Title: Expect The Unexpected
Chapter 19:Kids, Kids, Everywhere
~~~~~
Christopher Hayden Mariano pulled up in front of Christopher Hayden's house. He slid off his forbidden motorcycle, a gift from Chris himself, and walked up the steps of the modest Boston house. Christopher Mariano gathered his courage and knocked on the door. His aunt, whom he'd never met, answered the door.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"I'm Christopher Hayden Mariano."
"Yes, and I'm Wendy Alexis Hayden. Can I help you?"
"Let me talk to Chris, Wendy."
"How do you know my father?"
"He's my grandfather."
Wendy scoffed. "Daddy doesn't have any grandchildren."
"Yes, he does. Three, in fact. I'm the oldest."
"How could he have three grandchildren? It's just me, and I sure as hell don't have any kids."
"It's from his other daughter. The one he had with the girl he was actually with."
"Oh. Her."
"Yes, her. Now can I talk to him?"
"Whatever." Wendy moved aside to let Chris come in.
"Ooh, clever. I can see you get your superb conversational skills from your mother." Chris retorted as he walked past his aunt.
"Okay, whatever. First door down the hall to the right."
"Thanks, Aunt Wendy." Chris punched her shoulder. She winced.
~~~~~~
"Mom, Ashley pinched me!" Twelve-year-old Rachel Clarkson called to her mother.
"I did not!" Six-year-old Ashley defended herself.
Cathy sighed and trudged from the kitchen where she had been sitting at the table grading homework. She stopped in the doorway to the living room and leaned against the doorjamb. Luke Mariano was sitting on the couch next to Rachel and Laura Mariano and Ashley were sitting on the floor leaning against the couch. Rachel and Ashley were currently glaring at each other; Luke and Laura were involved in a game of go fish. Cathy decided to separate her girls, so she positioned Luke and Rachel at the kitchen table to play poker and popped a Disney movie into the VCR for Laura and Ashley. Cathy, satisfied, decided to check on the older boys. She knocked on her son's bedroom door, but didn't open it.
"Lance? You and Chris doing all right?"
"Yeah! Great!" The muffled voice came out in the midst of a rock song. Cathy nodded and went back to the kitchen table to finish her work. Lance stayed in his room, all alone. Chris had sneaked out right after he'd gotten there. Lance didn't know why and he didn't ask. That was how their friendship worked. Chris did the wild stuff, Lance stayed home to maintain Chris's alibi.
~~~~~
Lane, Margaret, and Rory all sat around a table at the reunion, telling jokes and giggling. Henry, Dean, and Jess all sat around an adjacent staring at each other and every once in a while making polite conversation. None of them worried about their kids, although they all should have.
~~~~~
Jennifer Forester told her little brother she was going out for a walk. She went for a walk, but stopped near the bridge and got pulled a pack of cigarrettes and a bottle of whiskey from herpocket.
~~~~~
Kim Cho--now Rygalski--was lying on a hospital bed with her brand new husband. She was really freaked out, cause it sort of looked like she was pregnant. And she really didn't wanna tell her mom she was pregnant without showing off her new husband. They'd only been engaged for a month, and Kim's mom hadn't even met Danny yet. He was the new drummer in the band of which she was lead singer. They'd met and within two days were planning on getting married. Kim's mom hadn't been too happy about that, so Kim had avoided talking about him. But one day they'd been fooling around and they'd gone too far, so they'd had to get married so Kim could tell her mom about the pregnancy guilt free.
~~~~~
Chris slowly pushed open the door Wendy had pointed him to. He didn't see anyone so he practically tiptoed into the room. He saw someone sitting in a chair and cleared his throat. The person turned the chair he was sitting in around and Chris was surprised to see his grandfather in a wheelchair.
"Uh, I'm Christopher Hayden Mariano."
"I know who you are, Christopher. You can call me Chris, if you want to. Sit down."
"Uh, sure. Okay." Christopher awkwardly sank down into a chair behind him.
"So why are you here?"
"Uh, I don't really know. It's just...well, see, I have this girlfriend."
"And your parents are forbidding you to see each other?"
"Yes, actually. Her dad did something to my parents and the three of them don't like each other."
"Who's her dad?"
"Uh, Dean Forester, I think."
"That's Rory's ex-boyfriend, right?"
"Yeah. Um, I'm really sorry, but I didn't know you were in a wheelchair. Why are you in a wheelchair?"
"Motorcycle accident."
"But you sent me a motorcycle for my birthday."
"Rory doesn't let you ride it, right?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"She's the only one who knows about my accident. I sent you the motorcycle to keep up appearances. Don't ride it anymore. It's really dangerous."
"Okay. Why didn't Mom tell me about your accident?"
"I told her not to. I almost didn't tell her, but Sherry convinced me."
"Sherry...your wife?"
"Yeah. And I didn't tell your grandmother because I really didn't want her to feel sorry for me. Just let her go on hating me, I'm fine with that."
"Was she the girl your parents didn't let you see?"
"Only after I got her pregnant. You didn't get this girl pregnant, did you?"
"No, I haven't had a chance yet. She's abstaining from sex until her wedding night."
"Good for her. Are you?"
"It looks like it, now."
"Good for you."
