But I didn't expect what happened next: The gang arrived, and I was still kissing your mother. But we didn't even notice! We were in a world of our own… but the next thing I heard was your aunt Lily scream of excitement.


We quickly split up, and turned to face them, and they all had smiles on their faces, except for your uncle Ted.

"Oh my God! I can't even believe this is finally happening! Oh my gosh I am so happy!" Screamed your aunt Lily, who came over and hugged us, and then she turned to Marshall with a very serious expression "Pay up."


"Pay up what?" asked Mia

"Oh, that's right, I didn't tell you… You see, for your uncle Marshall and aunt Lily, married life turned out to be a little boring (but not for your mother and me, we completely rocked marriage), so they, to keep entertained, started to make bets to play with the rest of the gang's life, that being: me, your mother and your uncle Ted. So eventually, with time, your uncle Marshal bet Lily for 20 bucks that your uncle Ted and your mother would end up together"

"Why would he bet that?" Asked Josh

"Oh, because your mother and your uncle Ted dated! For a year I think. But eventually they broke up because they wanted different things in life. And then your mom went to Brazil or something, and came with some Mexican crazy guy, who she broke up with after a very short time. A few years later, your uncle Ted fell in love with your mom again, but she didn't love him back. Ted was devastated but he eventually moved on."


There, for the first time, your uncle Marshal looked like he had looked into the future. He made a face so weird that I cannot even begin to describe it. This face lasted for 4 minutes, and Lily was so worried that we thought that we had to take him to the hospital.

Then your uncle Marshall looked to your mother and me and then he turned to Lily and he gave her 20 bucks.

Your mother was radiant, because she felt comforted knowing that our friend supported us and thought that our relationship would be for long term.

"You are really paying up?!" Screamed Ted

"Yes, I am. I can finally see that they are made for each other" Marshall said

"What?! You are losing 20 bucks!" Ted said even louder.

Kids, by this time, your mother was getting less and less confident, and started to feel sadder, she hated that your uncle didn't approve us. So I had to step in.

"What is your problem Ted?!"

"You're making a mistake! You too are never gonna last! I mean… two commitment-phobic people together?! What are you guys thinking?"

"Ted, I am sorry if we are bothering you. But the things that Robin and I do (mistakes or not) are none of your business, therefore it is not your job to control us. I love Robin, and thank God for some kind of miracle, she loves me too. So we're gonna be together as long as we want. For me, we can stay together for the rest of our lives. But you have no say in anything we do, get that?!" I was screaming by then…

Your uncle Ted seemed mortally embarrassed and he just left the bar.

"We better go get him…" said Lily grabbing Marshall's hand

And so they left.

"Did you mean that?" Asked Robin interrupting my thoughts

"What?"

"What you said to Ted, about us being together for the rest of our lives?" A little smile cracked her lips.

"No"


"DAD!? Again?!" Screamed Mia

"Wait for it! I was about to say something romantic! Jeez…"

"Oh! Sorry, carry on please…"


At that moment your mother looked terribly sad, so sad that I regretted saying it.


"Oh… I see, than why did we even considered started dati…?!" I saw tears in her eyes

"… Till the rest of our lives isn't enough…" I said interrupting her.

"What?" Her surprise was immense, but she was also smiling, what made my heart skip a beat.

"Maybe forever isn't enough either…! What is enough…? I asked her philosophically.

"Oh Barney!" Then she threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly "You scared me, you know?"


"Oh Dad! You're so cute when you want to!" said Mia excitedly

"Thanks, now there is no need to tell you what happened next so…"

"We wanna know what happened next! Every detail in this story is important, I have got to hand it to you, dad. You are a better story teller than Uncle Ted…" added Josh

"We had legendary sex in the bar's lady's bathroom and your mother…"

"BA! BA! We don't need to hear that! I was wrong, okay? Sorry! Sorry!"

"I told you so. Now, in the next few weeks following that day, your mother and I were in what we could call our "Honey moon stage". We had sex in everywhere that had a bed… or a sofa… or just floor… or…"

"Okay Dad! We get the picture!"

"Sorry, anyway, your mother and I were great, we eventually made peace with your uncle Ted, he told us how sorry he was he had just broken up with this chick Victoria and he was the only one in the gang no near to having what he most desired: The perfect girl and a family with her. But Ted was to "Picky", she had to be perfect and when he did get in a relationship he always chose the wrong girls because, like your mother, they never want kids or marriage, among other things.

By the time we reached December, you're mother and I had been dating for 2 months, and I was in serious trouble because I didn't know what to get her for Christmas, and your mother just made me even more nervous she said she had the perfect gift for me. What to get her? What to get her? I didn't know, but then I came up with a brilliant idea…"

"A brilliant idea that left me devastated… well at least at first…" said someone else.