Chapter 18—Expect the Unexpected?
A/N: Special thanks to ASTRID and GHOST303 for reviewing. I really appreciate it!
[5 years later]
"You have to finish your breakfast, Reby. It's good for you," Liz said as she tried to get her four year old daughter, Rebecca, to eat her oatmeal.
Rebecca whined. "I don't wanna," she said.
Liz smiled. "Michael is eating his oatmeal," she said as she pointed to the other four year old who sat across from Rebecca at the child-size table. "He's a big boy who eats his oatmeal. If you want to be a big girl, you have to eat your breakfast, too."
Rebecca pouted; she seemed to be thinking about it.
"Is the oatmeal good, Michael?" Liz asked her son; she wanted to prove a point to her picky eater.
He nodded. "Mm-hm. Eat it, Reby. It's yummy," he said in an attempt to coerce his little sister.
The stubborn toddler picked up her spoon and scooped up a bit of oatmeal. She put the spoon up to her nose to smell it; she turned her button nose up but ate it anyway. After a few seconds, her facial expression softened.
Liz smiled and kissed the little girl on her cheek and lightly swiped her curly light brown hair from her face.
"All done, mommy!" Michael announced. "Can I have my milk now, please?" he asked politely.
The mother nodded and took Michael's empty bowl and put it in the kitchen sink. She poured Michael some milk in his plastic tumbler.
"Here you go, sweetheart," Liz said as she handed him the milk.
Rebecca was much more willing to eat the oatmeal once she realized that it wasn't as bad as she initially thought.
"Do I get milk when I'm done, too, Mommy?" she asked.
Liz chuckled and nodded. "You sure do, Princess," she said.
Rebecca grinned and sped up her eating.
"Don't eat too fast; you could get sick. We have plenty of time until you two have to go to school," she said.
The giddy toddler dropped a bit of oatmeal onto her watermelon printed dress.
"Uh-oh!" Rebecca said.
Liz gasped dramatically. "Oh, no! A princess cannot have a spill. Everything will be okay, Princess Reby!" Liz said as she playfully rushed around the kitchen with a wet napkin.
The 26 year-old mother of two dabbed the young girl's dress to remove the spilt oatmeal. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"No harm done, Princess," Liz said as she pointed out the spot where the stain would have been.
Rebecca giggled. "Thank you, Mommy," she said.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Now, Officer Michael, do you know who is responsible for this crime?" Liz asked her son.
He grinned and shook his head vigorously; his thick, curly, black hair shook in every direction.
Liz laughed at her older child and ruffled his hair. "It's about time for a haircut, buddy," she said.
Michael grinned and put his hands in his hair; he mimicked his mother's actions when he ruffled it.
"You wanna go see Mr. Teddy today after school?" Liz asked.
Both Rebecca and Michael answered, "Yeah!"
Liz chuckled. "Then it's settled. We'll go see Mr. Teddy this afternoon. Until then, we need to get you rugrats to school," she said.
Per their morning routine, Rebecca and Michael scampered to their downstairs playroom where their backpacks were kept. Nothing was ever in them, but they wanted backpacks so Liz got them backpacks. Occasionally, Liz would put a snack in the backpacks for surprises after they got a good report from their pre-school.
Liz never dared to call it a pre-school or daycare in front of them; Rebecca and Michael were pretty independent for four year olds. To them, going to school was what all the big kids did and the babies went to pre-school. They went to big kid school and no one could ever tell them differently.
When the toddlers made it to the foyer where they met Liz every morning before heading out, Liz noticed that Michael's shoe was untied.
She gasped dramatically. "Oh. My. Goodness. Michael! Your shoe! It's untied!" she said pointing at the shoe and it's free laces.
Michael looked at the untied shoe and almost cried. "Can you tie it for me, Mommy?" he asked full of hope.
Liz pretended to be deep in thought. "Big boys have to tie their own shoes, bud, but I can help you,"
Michael wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sat on the hardwood floor. He had a string in each hand and he crossed them over each other. He thought about all the times Liz told him the story about the bunny and the bridge; sooner than expected, Michael tied his shoe.
Liz smiled proudly. "Good job, Michael! I'm so proud of you!" she said as she hugged him tightly.
Suddenly, Rebecca started to cry loudly.
"Aww, what's wrong, Princess?" Liz asked.
Rebecca tried to talk through the tears, but it came out as gibberish.
"Can you talk to Mommy in your big girl voice?" Liz asked.
The crying toddler nodded and wiped her tears. "I don't have shoe strings," she said in between soft sobs.
"I know, sweetie, but that's because you have on sandals. Sandals don't have shoe strings. Do you want to put on a pair of shoes that has shoe strings?" Liz asked.
Rebecca thought about it and shook her head. "No," she said.
"Are you sure?" Liz asked.
The little girl nodded. "I just want to go school. Then I wanna go see Mr. Teddy," she said.
Liz smiled and brought the two children in for a group hug.
