at closing time, not so long ago. CW left early for some reason, while Nico was left on his own. He tried to get stuff done, but Amy popped him on the arse with a dish towel. That was like a wake-up call, evidently. Before he knew it they were playing around all giddy and silly. Maybe it was the laughter that got to him. When they fell into each other, their lips touched with a burst of laughter, and yet to make it better, they kissed again as if they might be perfect for the dance. And they were.

Now it made him want to squeeze his eyes shut. Neither had admitted to defeat. It was silent now. Just where it should be. Couldn't CW understand this? It wasn't like he was that much older than her, but old enough to know better.

Happy Mother's Day Weekend 💗

 

Kat was in total shock when her dad handed her the debit card. Was this for real? She knew Gavin had one, and so did her cousin, but they were older, and she knew she didn't have a real job yet, just babysitting.

"Now think of it more of a gift card than a debit card," he practically winked. "I know it's a long time coming, but you deserve something, taking care of your sister like you do."

She nodded. She knew he wouldn't have given it to her if her older sibling hadn't gotten on at the nearby grocery store. She looked at it as if it might be a gold card.

"I know you want to get your mother and your grandmothers something for Mother's Day." Her dad grinned as if he knew her well.

"Um, we've been crocheting dishcloths." She'd managed a couple, even if they were lopsided, and her little sister was still working on making a big ball of chain that might make the perfect present for Grandy's cat (Her father's mother). She'd planned to find something nice at Dollar Tree for her Mom and some soap from her grandmothers. Kat knew they expected practical gifts. She knew no one wanted a candle because it gave Grandy headaches and Grand Betty said candles caused fires.

Kat had been laid down the law about gift giving by the two of them. They both said they loved homemade gifts best and most of all, handmade Mother's Day cards. But her mother was a different story. She was still pushing everyone away, wanting to be alone most of the time. Just when Kat thought things might be back to normal during the holidays, they weren't. Her mom might give them a squeeze, but she generally ended up crying. And then they would end up crying (Kat and her sister, while her brother stayed stoic). Kat didn't like it. Still, she wanted them to spend time together. At the moment, she found herself getting the sniffles thinking about it. All they knew was that she was sick.

But now, she was alone with her dad in the kitchen at home. "Now, I know you think your mother has cancer." Her dad said out of the blue. He never said anything about her anymore. For a while, she thought her mom was moving back in, but that only lasted a weekend. They were divorced. "She is sick, but it's not cancer."

Kat sighed. She pressed her lips tight. She didn't think she could be wrong about this, but if this is what she wanted, then she'd pretend.

"She's bipolar."

For a second, she thought he was talking about sex. She looked at him, stunned. 

"You know what that is? Right?"

Kat shrugged.

"At first, it was just manic depressive. Like she'd be happy, but then she wasn't. She got us into debt. She would spend money we didn't have." Her father admitted. "And, and I wasn't sure how she might act around all of you."

Kat winced. She grew up knowing her mother was high-strung. But usually she just yelled at Dad. 

Kat licked her dry bottom lip. Maybe that was why she was on edge even if she'd grown accustomed to the drama.

"Your mom is having a hard time finding a job right now." Her dad told her this was why she was staying at Grand Betty's.

Kat sucked in a breath.

"It comes and goes." Her dad left it at that. But his words made her sad. She raked the back of her hand across her hot tears. Gavin would be here any moment. They were going with her cousin to find Mother's Day gifts.

It's time

 

Gabby had a feeling she did it this time when she looked at the receipt on her phone from the photo shoot. She winced hard, thinking why was she like this, spending money when she knew she should be saving. She put it on her credit card, so that had to help for something, right? It wasn't that she'd maxed it out, but she was still paying for Christmas.

When she got home, she noticed how the place had been tidied up.

"Did you do this?" She was shocked that Oliver had the energy to do it because he was always dragging with so many lesson plans, and now that track had started, he was helping the high school coach out for extra money from the school.

"No, Mom came over." He shrugged as if maybe he'd been through a horrible talk with her.

"What did she say?" Gabby asked out of concern, as if maybe she needed to say something to her.

"Not anything, she brought some dinners I froze so we'd have something to eat, you know-" He looked at her stomach as if he didn't need to tell her why.

Gabby nodded. "Well, what is it?" She knew they were actually doing OK. Carrie entertained herself a lot with her dolls and artwork.

"I just," he sighed. "I should have asked you sooner," He didn't look at her when he said it, but he took both of her hands, and they sat down on the empty couch that she'd forgotten was so yellow.

"I know we should be married by now," he said.

Gabby told him it was OK. She understood. They were both on the rebound, which felt funny to think. 

"I know it's me," Oliver explained. "I remember thinking when I was young, I always wanted to have a family. But..but it turned out different from what I expected.

"Well, you know, we were both in Foster care growing up." She remembered that, except that she was adopted, he wasn't until he was practically an adult. "I took advantage of my parents; I was not a good teenager." She nodded, thinking she still expected too much, but change was hard.

"You were, you were my friend." He recalled.

"You were a good listener," she told him. "You never once told me what was going on with you. All I could think about back then was what I wanted. And I'm still that way. I know that. "

His smile was weak when he looked into her eyes. She hugged him. Even if she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She should be out walking, getting ready to have this baby, but they made plans to go down tomorrow to get a marriage license.