At first relieved at avoiding a confrontation, Alison fetched a soft drink from the refrigerator, turned the television on, and sat on the sofa. Malinka climbed into her lap, and she held the cat and stroked it.
"Looks like it's just you and me today, Malinka," she said. She enjoyed the solitude for an hour or two, but as time passed, the house began to seem oppressively quiet. Alison realized that she was lonely, that she missed her husband, as she was unused to spending weekend afternoons without him. On impulse she grabbed her handbag and left the house.
As she walked up the driveway of her old house, she heard laughter coming from inside and instantly felt less lonely. Denny opened the door when she rang the doorbell.
"Oh, hi, Mom. Come on in," he said. Alison entered the house to see Alexei, Darya, and Fawn sitting on the floor around a Monopoly board.
"Hello, Alisonka," Alexei greeted her cheerfully. "We finished paperwork, now teach Fawn to play Monopoly. Care to join us?"
Alison suddenly wanted very badly to join in, and was soon just as absorbed as the others were in playing the game.
"I do not know about you, Alisonka, but I myself am pretty hungry," Alexei gently reminded her with a laugh after awhile.
"Oh my God, look at the time!" Alison gasped when she saw the clock.
"No go home. Stay and have dinner with us," Fawn insisted.
"Oh, no, we couldn't..." Alison began.
"You're welcome to stay. There's plenty," said Denny.
"It is very good. You can trust me." Alexei laughed.
So Alexei and Alison stayed and ate their fill of Vietnamese cuisine and stayed long afterwards, talking and laughing until quite late.
"I am very sorry, but Alisonka and I must leave. We both have to go to work tomorrow," Alexei finally said. To her surprise, Alison found herself reluctant to leave.
"You had better time today, yes?" Alexei asked on the way home.
"Why, yes, I did," Alison admitted. "I guess the pressure was off today."
"You feel pressured last night, yes?" Alexei asked thoughtfully.
"Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Alison told him. "I was a bit upset at you for not telling me that they were meeting us for dinner."
"If I had told you, you would not have agreed to come," said Alexei.
"Probably not," Alison agreed.
"Perhaps it was wrong for me to trick you," Alexei reflected. "I thought what I did was good thing. But perhaps it was wrong."
Alison sighed. "You meant well, Alexei. I know that."
They reached their house and went inside.
"You know where I was earlier today, Alexei?" asked Alison.
"Where?"
"I went to Dennis' grave and chewed him out good for having made this mess."
"Perhaps that was good thing." Alexei laughed. "Get it out of your system."
"Yeah. You know what, though? Dennis will someday have grandchildren that won't be mine."
"They will never know him."
"They'll be his grandchildren, all the same. His and that Vietnamese woman's together."
"So you wish for Fawn to remain childless so that will not happen?" Alexei's voice had a slight edge.
Alison sighed. "I want to have your baby, Alexei. Then someday you and I would have grandchildren together."
Alexei didn't say anything. Alison felt that she'd ruined what had up until then been a very pleasant afternoon and evening. A moment later, she felt Alexei's arms around her.
"I love you, Alisonka," he murmured into her hair.
"I love you too," she told him.
"I know that," he said. She clung to him, enjoying the softness and warmth and comfort of his arms around her.
"Well, aren't you just gorgeous?" Alison asked nine-month-old Tara Price. The baby grinned in response. Tara was the daughter of Annie Whittaker Price. Alexei and Alison were meeting up with Annie, Tara, and Annie's four-year-old son, Tyson, for a day on the beach.
"Do you remember me?" Alexei asked Tyson.
"Uh huh," the little boy replied. "You're the spy that talks funny."
All the adults burst out laughing. "He remembers you all right, Alexei," said Annie.
At the beach they unpacked the chairs, quilts, umbrellas, and cooler and got everything organized. Alexei helped Tyson build a sand castle while Alison and Annie held Tara's hands and walked with her along the shore.
"She's been taking steps holding onto furniture for a long time now," Annie said to Alison. "I just know she's gonna let go and take a step by herself any time now!"
"I remember Tyson was an early walker, too," Alison remarked.
Soon tiring of the sand castle, Tyson wanted to play in the water on his raft, then collect seashells along the shore.
"Here's a real pretty one!" he chortled with glee as he proudly held a seashell up for the others to see. Just then a giant wave swept the seashell out of his hand.
"My seashell!" he cried, running after it.
"No, Tyson, no!" shouted Alexei, rushing after him.
Another giant wave crashed to shore, drenching them all. When it subsided, Tyson was nowhere to be seen.