"Dad!" Sam is yelling for her father from the couch.
Whirring from the vacuum cleaner slows to a stop. "Yes, Sam?"
"Look! The news is talking about a total solar eclipse happening in January!"
"Oh yeah? Lemme see that." Without skipping a beat he hops over the back of the couch and lands perfectly seated. He grabs the remote and turns the volume up a little more to hear the anchors.
The total solar eclipse, happening January 4th, will be most visible in San Diego, CA.
"California?" Sam looks disappointed. "There's no way I'm gonna be able to get out of studying for my classes for this. What a bummer."
"Sam, Sam, this is great!" Tony is up and moving toward the phone.
"Gee, Dad, way to feel the room."
"Aw, Sam, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Of course I'm sad you are going to miss it. But look, this is a great chance for me to really sweep Angela off her feet. It's been a while, and I think this'll knock her socks off."
Sam smirks, "You've really got Angela's feet on your mind don't you?"
"Hnnhhhh… why I oughta…"
The side door into the living room opens and Mona hurries her way into the living room. Her winter coat is heavy and snow rushes in behind her. Connecticut has been especially mired in winter weather these days. She looks over to see the news on the TV.
"Well, did you see?"
"Did I see? Of course I saw, Mona! Of course I saw." Tony is taking her coat from her to hang on the rack.
Sam rolls her eyes.
"So, what did you think?" Mona is expectant.
"I'm so excited Mon. I can't wait to tell Angela and see if she'll do it with me!"
Amused shock fills Mona's face. "You want to skinny dip in the middle of winter in the neighbors pool with Angela?"
This earns a hearty bellow of strangled laughter from Sam.
"Yes, I— wait, no, Mona, no Mona, what are you talking about?"
"Alright you two. I think it's time for a snack. See you later, Dad." Sam kisses Tony on the cheek before walking through the kitchen door.
"I'm talking about Mark and Pam being complete idiots and jumping butt naked into their pool in the middle of winter!"
Tony shudders. "Thanks for the visual Mona. But no! That is not what I am talking about."
"Well then, what are you talking about?"
"The eclipse!"
"Ohhhhh! The solar eclipse. That makes a lot more sense." Mona smiles knowingly, a twinkle in her eyes. She walks over to the couch and throws herself down onto it.
"How are you going to talk her into flying all the way to California just to stand around and wait for the world to go dark?"
"I dunno, Mon, but I'm gonna think of something. Something real good."
Tony plops down beside Mona and they each throw an arm around the other's shoulders, kicking back and propping their feet up on the coffee table. The anchorwoman is now rambling on about the frigid temperatures everyone in the region can expect for the duration of winter. Tony smirks over at Mona.
"Frankly, I think a trip to sunny San Diego won't be that hard to convince her of."
The front door opens and cold air forces its way in, snow drifting in after the wind. Angela enters the house and leaves her briefcase on the floor next to the mirrored hall tree. She pushes the door closed and removes her gloves, unwrapping herself from her long red wool coat. The coat is a perfect match for the bright power suit beneath it. Angela Bower knows how to dress for success.
"Tony! I'm home!"
Tony practically bounces through the swinging door the separates the kitchen from the living room. Angela immediately becomes suspicious.
"Welcome home, Angela! How was work?"
Angela hangs her coat. "Work was fine, Tony. How was your day?"
"Spectacular, Ange, my day was spectacular!" He lifts his hands toward the ceiling, smile widening.
Now Angela is even more suspicious. He is going to ask her something, she just knows it. The problem is, she has no idea what he is about to ask.
"I'm glad you had a great day, but Tony, what was so spectacular?"
"Well, Jonathan and I bonded over some fierce hot cocoa chugging competition, and I drank that kid under the table," he pauses to see her reaction.
"Tony!"
"I'm kidding, we did have hot cocoa though. And Angela, I have a great idea. You, me, a getaway to warm and sunny California. What do you say?"
"I don't believe this. Did Michael put you up to this? You know, Jonathan can go see him if he wants to. I'm not keeping him from his father." Angela is now worried that her ex-husband, who happens to live in Los Angeles, is up to no good.
"Oh, no, Angela. No. I mean, San Diego, California. I wanna go see the solar eclipse!"
"T-Tony, I don't know." The blonde pulls her glasses from her face and fidgets with them.
"Ange, come on! It will be so romantic. And it can just be like an extended winter break from work or something." He is beaming.
