Chapter Eight: How We Change
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Continuation of Chapter 7
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Roger waited until Mimi had shut the door before he fumed, "What the hell..."
"Roger," Mimi started, "He did what he thought was right--it's what he's always done."
"Stop defending him, Meems..."
"I'm not defending him, Roger." Mimi fought the tears, "It's just, babe..."
He just interrupted, "This was exactly what we didn't want."
"No, it's not what we wanted, but is it still what we don't want." Mimi sunk on the bed, some of the tears managing to escape. Confused, Roger came in front of her,
"Meems?"
"Maybe this is a good time for second chances."
She didn't mean Mark; well she did--but not just Mark. Give the boys a chance, give them a chance. Now, she held no illusions of suddenly becoming a mother, she was Mark's face when the boys walked in the door, no, she had no illusions.
"Roger, please." She saw he was giving in, and she smiled a little knowing that he wanted it too, if even just a little.
"Fine."
"Thank you." She replied, leaning in to kiss him. "I'm going to go use the restroom. Change into something decent."
Roger gave her a small smile as sign he's listen, while she walked out of the room. As she came out of the restroom her eyes fell into the room across the hall, both the boys were getting changed, oblivious to the door being wide open.
London gave her a smile as she appeared in the doorway and came behind Shea who was struggling with his hair.
"You want some help with that?" Mimi asked picking up the comb that lay forgotten.
Shea allowed her to help him, even if he pretended he was doing it reluctantly. "There we go."
She smiled at him as she looked into his face, and in an unguarded moment he returned it.
"You guys ready?" Mark said unknowingly interrupting the moment.
Mimi got up and followed the boys out to where Mark and Roger were silently standing.
After a surprisingly uneventful dinner Mark sent the boys to bed with the promise of an eventful next day, and the adults followed shortly after, not knowing what exactly they should say, particularly Mark.
Roger just lay in bed listening to Mimi's soft breathing, and listening to the sounds around. He suddenly heard a door open and close, and some noises that sounded distantly familiar. Pulling himself out of bed Roger peered out the door of the guestroom to see some shadows in the living room then a light, and as the lights began to flash Roger followed the whirring noise into the living room. London sat on the couch face on his knees watching the old projector still able to do its job. Without a word London scooted over to allow a space for Roger, and Roger complied as he realized that the movie was from the night he met Mimi.
"Ma...Your dad let you watch these?"
The boy just nodded. The two sat in silence for a while, until Roger saw another picture of himself on the wall.
"That's you isn't it? You're in a lot of Dad's movies." It's the first time Roger has heard London speak since he came running in earlier in the afternoon.
"Yeah, your Dad I were pretty good friends, we lived together too."
"If you were friends, why aren't you in any of the movies after Shea and me were born? Why haven't we seen you before?...We've heard about you though...Dad talks about you sometimes. But why did it take you so long to show up?"
Roger looked over at the boy, "Sometimes it happens. People take different paths."
"But they come back right? You did."
"Yeah, they always come back."
The film on the wall started to end and London began digging through the films, not touching the second box next the one he was looking through.
"What about those?" Roger asked about the closed box.
"Those are the only ones Dad won't let me watch..."
"Oh. I'm sure he has his reason. Why don't we...why don't we watch one from after you were born? Pick your favorite one."
A smile that Roger didn't know was a rare on appeared on the boy's face as he complied as he put the film on.
Roger noticed that when London came back he sat closer to the musician.
"Wh-Which one is this?"
"Shh...just watch."
Roger laughed at being told what to do.
The film began with Mark holding up a piece of paper with his scribble on it Shea and London's first birthday...they're sleeping. The picture inched to a room in the back of an apartment different form the one they were viewing it in. Roger watched as the pictures went on, Mark putting the camera on a tri-pod to show him helping both the boys taking a few steps...the boys vs. a cake--the boys won, a boy with a shirt labeled Shea smiled and bounced to something he apparently heard in front of London who was just sitting more interested in the box in front of him...
"Why are you crying?" London had caught Roger.
"Oh...it's nothing."
"Uh-huh." London said but didn't push it any further.
Roger pulled himself back together, "Um...do watch these movies a lot?"
London shrugged, "I have trouble sleeping. The movies help me sleep. Dad used to watch them with me, but he needs to sleep. So, I just watch them on my own."
"Why can't you sleep?"
"I dunno, I just can't..."
"One second..." Roger got up and quietly retrieved his guitar from the back room, "Here..."
Roger sat on the couch, London watching intently as Roger played a quiet song so not to wake up the others.
"Sometimes we fall, and don't know why...Come to me...I'll help you pick up the pieces..."
Roger went on until he saw that London was sleeping, just like Mimi when she fights sleep. Setting aside the guitar he picked up the boy and carried him to the door that Roger assumed was the twins' room, but with his hands full he couldn't open it.
"Here." Mark appeared in the hallway to open the door, "I heard the guitar; I haven't heard that in a while." He explained before Roger laid London down on the empty bed.
"Roger," Mark whispered to the retreating back, "Thanks." Before going back to his own room.
Roger simply retrieved his guitar before going back to Mimi.
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Until next time, this is me...signing out.
