4.30 Family

 

"What was she here for?" Andrew demanded pacing the bedroom floor.

Charlie watched him walk back and forth like a restless animal in a cage. He had stopped asking him to sit after the first ten minutes "I don't know" he sighed.

"I don't like it" Andrew turned stopping "it's our decision. I don't want her or anyone else influencing our decision."

"I know and she won't" Charlie assured him.

"Why aren't you more upset about this?" Andrew demanded "she shouldn't be filling our son's head with ideas of time travel. He's already got enough of his own."

Charlie made hand dampening motions barely restraining the words that would land him in the dog house. He knew better then to tell Andrew to calm down. There was no calm down mode when Andrew was like this. The best he could hope for would be for him to wind himself down. "I am upset," Charlie said as he felt Andrew glaring at him "I just don't see the point of..."

"Don't see the point?" Andrew demanded "She came into our house. Into our son's bedroom. you don't find that odd?"

"Of course I do" Charlie shouted. He snapped his mouth shut upon seeing Andrew jump back in surprise "he's my son. Of course I'm upset anyone got in our home. Spoke to our son without our permission." He got up moved towards Andrew who looked about to explode "our son did everything right. He told us she was there. He came to us."

"What if she had taken him?" Andrew cried leaning into his husband "what if he had succumbed to curiosity and had gone with her? What if she comes again? What if..."

"Shh" Charlie tenderly wrapped his arms around the man he loved "that didn't happen."

"It could have" Andrew mumbled.

"But it didn't" he soothed Andrew's taut tense muscles "we can drive ourselves crazy with what ifs."

Sighing Andrew let the tension melt from his muscles as he sagged into Charlie's sturdy bulk "I love him so much," he murmured "I'll lose my  mind if something ever happens to him."

"Just him?" Charlie asked cocking an eyebrow.

"You know it's all of them" Andrew protested "it's just Gabriel is so out going. Always ready for an adventure. I'm always afraid he's going to get hurt or lost."

"He has a good head on his shoulders" Charlie pointed out "we can trust him."

"He's so young" Andrew mumbled resting his head on Charlie's shoulder.

Chuckling a little Charlie ran his fingers through Andrew's hair snagging in his messy bun "being young has nothing to do with how trustworthy he is."

Looking up Andrew scowled at him "are you trying to make me angry?"

"No" Charlie stooped a little to give Andrew a quick smooch on the lips.

"You can do better than that" Andrew challenged almost pouting as his lips invited Charlie to kiss him again.

"I'll take that challenge" Charlie said with a smile as he captured Andrew's lips in a passionate kiss that had both of them weak in the knees.

***

A few days later Gabriel was sitting beside his grandpa on the couch. Grandma was with the quads doing something gross like feeding, changing or even potty training them. Gross. "I'm never having kids" he suddenly announced.

"Why's that?" Caleb asked turning his attention to the boy beside him.

"They're gross" he made gagging sounds "they stink. Can't talk. Have dirty diapers."

Shaking his head Caleb felt his lips twitch as he struggled to keep from laughing. "they're only babies. They'll start to be less gross as they get older." Caleb turned off the mostly unnoticed movie that Gabriel claimed he wanted to watch "it wasn't that long ago when you were a baby."

Gabriel gave him a dubious look "nuh uh" he shook his head "I wasn't ever a baby."

"Yes you were" Caleb contradicted "I have the pictures to prove it."

"Grandpa were you ever a baby?" Gabriel asked giving him a serious look.

"Yes I was a long long time ago" Caleb replied.

"Then why don't we have any pictures of you as a baby?" Gabriel asked "I've seen pictures of Grandma as a baby and daddy but you've always been big."

"My baby pictures don't exist in this dimension" Caleb said hoping that would be the end of the discussion.

"What's a dimension?" Gabriel asked cocking his head to the side "is that like time travel?" Are you a time traveler? Is that why I'm going to be one when I grow up?"

Caleb sat a moment pondering all the questions that came bubbling out of his young grandson's mouth. He never suspected one slip of the mouth could inspire so many questions. "Time travel is different. What a time traveler does is travel through history of his own dimension. Something you'll learn more about if you do become a time traveler."

"Not if Grandpa" Gabriel rolled his eyes "I am gonna be a time traveler." He put a hand on Caleb's hand "what's a dimension?"

"That's a little tougher to explain" Caleb sighed "it's another world similar to the one we live in now but with slight differences."

Gabriel frowned "I don't understand you're not from here yet you live here."

