Chapter 7

CHARLES

Waking up Sunday morning Charles is remembering the kisses he shared with Liza the night before. He thinks about how they met in the diner, but if they hadn't, then it seems that Julia had plans to fix him up with Liza, were they fated to meet?

He completes his morning workout routine, he has worked up a sweat trying to get that kiss off his mind, he is not successful. With his workout finished, sweat dripping off his body, he jumps in the shower and tries not to think of her as the water runs hot over his skin, he was not successful.

Getting out of the shower he dries off, dresses and heads down to the kitchen to fix breakfast for his girls. He expects today will be fun filled, as his cousin Jamie is dropping off her kids to spend the day with the girls.

"Good morning daddy!" Bianca comes downstairs and runs to him and hugs him around his legs.

"Good morning baby. Did you sleep well? I'm fixing pancakes, are you hungry?" He picks her up and swings her around and gives her a kiss on the cheek. He is very happy this morning and in a great mood. Bianca giggles as he twirls her around.

"Yay! Pancakes!" she squeals.

"Where is Nicole? Is she on her way down?" Charles asks.

"She was just waking up when I was leaving the room." Bianca states.

"Will you go get her sweetie? Tell her breakfast is almost ready." Charles asks as Bianca runs up the stairs screaming Nicole's name.

At about noon Charles' cousin and her kids show up for their play date. Charles is busy with them, as now he has a total of five children running around his house, his two girls and his cousin's daughter and twin sons. There are all sorts of laughing and singing happening today from the kids. They are playing board games and playing with dolls. Thankfully his cousin brought some toys for the boys, so when the girls were playing with their dolls, the boys had things to also play with. He ordered pizza for the kids and after they had played most of the day and finished the pizza, they all decided on watching a movie. As the movie is ending Charles has five sleeping children laid out around his living room and thinks, 'looks like a good idea, this has been an exhausting day, I bet I sleep good tonight'.

Later that evening the girls are tucked in bed. Charles fixes a bourbon and picks up his phone. He is exhausted but is looking forward to calling Liza. He texts first to make sure it's not too late for a call.

Charles: 'Is it too late to call you?'

As he is waiting for her response his phone rings and it is Liza. "Hello Charles."

"Hello Liza, I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. I've had a house full of kids today. My cousin dropped her three kids off for a play date with the girls." He takes a sip of his drink and lays back on the sofa. He likes that she called him, she doesn't have a problem taking the initiative.

"It sounds like you've had a very fun day. Five kids! Did you have anyone over to help you or was it just you amongst five munchkins?" She giggles and thinks he's a great dad.

"Nope just me with five munchkins. I was so outnumbered Liza, I really wish I had tomorrow off, I could use some time to recuperate from today."

"I think we should get you a Superman t-shirt! I know that Caitlin had a few of those days and nights where she felt the need to have several friends over at one time and lord it kicked my butt every time. So good for you Charles Brooks! You survived, the kids survived, and all is good with the world."

"At least the next visit will be my girls spending time at my cousins. We've decided that we will trade off visits. I never dreamed how crazy today would be when I suggested that they come over for the day. I thought they'll play, and I'll feed them lunch, but Liza they still felt the need to include me in all their shenanigans. At one point they wanted to put ribbons and bows in my hair and thank god there is no make up in the house, because I'm sure if we did, it would have been applied to my face." He chuckles and rubs his forehead. "The things we do for our kids."

"Please tell me you took pictures of today!" She is wanting to see all the fun that went on with his kids.

"I did." He smiles.

"Please tell me you have pictures of you getting your hair fixed by the girls. Please say you do and please let me see!" She can only imagine what he must have looked like.

"I don't know, I've already admitted to you that I cried reading Charlotte's Web, if I send over a picture of me with ribbons and bows in my hair, then I'm sure I'll forever lose my man card." He thinks, 'why did I tell her that I took pictures?'

"You don't have to send the pictures of you if you don't want too."

He opens his pictures app on his phone and sends pictures of the kids playing board games, eating pizza and one of Charles with the kids in the background crashed out while the movie was playing.

"I've sent a few pictures of the kids. Did you get them?"

"Wow these are great Charles. I love the one of them crashed out."

"I loved when they crashed out! It was probably the best part of the day. Believe me, I wanted to be taking a big nap at that time too."

As they are talking, he sends one more picture. It is a picture of Charles, with all three girls after they have put ribbons and bows in his hair.

"Wait one more just came through." Liza immediately starts laughing. "Oh, Charles this is great! You look so pretty!" She teases.

"Yeah, pretty, that was what we were going for." He teases back and chuckles.

LIZA

As she is talking to Charles about his Sunday with his kids, she thinks that this man is a good dad. Her ex-husband never spent the day with Caitlin and several of her friends, he always left that for Liza to take on. It wasn't easy and to think that Charles was willing to do it warms her heart.

"Did you do anything today Liza?"

"Not a lot, I've started reading a new book. Maggie and I cleaned the loft a little. For the most part, I had an easy Sunday."