When she got the children off to school, Liz went to the grocery store to shop for an easy dinner, snacks, and some supplies for Michael's birthday party that weekend.
Later that day after she put away the groceries, Liz took a shower to get ready for a business meeting.
Liz hadn't gone back to wrestling; instead, she followed in her parents' footsteps and went into fashion. She designed clothes for elite clients. The client she was meeting today was flying all the way from New York City.
After her shower, Liz pulled on her bra and panties. She then sat at her vanity to do her hair and make-up. She hadn't drastically cut her hair in the last 5 years so her soft, kinky curls flowed down her back. She blow dried it and applied conditioner to her hair but left it down. Her make-up was very light since she had to go pick up her children from school right after the meeting.
Liz dressed in her pink Scuba Peplum Pencil Skirt and Lipsy Essentials Crop Top; the top was tucked into the skirt. She accessorized with neon yellow Privileged Catherine Pumps, Monsoon Apache Bangles, and an aqua Multilayer Beaded Necklace.
She made sure she had all the designs ready for viewing before she went to the kitchen to prepare light refreshments for her guests. She displayed the refreshments and checked the time.
"She should be here any minute," Liz said out loud. Just then, the doorbell rang.
Liz went to the door and opened it with a smile. "Good morning! Please, come in," she said.
The middle aged woman sauntered into Liz's house and looked around.
"Your home is lovely,"
Liz smiled. "Thank you. I have some refreshments if you're interested. If not, we can get started. On the phone, you said you want a custom Mother-of-the-Bride dress?" Liz asked.
[two hours later]
Liz had drawn up a design for the woman.
"I know you said you wanted something similar to your daughter's dress, so I think you'll really like this," Liz said as she handed the sketch to her client.
The woman gasped. "My goodness. This is beautiful," she said quietly.
Liz smiled proudly; she and the client made payment arrangements and set a date of completion. They finished their business and they headed out of the home at the same time. The client to go to her hotel, and Liz to go to the school to pick up her angels.
When Liz arrived at the school, she felt so overdressed but she didn't have time to change out of her business attire; she would have been late if she did. Since she saved time, she arrived at the school right on time at noon.
"Mommy!" Michael yelled when he saw his mother walk in.
"Hey, buddy! Look what I drew, Mommy!" he said as he showed Liz the drawing of his family: Liz, his younger sister, and himself.
Liz squatted lady-like to Michael's level and smiled. "This is so great, Michael. I'm going to put it on the wall as soon as we get home," she said.
Liz stood up straight since her stance was getting uncomfortable. Michael grinned and stood with his mother as they both waited for Rebecca to come out of the classroom.
When she did, she was with her friend and neighbor, Peyton. Peyton was a five year old who lived on the same street as Liz and her kids.
"Hey, Mommy, can Peyton come home with us today?" she asked sweetly.
Liz looked around and saw Peyton's mother, who was also Liz's good friend, walk into the building. Again, Liz squatted to the child's level. "Peyton's mom is here to take her to their house. Plus, I thought you wanted to go see Mr. Teddy today?" she said.
Rebecca nodded. "I did, but I don't want to go see Mr. Teddy anymore. I want to go play with Peyton," she said.
Liz smiled and stood to speak to Peyton's mother, Angela; soon Liz turned her attention back to Rebecca. "Miss Angela said that it's okay for you to go home with her and Peyton today. I will come pick you up when Michael and I leave Mr. Teddy's house, okay?" she said.
Rebecca nodded and hugged her mother. "Be kind, Rebecca," Liz said as her daughter, Peyton, and Angela walked away. "Okay!" Rebecca shouted back.
Liz took Michael by the hand. "I guess it's just me and you, then, buddy," she said. When Liz buckled Michael into his booster seat, she called her good friend and former wrestler Ted DiBiase, Jr.
"Hey, Teddy. I just picked up Michael from school; we're on our way over," she said into the phone. "I'll see you in about 20 minutes," she said before hanging up.
[20 minutes later]
"We're here!" Liz announced as she pulled into Teddy's brick driveway. She saw a rental car also in the drive but she didn't think anything of it.
When she released Michael from his booster seat, he jumped out of the Mercedes and ran to the front door.
"No running, Michael," Liz said as she followed behind him. He didn't stop, though. "Michael Keith Caro! I said no running!" she said sternly.
"I'm sorry," he said somberly.
"It's okay, but next time, I want you to obey me when I tell you something, okay?" she said.
He nodded. "Can I press the button?" he asked.
Liz smiled and nodded. "Go ahead," she said.
Michael smiled and reached for the white button. He pressed it over and over again. Liz only laughed because it was Michael's own way of telling his makeshift barber that he had arrived.
Teddy opened the door, but without his usual smile and banter. "Uh, Liz. I tried to call you," he said nervously.
Liz frowned. "We just talked like 20 minutes ago," she said.
He nodded. "Yeah, well, somebody just showed up," he said.