Nodding Caleb continued "all my family until I met your grandma live in another dimension. That's where all my baby pictures are if they still exist."

"Aren't you lonely?" Gabriel asked sounding somewhat awe struck.

"I used to be" Caleb answered with a far away look in his eyes "now I have my new family. I love you all very much."

Gabriel rubbed his chin meditating on the answers Caleb had given him "if you could, would you go home?"

"I...don't know" Caleb shook his head he'd never considered it before. Everyone he had ever known would be long dead. He'd be a living relic in his own world.

"I think it's sad" Gabriel said after they had fallen silent for a moment.

"What makes you say that?" Caleb asked interested "do I look sad to you?"

"It's not that" Gabriel shook his head "you were taken from your family. I'm sad for them cuz your the bestest Grandpa ever."

"I didn't have children in my old dimension" Caleb didn't even know why he said that.

"Oh that's terrible" Gabriel quickly hugged Caleb "maybe this dimension gave you what you needed most. A family with us."

The boy's insightfulness was shocking to say the least. Caleb hated to admit it but the boy might have the makings of a good time traveler. He had the ability to read people.

***

After leaving Caleb in the living room Gabriel went to find his Grandma. "Do you like the quads more than me" he asked his Grandma upon coming into the room.

"What?" she asked putting Landon down for  his nap "what makes you say that?"

"You're always in here" he shrugged "they never say or do anything interesting."

"Baby's need lots of attention" Drew explained "it's not that I like them more than you."

"Is it because they poop in their diapers? Or because they can't feed themselves yet?" Gabriel asked making a face as one of the quads began to cry.

"That's part of it" Drew said going to soothe that baby "you needed lots of attention too when you were this little."

"I was easier though" Gabriel made a face watching his Grandma change his sister's dirty diaper "that's so gross."

Putting the baby back in her crib Drew laughed "it is but it has to be done." She hugged Gabriel close as they walked from the room "you were easier because there was only one of you. We still had to do all the same yucky stuff for you as we do for the quads."

He wrinkled his nose in distaste "babies are still gross."

"You'll change your mind when you have one of your own," Drew laughed shaking her head at him.

"I'm not having any" he crossed his arms scowling up at her as if challenging her to say otherwise.

"I used to feel the same way as you" Drew laughed "I changed my mind and so will you."

***

Indira came home late. Later than usual. The house was dark. She glanced at the dashboard almost ten o'clock. Randy was probably in the bedroom reading waiting for her to come home. The light would be one she couldn't see from the street. Elissa would be in bed asleep already.

Coming into the house Indira stopped outside Elissa's bedroom door. Should she check on her? Make sure the little girl hadn't kicked off the covers during the night?

She opened the door trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the little girls sleep. She glanced around the room.  She could feel a scream building up inside her. The bed was empty. All her stuffies were gone. The ones she insisted helped her sleep at  night. Racing to the closet she threw open the doors. Empty.

"Randy" she shouted running towards her bedroom. He wasn't there reading on his tablet as usual. The bed was empty. A folded note like a beacon lay on his pillow.

She walked towards it with a feeling of dread encompassing her. She was sure this was how condemned criminals felt walking towards the noose. Her mind raced towards the fight they had before she left for work that morning. They had been arguing about what she had overheard between Randy and his dad. With a wordless cry she heard herself yelling at Randy telling him if he wasn't happy he knew where the door was. He could just get out and never come back.

She had tried to apologize. He wouldn't listen to her by the time she realized this fight wasn't like all the others. He had this cold hard glint in his eyes as he silently left the room. She had stormed from the house slamming the door shut behind her. She should have stayed. Should have made him listen to her. If she hadn't blocked him out he might still be here.

With trembling fingers she gingerly picked up the note. The note she was sure was going to ruin her life forever. It was in Randy's sharp precise writing. She could feel the pressure he must have used as he wrote the words out on the underside of the paper. It was like reading braille. It said:

"I'm sorry my daughter and I are such a burden to you. I have no intention of standing in your way as you claw and back stab your way to the top."

"I don't do that" she snarled fist crumpling the paper "I want to be the best. I don't back stab..." her mouth snapped shut recalling the co-worker who had been fired for making an error. An error she had pointed out to make herself look better before her superiors." That's different," she muttered "that was poor workmanship not back stabbing." Indira knew she could have covered it up instead she used it as a stepping stone to the next level.

She turned to the now crumpled note in her hand: "that's not the kind of person I want Elissa to become. She is already far too reserved for a child her age should be."

