Love and understanding

 

Tristan saw the baby. Yes, Magz had her baby. He knew he shouldn't make a big deal out of it, but no way in hell was that baby, not Holden's. He didn't believe it for a second.

He'd seen her with his supervisor's brother. He guessed Magz was with him and end of story. It was the end, he kept telling himself. After all, he hardly said a word to her other than, "Don't you think it's too cold to be out about with a baby?"

Geeze, he thought now, why did he say something like that. He grew restless as the cold January days went by. Dale noticed.

"What happened?" She wanted to know. Of course, she made a few of his favorite things, blonde brownies, her special apple drink with no caffeine and of course the hashbrowns were divine with a couple of over-easy eggs. 

"It's nothing," he sipped on the drink and thought he might be at his best. He had to stop thinking about Holden and Magz. Of course, some of the time, he was thinking of himself and Magz. Nothing happened he kept telling himself. Nothing. Or did it? And he didn't know it.

God, he was starting to doubt himself. 

"Someone, I used to know, had her baby." He let slip. He knew he'd gone on and on about his Mom and Dad with letting those two kids live there. Naturally, Dale told him it was a good thing. He should be proud of his mother. He nodded through it and let that crisis go. Actually, he just talked about it just to talk and sometimes, he just couldn't hear himself think. Of course, Dale was elated to hear the news. But Tristan kept silent.

"It's winter, isn't it?" Dale finally asked. She gave him a neck rub at the kitchen table that almost put him to slumber. Really, Dale did have some intoxicating ways about her. 

"I suppose." Really, he felt drained. Life would go on. It was best to not cross paths with Magz. He didn't want to start anything. He kept telling himself, he didn't want to know and yet he really felt he needed the truth.

"Don't get so angry with your sister, she's having a miserable winter too." Dale gave him the workover on his shoulders.

"You just can't get away from it, you know." He closed his eyes, just as his phone rang. It was his supervisor.

"How would you like to go to the Everglades?"

"What?"

"Just the first week in February," he said.

"Can Dale go?" He wanted to know as he reached for her.

"If she can get the time off."

Tristan hung up. It was as if all the bad feelings that were like a black cloud hanging over him with such bad vibes had disappeared.

"We're going to Florida," he told Dale.