Chapter 25

“Well, the game was a good thing, right?” said Abigail, “I mean a good idea?”

“Yes, he told me he really enjoyed it. I guess he did. So, yes, it was a good idea.”

“And the girls having that play next month, at the high school,” she said, “that is another opportunity to get the man to man up as you are always saying.”

“Yes, it is a good deal for us and really more for him, and maybe Lana too if it comes to that,” said Owen.

“You think he’ll move back?” She said. He shrugged.

“He did say he might, but just not right now. I think he’s a bit more amenable with the woman on his arm. She is a good looking gal for sure,” he said.

“Yes, but blind. That’s how he was able to get her. If she could see...” She said.

“I don’t see her as being that shallow. The two of them seem to be simpatico. I think even if she did get her sight back that she’d hang with him,” he said.

“Maybe, but they haven’t married, and the question then becomes why not,” she said. “I’m thinking it might be because he or she or the both of them aren’t sure about things.”

“I see where you’re going, but given what we do know they are getting along very well. At any rate we cannot be getting involved with their relationship, not in any way whatsoever. He would be real upset if he thought that we were,” he said.

“Hmm, yes that’s for sure. But, we do need to keep our eyes out for anything that might be supportive of him moving back here where he belongs. Mia has asked me more than once to help him do so,” she said.

“Mia?” He said.

“Yes, and Sarah has asked if there wasn’t something we could do for him, his face,” she said. “She’s said outright that his face kinda scares her.”

“Hmm, I didn’t know that. Well, we might get him to move back here at some point, but his face? I’ve asked a couple of guys about it, not doctors, but guys in the know about the military, just casually. But the word is that there isn’t anything out there at the moment that can do what the man would need,” he said.

“I just hope she stays with him. He needs a woman in the worst way, any woman. At least his ball sack is likely empty. That might be one reason why he seems a bit more willing to do the right thing now,” she said.

“I couldn’t agree more. Blind or not, she does it for him that’s clear. And he’s not blind. He sees what a looker she is; that has to be added into the mix. A woman like her blind or not is a winner. I mean she really is a good looking babe,” he said. She gave him a look.

“Hmm, yes a babe,” she said, tacitly accusing him of visually cheating on her.

“But not in your league, Darling,” he said, trying to save the situation.

“A weak save, but better than nothing,” she said. He looked properly chastened.

“Dad, I mean our other dad is so ugly,” said Sarah.

“Yes, but he didn’t used to be. You’ve seen the pictures. He was hurt in that war thing, in Afghanistan,” said Mia.

“I know. But Daddy should be able to get him fixed. Daddy can do anything,” said Sarah.

“Not anything, but a lot,” said Mia. “Do you think he’s maybe tried already?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to ask him. I gotta ask him. Ronald’s afraid of our dad, our other dad,” said Sarah.

“I know. I think Dad was kinda hurt too when he saw how Ronnie ran away from him after they talked,” said Mia.

“I think you’re right,” said Sarah. “Yeah we gotta talk to Daddy. He’s got lots of friends. Somebody should be able to do something.”

“Maybe,” said Mia.

“They offered us the guesthouse to live,” said Lana.

“Yes, I know. He told me the day before yesterday,” I said.

We were headed home away from the hullabaloo. We’d be stopping for lunch along the way. The Cords had offered to take us out to lunch, but we demurred; we’d already had breakfast with them for the fourth day in a row.

“We should consider it,” said Lana.

“Moving in with them?” I said. “You’d be comfortable with that?”

“We wouldn’t be moving in with them. We’d be next door, but not in with them,” she said.

“I guess it’s a matter of perspective,” I said.

“We have each other and they have each other, and there wouldn’t be any of that wondering what they were doing next door, because we’d be doing it too,” she said. I laughed.

“I guess that’s so,” I said. “Anyway, we can think about it, consider it, as you say.”

“Yes, we need to. We’ve got enough income; we could afford to pay them rent, pretty good rent,” she said.

“No, if we moved there they would never take any money for it. They’d want to give it to us free. The woman feels guilty about the breakup, and likely him too I think. And, I mean they’d still own it, but we would be getting free rent for as long as we stayed there,” I said. “And I’m not real comfortable with that, but, maybe I could live with it; I just don’t know at this point.”

“You know that for a fact?” She said. “I mean that they’d not accept any rent from us?”

“Yes, the both of them together and separately at different times have made that abundantly clear,” I said.

“Really, why again? She said.

“Again, because they are regretful for what they did to me when she dumped me,” I said.

“I guess that makes sense. They want to atone for their cheating ways. Yes, that does make sense. We should let them, atone that is,” she said.

“Hmm maybe,” I said.

The senior play had gone well. The girls both had good parts and remembered everything that they were supposed to say. They were at the end of their senior years, and they’d gotten decent roles to play. It was a Cornelia Otis Skinner play: “Our Hearts were Young and Gay”: very suitable for high school students. At least high school students that went to the fancy academy that the Cord girls went to.

“Great job!” I said to the two of them when they came off the stage. They’d come directly to me, not the other guy. Don’t know if that was by design or because they wanted to hear what they thought might be a more objective analysis of their performance. But it felt good them coming up to me first.

We were back at “A Slice of Ice” again. Well, everybody likes ice cream.

“That was nice,” I said, referring to the play. Owen was sitting beside me. This time the ladies, all of them and Ronald, were in a booth together, me Owen and I were on our own. I’d been tipped that that was the plan, engineered by him, before we left the school’s auditorium. He had things he wanted to run by me. I’d looked him askance at the time, but had given in when he said that he’d buy the ice cream this time. Well an ice cream cone was a helluva bribe.

“It was a nice play,” he said, agreeing with me. “Your daughters are very talented.”

“I’d have to agree with that,” I said, and yes I did catch the fact that he had referred to the girls as being my daughters.

“The two of them came to me the other day and sat me down,” he said.

“Okay,” I said. I really had no clue what this was about, but nobody could have claimed that his lead in wasn’t intriguing.

“Yes, but oddly for different reasons. I mean each of them had a different horse in the race,” he said.

“What? Huh!” I said. I had no idea what the man we about, none!

“Understand me. The two of them call me Daddy. And I love it. But, that said, they also refer to you as Dad. I’m Daddy and you’re Dad. What’s the difference? There is no difference. It’s how they separate us when they are talking about us.

“Sam, I’d not want to lose my place with them. And frankly I deserve my place with them. You not so much because of your refusal to be here or even talk about sharing. But that said, the girls are maybe taking it out of our hands in any event,” he said. “They are growing up and they are both smart as whips. I expect that Ronnie will be just like ‘em when he ages a bit more,” he said.