Liz was still thrown off. "Um okay?" she said.
"Who was that ringing your doorbell like a maniac?"
Liz's eyes widened; she could have recognized that voice from anywhere… even if the last time she heard it was five years ago.
When the owner of the voice came into view, Michael stood behind his mother fearfully and hugged her leg; the man was unfamiliar to him.
"Liz…" Randy said softly. He couldn't believe the love of his life was standing within mere feet of him. "You look… um—wow," he said nervously.
She stood there awkwardly. Luckily, Teddy stepped in and diffused the awkwardness. "Michael, why don't you come with me to the kitchen so I can make you a snack?" Ted suggested.
Michael looked up at his mother for permission. "It's okay, baby, you can go with Teddy. I'll be there in a minute," she said.
Teddy offered his hand to the toddler; Michael nearly climbed Teddy's legs so he wouldn't have to walk past the strange man he had never seen before. Teddy made sure it was okay for Michael to be carried; after Liz gave a nod of approval, he lifted the small boy off of his feet and started to walk away.
"Uh, Randy, you and Liz can go in the den if y'all want to talk," Teddy said before he disappeared to the kitchen. Liz nodded as she stepped into the house and closed the door behind her.
She took a deep breath before she spoke. "So, how are you?" she asked in an attempt to make casual conversation.
Randy scoffed and shook his head. "How am I? Really? You vanished off the face of the earth for five years, Liz! How do you think I'm doing?" he asked rhetorically.
Liz stood silently. "I'm fine, thanks for asking," she said eventually.
"What the fuck, Liz?" he asked.
She sighed. "I needed some time to myself, Randy," she said as she sat on a sofa.
Randy remained standing, but paced. "Since when does 'some time' equate to five goddamn years?!" he asked angrily.
"Can you blame me, Randy? You promised me all these great things for a relationship, then you turned around and cheated on me. With Eva Marie, of all people! I couldn't handle that, Randy. I needed to get myself out of that situation. I had already been through a lot. I just needed to be by myself for a while," she explained herself.
"He lied to you," Randy said.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
Randy sighed and sat next to Liz. "Punk. He lied to you. I never cheated on you with Eva. They were planning to break us up. I guess Punk wanted you for himself and I know Eva just wanted me, so they lied about me and Eva hooking up all the time," he said.
Liz nodded. "I know. I overheard them talking about it the last time you and I saw each other," she admitted.
Randy looked at her with wide eyes. "If you knew, why did you walk out on me?" he asked.
"To be honest, Randy, I was under so much stress. I was pregnant; I was worried about our relationship; and I wanted to do something else with my life besides be a mom. I guarantee you that not a day went by when I didn't think about you, though," she said.
He took a deep breath and changed the subject. "So that's your son, huh?" he asked.
Liz smiled. "Yep. That's my Michael. Michael Keith," she said.
Randy looked up. "You still gave him my name after all that drama?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. I told you I would. Even though we haven't seen each other in a while, you're still my best friend. I was hoping that your name could give him a few of your good characteristics," she said.
Randy smiled. "That's really awesome, Liz. So, is he your only one?" he asked.
Liz's smile slowly faded; she had never intended on telling Randy about Rebecca. Before she could answer, Ted came into the den holding Michael's hand.
"We're headed upstairs, Liz. You should come with us so you can show me how you want his hair," he said.
Liz knew that Teddy heard Randy's question; he was there to save her from having to answer. She stood and started up the stairs.
"How come you colored on your arms?" Michael asked Randy softly as he pointed to Randy's tattooed arms.
Randy chuckled. "I didn't color on them. These are tattoos; they don't wash off. They stay on my arms forever," he said.
Michael was fascinated with the tattoos, but Teddy walked him up the stairs for the haircut.
"Hey, Liz," Randy called out.
Liz turned to face Randy. "Call me sometime?" he asked.
She nodded and continued up the stairs.
"I'll see you later, Randy," Teddy said.
"Yeah. See ya," with that, Randy let himself out.
Liz breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for that, Teddy," she said once they got to the styling room of Teddy's house.
"No problem, Liz." he said.
"What is he doing here, anyway? I know Wreslemania season is over, but WWE should still be pretty busy right now," she said.
Teddy frowned as he gathered the supplies he needed to cut Michael's hair. "He didn't tell you?" he asked.
"Tell me what?" she asked curiously.
"He just retired. He's moving into the house next door at the end of the week," he said.
Liz was speechless. Randy would now be living on the same block as her.
"So, are you going to tell him?" he asked.
She shrugged. "How in the world am I supposed to tell a man I haven't seen in five years that he has a daughter?" she asked rhetorically.
"I don't know, but I think he deserves to meet her," Teddy said.
Liz thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. I don't want you-know-who to feel left out," she said referring to Michael. He would never know his biological father, but she knew Reby deserved to meet hers. Liz was just going to have to come up with the right time to tell Randy the truth.
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