Angela's palms are sweating. So, Michael didn't put Tony up to this, but what if they run into Michael while they are there. This is exactly the sort of thing that Michael would want to go see, and he and his wife Heather don't live far from San Diego. Especially not compared to herself and Tony, who would be traveling from Connecticut.
"Oh, but won't it be impossible to find somewhere to stay?"
"That's the beauty of it Angela. I did talk to Michael. He says we can stay with him and Heather."
Angela cannot deny the look of enthusiasm on Tony's face but she cannot mask her grimace.
"You didn't."
"Well, yeah, Angela. I did. I figured it would be alright, y'know, it's the least he could do to let us stay on account of that one time he tried to get custody of Jonathan. Besides, I thought things were going well between you guys now?"
Angela puts her head in her hands. This is even worse than she imagined.
"Yes, things are going well between us, now. We stay out of each other's lives except where Jonathan is concerned. What gave you the idea that I would be okay staying with my ex-husband and his gorgeous younger-than-me wife?"
Tony deflates.
"Well, when you put it that way…"
Angela and Mona are sitting at the kitchen table, each with a mug of hot cocoa in front of them. Mona is staring her daughter down, and Angela is staring into her beverage.
"Mother, I just wish he would have talked to me about it before involving Michael and Heather."
"Dear, you don't have to agree to stay with them. You don't even have to go at all. But I know Tony was really looking forward to taking you for such a once in a lifetime event. You should have seen the look on his face."
"Mother, don't make me feel worse than I already do."
"Why not? It's fun." Mona throws her head back with a cackle.
"Mother!"
The two women lock eyes and Mona becomes serious again.
"Tony will understand, if you talk to him. He's a big boy, Angela."
Angela stirs her cocoa wistfully. "I know, Mother, I do. And it isn't that I don't want to go, I'm just worried about seeing Michael without Jonathan around. I was worried about it before I even knew that Tony had asked if we could stay at his place."
"What's so scary about Michael, huh? He's just a loser who married someone younger and prettier than you."
"I'm warning you, Mother." Angela points her spoon at Mona.
"Ha! I'd like to see you try. But, seriously, what could possibly go wrong if you stay with Michael and Heather? Jonathan is almost an adult, Michael is happily married, and you're happy with Tony. You are happy with Tony, aren't you?"
Angela stands up, boldly. "Of course I'm happy with Tony! I just…"
"You just, what, dear?"
"Michael always has a way of getting under my skin. I don't know what it is, Mother, but he makes me feel like I'm not good enough. And I have really come so far, I don't want to regress into that place again."
"So you'll talk to Tony about it, and he can help hold you accountable to yourself, hm?" Mona lifts an eyebrow.
Angela looks out the small kitchen window over the sink at all of the snow blanketing the driveway. Tony hasn't had a chance to shovel it yet. If he had, she would hear him shooting hoops even if it is only 28 degrees outside. She knows her mother is right. And she hates it.
"Alright, Mother, I'll talk to him."
Mona claps her hands together. "Oh goodie!"
Tony bounds down the steps with luggage packed and ready, skipping the last two steps on the way. His smile is the size of the Brooklyn Bridge. Jonathan is sitting on the couch watching MTV and studying for his upcoming algebra test. He is wearing the embarrassing sweater that Tony got him for Christmas. It has a goofy photo of the family ironed onto it, and Jonathan swore he would never wear it, but Tony said he better see him in that sweater or all of his laundry would suddenly start to shrink. Jonathan apparently wasn't willing to risk that.
"Oh boy, oh boy, Jonathan," Tony shuffles next to the teenager on the couch after dropping the luggage at the door. "This is gonna be great!"
"Hey! Watch it!" Jonathan pushes against Tony, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. "I'm watching the music video for 'These are the Days of our Lives' by Queen."
"Ay oh, oh ay. I'm about to fly across the country and you're more concerned with a bunch of guys you don't even know?"
The teen still doesn't look up from the TV. "Yes."
"I'm hurt." Tony chuckles.
The two watch the rest of the video together, Tony hiding the fact that he is wiping a tear from his face as Freddie Mercury looks into the camera and whispers, "I still love you." Jonathan happens to look over at this moment, moisture in his own eyes.
"Heeeyyyy! You can't hide Tony Micelli. I know you're a softie."
"It's allergies!" Tony huffs, standing up and walking to the bottom of the stairs.
