2005

"Dad!Charlie?" " Dawn exclaimed. " It's good to see finally meet you!"Marc had told her the good news.

"What the hell is going on?" David demanded. He couldn't believe that his good friend, a widowerwas dating his daughter.

"As you remember, when my brother was diagnosed with Cancer, you gave me Dawn's number, so that she could help us with whatever questions we had." Greg began.

"I was just conforting him" Dawn said. "That is all!"

"The cancer might have gotten out of remission" Greg whispered. "We won't know until next week."

Charlie stood silent, remembering when Alan had told him his mother didn't have much time left.

"I don't see Greg that way! Come on Dad!" Her features hardened a bit.

"Sorry honey!" David apologized. "I'm so sorry about your brother, Greg."

"Yeah...sorry"

"Why don't you join us?" Greg offered. "So that Dawn could get to know her brother?"

"Sure!"Charlie said.The father and son duo sat down.

"Charlie and I have been showing each other pictures" David said.

"Made me realize how much I missed" Charlie commented. Anger at his mother made him sullen again.

"Charlie's letting me copy quite a few pictures!" David commented. "Especially the baby ones!"

"Did he have curls like Marc did?"

"Yeah..."

"I was sorry to hear about your mother, Charlie" Dawn said, remembering how her own mom's death devastated her.

"thanks..." Charlie realized that despite his anger, a part of him missed his mother. Why did she have to lie? As the others discussed what they were in the mood for, Charlie brooded and had another memory.

"You're adopted!" Don teased his eight year oldbrother one evening as they both did homework. "When I was a little, a couple of elves came to the house, and asked mom and dad to adopt you in exchange for a bag of gold coins"

"That's not true!" Charlie pouted.

"Don! Stop that!" Margaret came from the kitchen to the living room in a huff. "I will not have any jokes about adoption in this house! Understand?"

"I was just kidding!"

"Joke about something else!"

"Yes mom" thethirteen year oldgroaned, and gave his brother a 'I'll get you for this look'.

"Charlie?" David interupted his trip down memory lane. "Ready to order?"

"Give me a minute"

2004

Art came by a few afternoons later, with some information in his hand.

"Here!" he handed it to Alan.

"What's this?"

"Here's a place where they have speed dating for people over fifty five"

"Speed dating? You mean that thing where you sit with someone until some bell rings, then you move on to the next person?" Alan looked puzzled. "Don and Charlie should be going to that, not me!"

"You're as single as they are!" Art reminded him.

"I don't like having rushed conversations" Alan put the paper aside. The night before, he had dreamt of Margaret. She was healthy, radiant, and smiling. They were at a cruise, watching the ocean silently on a balcony. Thesea was aturquoise color, while the sun reflected on it.Suddenly, a little girl with dark curls joined them. Sadly, that was where the dream ended.

"You've isolated yourself!"

"I spend time with other people! What are you talking about?" Alan countered.

"Just with me, Stan, and your boys!" Art pointed out. "Just try it! The boys don't have to know!"

"I don't know..."

"Come on! You promised her." Art insisted.

"Fine I'll go" Alan agreed reluctantly.

TBC