"Thanks."
Chapter 19:Kids, Kids, Everywhere
~~~~~
Christopher Hayden Mariano pulled up in front of Christopher Hayden's house. He slid off his forbidden motorcycle, a gift from Chris himself, and walked up the steps of the modest Boston house. Christopher Mariano gathered his courage and knocked on the door. His aunt, whom he'd never met, answered the door.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"I'm Christopher Hayden Mariano."
"Yes, and I'm Wendy Alexis Hayden. Can I help you?"
"Let me talk to Chris, Wendy."
"How do you know my father?"
"He's my grandfather."
Wendy scoffed. "Daddy doesn't have any grandchildren."
"Yes, he does. Three, in fact. I'm the oldest."
"How could he have three grandchildren? It's just me, and I sure as hell don't have any kids."
"It's from his other daughter. The one he had with the girl he was actually with."
"Oh. Her."
"Yes, her. Now can I talk to him?"
"Whatever." Wendy moved aside to let Chris come in.
"Ooh, clever. I can see you get your superb conversational skills from your mother." Chris retorted as he walked past his aunt.
"Okay, whatever. First door down the hall to the right."
"Thanks, Aunt Wendy." Chris punched her shoulder. She winced.
~~~~~~
"Mom, Ashley pinched me!" Twelve-year-old Rachel Clarkson called to her mother.
"I did not!" Six-year-old Ashley defended herself.
Cathy sighed and trudged from the kitchen where she had been sitting at the table grading homework. She stopped in the doorway to the living room and leaned against the doorjamb. Luke Mariano was sitting on the couch next to Rachel and Laura Mariano and Ashley were sitting on the floor leaning against the couch. Rachel and Ashley were currently glaring at each other; Luke and Laura were involved in a game of go fish. Cathy decided to separate her girls, so she positioned Luke and Rachel at the kitchen table to play poker and popped a Disney movie into the VCR for Laura and Ashley. Cathy, satisfied, decided to check on the older boys. She knocked on her son's bedroom door, but didn't open it.
"Lance? You and Chris doing all right?"
"Yeah! Great!" The muffled voice came out in the midst of a rock song. Cathy nodded and went back to the kitchen table to finish her work. Lance stayed in his room, all alone. Chris had sneaked out right after he'd gotten there. Lance didn't know why and he didn't ask. That was how their friendship worked. Chris did the wild stuff, Lance stayed home to maintain Chris's alibi.
~~~~~
Lane, Margaret, and Rory all sat around a table at the reunion, telling jokes and giggling. Henry, Dean, and Jess all sat around an adjacent staring at each other and every once in a while making polite conversation. None of them worried about their kids, although they all should have.
~~~~~
Jennifer Forester told her little brother she was going out for a walk. She went for a walk, but stopped near the bridge and got pulled a pack of cigarrettes and a bottle of whiskey from herpocket.
~~~~~
Kim Cho--now Rygalski--was lying on a hospital bed with her brand new husband. She was really freaked out, cause it sort of looked like she was pregnant. And she really didn't wanna tell her mom she was pregnant without showing off her new husband. They'd only been engaged for a month, and Kim's mom hadn't even met Danny yet. He was the new drummer in the band of which she was lead singer. They'd met and within two days were planning on getting married. Kim's mom hadn't been too happy about that, so Kim had avoided talking about him. But one day they'd been fooling around and they'd gone too far, so they'd had to get married so Kim could tell her mom about the pregnancy guilt free.
~~~~~
Chris slowly pushed open the door Wendy had pointed him to. He didn't see anyone so he practically tiptoed into the room. He saw someone sitting in a chair and cleared his throat. The person turned the chair he was sitting in around and Chris was surprised to see his grandfather in a wheelchair.
"Uh, I'm Christopher Hayden Mariano."
"I know who you are, Christopher. You can call me Chris, if you want to. Sit down."
"Uh, sure. Okay." Christopher awkwardly sank down into a chair behind him.
"So why are you here?"
"Uh, I don't really know. It's just...well, see, I have this girlfriend."
"And your parents are forbidding you to see each other?"
"Yes, actually. Her dad did something to my parents and the three of them don't like each other."
"Who's her dad?"
"Uh, Dean Forester, I think."
"That's Rory's ex-boyfriend, right?"
"Yeah. Um, I'm really sorry, but I didn't know you were in a wheelchair. Why are you in a wheelchair?"
"Motorcycle accident."
"But you sent me a motorcycle for my birthday."
"Rory doesn't let you ride it, right?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"She's the only one who knows about my accident. I sent you the motorcycle to keep up appearances. Don't ride it anymore. It's really dangerous."
"Okay. Why didn't Mom tell me about your accident?"
"I told her not to. I almost didn't tell her, but Sherry convinced me."
"Sherry...your wife?"
"Yeah. And I didn't tell your grandmother because I really didn't want her to feel sorry for me. Just let her go on hating me, I'm fine with that."
"Was she the girl your parents didn't let you see?"
"Only after I got her pregnant. You didn't get this girl pregnant, did you?"
"No, I haven't had a chance yet. She's abstaining from sex until her wedding night."
"Good for her. Are you?"
"It looks like it, now."
"Good for you."
"Thanks."