He cups his hands around his mouth. "Yo, Angela! Are you almost packed? I'd hate it if we missed our flight, y'know, and had to call Michael and Heather to tell them we aren't coming."
"I'll be right down!" Angela hollers from the upstairs hall.
"Dear, I mean it, please hurry up!"
Luggage wheels roll closer to the stairs and Angela starts to walk down the steps. "Tony, do you mind coming up and grabbing my suitcase? I'd hate to fall down the stairs and miss our flight."
"Ha ha, Angela, very funny," he responds, but he is already walking up the stairs to grab her things. The two pass each other on the stairs and stop to give a tender kiss before continuing in their respective directions.
Angela gives Jonathan a big hug. "Jonathan, I want you to keep an eye on your grandmother while Tony and I are gone."
"Yeah, yeah," Jonathan agrees, hugging her back firmly.
"I'm serious. The last rager she threw cost me hundreds of dollars in repairs."
"No house parties. Got it."
Jonathan goes to give Tony a hug, as well, since Tony is now at the bottom of the stairs. Angela grabs her suit case and tells Tony she will meet him in the Jaguar.
"Will you tell Dad and Heather that I say hi?" Jonathan looks at Tony, and the housekeeper realizes in that moment that the teen is probably disappointed to be missing out on seeing his father. He feels kind of bad that he didn't think about this before scheduling the trip.
"You bet, champ!" He squeezes him in another hug. "We'll call when we get there."
"Thanks, Tony."
Jonathan skips up the stairs to his room, and Tony is left with his bags and an empty room. He takes a deep breath and notices his cheeks pulling up the sides of his face. Cold air is against his back as he stands in the open doorway.
"Sunshine, here I come." He closes the door behind him.
Tony whistles as he makes his way through security. He looks like a million bucks, or even like he has just won a million bucks. Angela, on the other hand, looks as if she has just swallowed a bug. She hasn't, but anyone would likely believe her if she said she did. The airport is busy with people, high odds of the pedestrians all traveling to see the eclipse themselves.
Angela sees them. Michael and Heather are standing together, side by side and holding a large sign with 'Angela and Tony' scrawled across it in Michael's messy hand-writing.
Heather squeals and waves when she sees Tony and Angela, turning to face Michael and kissing him on the cheek. It is when Heather turns and Angela gets a good look at the woman's profile that she realizes Michael's wife is pregnant. Heather is pregnant. Michael and Heather are going to have a baby. Michael is going to have another baby. Jonathan is going to have a half-sibling. The airport becomes a swirl of light and colors as Tony reaches in front of her for Tony's hand. He must have noticed what she noticed, because he was already turning to her.
"Michael didn't say anything about this over the phone."
"So, Heather," Angela scrunches up her face from the back of the convertible. "How um… how far along are you?"
"Five months!" She is glowing. It makes Angela sick.
"Five months, huh?" Tony squeezes Angela's hand in his. "That's good, right?"
"It's great! We're so happy!" Heather exclaims, her right hand extended in the air.
Angela looks at the back of Michael's head. Conveniently he isn't saying anything, which Angela notes could be since he is driving and the traffic in LA is horrific. What is she supposed to say to Jonathan? Michael surely is not as excited about this as Heather seems to be.
"When were you planning on telling Jonathan?"
Heather's hand falls back into her lap, and Michael's eyebrows crease. Angela is now looking into the rear view mirror to catch his expression.
"We were planning on telling him at Christmas, once we knew it was a for sure thing."
"Oh, what, like you were going to return it?" Angela's bitterness is seeping out now.
Heather gasps, and Michael puts a hand on her shoulder. "No, Angela. We, um, we just wanted to make sure we didn't lose this one."
Angela feels like a jerk. She bites her lip and looks out at the rows and rows of palm trees. Tony's hand finds hers again, and she takes a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry. I, uh, I didn't know."
Heather looks back at Angela with a weary smile. "How could you have?"
"Anyway, we planned to tell him on Christmas, but when Tony called and said you all would be coming out for the eclipse and needed a place to stay, we figured we would wait and talk to you about it first. In person."
Angela gulps in air. She can't believe that Michael has been actively trying to have another baby. After everything, after he all but left Jonathan with her because he wasn't capable of being a stable parent. Angela can't help but think that maybe if she were different that things could have worked out between them. A tear slides down her cheek silently. This is the feeling she was afraid of, and she desperately wishes she could get rid of it. She looks over to Tony and remembers the conversation she had with him before they agreed to make the trip.