"That's not my fault," Indira stammered "I just want her to behave herself. Have good manners. Discipline is key." Even as she said it she knew at times she had crossed the line. The girl had been so spunky when they had first met now she was a shadow of her former self. Always looking over her shoulder making sure she was doing everything right.

"I don't want my daughter growing up like that. I want her to be her own person. If we stayed none of us would be happy. I'm sorry it didn't work out. I can't continue this charade. At least not at the expense of my daughter's happiness."

"He didn't sign it," she grumbled tossing the note aside "probably didn't know how to." It was easier to find fault with the note than with herself. How could he do this to her? Especially now when she needed him the most,. Needed him beside her at the big promotional dinner. The new company CEO was a big advocate of family. How was this going to look to him? She could feel all of her chances of promotion slipping through her fingers.

***

She stared at the offending stick. The cause of her current condition was staring back at her undeniable proof of what she detested most. Ten sticks scattered around the bathroom floor had the same offending sign on them. No matter how many tests she took they were all going to confirm her worst nightmare. That dreaded plus sign,. Pregnant. Ten times over she was pregnant. This couldn't be happening. Why did he have to leave now? What was she going to do with a baby?

Tossing the last offending stick across the room she dragged herself back to bed. If she were going to be miserable she was going to be comfortable at least. Crawling under the covers she wondered if she should try and find Randy and let him know about the baby. Maybe he'd come back and take care of her. She whimpered softly into her pillow. He probably wouldn't care if she were miserable. What if he didn't want the baby? What if he expected her to take care of it? What if he hated her? The voices in her head were all talking at once clamoring for attention.

She pulled the covers over her head to block out as much of reality as she could. She needed sleep. She needed a new life. She needed a do over. Just once she wanted things to go her way. Just once she'd like to say this is just the way she wanted it. Was that too much to ask for?

***

After leaving the house Randy wound up living out of his car. Homeless. Not the best situation to find himself in much less his little girl. He should have planned better. But all he could hear in his head was Indira shouting at him to get out and never come back. The look on his little girls face as tears streamed down her cheeks. Despite his worries over Elissa's grandparents finding out he was destitute he knew leaving was the best thing he could have done for his daughter.

Elissa stirred beside him on the narrow back seat mumbling in her sleep. He held her tight against him hoping no one would happen upon their campsite before morning. her stuffies were strewn on the floor accept for a couple that were wedged beneath him. He listened to the wind as it whistled around the car. It seemed to be an extension of his stormy thoughts.

What was he going to do? He couldn't ask his parents for help. They'd want him to go home. He couldn't do that for fear Elissa's grandparents would take her. He wouldn't go back to Indira not unless she made some drastic changes. His sister had just moved in with her boyfriend. Maybe the best thing would be to call Indira's parents and ask them for help. Maybe they could give  him a place to stay until he got back on his feet. He just needed a place to rest from the shit storm he found himself in.

The following morning while Elissa played on the nearby swings Randy made a phone call. "Mr Gray" he choked "I...I have no right to ask."

"Son just spit it out" Caleb said good naturedly "did something happen between you and Indira?"

There was a long pause before Randy nodded then stammered yes realizing Caleb couldn't see him nod. "I left her. You know how she can be. I just couldn't take it anymore." He stopped the flow of words by sheer force of willpower before more words could dribble out. "I could use a place to stay just until I get on my feet."

"The garage apartment is empty" Caleb offered "you're welcome to stay there. You're family even if you and Indira can't work things out."

His words struck a cord deep within Randy. How had Indira become what she was when her parents were so wonderful? He just didn't understand. "Thank you" he said gruffly sniffling.

"That's what family is for" Caleb assured him "do you have enough cash to get out here?"

"Um" Randy hesitated not wanting to admit just how little thought went into his leaving.

***

"Son be honest. Did you leave everything with my selfish self centered daughter?" Caleb asked not a hint of malice in his voice.

"Everything but the car we're living in" Randy mumbled looking towards Elissa who was playing with another little girl.

"I'll set everything up at the airport to get you here and pick you up at the airport," Caleb informed him. Shaking his head he wondered why it had taking him two weeks to build up the courage to call him. He was more than helpful considering he was the one leaving the man's daughter. Walking over to where Elissa was playing he said "guess what sweetheart?"

"What daddy?" she asked her blue eyes sparkling with interest.

"We're going to stay with Grandpa Caleb and Grandma Drew" he informed her.

"Yay" she clapped her hands "I like them."