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How Did This Happen? Chapter 7
Charlie and Colleen arrived back in Pasadena early Sunday evening. They entered the house through the kitchen, finding Alan sitting at the table, finishing off his dinner. What crossed his face could hardly be identified as a smile – although there was the possibility that he was a man feeling very unlike smiling, who was trying to do it anyway. Of course, there was also the possibility that he had gas.
He stood awkwardly and greeted his new daughter-in-law politely, without passion, introducing himself and failing to address the subject of not attending the wedding. He picked up his plate and headed for the sink. "I'm sorry I don't have a nice dinner ready for you. I wasn't sure when you would be back." Before he rinsed off his plate, he glanced for the first time at Charlie, and quickly away again as if he couldn't stand the sight. "There are lots of leftovers, of course, and some things in the freezer you could warm up – but that's hardly a nice dinner for- for newlyweds."
Colleen had been watching Charlie. Once, when she was a rookie, she had been on an assignment that went south, and her partner had been gut-shot. It was ugly, and scary, and she had never seen anything like it since.
Until now, looking at Charlie's face.
For the first time, she began to question the way this opportunity was being handled. What gave any of them the right to put somebody else through this? Damn Martinez. A little more time. If they had only had a little more time, they might have been able to come up with something else.
She cleared her throat and looked away from Charlie, to Alan. She turned up the wattage and dazzled him with her trademark smile. "Don't worry about us, Mr. Eppes. We ate so well in Santa Barbara, I'm not sure I could take another big meal right now!" She turned her internal meter up to "Tender". " Besides, Charlie has bragged so much about your cooking, I really want to be able to enjoy it!"
Alan looked away, obviously uncomfortable, and busied himself by rinsing his plate and putting it in the dishwasher. When he turned back around, drying his hands, he looked at the table. "I'm sure you're both…tired, but perhaps you have time to sit, for a few minutes?"
"Sure, Dad." Charlie escorted Colleen to Don's chair, and held it our for her. Then he took his own, looked up, and waited. Alan was still standing next to the sink.
His father sighed and half-turned, dropping the towel on the counter. He faced them fully again, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the counter. "I did some thinking over the weekend. Newlyweds hardly need company, especially during these first few months. In the morning, I'll move to a motel for a while, until I can get one of those condos I was looking at last year."
At first, Charlie was glad he was sitting down. Then he was standing up. "No! Dad, no! You stay here, in the house. Colleen and I will leave!" He saw Colleen move out of the corner of his eye, but would not look at her. At least she kept silent.
Alan looked at him. "I don't want the house, Charlie. If you'll remember, I sold it."
Charlie spoke rapidly. "You won't have to do anything. Upkeep, maintainence. I'll hire one of those management places, and they have gardeners who will take care of the lawns…Just for a couple of months, Dad, please. Colleen and I need…we need some time, to decide where we want to live."
Alan couldn't help himself. "What to you mean, where you want to live?"
Charlie scrambled, trying to think on his feet. Damn. He hated this Secret Agent stuff. "Well….you know….here, or buy another house, or rent for a while, or- or- maybe even relocate. Colleen has taken a leave of absence for the rest of the school year, but she didn't sign off her contract. We might go to San Diego. I could… I could teach at UC-San Diego, and, and the baby would have more relatives in the immediate area…" He took a breath, and finished lamely. "I'm just saying there is a lot to consider."
Alan studied his son silently. No kidding, a lot to consider. First, Charlie does something that goes so against the character Alan thought he knew, by getting the woman pregnant in the first place. Cheating on Amita like that – it still made his blood boil. Then he continues on that track, marrying the stranger in some kind of land speed record. Now, he wants to slow things down, and think. Without knowing it, Alan shook his head. Now, Charlie was even threatening to take away his grandchild. True, this was not the grandchild he had expected or particularly wanted, at first, but this was still his first grandchild. And Charlie was thinking about taking her to San Diego? "I don't understand you at all, anymore," he said tiredly.
