A Rainy Night Alone

Carla is sitting on a park bench in Garfield Park, watching her two year old twins, Emily and Amber, playing in the sandbox when she sees Toby walking towards her pushing a stroller. She inhales sharply at seeing him as she remembers the last time they were together and the major fight they had. She notices the stroller and wonders why he is pushing it.

Toby notices Carla sitting on the bench and stops in his tracks. He thinks about the argument they had the last night they were together then sighs heavily with regret. He looks at the kids playing in the sandbox and says, "Hello, Carla. How are you?"

Carla looks him over and says, "Hello, Toby. I'm fine. How are you? Will you please join me?"

Toby sits next to her, parks the stroller next to him and says, "I'm fine, Carla. What happened to us? We were doing so good until that final night. Did I do something wrong to hurt you?"

Carla sighs heavily and says, "No, you didn't do anything wrong, Toby. I just got tired of only seeing you once in a while. I wanted to see you all the time and I knew I couldn't do that while both of us were still married. Plus, I found out I was pregnant and I wanted to give my marriage a fair chance."

Toby looks at the children in the sandbox, looks at her and says, "Are you still married?"

"No, I'm not. Robert was killed while hunting shortly after I found out I was pregnant with the girls. Are you still married?"

Toby sighs, looks at the baby in the stroller and says, "No, I'm not. Lorna died shortly after giving birth to Adam here. How are your other children?"

"They're fine. Jesse is a junior and Luke is a freshman in high school now. How are your children?"

"Wendy is a mother of twin boys, Jordan and Denver and Scott has three children; Alison, Bretta and Dallas. Are you dating anyone right now?"

"No, I'm not. I'm too busy being single mother to date. How old is Adam?"

Toby takes Adam out of the stroller, holds him against his chest so Adam can watch Emily and Amber, looks at Carla and says, "Adam is six months old. Carla, I'd like to go out with you on a date."

Carla looks at him and says, "I'd like that, Toby, but it's so hard to find a sitter. Why don't you bring Adam over to supper with my children and I tonight? It'll give my kids a chance to get to know you better and that way neither of us have to find a sitter."

Toby thinks about his plans for the evening and says, "I accept your offer, Carla. Is there anything that I can bring?"

"Just your appetite. How does lasagna sound to you?"

"Lasagna sounds fine. Do you drink wine?"

"No, I don't drink any alcohol. Come by the house around 5:30 and we'll eat at 6. I have to get home now because Jesse and Luke will be home shortly."

Toby stands up, looks at her and says, "I'll see you at 5:30, Carla."

Carla smiles softly, looks at her daughters and says, "Come on, Amber and Emily, time to go home and see your brothers. I'll see you later, Toby."

Toby cuddles Adam against his chest, lifts his hand and brushes the hair off her cheek. He searches her eyes and says, "We need to talk, Carla."

Carla searches his eyes and says, "Later, Toby, after supper. I've got an empty crib for Adam to sleep in while we talk. Come on, girls, let's go home."

That evening, Carla and Toby are sitting on the couch in Carla's living room talking. Adam is in the crib in the girls' room and the boys are in their rooms. Carla takes a sip of her soda, looks at Toby and says, "What did you want to talk about, Toby?"

Toby takes a sip of his coffee, sighs and says, "I find that I'm having a hard time taking care of Adam and working. Will you marry me?"

Carla looks at him in shock and says, "I'm sorry, Toby, I can't and won't marry you. I will not marry anyone just to help them raise their kids. If you want to marry me because you love me, then I will marry you."

Just as Toby starts to say something, Luke comes into the living room. He looks at his mother sitting on the couch and says, "Mom, Jesse just told me that you are thinking about dating Toby? Didn't you love Dad?"

Carla looks at him and says, "Yes, Luke, I did love your father but he's not here anymore. He would want me to be happy. Don't you like Toby?"

Luke looks at Toby and says, "I have nothing against him but I don't want to forget Dad either."

Carla stands up, hugs her son and says, "I understand your feelings, son. I'm not asking you to forget your Dad. I won't forget him either because everytime I look at you or Jesse, I see your father. Don't worry, Toby and I won't do anything major without telling you kids. Okay?"

Luke hugs his mother, looks at Toby and says, "Don't hurt my mother, Toby. Good night."

Toby watches as Luke leaves the room then looks at Carla and says, "I'm sorry, Carla, I messed things up for you."

Carla looks at Toby and says, "You didn't mess things up, Toby. I'd like for us to date for a while before we think of marriage. I had to marry Robert because I was expecting Jesse and I'd like to have the chance to date someone before I get married again. It'll give my kids a chance to get to know you and your kids a chance to know me."

Toby smiles and says, "I'd like to court you very much, Carla. I never had a chance to really court anyone either. We'll do things the way they used to in the 1800's."

Carla smiles and says, "I like that idea, Toby. I want us to get to know each other before we make love again. I feel like we started things too fast."

Toby smiles and says, "We did do things backwards. Did Robert ever know about us?"

"No, he didn't. Did Lorna know about us?"

Toby sighs heavily then walks over to the window. He looks out at the dark night, looks back at her and says, "Yes, Lorna knew about us. I told her about us fifteen months ago. That was how Adam came along."

Carla gets up, walks over to him, rests her hand on his arm and says, "I'm sorry you lost Lorna, Toby."

Toby turns to her, cups her cheeks and says, "Carla, may I kiss you?"

Carla searches his eyes and says, "Yes, you may, Toby."

Toby lowers his head and slowly kisses her. He licks her lips and says, "I love you, Carla. I hope we don't wait too long before we have sex."

Carla moans and presses closer to him to deepen the kiss. She nuzzles his neck and says, "This may sound like I'm a woman who doesn't know what she wants but would you be terribly upset if I asked you and Adam to move in with the kids and I?"

Toby pulls back, searches her eyes and says, "I'll only move in with you if we get married. I love you and I want our children to know that. Will you marry me, Carla?"

Carla smiles and says, "Yes, I will marry you, Toby. I love you too. Shall we tell the boys now?"

Toby nibbles on her neck and says, "Let's tell them in the morning. Right now, I want to spend some time alone with you."

Carla smiles then leads him into her bedroom where they shut the door to the world.

The next morning, Carla and Toby are sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast while Toby feeds Adam when Luke, Jesse, Amber and Emily come into the kitchen. Luke looks at Toby who is holding Adam and says, "Can I hold him, Toby?"

Toby looks at Luke, smiles and says, "Have a seat, Luke."

Luke sits down and Toby gets up and gently lays Adam in Luke's arms. He hands Luke the bottle and says, "Do you want to feed him?"

Luke takes the bottle and holds it near Adam's mouth. Adam reaches up with is little hand, grabs Luke's finger and pulls the bottle into his mouth.

Carla looks at her children and says, "Kids, Toby and I have an announcement to make. We're getting married in two weeks. Do any of you have any objections?"

Luke looks at Toby and Carla, looks at Adam and says, "I'm okay with it, Mom."

Jesse gets some juice out of the refrigerator, looks at his mother and notices the happy look in her eyes. He looks at Toby and says, "Welcome to the family, Toby."

Toby shakes his hand and says, "Thank you, Jesse."

Amber leans against her mother, hugs her and says, "Will we have a daddy now, Mommy?"

Carla hugs Amber and Emily, looks at Toby and says, "Yes, Amber, you will have a daddy now. Thank you, Jesse and Luke, for accepting my marriage."

Jesse hugs his mother and says, "We just want you to be happy, Mom."