Walter pulled up on the beach carpark , Walter and Paige got out of the car , Ralph stayed in the car with Megan quietly talking to her .
" Do you think we should put Megan in the stroller and just stay on the sidewalk , or use the detachable part of the car seat and carry her , so we can go on the beach ? " A smiling Paige asked Walter .
" She certainly seems to like the stroller and it means it is easier for us than carrying her . All the food stalls are on the sidewalk so we can sit on one of the outside tables . " A smiling Walter said as he leaned in and gently kissed Paige's on the lips .
Paige opened the back door of the Range Rover , undid the straps holding Megan in place and removed her from the seat . Megan smiled at Paige and uttered Mo,Mo.
Ralph by now had got out of the car and walked to the rear of the car were Walter was putting the stroller in the open position .
" Megan seems very happy in the car seat . Can i push her in the stroller ? "
Paige came road the back of the car as Ralph was asking Walter .
" Of course Ralphy , but do not push her to fast . "
" I won't mom i just want to tell her about everything around us , i do not think she understands me , but it seems to make her giggle . "
Ralph began to push Megan in the stroller and immediatly her laughter could be heard . Paige and Walter , arm in arm walked a few yards behind , far enough away so they would not be heard while talking in a low voice , but close enough if any danger was imminent . Paige turned to Walter . " I thought it a little strange how Penny thought you were Ralph's biological father . "
Walter gave her a quick kiss on her lips before answering . " It is quite simple really , the shape of everyone's ears are unique , as you get older like everything they get bigger but the actual shape does not alter , unless of course a person is injured in that region . So unique the shape , that a few police forces across the world have got a guilty verdict , when the perpetrater as pushed against a window to listen if anyone was in the property . The shape could be similar , the chin also could be similar . What she said about Ralph having my mannerisms and speech patterns that's easy . You have said before you met me Ralph had never really had a father figure , so i think it would only be natural he would pick up things from me , none of my bad habits i hope . I just know for certain if i had met you before , there is no way i would ever forget you . " As he finished speaking he stole another kiss .
" I knew you would have a sensible answers , but it still felt a little weird . "
They picked up their speed so they could catch up with Ralph and Megan .
As they got closer they could hear Ralph talking to Megan , he seemed to be telling her everything that was about them , including things on the beach , a lot like Walter would tell her on their moonlight beach walks before their break up . That bought back the memory again of what she had told Walter the night she walked out on him , this time it seemed to hurt even more than when she had heard Walter talking to Megan the first time they had taken a walk on the beach together with Ralph and Megan .
Walter noticed that the smile had disappeared from her face . " Is something wrong ? " He asked his voice full of concern .
" No i am fine just thinking about something i regret . " She answered a half smile on her face .
" You know we said no regrets over past mistakes , big or small . " Walter told her as he planted another kiss on her lips .
" I know but at times , i remember some of the things i said to you that night just out of spite so i could hurt you . " Paige replied still with only a half smile on her face .
Walter just said . " It's ok . "
Paige leaned closer into Walter , now with a contented look on her face .
After about five minutes Paige saw a toilet block with a baby changing room attached . " Lets stop here a moment , so i can check on Megan ." Paige said .
" Sure , Ralph stop . " Walter called to Ralph .
Ralph stopped pushing . " Something wrong dad ? "
" No your mom wants to check on Megan . " Walter told him while pointing at the changing room . "
Paige walked up to the stoller and gently released the straps and picked Megan up . The smile disappered from her face but did not struggle and uttered mo, mo .
Paige took the blue bag from Walter and made her way to the changing room . Ten minutes later she reappeared , a smile on her face ,matched with the one on Megan's face . Paige put Megan back in the stroller and she immediatly began to utter Ral,Ral. They carried on walking for another ten minutes before they came across a cabin , built just off the sidewalk , that was selling hot dogs and burgers .
" How about this place for lunch ? " Paige asked .
They found a table suitable for four people , Walter moved one of the chairs out of the way and put Megan in her stroller in the space . He then pulled his chair out and moved it right to the corner of the table so Megan could still see him , opposite Walter Ralph did the same .
" Have i got B.O. or something ? " Paige asked a big smile on her face .
Both Walter and Ralph said at the same time . " NO! "
Paige and Walter left Megan being watched by Ralph to go and order the food . Five minutes later they were back at the table , Walter carrying a tray with three plates each with two hot dogs . Paige a tray with two cups of coffee and a chocolate milk shake for Ralph , plus a family portion of French fries served in a polystrene box .