"I guess I could have asked you over to help out with the kids. That way I wouldn't have been so outnumbered. Maybe next time." He smiles and thinks 'I'd like to have her over. Maybe to cook dinner for her and maybe she'd like to meet my girls. Whoa Charles, you barely know this woman, maybe you should wait before you introduce her to the girls'.

"Oh, Charles if I had been there, then there would have been make-up. Do you really think that would have been wise?" Liza thinks, 'if you would have asked, I would have been there in a heartbeat.'

"Considering how exhausted I am currently, yes I'd take the chance of wearing make-up versus one man trying to keep up with five children. I feel like I've run a marathon, well I'm guessing this is what one feels like after running a marathon, I've never actually ran a marathon before."

"Next time you should ask me over then. I don't know if I'd be much help, but I'd try. And afterwards we could be exhausted together."

"It would be nice to have another adult to keep me company. I promise Liza, next time I'm not only inviting my cousin's kids over, but I'm asking you over. Hopefully, you'll help out a friend in need." He chuckles.

She thinks 'I'd love to hang out with him and see him as a father. If he is serious about having her over, I'd accept.'

"You mentioned that you were reading today. What are you reading Liza?" He waits for her response.

"I'm starting The Invisible Man, I just finished Cold Mountain. Have you read Cold Mountain?"

"I have, it is a very good novel. What did you think of it?"

"It was beautiful. Do you have any favorite quote from it, Charles?" She wants to follow their theme of favorite quotes from great novels.

"I do actually." He smiles and quotes, 'No matter what a waste one has made of one's life, it is ever possible to find some path to redemption, however partial'. "To me it means that sure we've made mistakes along the line, but we can learn from them and be better by taking away from that experience and hopefully do better because we learned from it."

"And one other is", 'That's just pain. It goes eventually. And when it's gone, there's no lasting memory. Not the worst of it anyway. It fades. Our minds aren't made to hold on to the particulars of pain the way we do bliss. It's a gift God gives us, a sign of His care for us.' "This helps when I think of when I lost my father. It was so painful, for my heart any way. His death was sudden, he wasn't sick. He was a good father and we were close. Eventually the pain in my heart went away, thankfully the memories did not. I'm very thankful that we are given the gift of our memories."

Liza thinks 'lord, here he goes again, his knowledge and his openness is so fucking sexy'. His knowledge of literature, it is a very attractive trait.

"Charles, that is so beautiful. I'm sorry about your father. I hope that someday you will tell me stories about your times together. I lost my mother years ago, so I know it isn't easy to lose a parent. I do agree, that the pain does subside, but thankfully we have memories to help us carry on."

"So, Liza tell what your favorite quotes are?" He waits. She doesn't know it, but he feels something different for this woman. He really appreciates that she loves literature. He really appreciates that fate has brought them together.

"Ah, there are a few, but I'll narrow it down to a couple" and she quotes. 'She wondered if literature might lose some of its interest when she reached an age or state of mind where her life was set on such a sure course that the things she read might stop seeming so powerfully like alternate directions for her being.' "When I read this, I thought that it resonated with my life while I was in a marriage that really wasn't heading in a good direction. But I have to say that books were still part of my heart, and I don't know what I would do if it weren't for great literature. It is a great escape for me at times, I love getting lost in the story I'm reading, I love dreaming about them at night. It may sound strange, but…"

"No, it's not strange Liza. I have to say that quote does mean something to me as well. I know what it is like to be heading in a direction that you feel isn't the direction you planned or expected to take. You think, where did I take a wrong turn, and did I realize I was taking a wrong turn when I took it?"

"Charles, you are so easy to talk too. I'm glad you have become a friend."

"Me too Liza. So, what is you other favorites Liza?" He wants to know what she likes. He doesn't know why, but then he does know why. There is something about her that he never wants the conversations they have to end.

"Okay, well there is." 'He had been alone in the world and empty for so long. But she filled him full, and so he believed everything that had been taken out of him might have been for a purpose. To clear space for something better.'

"Well that one is also a good one. Why is this one a favorite?" He asks and wonders if she will tell him.

"Oh, to think that something we do, or the person we are, can become the reason why great love comes into our life, it is a beautiful feeling. I can only hope that I could make someone feel that way, or someone could make me feel that way about him."

"We can only hope that we are that person Liza. We all deserve that great love."

"Not to change the subject, but I've made reservations for Saturday night for dinner at The River Café in Brooklyn. Are you still willing to go out with me?" He asks.

"I'm looking forward to our date Saturday Charles. I've never been there but I have heard great things about the place."

"I think it will be nice, they have great food and it's in Brooklyn. I have a friend that is a chef there and he has promised to take good care of us. I can pick you up around 6:30, our reservations are at 7 o'clock."

"Great, 6:30 it is then."

After about an hour of conversation, they decide it's time to head to bed, they both have busy work days ahead of them tomorrow.

"Good night Liza, I'll call you."

"Good night Charles, I hope you sleep well."

"Oh, I'm thinking I'll sleep quite well tonight. My old dad bod is ready for the rest."

Liza giggles as they hang up, suddenly thinking about his 'dad bod'. She also sleeps well and has a nice dream about a tall handsome man reading a book to her.