TITLE: Calling home.
AUTHOR: Melissa Orr
"You seriously can not be this hard to put together," Toby moaned to himself as he sat on the floor. "I've read this damn instruction manual eight times already!" Toby stood and tried again to let one of the two cribs stand on it's own, but failed. "Fine then, fall!" Toby snapped and kicked it. He was about to kick the other one when his phone started ringing. "Trust me, I'll be back." Toby moaned as he bent over and picked up his cordless phone. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hold on," Toby mentioned as he turned off the music that was blaring. "Sorry."
"What are you doing?" CJ asked.
"I'm still trying to get the cribs build," Toby mentioned, resting his back against the wall and sliding down to sit. "Where are you?"
"I'm walking out back, away from all the crazy people," CJ mentioned.
"It's that bad?"
"Well, my dad seems fine. But I can't stand my stepsister and stepmother."
"I thought they separated?"
"So did I," CJ moaned. "Explain to me why I came again?"
"Because you wanted to see your dad and celebrate your 20th high school reunion," Toby tried to seem enthused.
"I blame you," CJ said flatly. "Dad wanted me to tell you hi."
"Did you give him my letter?" Toby asked.
"Yeah, he also wanted me to tell you that you're a smart ass."
"Good man," Toby smiled. "The reunion is tomorrow, right?"
"Yes," CJ moaned. "And Marco will be there."
"Who's that again?"
"My old boyfriend."
"Well, don't do anything I wouldn't do," Toby joked.
"Seriously, why didn't you come with me?"
"Someone needed to stay around here and work."
"Did the press eat you up?"
"They love me."
"Yeah right," CJ rolled her eyes. "It's cold out here."
"Go inside."
"No, then one of two things will happen."
"Which are."
"One, some member of my family will ask who I'm talking to and will grab the phone when they realize it's you. Then you'll be talking to every member of my family all night, and never get the cribs built."
"Well, I don't think I'll get them built anyway but whatever.."
"Second, they'll be talking so loud I won't be able to hear you, and everyone will be listening to every word I say to you. Then rumor will have it we're having a torrid affair."
"Well, there have been worse rumors," Toby mentioned, reading over his instruction manual again. "I'd probably understand this thing better if it was written in Yiddish!" Toby moaned.
"I'll help you when I get home, it can't be that difficult."
"I'm telling you Claudia, a rocket scientist wouldn't understand this book."
"Claudia, who are you talking to?" Molly yelled from the kitchen door.
"My secretary," CJ lied.
"Well, hurry up." She mentioned and walked back in.
"Anything else I can do for you Ms. Cregg?" Toby joked.
"Shut up. That was the evil stepmother," CJ moaned, sitting on one of the swings out back.
"Isn't she your old English teacher?" Toby asked.
"Yes," CJ nodded. "She has a crush on you."
"That's sick," Toby shook his head. "She blind?"
"Shut up," CJ chuckled. "See, I haven't even laughed since I got here."
"You'll do fine," Toby promised. "Just think how happy your dad is to see you."
"He told me he wanted to talk to me tonight about something."
"What?"
"I don't know," CJ looked around. "This place is beautiful Toby."
"I'll buy it for you when we get older," Toby joked.
"Promise?" CJ laughed.
"I give up," Toby tossed the bag of screws across the room.
"I thought the twins were going to stay with Andy?"
"Well, whenever they stay with me I want them to have their own room and own bed, but the way it looks now they'll be sleeping with me."
"You getting excited?" CJ asked.
"Yeah," Toby said truthfully. "Of course, Andy's almost five months pregnant, so she's not a peach to be around."
"Well, she's got two babies growing inside her," CJ mentioned. "What did you expect?"
"She told me today that they should be all-stars in Soccer when they get older, with all the kicking they're doing."
"Soccer?" CJ smirked.
"That's what she says, I still swear that the boy will play for the Yankees."
"That doesn't shock me," CJ whispered.
"You should get back," Toby mentioned.
"You don't want to talk to me anymore," CJ pretended to be hurt.
"You see me everyday, enjoy the time you have with your family for a little while, even if you hate all of them but your father."
"Yeah," CJ laughed.
"You'll do fine Claudia," Toby mentioned. "I'll be waiting at the airport when you come home."
"You better believe I'll be calling you several times before then," CJ said.
"I believe that," Toby whispered. "Go in before you get sick."
"How sweet," CJ joked.
"Well, every time you get sick I get sick," Toby mentioned, trying not to sound soft. "Call me tomorrow."
"I will," CJ smiled. "You did good today with the press."
"Thank you," Toby smiled as he stood. "Go bother your family, that's an order."
"I love when you get demanding," CJ flirted. "Thanks again Toby."
"Stop thanking me. I'm going to take a vacation when you get home and I'm having you write the President's State of the Union."
"Yeah right," CJ laughed. "Good night."
"Good night," Toby nodded and hung up. "Okay, let us try this again." He moaned as he grabbed his tools.
