I really am sorry, I feel like that's all I ever say anymore, but it's true poor internet connection at home and a week long vacation in the northwoods have made getting to a computer almost impossible. Just think in a month I'll be back at school and have internet every night. So I really can't believe I've made it to chapter 50. Please tell me what you think and as always I own nothing.
"Three seats or two?" I asked squeezing into bleacher seats at the kids school gym turned auditorium. "Or do we need four, I figured Cass would sit on my lap."
"What do you think Liam you want your own seat?"
"Uh huh!" He giggled and crawled into the nearest seat, well that settled that. Not only did he decide the number of seats, he found our seats.
The twin's kindergarten classes Thanksgiving play officially signaled the beginning of their Thanksgiving break. Patrick and I would be joining them in two days, but until then Minelli had agreed to watch them. I rocked Cass, while Patrick read through the paper program handed out at the door and William chose from his bag of toys. I caught Patrick's smile while he read over the last page, and picked up my own program, each child had said what it was they were thankful for.
I'm Thankful for Teresa and Patrick cause they're almost like a new mommy and daddy. Oh and my sisters and brother, I guess.
Alyssa Harris
I'm Thankful for my family, Teresa and Patrick and Alyssa and William and Cass.
-Emily Harris
"You have some pretty amazing kids Agent Lisbon." Patrick smiled when he noticed I what I was reading.
"They came to me that way." I shrugged.
"Oh I'm sure you've done your fair share."
"I'm not doing this alone Patrick."
"Meh."
"That's your answer to everything isn't it?" I rolled my eyes and he just grinned. Before he could say anything the lights went down and immediately began the kindergarten presentation of the first Thanksgiving. Not even halfway through both Cass and William had fallen asleep, William on Patrick's lap Cass on mine. That detail would be over looked when congratulating the girls on their outstanding performance.
"Told you I'd get you to the theatre." Patrick smirked as the children took a bow.
"I don't think this is considered theatre."
"Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place." Patrick recited the definition off to me with a grin. "I think this classifies quite nicely."
"If this is the type of theatre you had been planning on in the first place maybe I would have been more willing." I informed, he rolled his eyes at my culturally unrefined tastes and carried a very groggy William to gather the girls from their classroom.
"Did you see us?"
"What did you think?"
"Was it good?"
"Did you like it?"
We were bombarded with questions the minute the girls saw us. They came running out of their classroom still in their pilgrim costumes. It made me seriously consider this as an interrogation method at work I wonder how suspects would hold up against excited six year olds.
"We did see you, you guys did amazing, and Emily you didn't look nervous even for a second." I assured.
"It was a fabulous play and I can't wait for the Christmas addition." Patrick agreed.
"You said we could get ice cream after the play!"
"We did say that didn't we." I nodded, "Alright ice cream it is and then home to bed because grandpa Minelli is coming over early in the morning to take care of you while Patrick and I go to work."
"But it's vacation." Alyssa pouted.
"Not for us, we don't start vacation until Wednesday."
"Why?" Emily frowned.
"Because bad guys don't go on vacation like the rest of us do." Patrick answered lifting her into the car.
"Teresa can I be an actress?" Alyssa changed topics as we headed down the block for ice cream.
"An actress, what happened to professional swimmer?" I wondered hadn't that just been last night career choice.
"But being an actress was more fun, I liked being in the play."
"If that's what you want I'm sure you can be an actress then." I couldn't help but smile, probability said it would be something else tomorrow.
"Can I tryout for a play that Lydia is going to be in?"
"When are these auditions, and do you know what play it's going to be?"
"I don't know sometime next week." Alyssa shrugged, "But can I please."
"How about we wait until the next play that way you have more time to practice."
"But Lydia is going to be in this play."
"Alyssa how about I help you practice for the next play." Patrick cut in.
"But I want to be in this play."
"How about you and I put on a play for Teresa, we can practice after school, and maybe you can talk your siblings into helping to."
"But then only Teresa will see, I want to be in front of a lot of people."
"What if we invite Miss Grace, and Agents Cho and Rigsby over. Rigsby could bring Ben." I tried.
"Can we invite Grandpa Minelli and Miss. May over to?"
"Of course we can."
"Fine, maybe I'll do a play with you, but I want to do a real play to."
"And you will in the future. Until then we need to make a script and we need to practice, and we need to make costumes, and pick a day to perform our play. We have a lot of work to do."
"After ice cream." I parked the car and directed them to the counter to order, "And not until tomorrow night." That was answered with a resounding fine from both Alyssa and Patrick.
