Chapter 37

"Donny!"

"Mitchie, teal or gold?"

"Donny, I've been waiting for your call for days!" Mitchie said, nervously.

"Mitchie…you didn't answer my question." Donny said.

"Uhhhh…teal? Gold? What for?" Mitchie asked, utterly confused now.

"Just choose."

"I don't know...Teal?" Mitchie said hesitantly.

"Teal it is, then." Donny said, sounding satisfied with Mitchie's choice.

"Donny when will you be back?" Mitchie asked, sounding bothered.

"Soon." Donny answered playfully. "Just wait for me."

Donny had been the one bothering Mitchie's mind every single night. She waited for him to get in touch with her – wanting so badly to make him come home – not because she missed him so much - but so that they could get things over with. Mitchie put the phone down, blowing a sigh of frustration.

"Daddy! Stop!"

Mitchie peeked into to the living room and smiled to find Shane and Sasha playing on the floor. Sasha kicked and screamed as she tried to wiggle out of Shane's tickles.

"No daddy! No!"

"Daddy…" Mitchie thought to herself. Sasha had gotten used to calling Shane that.

Life had been great the past few weeks…if not only for her problem with Donny. She woke up to brighter days knowing that she would see Shane. They spent the mornings together having coffee, spending time at Nell's library/art gallery reading the first few pages of books or just talking. Then they would pick Sasha from school – just like they were a family.

"You make such a lovely couple." an elderly woman once told them while they were buying treats for Sasha at a local gas station/convenience store. She and Shane had blushed at that time but they played along, even proudly showing Sasha's picture to the old woman. "Such a lovely child." the lady said before driving away in her vintage car. It had been so easy to play along. She felt so at ease. She felt comfortable that they were somehow back to what they used to be. That was what her relationship with Shane was right now – comfortable. They were 'friends' in all the sense of the word but she wanted it to be more than that and she secretly wished Shane would too. But she dared not say anything for fear of rejection. What they had now was better than nothing. Little did she know that Shane felt the same way.

Mitchie cleared her throat intentionally.

"Mommy!" Sasha cried out, pulling away from Shane's embrace. She had laughed so hard there were tears in her eyes. "Daddy, that really hurt!" Sasha said, pouting.

"Sorry…Won't do it again." Shane said standing up. "So mommy's back, I think I better go." he stated.

"Go where?" Mitchie said looking worried but not trying to sound like she was pleading.

"None of your business, mommy!" Sasha said, jumping up and down the couch.

"Sasha!" Mitchie reprimanded and then glared at Shane. "Not even a teenager yet, and you're already giving me attitude?"

"Now you know how your mom feels." Shane muttered.

Mitchie glared at him.

"Yeah…I better go." Shane said, acting like he was nervous. "But I'll be back soon!" he said shutting the door behind him.

Sasha giggled heartily as she flopped down the couch and Mitchie couldn't help but laugh as well.

"So you seem to be enjoying yourself…"

"You bet!"

"I know it's bad timing, but can you help me?"

Caitlyn was so shocked to see Shane standing right in front of her.

"About what?" Caitlyn stuttered, totally caught off guard, with her sweats and messy hair.

"Mitchie."

"What's wrong with Mitchie?" Caitlyn asked worried.

"Uhmmm…she's having a birthday coming up and she's turning a year older?" Shane answered, confused, knowing very well that Mitchie was absolutely fine since he had been spending every single day with her.

"Oh…"

Shane and Caitlyn stared at each other in silence.

"Would you like to come in?" Caitlyn asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah…thanks!" Shane answered, obviously still confused. "Nice place." he added, looking around.

"Thanks." Caitlyn said smugly, haphazardly removing magazines, pillows and blankets from the couch. "So what was it that you needed help with again?" she asked, finally sitting down.

"Mitchie's birthday…" Shane started.

"Now you're talking!" Caitlyn thought, with a satisfied grin on her face.

"I'm sure you know about everything she had gone through the past few years…you know between us…Sasha…" Shane rambled.

Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I know!"

"I just thought this would be a good way to make it up to her…So I was wondering…could you help me?" Shane said, pleading.

"Of course! Anything for Mitchie." Caitlyn said standing up, very enthused.

"Really?" Shane asked, not believing what he had just heard. But then again, he's asking for help and that's what he's getting.

"So what do you have in my mind?" Caitlyn asked, reaching for a pen and paper.

Shane was silent for a moment. "Actually, that's the problem." he started. "I don't have any ideas…or at least good ones."

"Right." Caitlyn said. "Well you've come to the right place!"

"Mommy?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Are you and daddy getting back together?"

Mitchie almost choked on her sandwich. But then again, it wasn't like she hasn't thought about this.

"No…"she answered. "Not yet." she thought to herself.

"It seems like it."

"Sasha…now stop meddling with…with…my problems." Mitchie said, trying to sound reprimanding. She didn't want to look too desperate even in front of Sasha. And most of all, she didn't want to get her daughter's hopes up too high.

"But you're my parents, mommy. It is my problem."

Mitchie stared at Sasha, thinking again whether her daughter was really four or forty.

"I know." she smiled. "But we're trying our best, aren't we? Aren't we having fun right now?"

Sasha nodded.

"See."

But Mitchie knew deep in her heart that it wasn't enough.

"Everything's ready!" Caitlyn squealed into the receiver, Shane had to move the phone away from his ear.

"That fast?" he asked, surprised.

"It's Mitchie's birthday today, isn't it?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah."

"Then we're supposed to be ready!"

"And she didn't call me for nothing, Bozo!" another voice on the other line said.

"Oh yeah, you're on speaker phone! Say hi to Ella!" Caitlyn revealed with the same squealing voice.

"Hi Ella…Well…thanks…" Shane said, overwhelmed. "So what do I have to do?"

"Okay. Listen up, kiddo." Ella started. "Since the both of us have families of our own now. We can't really party all we want anymore."

"Okay…" Shane said, listening intently.

"So we planned a date for the two of you instead of a party for like…everyone!" Caitlyn revealed, like Shane just won a million dollars.

"Oh…But…I don't think Mitchie will like that." Shane said, trying not to sound too desperate although he really loved the idea. But then again, he still had doubts.

"Are you retarded?!" Ella asked.

"She's going to love this!" Caitlyn squealed like an excited school girl.

"You sound like you don't trust us." Ella added.

"No! I do! Really…It's just that…" Shane said, defensively.

"…You don't trust us." Ella said, finishing his sentence.

"I do! I'm just…nervous."

"Shut up, you!" Ella snapped. "You'll never know what nervous is unless you get married!"

"Yeah…" Caitlyn reiterated.

"So listen…This is what we're going to do…"