Sarah tugged at her mother's skirt.

"Mooommy!" she whined. "I wanna go home."

Dawn turned towards the little girl.

"Sarah, be patient. Our flight-"

"All passengers, flight 234 to Connecticut is boarding at Gate 6. All passengers, flight 234 to Connecticut is now boarding at Gate 6."

"Mommy, is that us? Mommy! Mommy!"

Dawn turned to Sarah. "Yes, that's us. Come on, Sarah."

She clutched the little girls hand into her own hand, held onto her suitcase with the other hand, and hurried towards Gate 6.

Dawn was on her way…

"Jessie, we have to go. If we don't load the car now, that'll be another ten minutes, plus the two hour drive. We'll get there at least a half hour late."

"Mike, I told you, Kristy said that there isn't a fixed time. Just around six-thirty."

As Jessie said this, she was trying to pull herself out from under the pile of toys that Jason and Terry were cheerfully piling onto her.

"Mike, help! The kids are-"

Jessie broke off as she noticed her husband standing in the doorway, foot tapping impatiently. Humiliated, she tugged herself out of the mess. Her glare silenced the giggling kids.

"I expect this mess to be cleaned up within five minutes. Daddy and I are going to load up the car. We expect a CLEAN playroom when we get back."

Jessie huffily turned and faced her husband.

"Well?" she said impatiently. "Let's go."

"Right." He said briskly. "Come on. It's a long way to Stonybrook from Manhattan…"

"Gertrude, would you please put Timmy in the car! Jake's been waiting for five minutes, and he said that if we don't leave soon, we'll miss the whole thing, that's how late we're running."

Stacey glared at the maid, who reddened.

"Uh, right away ma'am. Let me just finish cleaning the den and-"

"The den was supposed to be cleaned hours ago! What have you been doing this whole time? Twiddling your thumbs?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you did tell me to give Timmy a bath and clean the den and give you a manicure. How much should I do at once?"

"Nothing very well, apparently. The den's a wreck, we're late, Timmy is wearing an outfit that he's worn twice already, and, MY NAIL IS CHIPPED!" She said the latter in a furious tone, brandishing a bright red fingernail under Gertrude's nose.

Gertrude drew back, looking embarrassed. "I-I-I'll get right to the den, just as soon as I put Timmy in the car. D-d-do you want me to redo your nail?"

"No." Stacey said impatiently, tapping he bloodred fingernails on the shiny wood table, staring at the fidgeting, young maid as she hurried out the door.

'That could have been me,' she thought, 'that could have been me, being yelled at by my bossy boss. I'll have to try to treat her much nicer…"

"Melanie, Hallie and Johnny, get down here!"

Kristy stood at the bottom of the short staircase, one hand on her hip, the other one untying her apron.

"Kids!"

"Coming!" Came the unmistakenable voice of Hallie.

"Well, hurry up. Our company's going to be here in under an hour, you know."

The 10 year old triplets came dashing down the stairs, Melanie tying her hair bow and Johnny tucking in his shirt.

"Is the baby asleep?" Kristy asked Hallie, the most responsible one of the three.

"Of course, Mom." Though Freddy was already two and a half, his family still called him 'the baby', a name that he resented with all his heart and soul.

"Good girl, Hallie." Her mother gave her an affectionate pat on the head.

Brinng

"Oh, I've got to get that. Excuse me, kids. While I'm gone, Hallie and Melanie can start setting up the paper goods, and Johnny," his mother pointed to the playroom, "please try to clean the playroom."

The kids good-naturedly sauntered off to do their jobs as their mother reached towards the ringing phone…

"Mary Anne?"

Mary Anne?"

Mary Anne shook herself out of her daze and turned to face Sharon.

"Yes?"

"The reunion is starting in less than an hour. Maybe you should start getting ready."

"I'm not going."

"Mary Anne! Why not?"

"Because who would have thought that, after twelve years, I would be the only one not married or engaged? I'm 35 ears old, and I still live at home. I don't even have a job. I'm a failure. An absolute failure." Mary Anne's voice was heavy with bitterness and self-pity.

"Mary Anne, that's not true. You have a job-"

"An hour a day. I watch a little boy for an hour a day and I get paid $20 a week. Puh-leeze. Even Logan is married with two little boys. Jay and Alan.

"Mary Anne, you have to go. They're expecting you."

"Well, then I'll call."

"Mary Anne, you can't go on feeling-"

Mary Anne turned her back on Sharon and reached over towards the end table to call Kristy…

Claudia Kishi rolled down her window, letting the breeze flow through her thick black hair. Than, as she caught sight of how she looked in he review mirror, she quickly tied on a hot pink ponytail. She was matching her hot pink leggings and tie-dyed shirt.

She turned to the young man driving the car. "Willie, are you sure you know where you're going?"

Her fiancé smiled. "Claudia, of course I know. I lived in Stonybrook until ninth grade, remember?"

"Yes, I know, you were in my physics class."

"Exactly. With Mr. Kohn."

Claudia smiled. "With his big, bushy mustache."

"And bald head."

The couple laughed as they slowly pulled down Parkside Avenue.

"Number 45, number 45." Claudia mumbled under her breath.

"There!" She pointed to a small brown house surrounded by a wire gate and trees.

"Great, let's go in."

Will parked the car, came around, and smiled reassuringly at Claudia.

"Come on Laudy," He said, using his pet name.

She grinned, and they headed up the path to house number 45…