I stand outside the principal's office, waiting for him to come in. He walks up, looking old and sour-faced as he always does, and there's a hardened look in his eyes that I've seen since I went to school here. It's no wonder he's called the Warden behind his back – and I'll have you know, I started that and it's stuck for fourteen years.

"Good morning, Tony," he says as he unlocks the door.

"Morning, Mr. Snyder."

"You're a little old for detention, so what can I do for you?" He motions me into his office.

"You're never too old for detention," I say with a grin as I follow him inside. "Actually, I came because I need to request a few days off."

Snyder sits down behind his desk with a heavy sigh. "Tony, you know I hate those words."

I laugh. "I know, that's why I came straight to you. I've made it my personal mission to make your life hell."

"Well, mission accomplished." There's no humor in his voice, but for the Warden, that's nothing new. "When?"

"Looks like I'm going to need the twentieth and the twenty-third."

Snyder checks his calendar. "That's a Friday and a Monday."

"Why, yes. Yes, it is."

He glares at me. "Fridays and Mondays are bad days to take off."

"I know, Mr. Snyder, but something came up, and how often is it that I ask for time off?"

"The problem isn't giving you the time off, Tony, it's finding a decent substitute. Especially for a Friday and a Monday."

"I'll get Medda to do it."

"Miss Larkson is retired."

"Yeah, but she's always coming in to observe my class and tell me what I'm doing wrong. She'll do it."

Snyder pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fine, Tony. I want lesson plans for each period, both days, and instructions for the substitute by the end of the week."

I grin. "What, you don't want me to sing, maybe do a little tap dance?"

"Get out of my office, Tony."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"You want me to teach your class?"

"It's just for two days, Medda," I say as I switch the phone to my other ear and dive into the pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

"Are you sure they'll listen to an old fogey like me?"

I grin. "You're still pretty as ever, so I think you'll hold at least some of their attention."

Medda laughs. "Boy, Tony, for a married man, you sure know how to flirt."

"It's a gift." I start loading dishes into the dishwasher. "Besides, if they don't listen, you can always beat them with your cane."

Medda shrieks. "And there it all goes, right out the window." I chuckle and I imagine she's shooting one of her stone-cold teacher looks into empty space, directed at me. "Alright, you charmer you," she says, trying to stifle a laugh. "I'll do it."

"Great. Thanks, Medda." I finish loading the dishwasher and kick it shut. "Caroline can help you out if things get out of hand."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine. I can still handle a class of teenagers, even those at Pulitzer's." Medda sighs, and I can tell she's excited to be teaching again, even if only for two days. "So, what are you going out of town for that's so important?"

"Oh, I'm going into the city for a couple of days to see Specs and Dutchy."

"Any particular reason?"

"Yeah. They're getting married." I examine my own wedding band, shrug. "Or something."

"Really?" I can hear the smile in Medda's voice. "That's wonderful. Give them my love."

I look up as the front door opens and a burst of noise enters the house. "Will do. Medda, I gotta go. Caroline's home with the kids. Thanks again."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Three weeks later, I find myself packing and still wondering what the hell I'm doing.

This is a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. This is worse than a class reunion. I mean, I work at my high school and I don't even go to my class reunions. And now I'm leaving for a weekend to see a whole bunch of people who I've cut out of my life.

I can't help but wonder why they want to see me. Why do they even remember me? Maybe this is some confusing, fucked-up sign of some sort.

I sit down on my bed next to my open and nearly empty suitcase, overwhelmed.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Maria toddles into my room, all brown hair and big eyes, and I can't help but smile. You just can't be sad when this kid is in the room.

"Nothing's wrong, baby," I say, picking her up and setting her in my lap. "Daddy's just tired." I press my lips to the top of her head. "What're you doing in here?"

"Junior won't play with me." She pouts for a minute and then shrugs, as if she's forgotten all about what she was pouting for. This girl's got the attention span of a goldfish, I swear. "What you doing?"

"Packing," I say, nodding to my suitcase.

"What's packing?"

I chuckle. "I'm getting clothes and stuff together to take with me because I'm going on a trip."

Her eyes light up. "Disneyland!"

I laugh. Ever since Maria saw a commercial for Disneyland, it's all she can think about. "No, not Disneyland."

She sighs dramatically. "Can I go on your trip?"

"'Fraid not, princess." I hug her to my chest in anticipation of the floodgates bursting open... which they do. It takes all the strength I have to keep from laughing. I stand up and cradle her, bouncing her a little bit. "Come on, now. It'll be okay."

Maria ceases her wailing for just a moment to look me in the face. "Nuh-uh! You're leaving me!" And the sirens go off again.

I smirk and bounce her around a little more. "Maria, il mio amore," I coo to her. "Daddy will always come home to you." When that doesn't work, I roll my eyes. "I'll bring you home a present."

That shuts her up. She throws her arms around my neck and plants a big, wet kiss on my cheek. "Want help packing, Daddy?"

