"What do you want to do first, girls?" Carol asked as she and the twins approached the park where they chose to spend their afternoon.
"Swing!"
"Slide!"
"Swing!!"
"Slide!!"
"Girls, girls!" Carol held up her hands. "Let's slide and *then* swing." Kate smiled gleefully, happy at getting her way. "But let's take off our 'blades first."
"OK, Mom." Tess sighed dramatically and led the way to the bench where they all sat down and removed their rollerblades. Carol had to admit, they were better rollerbladers than their father.
"Arf!" Ringo made his leash a taut string, lunging towards a passing cat.
"Stop that, Ringo!" Carol scolded.
"Let's slide now!" Kate cried, swiftly removing her skates and putting her special sparkly purple sneakers on.
"Kate, I told you not to wear those here. Those are for school." Carol chastised.
"Mo-om, can't I wear them? Just this once?" Kate pleaded.
"Alright, but if they get dirty, you are going to be the one washing them, Katherine Hathaway." She replied.
"Fine." Kate grumbled a bit but then cheered up. "Can we go slide now?"
"Go on." Carol waved them off and watched them run off. "Keep your sweaters on!" She cried as they slid down the slide happily for ten whole minutes before returning to the bench breathlessly.
"That was fun!" Kate smiled hugely.
"Can we swing now?" Tess whined.
"Hey, girls." A man on a bike rode up to them, stopping short in front of their bench.
"Hi, Doug!" The twins cried together.
"Arf!"
"And hello to you, too, Ringo."
"Hey, Doug, what are you doing here?" Carol asked.
"My shift doesn't start for an hour so I came to the park." He explained, taking off his helmet and wiping his forehead with his biking-gloved hand. "I used to come here with my mom when I was a kid."
"*You* used to come *here*?" Tess repeated incredulously.
"Yeah, when I was little like you two." Doug said, tugging on her braid.
"We're not little!" Kate cried. "We're almost six!"
"Oh? When's your birthday?" Doug asked as he put down his kickstand.
"November 27th!" They chorused.
"Oh, why didn't I think of that?" he said and Carol watched Doug's face contort itself as if he had a big problem on his mind.
"Come push me on the swings, Doug!" Tess shouted, tugging on his hand.
"No, push me!" Kate yelled, tugging on his other hand.
"Why don't I push you both?" he suggested.
"But I-"
"Tess..." Carol warned.
"Alright." Tess groaned, taking Doug's hand and pulling him to the swing set with Kate in tow. Carol watched him push them alternatively, the thought occurring to her that this was how it could have been. How it could have been if he had stayed or if she had told him. They would've been a family and he would've taken them to the park and to school and to Tess's junior acting classes and Kate's gymnastic meets. She shook her head to banish those thoughts that would never be. She wouldn't let her heart get broken again. Not by Doug, even if she loved him.
Again.
Which she certainly didn't.
"Higher, Doug, higher!" cried Kate.
"Sure." Doug said and did as he was ordered. "Do you want to go higher, too, Tess?" Tess shook her head vigorously, looking scared. "Something wrong, Tess?"
"I...can't br...breathe." She stammered, her shoulders heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
"Let's stop." Doug pulled her swing to a standstill. "Kate go get your mom, ok?"
"OK." Kate nodded and ran off to get Carol.
"Tess, breath slow, ok?" he instructed. "Big long breaths." Tess nodded and did so.
"Tess, sweetheart, are you okay?" Carol asked, crouching to her level.
"I need my inhaler." She gasped.
"Alright, Kate's getting it." Carol squeezed her hand affectionately.
"It isn't here, Mom!" Kate shouted from the bench where their picnic basket was, Ringo guarding it faithfully.
"Shit, I must've left it at home." Muttered Carol.
"Let's drive you home and get your inhaler, Tess." Doug advised.
"That's gonna be a problem, since we bladed here." Carol said sadly. She touched Tess's cheek. "Doug, does she look odd to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, she just-" Carol's words were cut short as Tess's head fell back on it's own will. "Oh, God!"
"Damn," Doug muttered, picking Tess off the swing and laying her on the ground. "Go call 911!" Carol ran off, watching Doug begin breathing for her daughter.
