September 2022

It was Saturday night, and Rose was on Facebook, scrolling through Rosalyn's newsfeed. There were several photographs of Rosalyn's beautiful children, six boys and a girl. Every one of them seemed to bear a strong resemblance to Dimitri. Dimitri's and Lynda's grandchildren together, Rose thought bitterly. One night of casual, recreational sex, and their genes were forever mixed together.

Why, oh why, couldn't they have been mine with Dimitri? she asked herself. Rosalyn should have been my daughter, not Lynda's.

Her reverie was interrupted by the ringing on the telephone. She picked up the receiver and heard Noah's voice.

"Hi, Mom. What's up?"

"Nothing much, just messing around on Facebook. How's your day been?"

"Great! Justin's T-ball team had a game. They won 10-4. Lacy and I took the kids out for ice cream afterwards."

"That's nice." Rose took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. "You'd never have a vasectomy, would you, Noah?"

There was silence on the other end for a long time. Rose started to fear he'd hung up on her.

"Why would I do that?" he asked at last. "Lacy already has her tubes tied anyway, so there'd be no point."

"But doesn't it bother you that your genes aren't being passed on?"

"Not in particular," Noah replied. "I already have Justin and Kristen."

"But they have a father," Rose pointed out.

"They hardly ever see him," said Noah. "I'm the one who's there for them when they need me. I love them as if they were my own. How's Tyler?"

Rose sighed. "Same as always."

"I feel bad for him, that he'll never get to experience all the things other people do - working at a regular job, getting married, things like that."

"So do I. I think about that all the time."

"You've always been such a good Mom to him. At least he has that."

"Thanks."

"Can I speak to him?"

"Sure."

Rose carried the receiver to Tyler's bedroom, where he sat on his bed, watching music videos while rocking back and forth and making grunting noises.

Rose went to him and gently shook his shoulder. "Noah wants to talk to you, sweetheart."

He gazed at her blankly. "Huh?"

"Your brother. He'd like to say hello to you." She handed him the receiver and watched for several minutes. Tyler was mostly silent, grunting every so often. After awhile, he held the receiver away from his ear and gazed at it quizzically. This was his signal that he was finished talking, so Rose took the receiver from him.

"Noah? Are you still there?"

"I'm still here, Mom. I need to say goodbye for now. Kristen wants me to read a story to her."

"OK. Well, take care. Bye."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

Rose returned to Facebook, closing Rosalyn's page with a satisfying click.

April 2008

Rose watched as Colin, accompanied by his daughter Claire and son-in-law Sam, entered the house. The younger couple had just flown in from England, and Colin had driven to the airport to pick them up.

"Hello," said Claire. She was four months pregnant, and her belly had just begun to swell.

"Hi," said Rose.

"Some liquid refreshment after the long flight would be nice, wouldn't it?" Colin asked Sam.

"Oh yes!" Sam replied with a grin.

"There's a liquor store right around the corner," said Colin.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Sam. The two men left.

Claire sat down at Colin's computer. "I have to let my Mum and sister know I've arrived all right," she explained. Claire's younger half-sister was her mother's daughter by the man she'd cheated on Colin with. She was a year older than Tyler, and perfectly normal in every way. That fact ate at Rose like corrosive battery fluid.

Several days later, Rose's cousin Jennifer had news for Claire. Claire and Sam had visited the United States several times before and had gotten to know some of Rose's family members.

"The ultrasound center on Nine Mile Road can tell you what you're having," said Jennifer. "I went there both times I was pregnant, and they were right both times!"

Excited, Claire immediately called the ultrasound center and set up an appointment. Rose stayed home the day Colin drove the young couple to their appointment. They returned all smiles.

"How did it go?" asked Rose, sure she probably didn't really want to know.

"It went very well," Claire told her. "We're having a girl."

Later that same day, Rose entered the bedroom in which Claire and Sam were staying to find Claire watching a video of her ultrasound.

"I didn't have one of those when I was pregnant," she complained.

Colin, who'd overheard her remark, glared at her, his eyes like darts piercing into her own. As they were passing in the hallway later, he rebuked her.

"Can't you put yourself aside and be happy for other people for just a little while?"

"But I lost two babies!" Rose sobbed. "They were your children too, Colin!"

Colin rolled his eyes. "That has nothing to do with it, and you know it," he snapped. "Of course I'm sad about the miscarriages, but they weren't Claire's fault. I wish you'd start being nicer to her, Rose. The way you're acting is stressing her out, and it isn't good for her or her baby."

The climax of the visit came about a week and a half later. Rose was relaxing in her bedroom when she heard voices in the hallway and went to investigate.

"Here's some of Noah's," Colin was saying, handing Claire an asthma inhaler.

"Don't give her Noah's medicine!" Rose cried.

A look of perfect rage appeared on Colin's face. "Even if the medicine is expired?"

"Oh." All the fight went out of Rose. "I didn't know it was expired."

"You'd rather my daughter die than use some of your son's medicine!" Colin exploded.

"I didn't know it was expired," Rose repeated.

Claire was now sobbing hard, as well as struggling to breathe.

"The pregnancy has made her asthma worse," Sam explained. "She thought she'd brought enough medicine from home, but she ran out."

"I'm sorry," Rose said helplessly.

"It's too late," Colin told her. "This is the last straw. The marriage is over." He and the others left to take Claire to the hospital.

When Sam and Claire returned to England, Colin went with them.