I laugh and set her down in my suitcase. "Tell you what. You just sit there and look pretty, and I'll pack around you."

"Oh-kay." She grins at me. If it weren't for the fact that she looks exactly like her mother, I'd wonder if she wasn't just a direct clone of me. She's such a goofball.

Packing quickly turns into a sock fight, which lasts for a few minutes until Junior comes in and stands authoritatively in the doorway.

"Ma-ri-a," he says in his best "big-boy" voice, "you aren't s'posed to bug Daddy when he's doing stuff."

"He's not doing stuff. He's packing." Maria sticks her tongue out at him.

"That's doing stuff, stupid!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" I wedge myself into the line of fire. "Both of you, cut it out! What have I told you about fighting?"

"Sorry, Daddy," they say in unison as they hang their heads.

I shake my head and go back to my closet, but not before I hear Maria mutter, "Is not."

I roll my eyes and chuckle as Caroline comes in. "Okay, you two," she says in her fine-tuned Mommy Voice, "time to quit bugging Daddy and let him pack."

"I'm helping!" Maria chirps from my suitcase. Caroline laughs and lifts her up, setting her on her hip.

"Well, you can help him from your room now, because it's naptime." She ruffles Junior's hair and winks at me. "Both of you."

There's a collective groan as she herds the kids out of the bedroom and I'm left for five whole minutes in silence, during which I make some serious progress on my packing.

I reach up to pull down the case to my shaving kit from the top shelf of the closet, and an avalanche of stuff comes down on my head. When I'm done cursing, I look down at it. On top of the pile is my senior yearbook. I grab it and sit down on the bed, and open it for the first time in several years.

Caroline comes back in after putting the kids in their respective beds, and I don't even notice her walk in at first. I'm busy staring at pictures of my old friends, my old life. There's a picture of the cast of the play that year, and we're all clustered together, and I've got this big, stupid smile on my face. It's strange, because I don't even remember it.

My wife sits down behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. Resting her chin on my shoulder, she looks down at the yearbook. "You look happy."

I shrug. "I guess. I don't really remember it."

Caroline presses her lips to my neck and squeezes me a little. "You okay?"

Nodding, I put a hand on her arms. "I'm fine. Just nervous, I guess."

She smiles and reaches up to rub my shoulders. "Everything's going to be just fine, Tony. They're all going to be happy to see you."

"See, that's what I'm worried about. They shouldn't be happy to see me, I haven't spoken to any of them in years." I sigh and roll my head around. "I'm worried that some of them won't be happy to see me."

"Like who?"

"I don't know. I don't know who's all going to be there."

"Then stop worrying, Tony. It'll just give you wrinkles."

I laugh and lean back against her. "Where would I be without you?"

She ruffles my hair and plants a kiss next to my ear. "I ask myself that question on a daily basis."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Friday morning comes far too soon for my liking. I wake up to the horrific screeching sound of my trusty alarm clock, which I promptly smack and it shuts up. I grumble and stretch, though there isn't much room for it what with Caroline curled against my back and both my kids and about eight hundred various stuffed animals pushed up against my front.

With the practiced skills of an especially experienced ninja, I lift the blanket off of myself and climb out of bed without disturbing anyone, breathing or plushy. I stretch out the kinks as I stand up, tuck my family back under the blanket, and head into the bathroom for my usual manly morning routine of taking a leak, scratching myself, and taking a shower.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After my shower, I get dressed and stand in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. It's quiet in my house this early in the morning, something I've never been able to really appreciate. It's been six years since I've experienced any form of quiet. I sip my coffee and savor the silence.

The silence doesn't last long, however, and I soon hear the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the hallway and into the kitchen. Maria stands in the doorway, teddy bear and blankie in tow, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Daddy?"

"Hey, princess," I say, setting my coffee cup on the counter and kneeling down. I open my arms up and she pads over to me. "What're you doing up so early?"

"Dunno," she says, burying her face in my neck. "You leaving?"

"In a few minutes here, yeah."

"When you comin' back?"

I smile and kiss her forehead. "Monday." When she looks at me in confusion, I just chuckle. "That's four days."

"That's forever, Daddy."

I laugh and stroke her curls, shaking my head. "I'll be back before you know it."

"With presents?"

"With presents." She smiles at me and I smile back. "Now come on. I've got to go, so I'll tuck you back into bed and you can have a super fun weekend with Mommy and Junior, okay?"

Maria yawns and nods. "Okay, Daddy."

I pick her up and carry her back to my bedroom, wedging her into the bed between Junior and Caroline. Caro wakes up and looks at me with a sleepy smile.

"You leavin'?"

"Yeah." I pull the blanket up around Maria's shoulders, kiss both Maria's and Junior's heads. "I'll call you when I get to the hotel." I walk over to Caroline's side of the bed and lean down, planting a kiss on her mouth. She returns it with a soft sigh.

"Love you, Tony." She turns back onto her side, nestling under the blanket. "Have fun."