THE END
"You seriously can not be this hard to put together," Toby moaned to himself as he sat on the floor. "I've read this damn instruction manual eight times already!" Toby stood and tried again to let one of the two cribs stand on it's own, but failed. "Fine then, fall!" Toby snapped and kicked it. He was about to kick the other one when his phone started ringing. "Trust me, I'll be back." Toby moaned as he bent over and picked up his cordless phone. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hold on," Toby mentioned as he turned off the music that was blaring. "Sorry."
"What are you doing?" CJ asked.
"I'm still trying to get the cribs build," Toby mentioned, resting his back against the wall and sliding down to sit. "Where are you?"
"I'm walking out back, away from all the crazy people," CJ mentioned.
"It's that bad?"
"Well, my dad seems fine. But I can't stand my stepsister and stepmother."
"I thought they separated?"
"So did I," CJ moaned. "Explain to me why I came again?"
"Because you wanted to see your dad and celebrate your 20th high school reunion," Toby tried to seem enthused.
"I blame you," CJ said flatly. "Dad wanted me to tell you hi."
"Did you give him my letter?" Toby asked.
"Yeah, he also wanted me to tell you that you're a smart ass."
"Good man," Toby smiled. "The reunion is tomorrow, right?"
"Yes," CJ moaned. "And Marco will be there."
"Who's that again?"
"My old boyfriend."
"Well, don't do anything I wouldn't do," Toby joked.
"Seriously, why didn't you come with me?"
"Someone needed to stay around here and work."
"Did the press eat you up?"
"They love me."
"Yeah right," CJ rolled her eyes. "It's cold out here."
"Go inside."
"No, then one of two things will happen."
"Which are."
"One, some member of my family will ask who I'm talking to and will grab the phone when they realize it's you. Then you'll be talking to every member of my family all night, and never get the cribs built."
"Well, I don't think I'll get them built anyway but whatever.."
"Second, they'll be talking so loud I won't be able to hear you, and everyone will be listening to every word I say to you. Then rumor will have it we're having a torrid affair."
"Well, there have been worse rumors," Toby mentioned, reading over his instruction manual again. "I'd probably understand this thing better if it was written in Yiddish!" Toby moaned.
"I'll help you when I get home, it can't be that difficult."
"I'm telling you Claudia, a rocket scientist wouldn't understand this book."
"Claudia, who are you talking to?" Molly yelled from the kitchen door.
"My secretary," CJ lied.
"Well, hurry up." She mentioned and walked back in.
"Anything else I can do for you Ms. Cregg?" Toby joked.
"Shut up. That was the evil stepmother," CJ moaned, sitting on one of the swings out back.
"Isn't she your old English teacher?" Toby asked.
"Yes," CJ nodded. "She has a crush on you."
"That's sick," Toby shook his head. "She blind?"
"Shut up," CJ chuckled. "See, I haven't even laughed since I got here."
"You'll do fine," Toby promised. "Just think how happy your dad is to see you."
"He told me he wanted to talk to me tonight about something."
"What?"
"I don't know," CJ looked around. "This place is beautiful Toby."
"I'll buy it for you when we get older," Toby joked.
"Promise?" CJ laughed.
"I give up," Toby tossed the bag of screws across the room.
"I thought the twins were going to stay with Andy?"
"Well, whenever they stay with me I want them to have their own room and own bed, but the way it looks now they'll be sleeping with me."
"You getting excited?" CJ asked.
"Yeah," Toby said truthfully. "Of course, Andy's almost five months pregnant, so she's not a peach to be around."
"Well, she's got two babies growing inside her," CJ mentioned. "What did you expect?"
"She told me today that they should be all-stars in Soccer when they get older, with all the kicking they're doing."
"Soccer?" CJ smirked.
"That's what she says, I still swear that the boy will play for the Yankees."
"That doesn't shock me," CJ whispered.
"You should get back," Toby mentioned.
"You don't want to talk to me anymore," CJ pretended to be hurt.
"You see me everyday, enjoy the time you have with your family for a little while, even if you hate all of them but your father."
"Yeah," CJ laughed.
"You'll do fine Claudia," Toby mentioned. "I'll be waiting at the airport when you come home."
"You better believe I'll be calling you several times before then," CJ said.
"I believe that," Toby whispered. "Go in before you get sick."
"How sweet," CJ joked.
"Well, every time you get sick I get sick," Toby mentioned, trying not to sound soft. "Call me tomorrow."
"I will," CJ smiled. "You did good today with the press."
"Thank you," Toby smiled as he stood. "Go bother your family, that's an order."
"I love when you get demanding," CJ flirted. "Thanks again Toby."
"Stop thanking me. I'm going to take a vacation when you get home and I'm having you write the President's State of the Union."
"Yeah right," CJ laughed. "Good night."
"Good night," Toby nodded and hung up. "Okay, let us try this again." He moaned as he grabbed his tools.
THE END