They put all the contents of the trays on the table then rested the trays against the chair Walter had moved . Ralph immediatly started his food , causing big smiles to appear on their faces . Walter and Paige sat down and began to eat , as soon as Walter picked up a French fry , Megan uttered Da, Da. which caused Walter to look down at her . Megan made a fist with her hand and blew on it and put it towards her mouth a big smile on her face .
Walter looked down at Megan . " Do you want a french fry ? "
Megan again made a fist , blew on it and put it towards her mouth .
Paige spoke up ." Hold on a minute Walter . " As she said it , she reached into the blue bag and pulled out a pink bib with princess printed on it . She got up walked towards Megan , bent down and put it around Megan's neck and tied it at the back , which caused an even bigger smile to appear on her face and to utter Mo, Mo. " Now you can give her one , i hope that will keep her clean . " Paige told Walter a big smile on her face .
Walter picked a french fry up and leaned over to Megan , who took it and blew on it then put it in her mouth , sucking it before begining to chew on it .
Once they had all finished eating , Megan managing to sort of eat four fries , again there was more on her bib than she had eaten . Paige came round and gently removed the bib . " Do you want daddy to feed you now ? "
A big smile came on her face and she uttered Da, Da. Paige gently released the belt and picked Megan up and put her into Walter's arms . She then went back to the blue bag and took out the insulated container containing the milk for Megan and passed it to Walter . As soon as Walter put the bottle to her mouth she began drinking .
" Every time . " Paige said a big smile on her face . Once Megan had finished her bottle , they all made ready to leave .
They were approached by a young couple . " We are sorry to disturb you , but we could not help notice what a beautiful family you make . "
Paige spoke . " Well thank you , i am Paige this is Walter and our children Ralph and Megan . "
" I am Paul and this is Sue , i certainly hope we have as much sucess as your family once we are married . How old is Megan ? "
Paige again was the one to answer . " Thank you , Megan is just over four months old . When are you getting married ? "
" This time it was Sue who answered . " Next month , we are having a beach wedding . "
" That sounds really good , we wish you all the best . " Paige replied .
Sue smiled back . " Thank you , but tell me , Megan seems so advanced for her age and she seems to have a real appreciation of Walter . "
Paige smiled . " Yes , considering they have known each other for just over a month . " Sue looked shocked but Paige carried on speaking . " It is a long story and i cannot talk about it . "
" Oh ! " Was all Sue could manage .
Paige smiled at her . " Sorry i did not mean to sound rude , it is just very complicated and personal . "
Sue smiled back at her . " Well what ever the problem was , you both seemed to have solved it and Paul as already said you have a beautiful family . Good luck for the future and have a good day . " With that Paul and Sue walked away .
Walter looked at Paige a smile on his face . " That was very nice of them . "
Paige smiled back at him . " Yes it was . "
They carried on walking , Ralph still pushing Megan , who was still laughing . After about twenty minutes they came across another cabin , this one selling frozen yoghurt .
Ralph turned around to Paige . " Can we stop here please ? "
Paige looked at Walter who nodded " Ok! "
A big smile appeared on Ralph's face . As at the other cabin , tables were out up on the sidewalk , they again found a table for four and moved a chair to accomadate Megan in her stroller . Paige went to fetch the yoghurt , leaving both Walter and Ralph with Megan .
She returned with three pots of strawberry yoghurt .
They all began eating it , Megan soon made her presence known by shouting Da, Da, Mo, MO, Ral, Ral . Walter looked over at her " Ok , little princess are you feeling ignored , or do you want to taste some yoghurt ? "
Megan immediatly made a small fist and put it by her mouth .
" Walter smiled at Paige . " It would appear she wants to taste the yoghurt , have you got her bib ? "
Paige smiled , put her yoghurt down and reached in her blue bag and retrived the bib from it , she got up from her chair and walked over to Megan and put her bib on before releasing the safety strap and gently removing her and passing her to Walter who made sure she was comfortable in his arms , before he put a small amount of yoghurt on his spoon and offered it to Megan who opened her mouth , once she had the yoghurt in her mouth , she scrunched her face as the cold of the yoghurt was a new experiance to her .
After a few seconds , it seemed she liked the taste as she again said Da, Da. and made a fist . Walter shared the rest of his yoghurt with her , once it was all gone , she pulled a face and kept making a fist and putting it to her mouth .
Paige smiled at Walter and pushed her pot over as she had not yet finished all of hers . Walter looked at Megan .
" Do you want some more ? "
Megan uttered Da, Da.
Both Paige and Ralph had big smiles on their face's as they watched Walter spoon feed Megan . Once Megan had finished Paige's yoghurt they decided to make their way back home .
Two hours later Walter was pulling up in front of Paige's condo . Ralph and Walter unloaded the purchases they had made , Paige unhooked the car seat from it's frame and carried Megan inside . Once inside , Paige put the carseat on the kitchen island which seemed to please Megan , as she could see what was going on .
