AN: I actually thought it would take me longer to have this posted, but the words were just flowing onto the computer screen. The ending to this chapters rather abrupt, but if I write much more, I'll be going into the next chapter.
Mark woke up on a dreary, rainy Saturday morning to the smell of coffee brewing and the sound of his family talking and laughing in the Condo's kitchen. A smile broke out on his face as he crawled out of bed. Emily always had a tendency to go all out in making breakfast on Saturdays, and today was no exception. Coffee was being prepared over the family hotplate, with hot chocolate for the children, and the addition of a pitcher of orange juice, the sides of the liquid-filled pitcher already collecting moisture. Arranged on the metal table were fresh, warm biscuits with softened butter beside them, French toast, a plate of homemade waffles, and warmed maple syrup. Mark stood for a moment, just looking at the group of people sitting at the table. Zack and Rodolfo were chatting away about a movie that had just came out the other day, Lucia was happily eating her breakfast, swinging her feet back and forth under the table, and Penny was on the phone, most likely talking to James. A short distance from the metal table, the family pets, Wenceslas the potbellied pig and Maya the cat, were contently eating the contents of their food dishes. By the sink, Emily was washing the pans she'd used to make breakfast, but she looked up when Mark entered the room. Returning his smile, she walked over to give him a quick kiss.
"Good morning, sweetie," she greeted.
"Morning, Emily," Mark replied, pulling out a chair next to Zack, just as the frizzy-haired boy downed the last few bites of his waffle. The second he was finished, he and Rodolfo got up from the table to deposit their dishes next to the sink.
"See you later, everyone!" the boys announced, pulling on their rain slickers and sneakers.
"Wait, where're you two going?" Mark questioned, surprised by their sudden departure.
"Oh, we told Alvin we'd meet him at the arcade today," Rodolfo explained. "There's a special event down there today. The game machines give out twice as many tickets then they usually do."
"Yeah, we might be able to get enough to get that cool plasma ball this time," Zack explained. "Well, we better get going. See you later, Dad."
"Don't spend more then five dollars each on those games!" Emily called after them.
"We won't," the boys chorused as they dashed out of the Condo.
As Mark let out a sigh, Penny, who had finished talking with James on the phone, came around to give him a 'good morning' hug. The hug was interrupted when Lucia started tugging on Penny's arm.
"Come on, Penny!" Lucia grinned. "We'll be late."
"Don't tell me you're going to the arcade, too?" Mark blinked.
"Of course not," Penny laughed. "You know Rodolfo and Zack are the only ones who have fun down there. Lucia has a play date with her friend, Julie today. I said I'd drop her off on the way to the movies. I'm meeting James down there. It's Sammy's birthday, so we're taking him to see that new Pixar film, followed by lunch at this burger restaurant."
"Oh. Well, have fun," Mark waved as his two daughters left. Once they had gone, he gave another sigh, glancing up at Emily, who had just finished with the dishes. "And here I was hoping to have a Family Day, and head out to the museum or something." The filmmaker shook his head. "But I guess it's just you and me, today." Emily instantly frowned, and looked really sorry about something.
"Oh, Mark, I wish you'd said something earlier," Emily groaned. "I…. I'd already made plans to go window shopping with Maureen and Joanne today." Mark's shoulders immediately slumped. "But I could always cancel if you want to…." Emily started speaking quickly, not wanting to see him so disappointed, but Mark forced a smile, waving a hand to tell her to stop.
"It's fine, Emily. You go and have fun with Maureen and Joanne."
"But…"
"Emily, it's fine!" Mark insisted. "I probably have some film to edit for work, anyway. You go and have fun with Maureen and Joanne. Don't worry about me."
"You sure?" Emily was still hesitant. She could tell Mark had really wanted to spend the day with his family, and still felt guilty about heading out.
"I'm more then sure. Now go on. Tell the girls I said 'hello', okay?"
"Okay," Emily gave in, placing a loving kiss to his cheek before grabbing her bag and leaving the Condo as well. Mark kept his smile for a while after she left, and started to go through the bedroom closet to try and pick out some clothes for the day. But as he did so, his eyes fell on a picture that had been taped to the back of the closet door, and his smile faded. In the picture, he was sitting in a booth inside the Life Café, between two other men. Roger and Collins.
It had been over ten years, but he never stopped missing his old friends, the people who'd been like a brother and an uncle to him, and he knew he'd never stop missing them. That familiar ache was always strongest in moments like this. He loved his family, he truly did. But there were many times when he still found himself alone. They all had friends they were able to spend time with on the side. Rodolfo and Zack usually hung around with Benny's son, Alvin, Lucia had Julie to play with, and Penny was spending more and more time with James and his little brother, Sammy. As for Emily, she still had Maureen and Joanne to spend 'girl time' with. But him, on the other hand; the people he'd always had 'guy time' with were gone. The only person left was Benny, but between his work at the office, and his own family, he was usually too busy. And on such short notice, there was no chance he'd be able to even spend a few minutes on the phone. Closing the closet door, Mark decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to call into work, to see if they needed him for anything today. At least that way, he could keep himself occupied.
For the third time that day, Mark let out a sigh, picking up his old Bolex, which resided on the shelf by the window, next to Emily's Nikon FM2. The two cameras had taken a place of honor on that shelf since the day Mark and Emily had to upgrade to a camera that recorded sound and one of the new digital cameras respectfully. With an ironic smile, he held the Bolex out so the lens was facing him.
"Close up on Mark Cohen," Mark spoke to the empty room, "who, despite having a fair-sized family, is still alone." As he returned the camera to its previous mantle, he felt something rub against his leg. Looking down, he saw Maya staring up again, giving a soft 'mew', as if to say 'we're still here.' A tiny smile formed on Mark's face as he picked up the grey and white cat, petting her back as he carried her back to the living room area, with Maya purring in contentment.
"Thanks for trying, Maya," Mark chuckled, placing the cat on the floor next to Wenceslas. "But it's not the same. You understand, right?" Maya just gave another soft 'mew,' blinking up at Mark. "Come on, Maya. I know you miss… oh, what am I doing? I'm so lonely, I'm talking to the cat now." Shaking his head in hopes to snap him out of it, Mark returned to his room to get dressed, so he'd be ready to head into work if they needed him that day.