"Hi, Carol." Doug said quietly, smiling a little.
"What are you doing here?" Carol asked.
"I was in town." He replied.
"Yeah, Mark told me." she nodded. "Would you like to come in?"
"Thanks." She opened the door and he walked inside. "You got a screen."
"The girls kept leaving the door open and the bugs would fly in." she explained.
"Where are they?" asked Doug.
"The girls?" He nodded. "School. They'll be home soon, do you want something to drink? Coffee?"
"Sure." Doug sat at the kitchen table.
"Mark told me about your mom." Carol handed him his cup of coffee, their hands brushing, sending a small spark of electricity through them both. "I'm sorry...she was a nice woman."
"Yeah...she was." He took a long sip of the black liquid.
"What are you going to do?" Carol asked, sitting across from him with her own cup.
"Bury her here and go back home, I guess." He sighed. "I wanted to by and see the girls." He hesitated, then added, "And you." Silence settled over them for a few minutes.
"I think I've got some stuff of yours, let me go get it." Carol walked upstairs and took a box labeled "Doug's Stuff" from the top shelf of her closet, carrying it downstairs.
"Here." She put it on the table between them.
"Let me see...." Doug began pawing through the box, sending the old scent of his cologne through the room.
"I've been looking for this." He tossed an old, grimy baseball into the air. "And this." Carol took the ball from him as he tugged an old gray sweater over his head.
"What's this?" Carol pointed to a brown package with rubber bands stretched across it."
"I don't know." Doug pulled off the bands and paper. "Aha, look at these." Carol leaned over and watched him flip through a pile of photographs.
"Did you ever see Dr. Benton smile?" Carol laughed as a picture of a gruff black man came to the top of the pile.
"Nope, never." Doug replied. "Look at Mark, with his hair." They both laughed.
"What's that?" Carol pointed to a small black box in one corner.
"Uh...."Doug picked it up and spun it around in his hand. "That would be your ring." He cracked the box open to reveal a small diamond ring. Carol's breath caught in her throat. He had bought a ring?
"Mommy!"
"That's them." Carol said, and they stood, waiting for their daughters.
"Mommy, look what I made!" Kate forced a necklace made of hard noodles into Carol's hand.
"It's beautiful, sweetie." Carol leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Who's that, Mommy?" Tess asked, clinging to Carol's hand and pointing to Doug.
"Girls, we have something very important to tell you." Carol picked the twins up one at a time, setting them on the counter in front of her. "Remember how I told you your Daddy lived a ways away and that was why you couldn't see him?"
"Uh-huh." They chorused.
"Well...this is your Daddy." Carol nodded to Doug, who stepped forward. "His name's Doug."
"Hi, girls." Doug smiled awkwardly.
"Is he really our daddy?" Tess asked. Carol nodded.
"Are you going to stay?" asked Kate.
"Well...." His voice drifted off and Carol sighed a bit.
"We'll see, okay, girlies?" she hugged them tightly, not knowing what to say.
"You wanna see our room?" Kate asked Doug.
"That sounds like fun." Doug smiled.
"Can we call you Daddy?" Tess said.
"If that's okay with your Mom." He replied, looking at Carol.
"Go ahead." She nodded.
"OK, Daddy." Tess grinned. They both took his hands, pulling him up to their room.
"What are you doing here?" Carol asked.
"I was in town." He replied.
"Yeah, Mark told me." she nodded. "Would you like to come in?"
"Thanks." She opened the door and he walked inside. "You got a screen."
"The girls kept leaving the door open and the bugs would fly in." she explained.
"Where are they?" asked Doug.
"The girls?" He nodded. "School. They'll be home soon, do you want something to drink? Coffee?"
"Sure." Doug sat at the kitchen table.
"Mark told me about your mom." Carol handed him his cup of coffee, their hands brushing, sending a small spark of electricity through them both. "I'm sorry...she was a nice woman."
"Yeah...she was." He took a long sip of the black liquid.
"What are you going to do?" Carol asked, sitting across from him with her own cup.
"Bury her here and go back home, I guess." He sighed. "I wanted to by and see the girls." He hesitated, then added, "And you." Silence settled over them for a few minutes.
"I think I've got some stuff of yours, let me go get it." Carol walked upstairs and took a box labeled "Doug's Stuff" from the top shelf of her closet, carrying it downstairs.
"Here." She put it on the table between them.
"Let me see...." Doug began pawing through the box, sending the old scent of his cologne through the room.
"I've been looking for this." He tossed an old, grimy baseball into the air. "And this." Carol took the ball from him as he tugged an old gray sweater over his head.
"What's this?" Carol pointed to a brown package with rubber bands stretched across it."
"I don't know." Doug pulled off the bands and paper. "Aha, look at these." Carol leaned over and watched him flip through a pile of photographs.
"Did you ever see Dr. Benton smile?" Carol laughed as a picture of a gruff black man came to the top of the pile.
"Nope, never." Doug replied. "Look at Mark, with his hair." They both laughed.
"What's that?" Carol pointed to a small black box in one corner.
"Uh...."Doug picked it up and spun it around in his hand. "That would be your ring." He cracked the box open to reveal a small diamond ring. Carol's breath caught in her throat. He had bought a ring?
"Mommy!"
"That's them." Carol said, and they stood, waiting for their daughters.
"Mommy, look what I made!" Kate forced a necklace made of hard noodles into Carol's hand.
"It's beautiful, sweetie." Carol leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Who's that, Mommy?" Tess asked, clinging to Carol's hand and pointing to Doug.
"Girls, we have something very important to tell you." Carol picked the twins up one at a time, setting them on the counter in front of her. "Remember how I told you your Daddy lived a ways away and that was why you couldn't see him?"
"Uh-huh." They chorused.
"Well...this is your Daddy." Carol nodded to Doug, who stepped forward. "His name's Doug."
"Hi, girls." Doug smiled awkwardly.
"Is he really our daddy?" Tess asked. Carol nodded.
"Are you going to stay?" asked Kate.
"Well...." His voice drifted off and Carol sighed a bit.
"We'll see, okay, girlies?" she hugged them tightly, not knowing what to say.
"You wanna see our room?" Kate asked Doug.
"That sounds like fun." Doug smiled.
"Can we call you Daddy?" Tess said.
"If that's okay with your Mom." He replied, looking at Carol.
"Go ahead." She nodded.
"OK, Daddy." Tess grinned. They both took his hands, pulling him up to their room.