The following weekend, Charlie took Keeland, now a first grader, to the zoo. The young boy loved looking at the animals and being with his grandfather. The afternoon went well and they went to have lunch at McDonald's. After dropping the boy off at Hanna's place( She and Hugh had broken up just after the boy turned one), Charlie returned to the guest house. Alan was at his book club, so Charlie was alone, or so he thought. Sitting in the living room was Bernice Wentworth, an NSA agent. Charlie had met her before.

"We need you to decode something for us. The NSA's best code breakers were put on this and they couldn't make heads or tails."

Charlie nodded. "I'll take a look at it. Where is it?"

"You'll have to go to the usual spot."

"I'll be there." Charlie promised.

"We'll expect you to arrive there every morning until the job is finished." she warned.

"I'll make the arrangements."

With that, she left.

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Charlie made the necessary arrangements to get his classes covered, he asked Amita to cover his computer science courses.

"How long is this consulting job for the CHP going to last?" she asked.

"I don't know."

Charlie worked long hours decrypting the notebook the NSA had found on a potential terrorist. He barely saw his father, son, or girlfriend. To make things more complicated, Suruli got chicken pox. Amita and the latest part time Nanny, a Cal Sci student, did everything they could to make the poor boy less miserable.

"Where' s Dad?" Suruli asked his mother for the umpteenth time, as he lay on the couch, with his face full of red dots. It was Saturday, and Suruli had no energy, so he watched TV.

"He's working." Amita said.

"But it's Saturday." he protested.

"Sometimes your father does other jobs beside teaching, like me." Amita said.

Alan reminded him."It's what allows your parents to pay for your school."

"I'm gonna call him." Suruli dialed his father' s cell number.

"Hello?"

"Dad? When are you coming home?"

"After your bedtime, I'm afraid." Charlie answered. "How are you feeling?"

"It itches, but mom says I can't scratch." the boy complained.

"She's right. Listen to her."

"I made a new model." Suruli said.

"What kind of model?"

Suruli started to talk to him about the type of plane, and then the history of it, when Charlie reluctantly cut him off.

"I'm so sorry, I have to get back to work" Charlie promised. "I'll to make it up to you."

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Sandra sometimes complained, as well when she and Charlie talked over the phone.

"Why aren't you at work? I visited one of your classes, but your ex was teaching it. Usually you still teach during your consulting jobs."

"This particular job has a kind of urgency for the CHP." Charlie said quickly. "So I had to take time off work."

"Okay."

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Two months later Charlie finished the project, and was able to spend more time with those he cared about.

"Charlie, how much longer are you gonna live in a garage?" Sandra asked him one day, as they had dinner in a restaurant.

"It's a guest house."

"Your dad said it was a garage." she teased.

"I don't know. It depends on Suruli." Charlie shrugged. "Why? Don't you like coming over?"

"I just find it hilarious." she admitted. "That you and your father live in the garage of the house you both owned."

"I still own that house, as does Amita. I made her co owner when she and I got married."

"Most people don't go into marriage thinking that they're gonna divorce." Sandra remarked.

"Yeah..." He remembered his wedding day, how beautiful Amita looked in her dress, as Larry conducted the ceremony, but then he made himself return to the present. After dinner, they went to the guest house. As they arrived on the Eppes property, Charlie noticed Alan's car.

"Oh no!" Charlie groaned. "Dad's still here. He probably forgot it was my Friday."

" It's okay. We could go to my place...?" She suggested.

"Let's do that."

Just then, a different car come into the driveway. A strange man with dark brown hair and blue eyes drove, while Amita sat in the front seat.

"Hey?" Charlie said as she got out. "Where's Suruil?"

"With your Dad, in the guest house."

"You must be Suruli's father, right?" the man asked.

"Yes, and this is Sandra, my girlfriend."Charlie said quickly. "And you are?"

"Sam."

"Well, I was going to show Sam the Koi pond." Amita said. "The lighting is spectacular."

"I installed it." Charlie informed the man. "In just one day."

"Charlie's father designed the lighting scheme." Amita added.

"Well, we were about to go, weren't we honey?" Sandra gave Charlie a look. So the two got into Charlie's car.

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"What was that all about?" Sandra demanded as Charlie drove. "Mr. 'I installed that in one day'. "

"We happened to be on the subject." Charlie said defensively.

"And you seemed very curious about him."

"It's just that Amita was seeing this other guy, who was of Indian descent like her..."

"What's it to you who she dates as long as Suruli isn't negatively affected?" Sandra challenged him.

"I don't care." Charlie said. "It just that I get more data because I live on the same property as her!"

"What does that even mean?" Sandra asked. "Maybe you're still carrying a torch for her."

"No, I'm not. If it weren't for Suruli, I would never see her again, and she'd be living in her own place somewhere." Charlie told Sandra firmly.

Before they could argue more, Sandra got a call from work.

"Drop me off at home." she told him. "I gotta get back to work."

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Back at the Eppes home, Amita and Sam had dinner and then went into the large bathtub together. Amita filled it with warm water and bubbles. Charlie and Amita had remodeled the upstairs bathroom a few years before, and the large bathtub was one of the many changes.

"So, this isn't weird for you?" Sam asked.

"What?"

"This arrangement you have with your ex?"

"I've gotten used to it." Amita shrugged, and got into the water with him.. She had broken up with her last boyfriend, when upon visiting him at his office, she'd caught him making out with his assistant.

As they made love in the bathtub, Charlie dropped off Sandra and drove home alone. When he arrived at the guest house, Suruli was playing with his connectors, while Alan watched worked on Soduku.

"I'm back."

"So soon?"

"Sandra had to return to work." Charlie shrugged. "Have your showered Suruil?"

"Yes."

Suruli did not look up from his connectors.

"Looks like Amita has a new boyfriend." Charlie told Alan in a whisper. "I ran into him today."

"So?" Alan asked in a challenging tone. "Why should we care?"

"I didn't say that we should." Charlie sighed, "I'm going to go shower. Suruli, remember, you're going to bed in a while, so pick up your stuff in half an hour."

"Okay."

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Charlie got up from the sofa bed the next morning, Saturday, around ten. Suruli was already up eating cereal, while Alan had coffee and danishes bought from the store.

"Good morning." Charlie told them.

"Good morning." Suruli said.

Alan greeted his youngest son, "Morning, Charlie."

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. It was Amita, wearing a robe.

" Good morning everyone! Do you guys have any eggs?" she asked. "I wanna make some omelets.

"How many do you need?"

"Four."

"Here you go." Charlie got them out of the fridge and gave them to her. He could not help but feel a pang of jealousy as she returned to the main house, to her new lover.

TBC