"Nice to meet you Daryl. My little girl is Sophia, who by the way seems to have charmed Ella. Look at them."

Carol and Daryl watched the girls who were already making up a game to play.

He tilted his head and chuckled a bit. "She is such a surprise. Here she is playing with a girl she never seen before when she is usually so quiet."

"Kids can sense a common spirit I think. Sophia is very reserved for her age. But you wouldn't know it with how she is right now."

"So what brings you here on a weekday Carol?"

"Mini celebration getaway with my parents. Three days to have fun. Their idea of fun is the spa and the slots though, so we are here at the pool until they get their fill of pampering."

"Sounds fun. My brother got hitched last night. He works here and got us a room for a few more days. He is on his way to Vegas now. Unbelievable. He works in a casino and goes to Vegas for his honeymoon."

Laughing Carol looked back at the girls and didn't know what to say next. She wasn't very open around strangers in general and men in particular. Too many years of being accused of looking at a man while with Ed she guessed. She let the conversation lapse, but the silence was not uncomfortable. They just sat and watched their girls.

After awhile, Daryl broke the silence. "Is her dad here celebrating too?"

He saw the stark look Carol tried to hide.

"Sorry. Just curious is all."

"It's fine. Actually he is why we are here. We are celebrating him being gone." She didn't say any more or elaborate in any way.

"I see. I had one of those celebrations myself once." He didn't elaborate either and Carol felt herself relax a bit.

"When we get back to Atlanta Sophia and I will be able to spread out a bit more and have more fun in our lives. That is what this is for her – the first time in her life she can have some real fun without worrying about consequences."

He just hummed a bit and let his eyes go back to watching the girls in the pool.

"Daddy, guess what?!"

"What's up bug?"

"Sophia is so cool! She knows how to braid hair and she is in school already and she has a purple disc that she dives under the water for and . . . . "

"I'm glad you had fun bug. But right now, lets get you back into clothes and get you warmed up."

"Can we play again later?"

"We will see."

They had made it almost all the way back to the hotel room and Ella had not stopped to breathe once. Her chattering about her new friend Sophia had taken on a life of it's own. Carol and Daryl had chatted for the time they were down there, but about nothing more of importance. He had no idea what the next few days held for Carol and her daughter, but if his kiddo had anything to say about it, they would be seeing each other again. He couldn't help but think that he wouldn't mind that at all either. Besides the obvious that Carol was very good looking; they both had kids on their own. Daryl had been a single parent for most of Ella's life and relished the connections he had with other parents in the same situation. Usually that meant mothers, but Daryl had never gone there even in his mind. He wouldn't do that to Ella. One mother had left her and he wasn't about to put her in the situation where she would lose another. If he had to remain single the rest of her childhood, then so be it. He was prepared for that. He was better alone. So why couldn't he forget the blue eyed woman who had laughed so easily with him pool side?

"Mom, why are we walking through the casino when I can't play any of the games?"

"Because little girl, the buffet is in the middle of all of these games. That is where we are meeting grammy and grampy for dinner."

"So unfair that I can't play even one! Look there is even a Little Mermaid game. Why would they have those if kids can't play?!"

"I don't know Sophia, guess they believe in getting target marketing in early."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. There's the buffet sign. And there's grammy and grampy."

Sophia ran up to them and hugged them. She had not seen them in quite some time. Carol expected her non-stop chatter about school, her new room in their apartment, etc. What Carol did not expect is the long winded non breather of a moment by moment replay of all the fun she had with Ella at the pool. Carol just looked at Sophia somewhat dazed, wondering where she put that much breath in those little lungs.

Carol looked at her parents and just shook her head. She came up to them for a loose hug. They were trying. They were trying NOW. Carol had to forget the past. They were trying to be parents and grandparents NOW.

"I'm starving, let's eat." said Carol.

The whole time they were sitting at the buffet, Andrew and Dixie (Carol's parents) engaged Sophia in lively discussions. Carol was brought into the conversation, but it was awkward. She knew her parents loved her. They had tried to be the "cool parents" when she was growing up – letting her do her own thing. When she married Ed they had tried to be the "there if you need us parents" which basically meant that they didn't ask what was wrong and instead waited for Carol to come to them. She hadn't. She had let her daughter live 6 years in hell. She hated herself every day for not going to her parents. They would have helped. She was always worried that their version of helping would be trying to get her and Ed to stay together. So she bided her time and then informed them of the situation only when she and Sophia left. She had been surprised that they had been worried about her for some time. Why had they not said anything? That distance was one of the issues Carol wanted to repair over this vacation. She hoped she got some one on one time with her parents. She didn't see that happening unless Sophia was asleep though, and her parents were the early to bed type. She would have to see what happened.

All of a sudden it seemed like she was the odd man out. Sophia, Andrew and Dixie were having a ball. Carol couldn't help but feel the odd man out. She also knew that she was the only one making it so. Time to grow up Carol! She hoped she got a moment to run to a store. Maybe getting her hair color back would give her a spark she needed. Then there was Daryl. Why was she hoping so much to see him again tomorrow?

"That's it Carol" she told herself. You are here for you and your daughter and your parents. Stop thinking of that slab of manhood at the pool.