Note: Thanks for the great reviews everyone! I'm glad people are enjoying this story as I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Some people are asking if we're going to see certain relationships...There will be at least one triangle, possibly two. I don't want to say who's going to be involved with who because I like getting your opinions and reactions to certain pairings. That's a hint--if you like a pair you're seeing, let me know and they may stay together. Things will definitely become very interesting for our Bohos.

Note, part 2: Okay, it's still not letting me put that lil horizontal line divider in, so once again, we'll just bold the first word of each new section. With that, here's Maria' s birthday party.

Roger heard the doorbell from the kitchen.

"Come on in, Ben!" he called.

The door creaked open. "Uncle Benny!"

"Hey baby girl! Where's the old man at?"

"Right here," Roger said, coming out of the kitchen. "Okay, Mar, you know the rules. You go play in your room and me and Uncle Benny will make the house look nice for your party."

"Okay."

Maria ran off towards her room. Roger and Benny set about opening the packages of streamers. Roger had just taped the end of the pink streamer to the ceiling when Maria ran back in.

"You need something, honey?"

"You didn't braided my hair yet."

"I think it looks pretty how it is."

Benny nodded in agreement, trying to be helpful. Maria pouted and crossed her arms. "But Daddy, you promised."

Roger sighed and jumped down from the chair. He set the streamer down on the chair and gave Benny an apologetic smile. "Be right back."

Benny nodded and took Roger's position with the streamers. He twisted it around towards the ceiling, drooping it down and up, down and up, until he reached the light. There, he tore the end and taped it in place. Roger returned a minute later. "Thanks, man."

"Don't worry 'bout it. You get that helium tank?"

"In the garage. It's just a portable one but I didn't want to bring it in here and have Maria see it."

"Because the six-year old would know what a helium tank is," Benny laughed.

"No, but the six-year old asks questions about everything."

"True. You want to take over streamers or should I continue and you can do the balloons?"

Roger sighed. "Will you hate me if I leave you to do the streamers?"

"Nah, go ahead."

Roger smiled and ran off to the garage. He returned a minute later with a small helium tank. Setting it on the table, he grabbed a package of balloons and pulled out the first one.

An hour later, Roger had blown up two packages of lavender balloons and tied a pink ribbon to the end of each. Benny had looped the pink streamers across the ceiling and put together the goody bags Roger had purchased for the other children.

"So now, how many of these kids are coming?"

Roger counted in his head. "Uh…four, no wait, five? Yeah, five…no…that one kid couldn't make it…four…four."

Benny laughed at his friend's memory. "Yeah, well, maybe next year you should get some sort of list or something."

"For what?"

"For who's invited and then cross off the kids who can't make it. So that you know how many."

Roger shrugged. "Just got enough to fill seven bags."

Benny raised an eyebrow. "You think there's four or five kids coming and you got enough to fill seven goody bags?"

"Yeah. Figure it's better to have extra bags than have to make some kid go without."

There was a knock at the door. Roger tucked the helium tank into the corner of the living room and went to answer it.

"Mark, Maureen, hey guys. Thanks for coming," he said, hugging each.

"Hi, Roger."

"Hey," Mark said.

"Maureen? Mark?"

"Benny!" Maureen squealed. She handed a package wrapped in rose-patterned paper to Mark so she could run at Benny. She threw her arms around him. "Oh my gosh! It's been way too long."

"And yet I see you are as perky and dramatic as ever," Benny laughed.

"That she is," Mark said, nodding.

"Mark, man, good to see you." Benny waited for Maureen to let go of him and shook Mark's hand.

"Daddy! Can I come out yet?"

"Okay, Mar. Come on out!"

Maria ran into the room, lighting up when she saw her first guests. "Mrs. Cohen!"

"Hi, Maria! How are you?"

"Good! It's my birthday. Well, not my birthday but my party day. I had my birthday, um, when it was Wednesday. Right Daddy?"

"Yep, that's right."

"And you get cupcakes next week at school, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Daddy, I forgotted to tell you about that. We get cupcakes at school for all the kids's birthdays that happens in Ah-tober."

"Wow, that'll be fun," he smiled. "Need me to bring anything?"

Maureen shook her head. "Nope. Everything's provided. We just have cupcakes and little hats and the kids sing to those with birthdays that month."

"Great."

"Don't I get a 'hello'?" Mark asked, setting the present on the coffee table. Maria turned and saw him.

"Mr. Mark! I forgotted that you was coming."

"Well, if you forgot, then maybe I should go," he teased, turning towards the door.

"No! You can't go, Mr. Mark!"

Mark turned back to her, laughing. She giggled and threw her arms around him. "You're silly, Uncle Mark."

"Uncle?" Mark asked, surprised.

"Sorry. I meaned Mr. Mark."

"It's okay. Happy birthday, honey."

After the party, Benny offered to help clean up. Roger insisted he'd helped enough with setup. Maureen had a meeting back at the school.

"Pookie, we gotta go now or I'm gonna be late."

"You know, I can give Mark a lift home if he doesn't mind helping me clean up a bit," Roger said.

Mark nodded. "Sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all."

Maureen kissed him goodbye and hugged Maria. She sat on the floor surrounded by her new dolls and games. "Are you going, Mrs. Cohen?"

"Yeah, I have to go to a meeting. Mr. Mark's going to stay a little bit longer though, okay?"

She nodded. "Thanks for my doll," she said.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

Maureen waved to Roger. "I'm off then. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Mo. And thanks again for coming."

Mark hopped up on a chair and started tugging down streamers.

"Thanks, Mark."

"No problem. You're quite welcome."

Roger stood carefully on another chair and began pulling down other streamers. "I can't believe she's six."

"Grow up fast?"

"I always thought our parents were full of it when they said that," Roger laughed.

"Guess not…listen, Rog, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure. What?"

"Well, okay, first, this completely Maureen's idea. She's worried about you."

"About me? Why?"

"Since you haven't been seeing anyone."

Roger sighed. "Don't really have time."

"And I tried to tell her that, but you know Maureen…"

"Once she gets an idea in her head…"

"Exactly," Mark laughed.

"So what's her scheme?"

"She wants me to set you up on a blind date."

"No."

"Look, I know you hate the idea and the very notion of a blind date—"

"It's like auditioning for a relationship."

"I know. But Maureen won't shut up about it. And the date is a woman I work with."

"A shrink?"

"No, social worker."

"Close enough."

Mark laughed. "She's really smart, Rog. And gorgeous."

"Mark…"

"Rog, please. Just one date and you never have to even look at her again."

He sighed. "I just don't want to bring women into Maria's life and then have them not stay around…"

"I understand. I'll watch Maria myself."

"And not tell her that I'm on a date?"

Mark saw his resolve weakening. "Not if you don't want her to know."

"One date."

"One."

"Fine. I give. What's her name?"

"Joanne."

Roger nodded and continued tearing down the streamers until they were a pink crumpled mess. A blind date. His first date in six years. This would be interesting.

Up next... Roger and Joanne's blind date!