Without her even saying a word he wipes the tear from her cheek and she rests her head on his shoulder. She has to admit, this is different than all of the other times. She has Tony, and he loves her for exactly who she is. He is the most supportive man that she has ever met.
At Michael and Heather's house Tony makes the appropriate phone calls. He starts with Sam and tells her that they arrived safely, wishing her luck on her paper writing. Afterward he calls Jonathan and Mona, but he doesn't tell Jonathan the news just yet. Jonathan asks if his mom is okay, and Tony assures him that she is fine, just a little worn out from the flight. It's not a total lie.
Michael walks into the room as Tony hangs up the phone.
"Tony, I gotta say, I'm not surprised that you're dating Angela." Michael fidgets with his watch. "I was jealous of you for a long time. Living with my ex-wife, raising my son—"
Tony interrupts firmly. "Ay, oh, nothing was happening back then, and you're always gonna be Jonathan's dad. He loves you!"
"I am always going to be Jonathan's father, true, but you and Angela have had an undeniable chemistry that I noticed the first time I stepped foot back into that house."
"We uh, we did?" Tony has that puppy eye look he gets when he is feeling sappy.
"You did. And, you do. I can tell how much the two of you mean to each other. And I am always going to want the best for Angela, but I'm not jealous anymore. Because I know that Angela and I were meant to be for a short while, and the two of you are the real deal. And Heather, boy, she really understands me. And I don't fault Angela for her career, not really, but Heather's goals are more aligned with my own, which is nice.."
"Speaking of Heather, are you really prepared to be a dad again? Full-time?" Tony looks at Michael with a genuine curiosity. It isn't in judgement.
The other man doesn't hesitate. "I am. I want to get it right this time."
Tony claps his hands together and laughs, "Oh trust me, buddy, you're gonna mess it up over and over again. There isn't a way to 'get parenting right.' It's all up and down and learning and crying and scraped knees and dating and cars and college. Before you know it you've got an adult looking back at you, and you just hope you didn't mess up too bad."
"Thanks, Tony. For taking care of my son, and for taking care of Angela."
"Woah there, pal. Angela takes care of herself. I just give her a boost."
Crowds are gathering as everyone prepares for the sky to darken when the moon crosses over the sun. People have goofy glasses and sun hats and children are running around playing tag with each other. It's a jovial scene, and Angela is taking it all in. Michael boops Heather on the nose and she giggles, and a small swell of anxiety bubbles up in the advertising executive's throat. She swallows it back, looking over to Tony who she catches staring at her.
"What are you looking at?" She asks him, grinning.
"The most beautiful woman in the world." He holds out his hand and she takes it, letting him spin her into his arms.
They linger there for a moment, Tony's breath warm on her neck.
"Hey Angela?" He asks, voice low in her ear.
"Yes, Tony?" She unravels to face him.
"Do you ever think about having another kid?"
Angela is taken aback slightly by the question, and she searches his face to get a reading on how he might feel about it, but she can't tell. She can't say it hadn't ever crossed her mind, especially when Jonathan was still a bit younger.
"I don't know, Tony. I guess I used to, when Jonathan was younger."
Tony pushes his sleeve up and lets it fall back down. "What about recently?"
She smiles at him, "Well, Tony, I'm 39 now, and Jonathan is not going to be in high school much longer. We could travel, or stay in all weekend with no one but ourselves to entertain."
"Yeah, I am happy with the way things are, too."
"Did you ever think about having another kid?" Angela asks him, snuggling up closer.
"Of course I did, Angela, are you kidding? Family means the world to me and I always wanted a big one-"
Angela pulls back a little, shoulders slouching, "Are you sure you're happy with how things are? You know, with Sam and Jonathan, and me?"
"Don't forget Mona!" Tony steps into her. "I want you more than anything else in the world, Angela. You are my family. All that other stuff, that's all in the past. Maybe if we had taken the blinders off sooner, y'know, it crossed my mind a handful of times before, but I don't need that, Angela. You're so much more than enough. I love you to the moon and back."
Angela rolls her eyes and chuckles, turning so she will be able to view the eclipse but still staying close to his side. He lays his head down onto hers, and the sky had darkened subtly without them even realizing it.
"I'm really glad that we came, Tony." Angela whispers.
"Yeah?" He tickles her side ever so slightly.
She laughs in delight, eclipse glasses over her eyes. "Yeah."