"I want a burger!"
"I want nuggets!"
"No, I want a cheeseburger!"
"Can we get ice cream?"
"Mom, I'm hungry!"
"Mom, I'm hungry!"
"Girls!" Carol shouted, putting up her hands. Doug stood sniggering behind his hand, holding tightly to Tess with the other one. "We'll get you your food, just let me order." Carol stepped up to the counter and was greeted by a pimply teenaged boy asking monotonously if he could take her order. "Yes, I'd like a hamburger-"
"Cheeseburger!"
"*Cheeseburger* kid's meal, McNuggets kid's meal, both with Sprites, a number four with a Diet Coke, and what do you want, Doug?"
"A double Big Mac, extra large fries, and a large Coke." He said, pulling out his wallet. "My treat."
"It's twenty-seven thirty-five." The cashier responded.
"No, I can do it." Carol interfered, getting her money out.
"Just let me pay, Carol." Doug handed the cashier the money. "Keep the change."
"Thanks, Doug." Carol said. "Girls, what do you say?"
"Thank you, Doug!"
"Thanks!"
"You're welcome." Doug replied as they sat at a booth.
"Lovely table manners, Doug." Carol commented as she disgustedly watched him scarf down his food while Kate and Tess did their best to imitate his etiquette. "Look at what you're teaching them." Doug merely grinned and popped another French fry into his mouth. "Katie, Tess, if you do that, you'll get a tummy ache."
"But Doug does it!" Kate protested.
"And Doug is very wrong, isn't he?" Carol shot him a look. "Just because Doug does it doesn't make it right. Now chew slower." Kate rolled her eyes and Tess sighed but both ate their food normally, laughing occasionally at Doug's jokes and antics.
"Can we play now?" Kate asked when they had finished.
"I thought you two wanted ice cream." Carol reminded them.
"That too!" Tess cried.
"Nu-uh, Tessie. No going in there for you." Carol shook her head.
"Why not?" The little girl protested.
"Because there are millions of allergens floating around in there." She said, eyeing the colourful play place.
"Pleeeeeeeeeease, Mom? Just one time down the slide, I'll take my inhaler if I can't breathe!" Tess waved the new one she had gotten from Doug that day.
"It won't be any fun without Tessie!" Kate cried, throwing an arm around her mirror image's shoulder.
"Fine, one slide." Carol sighed. "Doug, will you watch them while I get the ice cream?"
"Sure." He got their hands in his.
"I want chocolate!"
"I want strawberry!"
"Fine, fine...." Carol smiled and walked to the counter
"Catch me at the bottom, Doug!" Kate shouted, taking off her shoes and heading up the ladder to the slide.
"Me too, me too!" yelled Tess, following her sister closely.
"I'll catch both of you." Doug replied, feeling an aching spot in his head. He had always wanted children. Carol's children. They had tried, how they had tried. But it hasn't worked out and he left and Carol got with someone else, right after he left, if his calculations were right. He had stayed single for love of her, in the hopes that he could come back and raise a family with her. Instead, Carol had quickly forgotten about him and slept with another man, ending up carrying his children instead of Doug's, which made him extremely irate.
"Catch meeee!" Kate cried as she slid down, startling Doug from his reverie. Doug turned and caught her, spinning her around and putting her on the ground.
"Me next!" Tess came sliding down and Doug grabbed and tossed her im the air before sitting her beside her sister.
"What should we do next?" he asked, putting his hands on his knees and leaning to their height.
"We hafta put our shoes back on, 'cause Tessie can't go again and I'm not going without her!" Kate announced, putting her hands on her hips.
"Alright, let's get your shoes." Doug smiled and found their shoes from the bin.
"Luka used to take us here." Tess announced.
"Luka?" Doug asked.
"Mom's friend. He used to take us here, but he stopped about a year ago." Kate clarified.
"Was he really good friends with your Mom?" Doug asked, knowing what they meant.
"Reeeally good friends." Tess giggled. "He used to kiss her."
"Oh?" Doug's voice lowered.
"We called him Daddy, but Mom made us stop when he left." Kate said.
"Why?" said Doug.
"Because he decided he liked Abby better." She replied.
"I'm gonna go see Mom." Tess said, running off.
"He liked Abby better?" Doug pressed.
"Yup, and she went with him when he went back to Cro...Croat...."
"Croatia?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Why'd he go to Croatia?"
