Chapter Five: The Time That Passes
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Five And A Half Years After Mark Left
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"Boys, are you ready?" Mark said trying to emerge from his room, a newer, two year old camera in tow. He turned the camera on, "London, Shea, you don't want to late for your first day of school."

But as he turned into the hall all he found was London leaning against the wall, a little smile across his face.

"London, are you ready?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good job. Where's your brother?" London pointed at the bathroom door. "You have to take your meds..."

Mark grabbed the handle to find it locked. Why was it locked? How did Shea learn to lock a door?

"Shea. I know you're in there. Unlock the door. We need to go to school."

No response. Mark turned to boy behind him, "London, go finish your cereal, okay?"

As soon as London had left the hallway, he pounded on the door again. "Come on Shea. You need to take your meds."

"No!"

There it was. Mark sighed, the routine was relatively new, but the doctor was of the doctrine of waiting with the meds had began twins on the new routine and it had gone well...until...

"Please Shea."

"No!"

"Will you please let daddy come in and talk to you?"

No response again.

"Please, daddy just wants to talk to you."

After a few seconds he heard the click of the door and gently Mark made his way into the bathroom. Shea was sitting in the bathtub half dressed and pouting. Mark moved to sit on the toilet so he could face him, and sat the camera on its side, too concerned to remember to turn it on.

"What's going on, Shea?"

"I don't wanna..."

"Don't want to what, buddy? Go to school? Get dressed?"

"Take da medcine. Why do we have to?"

"Because the doctor said so. And the doctor is very smart woman. Come here." He waited until he could pull Shea up on his lap.

"London, come here buddy."

The other little boy came running in; Mark reached out a pulled him to where he was standing in front of Mark and Shea. Resting his hand on Shea's head, "You guys know that Daddy wouldn't make you do anything that would hurt you? And I know it's not something you like to do, but you wanna grow up to be big and strong right? And they help you?"

"Why don't you have to take 'em?"

Mark sighed, "Um...because I don't need to take them...you know how you guys have a lot of questions?" Two nods. "Sometimes, Daddy doesn't have answers to all your questions, because sometimes Daddy has a lot of questions too. And sometimes there are questions that I know the answers to, but I can't tell you quiet yet, because you're old enough. Sometimes you have to be a little older to hear some stories, okay?"

There were two hesitant nods. He sighed; he wasn't doing a very good job at this.

"You guys know when we make macaroni and cheese? You remember how we go in an order? We have to make the noodles before we can put the cheese in? Well, sometimes that how it is with the answers to your questions...you have to do some things, and wait for some times before you can get the answers. Does that make more sense?"

The nods came a little faster.

"You know I love you guys, right?"

"Love you too, daddy."

"Me too."

He turned Shea a little, "Will you take your meds now?"

The five year old nodded.

Once that matter was settle and completed, Shea dressed, breakfast eaten, Mark sighed as he noticed on his watch they didn't have much time. He pulled the camera up to his eye,

"Zoom on Shea and London Cohen, on their first day of school. Wave to the camera boys." He locked the door and filmed them as they walked down the hallway towards the stairs. "London, show me your book back..."

He proudly showed the green bag with a dinosaur on the back. "Dinosaurs..." Mark narrated, "Shea what about yours?" The yellow bag with a guitar and drums cartoonishly drawn on the bag. "Ever since the Roger Davis concert Shea wants to play music." Mark turned the camera on himself, "Oh, joy."

The group headed down the stairs.

"Are you guys excited for school?"

"Yeah!"

London got so excited he nearly tripped over his shoes, "Oh, watch out buddy, lets get the shoes tied."

Mark set the camera down and retied the shoelaces, "There we go."

They continued on their way, going as fast Mark could lead two five year olds down the few blocks to the elementary school. The rushed in the stairs and were directed to right room. Mark pulled them to the side as they reached outside the door.

"Come here. Are guys ready for this? You'll do great. Now behave yourselves, okay? I'm proud of you guys. Yeah, Daddy's proud of you. Come here." He gave them each a hug and then both of them together, "Do you think you can go in there on your own, or do you want me to go in with you."

With a quick 'love you' Shea dragged his brother in the room Mark sighed and turned the camera on the retreating back, "Zoom on Shea and London Cohen...center of the universe." Then turned the camera on himself as he got up from his squatting position, trying to hold in a threatening tear, "Wow, they grow up fast...soon it's going to be girls, and rock bands...and...oh...I think I can wait for that."

He began to walk down the hallway.

"Daddy!" London came out of the room panicking, the teacher close on his heels.

"What's the matter, buddy?"

"I don wanna go."

Mark saw the teacher head back to the room, "What made you change your mind? I thought you were excited?"

"I don want you to leave me."

"Dun, it's just like when you were at pre school and I had to go to work..."

"So, you'll still come and get us?"

"Yeah, buddy."

"You won't forget?"

"What could make me forget you?"

London gave one of his rare pure smiles and Mark continued, "And as soon as I pick you up today, we'll celebrate by getting ice cream."

"Before dinner?"

"Yeah. But you have to behave," He wasn't really worried about London behaving, "And you have to tell me all about your day, okay?"

The boy nodded, now reassured. "Okay."

Mark led the boy back to the door of the room.

"Bye Daddy."

"Bye, buddy."

He turned around once again making his way down the hall way and out of the school. Kindergarten, five and a half years old, Roger and Mimi's boys were five and a half years old, it had been that long since he had left the loft, four years since they had left New York...god, it had been over a year since had even seen or heard of Collins...Mark's mind drifted in between New York and the Chicago kindergarten classroom he had just left...all the way to the building and up to his office. The company was a relaxed atmosphere and a good place to work, but at the moment his mind was anywhere but where his work was. His eyes scanned the pictures on top of his desk: the boys at various ages, him with the boys on their first day home, as well as several other pictures of the three of them, several of the frames claiming #1 Dad or I Love My Daddy, pictures of handprints and various stick creatures. Mark reached down the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out several other pictures. These were pictures taken with a cheap disposable camera; Roger, Mimi, Maureen, Joanne, Collins, and Angel all laughing as the couches legs went out from under them, another of just Roger and Mimi, then others, until he came to a group of his favorites. A picture of Roger working intently on a song on top of the metal table with Mark standing behind him to side standing over the projector, on the back in Mimi's handwriting 'Mark and Roger perfecting their art'. Another picture of Collins standing there dancing with Angel both laughing at the sight of the blur of Roger tripping over his feet as Mimi was showing him this particular dance on the back Joanne had written, 'Why Roger should stick to making music'. The last picture was just of Mark standing in the loft, looking lost from an apparent hangover a simple scribble on the back, 'Mark'. Mark set all the pictures, except for the last one, on the desk. Putting a picture of Roger and Mimi next to a picture of the twins.

"How'd the first day of kindergarten go?"

Mark's head shot up to see a co worker standing in his door. "Oh, it went pretty good."

"Be grateful it's just kindergarten; wait until your waving good bye as they go off to college. It's hard, but you can't stop time..."

"Sometimes it would be nice."

"You won't hear any arguments from me there. Oh, Mark, though, we do have a meeting in twenty minutes..."

"Um, okay, thanks."

Soon his doorway was clear and his attention went back to the pictures...

you can't stop time...

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Until next time, this is me...signing out.