"Does this mean she gets to do acting and girl scouts?" Emily wondered a couple minutes later looking up from her ice cream cone. "Cause I want to do two things to."
"We'll see what happens if you want to do two things we'll find you something else to do." There couldn't possibly be enough time in the day for them to do all the things they want to do. We finished our ice cream, got them home bathed and put to bed before I brought the issue before Patrick he never spoke about it but surely Charlotte had participated in multiple activities in kindergarten. "Soccer, softball, swimming, basketball, girl scouts, and now acting. We can't possibly consider all of those things can we? They'll get bored and forget some of them right?"
"They might." He shrugged climbing into bed.
"What do you mean they might? I mean we don't possibly have enough time to get them to all of the practices and meetings do we?"
"I'm saying we can't expect them to drop an idea, Alyssa wants to play softball and act, Emily wants to play basketball, and they both want to play soccer, swim and join girl scouts. And that probably won't change until after they've tried it, I wouldn't be surprised if they add more things to the list before they take any off."
"What did you do before?"
"Charlotte played soccer in the summer and fall, did dance and girl scouts year round, she swam, and she did gymnastics in the winter and spring. It was expensive and it took a lot of time but we didn't want her to miss out on anything, which I guess looking back I'm grateful for."
"So you're saying let them play."
"I suppose I am."
"What happens when we have two more kids wanting to play the same number of sports?"
"We lose all forms of a social life and our lives start revolving around the kids even more."
"That doesn't sound like much of a change."
"No it doesn't, but on the Brightside they won't be involved in everything forever. Eventually they will chose favorites and drop others."
"How long til eventually?"
"Don't get you're hopes up, because by then the sports will be more competitive and take up more time individually, than the group of them did combine."
"You are horrible at pep talks."
"I think you've told me that before." He chuckled, "How about this it's to late for basketball season this year so we're free of that, soccer won't start again until the end of spring so we have time for that, swimming probably won't start until summer, that leaves softball, acting, and girl scouts."
"That sounds like a very busy Alyssa and a very bored Emily."
"Oh I'm sure she'll find something to do, there are plenty of activities for a six year old."
"How are we going to have time for this?"
"I could quit and be I don't know a stay- at- home- adopted-moms-boyfriend."
"I think we could stick with stay-at-home dad, and you're not quitting, I don't trust you alone all day you could do something stupid?"
"What stupid thing could I do and I wouldn't necessarily be alone, we could take Cass out of daycare until she's older."
"You're not quitting."
"I could work part time then."
"I thought that's what you did already, I didn't know you're naps were considered work."
"I use those 'naps' to puzzle over the case thank you very much."
"Oh I'm so sorry, it's hard to tell the difference between puzzling and sleeping."
"It's only hard to tell when done by a professional." He smirked and I rolled my eyes, why was it so fun to go back and forth with him all the time, "Hey you ready for you're family to come on Thursday?"
"Damn it, we still haven't even thought about preparing a meal and the house needs to be cleaned."
"Teresa, we have until Thursday tomorrow is Monday, dinner is easy to plan you get all the basics we can go to the store Wednesday after work, then cleaning can be done Wednesday. I meant to ask are you happy to see you're brother again."
"I guess so, we are on a lot better terms now than before, and it'll be nice to see Annie again, she's probably gotten so big. She's sixteen now."
"You guess you're excited to see your brother?" He smirked.
"My brothers and I have a complicated relationship. You wouldn't understand."
"You're right I wouldn't I've never had a brother or a sister for that matter." He sighed, "Well actually I might have one some where it's not like either of my parents were necessarily careful in their social lives. Hell I probably have a couple dozen half sibling all over the U.S."
"I think you just found your new obsession tracking down possible siblings."
"I need something to do now that my old hobby is dead." He chuckled, "Actually no I don't think I'd like this hobby to much. I have a feeling if they were raised similar to me they might be in prison or at a carnival somewhere. It would just be a horrible reminder of everything I left behind."
"I've always wondered how does someone with such refined taste grow up in a carnival."
"What are your theories?"
"I've been going back and forth between a couple."
"I'd love to hear them."
"The first is probably the most reasonable." I started rolling over to properly face him. "That growing up with out such niceties has made you appreciate them more now." He just nodded considering the theory before I continued on, "The other is that you're an eccentric narcissist you likes expensive things and now that you have the money you get what you want when you want it."
"Both valid arguments." He nodded, "Food for thought while we drift to sleep."
"Good night Patrick."
"I love you Teresa."