"'Cause he wanted to help. That's where he used to live. Abby went with him."
"She did?"
"Uh-huh...and one time Luka asked her to go!"
"What'd she say?"
"She said she couldn't leave. She got real mad at Luka. Then she called Elizabeth and cried."
"Did she and Luka stay mad?"
"For a little bit. Then when Grandma died, he came and made her better."
"And then?"
"Then I don't know. He stopped coming. And he left for Croatia and Abby went with him."
"Oh." Doug nodded, looking at the small serious girl. She had her mother's curly hair and complexion, and some other man's eyes and mouth, probably Luka's, according to one of the pictures on the mantle of a dark-looking man and the twins. The thought of Carol with another man made his insides flip and sent a painful sensation through his heart of hearts.
"Katie, sweetheart, ready to go?" Carol came into the play place area.
"I thought we were getting ice cream." Kate said.
"Yeah, we're going to take it out." Carol held out a strawberry ice cream cone.
"OK." Kate smiled and took it.
"Ready to go, Doug?" Carol asked.
"Yeah." He said absent-mindedly, standing to leave.
~*~
"You didn't have to come all the way home with us, Doug." Carol said, smiling a little.
"I know," He replied. "I wanted to."
"Wanna come see my room, Doug?" Tess asked.
"It's *our* room, Tess!" Kate shouted.
"Tess, restate the question, please." Carol ordered.
"Do you wanna-"
"Want to, not wanna, baby."
"*Want* to see *our* room?"
"Sure, I'll be up in a bit." Doug said half-heartedly. "Go on up."
"OK!" They cried together and ran upstairs.
"Something wrong?" she asked, picking up some pillows from the ground and a bowl of half-eaten now-mushy cereal from the table.
"They're Luka's, right?" Doug asked quietly.
"What?"
"The girls. They're Luka's daughters." He felt anger welling up inside of him, ready to burst.
"Doug, you've-"
"No, Carol. I really thought we had something."
"Please, won't you-"
"I loved you. I still do."
"Doug, listen-"
"And as soon as I'm gone, you throw yourself at some foreign guy named Luka who ends up leaving you and his daughters for Croatia with some nurse."
"*Goddamnit, Doug, they aren't his, they're yours!*"
"I want nuggets!"
"No, I want a cheeseburger!"
"Can we get ice cream?"
"Mom, I'm hungry!"
"Mom, I'm hungry!"
"Girls!" Carol shouted, putting up her hands. Doug stood sniggering behind his hand, holding tightly to Tess with the other one. "We'll get you your food, just let me order." Carol stepped up to the counter and was greeted by a pimply teenaged boy asking monotonously if he could take her order. "Yes, I'd like a hamburger-"
"Cheeseburger!"
"*Cheeseburger* kid's meal, McNuggets kid's meal, both with Sprites, a number four with a Diet Coke, and what do you want, Doug?"
"A double Big Mac, extra large fries, and a large Coke." He said, pulling out his wallet. "My treat."
"It's twenty-seven thirty-five." The cashier responded.
"No, I can do it." Carol interfered, getting her money out.
"Just let me pay, Carol." Doug handed the cashier the money. "Keep the change."
"Thanks, Doug." Carol said. "Girls, what do you say?"
"Thank you, Doug!"
"Thanks!"
"You're welcome." Doug replied as they sat at a booth.
"Lovely table manners, Doug." Carol commented as she disgustedly watched him scarf down his food while Kate and Tess did their best to imitate his etiquette. "Look at what you're teaching them." Doug merely grinned and popped another French fry into his mouth. "Katie, Tess, if you do that, you'll get a tummy ache."
"But Doug does it!" Kate protested.
"And Doug is very wrong, isn't he?" Carol shot him a look. "Just because Doug does it doesn't make it right. Now chew slower." Kate rolled her eyes and Tess sighed but both ate their food normally, laughing occasionally at Doug's jokes and antics.
"Can we play now?" Kate asked when they had finished.
"I thought you two wanted ice cream." Carol reminded them.
"That too!" Tess cried.
"Nu-uh, Tessie. No going in there for you." Carol shook her head.
"Why not?" The little girl protested.
"Because there are millions of allergens floating around in there." She said, eyeing the colourful play place.
"Pleeeeeeeeeease, Mom? Just one time down the slide, I'll take my inhaler if I can't breathe!" Tess waved the new one she had gotten from Doug that day.