Charlie didn't come any closer, but he tried again to make his point. He still wouldn't look at Colleen, because frankly, he didn't care what she thought. If he was in danger, his father was in danger. He didn't know why that hadn't occurred to him before. He would be damned if he let Alan wander off to live alone. A plan began to formulate at the back of his mind. "Just take your time shopping around for condos, Dad, give me a couple of months."
He suddenly headed for the door, reaching in the pocket of his jeans to make sure that his keys were there. Colleen sputtered after him. "Hey! Where are you going?"
He yelled back over his shoulder. "Got an idea."
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Considering all that Charlie had put him through in the last few days, Don didn't know why he was surprised to look out the peephole on his apartment door and see his brother in the hall.
He pulled the door open. "Let me guess. You're wondering if I know a good divorce lawyer."
Charlie scowled and pushed past him into the apartment. "Not funny, Don."
Don shut the door and turned, regarding the stranger in his hallway who used to be his brother. "Come in," he said, drily.
Charlie just stood there, and Don sighed. "You want a beer, or something?" Charlie shook his head. "Where's your…where's Colleen?"
"My house."
"Gonna have to start thinking of it as 'our house', Buddy."
Charlie suddenly leaned against the wall as if his knees would no longer support him, and Don took pity on him. Don always took pity on him, eventually. "Come and sit at the bar, or we can go into the living room?"
Charlie made is as far as the bar. He propped his elbows on it and lowered his head to his hands while Don took the stool next to him. "I'm tired," Charlie shared.
Don snickered a little. "Well. It was a honeymoon, Charlie…"
Charlie raised his head, but didn't look at him, or even bother to respond to Don's latest dig. Instead, he stared at the refrigerator. "Listen, I've got this idea. The thing is, Colleen and I need some time in a neutral place, while we decide where we're going to live. Here, San Diego, my place, a new place, an apartment… Just a couple of months. We need a couple of months."
Don wished he had gotten himself a beer, just so he'd have something to do with his hands. When Charlie mentioned the possibility of San Diego, it wasn't even his brother, or his to-be niece, or nephew, he had thought of missing first. It was Colleen. Dammit. "Yeah, I guess I can see that," he finally said, lamely.
Charlie rushed on. "I don't want Dad to have to leave the house, or to have to live there alone. I was wondering if you and I could trade spaces?"
Now Don was glad he didn't have a beer. He probably would have repeated the turkey incident. He looked at Charlie incredulously. "What?"
Charlie finally looked at him, face full of fear. "You could stay with Dad, just for a couple of months. Colleen and I would stay here. We'd pay you. Sub-let, whatever. Please, Donnie. I can't worry about Dad, right now, too…" Charlie closed his eyes and silently cursed himself. Not only did it sound like he was going to burst into tears at any second, he was giving too much away.
Don shifted next to him. Charlie cautiously opened his eyes again. He saw the worry – and something else – in Don's eyes, and turned back to staring at the refrigerator. "Sorry," he whispered. "Must be hormones, or something."
A soft laugh escaped Don. "You're not the one who's pregnant, Chuck." They sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Don spoke again. "I already have some clothes at your place. I could pack some more, I guess. This is temporary, right?"
Charlie turned to him with such hope and relief shining in his eyes that it took Don slightly aback. "Yes. Two months, tops. Don, I would so appreciate this…"
"I might have to drop by from time-to-time, to get things I need…"
Charlie was nodding his head. "Of course. Anytime. Me too, maybe."
Don thought. He reddened slightly and squirmed uncomfortably. "Um…one other thing."
Charlie waited, then encouraged him. "What?"
"Could you guys use the guest room? For one thing, no-one has since I spent all that time and money finally fixing it up. But mostly, I don't want my little brother having sex in my bed." Especially with Colleen, he added, silently.
Not a problem, Charlie returned silently. Aloud, he said only, "Don't be disgusting. We'll stay in the other room."
Don considered further. "Don't do it on the couch, either," he added.
"Fine," Charlie bit off.
Don had one last request. "Or the breakfast bar. Don't do it here."
Charlie pushed his stool back quickly, and took his arms off the bar. "What exactly are you saying?"
Don grinned at him. "You know, maybe we should talk about the bathtub…"