The first thing Paige did was to put a fresh brew of coffee on . Walter was already starting to put together the high chair , as the one they tried in the shop was a display item only .
Once the coffee was made and she had poured Walter and herself a cup , Ralph called her over into the living area to help him .
" What's up Ralphy ? "
" Could you help me move the coffee table so i can layout the crawl mat . "
A smile on her face she helped move the table and put out the mat , Ralph put the batteries in and checked that it worked , once he saw it was working he turned to his mom .
Could you fetch Megan over please , i want to see if she can use it . "
Paige gave him a smile and walked over to Megan and unstrapped her from the car seat . Megan smiled and uttered Mo, Mo. . She walked over to Ralph and then gently placed Megan on the mat ,she immediatly moved and the mat changed colour , that caused her to giggle and move again causing the mat to change again . Paige called Walter over who immediatly stopped what he was doing to join her and Ralph . For about five minutes Megan kept moving and laughing as the mat changed colour . Suddenly she stopped and all three began to hear a low purr coming from her .
" It would seem our little girl as worn herself out . " Paige said a big smile on her face .
Next morning just before 9.00am. Walter . Paige and Ralph were sitting on the sofa , today they had put Megan in her high chair , which Walter had sucessfully made up the previous evening , behind the sofa at first she seemed a little upset but as soon as the other three sat on the sofa a smile came back .
Before a connection came through from Ireland , Paige leaned over Walter to speak to Ralph .
" After you went to bed last night , i went through the bill from the baby shop .Did you realize you spent over half of your cheque you received from Uncle Richard . "
" I would have spent it all , i did not think i deserved that much for what i did . So i wanted to share with my little sister , because i love her and most of all i am sure she is one big reason you two got back together . Now i have what i would consider my perfect family . " Replied Ralph .
This caused Paige to shed a tear as she leaned over further across Walter so she could kiss Ralph on the cheek . Megan began to grin as she uttered MO , MO, Ral , Ral .
At that moment Paige's computer pinged to tell her of an incoming video call , the ping making Megan giggle . Soon the faces of Sean and Louise appeared on the screen.
" Good morning American Family . " Louise said .
" Good evening Mom and Dad . " Paige replied .
Both Sean And Louise had a somewhat concered look on their faces .
" Were is the little princess ? " A concerned Louise asked . "
Paige smiled and lifted the computer up a little so the camera could pick focus on Megan sitting on her high chair . A big smile appeared on Megan;'s face as she saw Sean and Louise on the screen , she reached out with her hand towards the screen and uttered Gmo, Gda . Paige was shocked she almost dropped the computer .
" Did you hear what Megan just said ? "
Walter looked at Paige . " Well that was something new , put the computer back on the table and i will fetch her out of her chair and hold her . "
As Paige put the computer down , he got up and gently removed her from the high chair , bought her back to the sofa and made her safe in his arms so she could see the computer screen .
" Is that better little princess , now you can see grandma and grandpa ? "
Megan giggled and reached out again and uttered Gmo, Gda .
Paige saw tears rolling down both Sean and Louise's cheeks .
Paige spoke up first . " We bought the high chair yesterday , so she does not have to lye in her bassenet all the time and she seems to have taken to it well . "
They spent the rest of the call talking about what they had bought the previou day and how Megan had liked her first taste of frozen yoghurt .
It seemed no time at all before they needed to sign off as they wanted to be early at the auction , although it was not due to start until noon , they wanted time to look at the items that was to be auctioned off today .
Just after 10.00am they signed off and wished each other well until the following Saturday . Paige took Megan back into the bedroom to see if she needed changing , also to express some milk for Megan's feed at lunch time . Twenty minutes later she joined Walter and Ralph , put the bottle of milk in her blue bag , with a smaller bottle of highly diluted fruit juice in case Megan needed a drink .
Walter pulled up on the car park of were the auction was being held just after 11.15am . Again Walter and Paige got out , Ralph stayed in the car talking to Megan . Walter got the stroller out of the back of the Range Rover and opened it up , Paige unstrapped Megan and took her to the back of the car and placed her in the stroller , immediatly she began to call Ral, Ral .
Which brought a smile to both Paige and Walter's face . " It would seem she prefers Ralph to be her driver again today . " Said a smiling Paige .
By now Ralph had joined them at the back of the car .
" Do you mind Ralph ? " Walter asked .
" Of course not dad , i enjoy it and Megan does not seem to stop laughing until i stop . "
They made their way to the door , as they entered what appeared to be a reception area , they noticed a large sign supported on what looked like an artist's easel .
