Author's Note: Tony receives some advice from an old friend. Will he listen?!

###############################################

"I never thought I would say this or even think this in a million years but you reacted just like Michael would have."

"You're wrong Tony. Grandma's right. You are just like him."

As he drove Nicky to the park Tony could not get Mona and Jonathan's words out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It was ridiculous! He was nothing like Michael! Angela left him! She was the one who chose to end their relationship. Okay yeah, he could have turned down the new contract and went home with her. Or he could have quit any time in the past four years and returned to her. To their lives. Their life together that had taken nearly a decade to get to. But, she-he-they had thrown it all away. Were Mona and Jonathan right? Was he just like Michael? Had he chosen his career over Angela, the woman he loves-loved?!

He wasn't going to deny it. He was hurt and angry when she decided to end things. But, after a while he realized it was probably for the best. If he had quit his job and gone back to Connecticut, who knows if or even when he would find another great teaching and coaching job like he had at Wells? Would he as Angela had feared end up resenting her? He definitely didn't want that. As he had told her when he informed her of his engagement he would rather be her friend long distance than have him return and eventually resent one another.

He glanced back at Nicky who was looking out the window. He remembered the night he was born and how the whole family had waited and waited and waited in the hospital until he arrived. He would never forget watching Angela hold him and how beautiful and natural she looked. He had felt a jolt thinking of how she would have looked with their child. He had told Jonathan's principal if he ever had another child he would have wanted her to be the mother. And when Billy had come into their lives she had stepped in as his mother. But seeing her holding their child that they had created together well that would have been heaven.

Unfortunately it was too late. Their time had come and gone.

"No, it hasn't you banana!"

Tony looked in the back.. Was he hearing voices.?!

"Look to your right!"

Tony looked over and nearly lost control of his jeep.

"Whoa! Watch it there! We have our grandson in the back.'

"Our grandson?" Tony asked getting himself and the jeep under control.

"Well yeah. I am part of you, your alter ego shall we say. You do remember me don't you?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah you showed up in my first year at college when I was taking Professor Darnell's speech class."

"That's right, genius! And I have to say you were so full of yourself back then. Hell you still are."

"Wait a minute! I thought you liked my speech!"

"I did. I mean that speech was the real us. Not the phony you were pretending to be. No, strike that are pretending to be."

"What do you mean pretending? I am not pretending anything!"

Yeah, yeah, yeah keep telling yourself that. Let's face it, you have been pretending since Angela left you in Iowa."

"How? I mean come on enlighten me!"

Oh it's very simple. You are pretending to be in love with Teresa and that you want to marry her but we both know that is a load of shit!"

"Hey! Watch your language! Nicky is back there,"

"He can't see or hear me. So don't worry. Now back to you pretending that you love Teresa…'

"I am not pretending. I do love her."

"Okay fine maybe you do care about her like you did Kathleen, Frankie, Gina, and Tonya, But, let's face it you have only been truly in love with two women. One of them has passed on and the other is living here in Fairfield. So are you telling me that you are going to go back to Iowa and marry Teresa and just go through the motions the rest of your life? Or are you going to get off your stupid ass and admit that Mona and Jonathan were right? "

"You mean about me being like Michael?"

"Bingo!"

Tony was silent for a few moments. The thought that he was anything like Michael cut him to the core. The thought that Mona and Jonathan both believed it and told him so cut even deeper. He remembered how lost and devastated Angela had been after their divorce had been finalized. Michael had chosen his career over his marriage to Angela. And now-he gulped- he had done the very same thing. He had chosen his career over their relationship.

"You don't look very happy with yourself there banana!"

"I'm not. You're right. Mona and Jonathan are right. I am just like Michael. I did choose my career over Angela."

"Okay good! We're getting somewhere. So what are you going to do about it?"

"Well, I guess I need to apologize to Angela."

"That's a start. And what about Teresa?"

"What about her? We're still getting married."

Alter ego Tony smacked himself in the forehead. "You are frustrating me! Look, we've been through this. You do not love Teresa. You love Angela. But you've been pretending you don't ever since Angela left Iowa and came back here. Mona was right. At Nicky's party you were looking at Angela and saying: "I love you." with your eyes. I have never once ever seen you look at Teresa like that."

"You were there? I mean how often do you hang around?"

"I've been around all your life. But, don't worry. I'm not around all the time. I do know when to give you some privacy."

"Well that's good to hear!"

"Look, time is running out. You can't keep up with this charade any longer. If you want to make things right you need to apologize to Angela and end things with Teresa. And then you need to tell Angela that you love her and you want another chance."

"What about Wells?'

"The hell with Wells!" he chuckled at his joke. "Seriously, you need to quit Wells and come home. Iowa is not your home. Connecticut is. And most importantly Angela is. She has been since the moment she opened the front door wearing that pink bathrobe."

"She did look cute." Tony smiled.

"That she did."

They had reached the park and Tony pulled into a parking space. He shut off the engine and removed the keys. He looked over to his right but the seat was empty. Had he imagined the whole conversation? He must have, That was the only explanation that made any sense.

"YAY! We're here!" Nicky cried from the back seat. "Come on Grandpa. Let's go!"

"Hold on Nicky! Grandpa needs to unbuckle you first." Tony shoved his keys in his pocket and opened his door. He opened the back door and unbuckled Nicky from his car seat. He picked him up and set him on the ground.

"Come on buddy! Let's go play!"

"Can we play baseball Grandpa?'

"Of course we can. That's why we brought your bat and ball!"

"YAY!"

Tony chuckled and got Nicky's ball and bat from the back seat. He then closed both their doors and locked the jeep up.

"Well let's go then. Here hold Grandpa's hand until we get there."

Nicky slipped his hand in his and the two of them walked over to the baseball field.

"Grandpa look!"

"What is it Nicky?"

"It's Grandma Angela and Teresa!"