"It won't be any fun without Tessie!" Kate cried, throwing an arm around her mirror image's shoulder.
"Fine, one slide." Carol sighed. "Doug, will you watch them while I get the ice cream?"
"Sure." He got their hands in his.
"I want chocolate!"
"I want strawberry!"
"Fine, fine...." Carol smiled and walked to the counter
"Catch me at the bottom, Doug!" Kate shouted, taking off her shoes and heading up the ladder to the slide.
"Me too, me too!" yelled Tess, following her sister closely.
"I'll catch both of you." Doug replied, feeling an aching spot in his head. He had always wanted children. Carol's children. They had tried, how they had tried. But it hasn't worked out and he left and Carol got with someone else, right after he left, if his calculations were right. He had stayed single for love of her, in the hopes that he could come back and raise a family with her. Instead, Carol had quickly forgotten about him and slept with another man, ending up carrying his children instead of Doug's, which made him extremely irate.
"Catch meeee!" Kate cried as she slid down, startling Doug from his reverie. Doug turned and caught her, spinning her around and putting her on the ground.
"Me next!" Tess came sliding down and Doug grabbed and tossed her im the air before sitting her beside her sister.
"What should we do next?" he asked, putting his hands on his knees and leaning to their height.
"We hafta put our shoes back on, 'cause Tessie can't go again and I'm not going without her!" Kate announced, putting her hands on her hips.
"Alright, let's get your shoes." Doug smiled and found their shoes from the bin.
"Luka used to take us here." Tess announced.
"Luka?" Doug asked.
"Mom's friend. He used to take us here, but he stopped about a year ago." Kate clarified.
"Was he really good friends with your Mom?" Doug asked, knowing what they meant.
"Reeeally good friends." Tess giggled. "He used to kiss her."
"Oh?" Doug's voice lowered.
"We called him Daddy, but Mom made us stop when he left." Kate said.
"Why?" said Doug.
"Because he decided he liked Abby better." She replied.
"I'm gonna go see Mom." Tess said, running off.
"He liked Abby better?" Doug pressed.
"Yup, and she went with him when he went back to Cro...Croat...."
"Croatia?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Why'd he go to Croatia?"
"'Cause he wanted to help. That's where he used to live. Abby went with him."
"She did?"
"Uh-huh...and one time Luka asked her to go!"
"What'd she say?"
"She said she couldn't leave. She got real mad at Luka. Then she called Elizabeth and cried."
"Did she and Luka stay mad?"
"For a little bit. Then when Grandma died, he came and made her better."
"And then?"
"Then I don't know. He stopped coming. And he left for Croatia and Abby went with him."
"Oh." Doug nodded, looking at the small serious girl. She had her mother's curly hair and complexion, and some other man's eyes and mouth, probably Luka's, according to one of the pictures on the mantle of a dark-looking man and the twins. The thought of Carol with another man made his insides flip and sent a painful sensation through his heart of hearts.
"Katie, sweetheart, ready to go?" Carol came into the play place area.
"I thought we were getting ice cream." Kate said.
"Yeah, we're going to take it out." Carol held out a strawberry ice cream cone.
"OK." Kate smiled and took it.
"Ready to go, Doug?" Carol asked.
"Yeah." He said absent-mindedly, standing to leave.
~*~
"You didn't have to come all the way home with us, Doug." Carol said, smiling a little.
"I know," He replied. "I wanted to."
"Wanna come see my room, Doug?" Tess asked.
"It's *our* room, Tess!" Kate shouted.
"Tess, restate the question, please." Carol ordered.
"Do you wanna-"
"Want to, not wanna, baby."
"*Want* to see *our* room?"
"Sure, I'll be up in a bit." Doug said half-heartedly. "Go on up."
"OK!" They cried together and ran upstairs.
"Something wrong?" she asked, picking up some pillows from the ground and a bowl of half-eaten now-mushy cereal from the table.
"They're Luka's, right?" Doug asked quietly.
"What?"
"The girls. They're Luka's daughters." He felt anger welling up inside of him, ready to burst.
"Doug, you've-"
"No, Carol. I really thought we had something."
"Please, won't you-"
"I loved you. I still do."
"Doug, listen-"
"And as soon as I'm gone, you throw yourself at some foreign guy named Luka who ends up leaving you and his daughters for Croatia with some nurse."
"*Goddamnit, Doug, they aren't his, they're yours!*"