"Swing!"
"Slide!"
"Swing!!"
"Slide!!"
"Girls, girls!" Carol held up her hands. "Let's slide and *then* swing." Kate smiled gleefully, happy at getting her way. "But let's take off our 'blades first."
"OK, Mom." Tess sighed dramatically and led the way to the bench where they all sat down and removed their rollerblades. Carol had to admit, they were better rollerbladers than their father.
"Arf!" Ringo made his leash a taut string, lunging towards a passing cat.
"Stop that, Ringo!" Carol scolded.
"Let's slide now!" Kate cried, swiftly removing her skates and putting her special sparkly purple sneakers on.
"Kate, I told you not to wear those here. Those are for school." Carol chastised.
"Mo-om, can't I wear them? Just this once?" Kate pleaded.
"Alright, but if they get dirty, you are going to be the one washing them, Katherine Hathaway." She replied.
"Fine." Kate grumbled a bit but then cheered up. "Can we go slide now?"
"Go on." Carol waved them off and watched them run off. "Keep your sweaters on!" She cried as they slid down the slide happily for ten whole minutes before returning to the bench breathlessly.
"That was fun!" Kate smiled hugely.
"Can we swing now?" Tess whined.
"Hey, girls." A man on a bike rode up to them, stopping short in front of their bench.
"Hi, Doug!" The twins cried together.
"Arf!"
"And hello to you, too, Ringo."
"Hey, Doug, what are you doing here?" Carol asked.
"My shift doesn't start for an hour so I came to the park." He explained, taking off his helmet and wiping his forehead with his biking-gloved hand. "I used to come here with my mom when I was a kid."
"*You* used to come *here*?" Tess repeated incredulously.
"Yeah, when I was little like you two." Doug said, tugging on her braid.
"We're not little!" Kate cried. "We're almost six!"
"Oh? When's your birthday?" Doug asked as he put down his kickstand.
"November 27th!" They chorused.
"Oh, why didn't I think of that?" he said and Carol watched Doug's face contort itself as if he had a big problem on his mind.
"Come push me on the swings, Doug!" Tess shouted, tugging on his hand.
"No, push me!" Kate yelled, tugging on his other hand.
"Why don't I push you both?" he suggested.
"But I-"
"Tess..." Carol warned.
"Alright." Tess groaned, taking Doug's hand and pulling him to the swing set with Kate in tow. Carol watched him push them alternatively, the thought occurring to her that this was how it could have been. How it could have been if he had stayed or if she had told him. They would've been a family and he would've taken them to the park and to school and to Tess's junior acting classes and Kate's gymnastic meets. She shook her head to banish those thoughts that would never be. She wouldn't let her heart get broken again. Not by Doug, even if she loved him.
Again.
Which she certainly didn't.
"Higher, Doug, higher!" cried Kate.
"Sure." Doug said and did as he was ordered. "Do you want to go higher, too, Tess?" Tess shook her head vigorously, looking scared. "Something wrong, Tess?"
"I...can't br...breathe." She stammered, her shoulders heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
"Let's stop." Doug pulled her swing to a standstill. "Kate go get your mom, ok?"
"OK." Kate nodded and ran off to get Carol.
"Tess, breath slow, ok?" he instructed. "Big long breaths." Tess nodded and did so.
"Tess, sweetheart, are you okay?" Carol asked, crouching to her level.
"I need my inhaler." She gasped.
"Alright, Kate's getting it." Carol squeezed her hand affectionately.
"It isn't here, Mom!" Kate shouted from the bench where their picnic basket was, Ringo guarding it faithfully.
"Shit, I must've left it at home." Muttered Carol.
"Let's drive you home and get your inhaler, Tess." Doug advised.
"That's gonna be a problem, since we bladed here." Carol said sadly. She touched Tess's cheek. "Doug, does she look odd to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, she just-" Carol's words were cut short as Tess's head fell back on it's own will. "Oh, God!"
"Damn," Doug muttered, picking Tess off the swing and laying her on the ground. "Go call 911!" Carol ran off, watching Doug begin breathing for her daughter.