NO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 16
IN THE AUCTION ROOM .
" HO ! thats a problem . " A concerned Paige said .
Walter looked around and saw the receptionist . " Excuse me is this a strict rule . " He asked as he pointed to the sign .
" I am afraid so , there can be a lot of valuable items on display and we do not want to take the risk of damages . "
Walter looked at Paige . " I can stay with the kids , you go in and bid on what you want . "
Paige a sad smile on her face " But this is supposed to be a family thing . "
Ralph walked across to his mom . " I am capable of looking after Megan , i can walk her around the car park and describe the cars to her . If dad can trust me with his car keys , if she gets unsettled or appears to become bored , i can take her back to the car and tell her some more stories and i did put a story book in my back pack . "
Walter smiled at him " Ok , but you do not leave the car park , that is if your mom agrees . "
Paige smiled . " I think you are old enough that we can trust you to look after your sister , but as your dad said stay within the boundry of the car park .
Walter looked at Ralph and handed him a twenty dollar bill . " I saw an icecream van parked at the end of the carpark , if you want get yourself one , but only one i do not want to come out and find you being sick . "
Paige then spoke to him . " If you decide to share with Megan , as she will probably want to , make sure you put a bib on her . There are a couple in here . She told him as she handed him the blue shoulder bag .
" Ok , mom , dad , i will look after her , she is now an integral part of our Cyclone . " Ralph replied a big smile on his face .
Walter looked across at the young lady sitting at the reception desk . " How long do you expect the auction to last ? "
She gave Walter a smile . " Well with the number of lots , i would expect 2 to 3 hours . "
"Ok , we will see you later and thank you Ralph . " Paige said as she gave him a peck on the cheek .
Ralph pushed Megan out of the door . Paige and Walter walked over to the reception desk .
" We would like to register to bid . Can you help us ? " Paige asked .
" Of course , will just one of you be bidding ? "
" Yes me . " Paige said with a smile on her face .
" Ok, we charge $20 for a numbered bidding paddle , the auctioner will only accept bids when your paddle is raised , it stops any mistakes in the bidding room . "
" Thats fine , will my fiance have to pay an entrance fee as well ? " Paige asked as she gave Walter a loving look .
" No , he just cannot bid , if he wants to buy anything you will have to bid on your behalf . " The receptionist told her .
" Ok, do i need to fill any forms in ? "
" Yes just this registration request form . " The young lady told Paige as she passed her the form .
Paige put her left hand out to take the form , The young lady noticed the ring on her finger . .
" Wow that is some engagement ring . "
" Thank you . i designed it years ago , and without my knowledge Walter had it made up by a friend of his . " Paige explained .
The young lady looked at them with new respect . " That must be the most romantic thing i that the have ever heard . I am sure you will have many happy years ahead of you . "
" Thank you . " With that Walter and Paige entered the auction room . Paige marked of a few items in the catalouge , that they picked up at the reception desk , these were the items she really wanted . She also marked a few items that could be subsitutes . It turned out the movie items only made up part of the sale , however the movie items were all part of the early lots .
Once the sale started , Paige got excited and once or twice Walter had to stop her bidding for items that were going way over price .
Once the last of the movie items had been auctioned off , Walter and Paige left the auction room and made their way to the office to pay for all that Paige had bought . They made arrangements that they would take the posters , signs and other smaller items with them today . These would all be sent to the collect point were they could be picked up any time after the next ten minutes , the larger items would be made available for them anytime after 9.00am tomorrow . Walter told them he would make arrangements to pick the larger items up the next day . They were told they had fourty eight hours to collect the larger items or they would be charged $20 a day per item .
They met up with Ralph who by now was sitting on the wall outside the entrance , still talking to Megan ,who had a big smile on her face .
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Marti . Really glad you are enjoying the family side of the story my orginal out line of my story was just to show how Walter may react to bring up up a baby , especally the fact it was a girl .
Grykon If you were suspicious of Walter being Ralph's father , he-eh , a differnt story for that . The mat i have seen something similar also a musical mat but never a combination .
Pearliegirl great you are enjoying the story still , not the twist you expected .
DaToad Hope your tweaks to your stories are sorted soon we need more stories , but i just hope FF sort some of their problems out soon . Glad you are enjoying Megan it is fun to write because as you say all children are different in their develpoment.
LouBe96 Glad you are enjoying the relationship between Ralph and Megan , it was not so much any child managing to talk their parents into buying extra stuff , Walter and Paige decided on the chair , Ralph wanted to spend some money on Megan , his explanation is explained in this chapter . No , just a slight variation , as i said to Grykon , that is a different story . The auction i will let you decide .