Couple Most Likely to

The January darkness had already begun to gather outside as Stacey Handley came into the day-care center. The misty drizzle of rain blanketing the region would have reduced visibility on I-5 almost to zero. John was a cautious driver, thank heaven, but the weather conditions on this first Friday of the new year meant he'd probably be late. That and the demands of his job with the Washington State government. Taking a deep breath, Stacey accepted the inevitable. Even with his usual quick turnaround, her ex-husband would be making the two-hour drive back from Portland to Olympia in full darkness, in slippery conditions, with their precious two-year-old twins strapped in their seats in back. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't hers. It was the fault of their divorce, for sure, and all the mistakes they'd made--including the fact that they'd gotten married in the first place. In contrast to the gloom outside, the day-care center attached to the Portland General Hospital felt bright and warm. Children's artwork hung on the walls and on colored yarn from the ceiling. Creative imagination buzzed in the home corner, the dress-up area, and the block space. The place drew Stacey in, giving the usual lift to her spirits. She always loved dropping in here to see Max and Ella during her breaks, and picking them up at the end of the day. In her anticipation at seeing them, she forgot temporarily about the lonely weekend that lay ahead. But for now, she was happy to spend some precious minutes with the twins before John collected them. Max saw her almost at once and catapulted into her arms. She returned his hug and inhaled the clean smell of his wheat-blond hair, noting that Ella, as usual, was too busy to have noticed her arrival. "Hi, sweetheart," she said to her little boy. "Did you have a good afternoon?" "Did paintin'." "Did you? Can I see?" She tried to put him down, but he kept his arms tight around her neck, accidentally pulling on hair that needed a fresh cut. At this age, he was more clingy than Ella. She always became so absorbed in her play that Mommy often had to join her in an activity for several minutes before she could slowly coax her daughter to let it go. The two were so different in both looks and temperament. Strangers were astonished to discover that they were twins. Once more, Stacey felt the usual uncomfortable kick of her heart at the thought of letting them go for a whole weekend. Somehow it hadn't seemed so hard last spring after John had first moved to Olympia. Max hadn't yet been walking. They'd both been taking longer naps. When you'd said to them, "Time to get out of the bath," they hadn't thought to protest. But now, nine months later, they were such a handful. John was a good father and tried his utmost. He usually took them one weekend in three, sometimes one in two, and their divorce had been amicable enough to avoid any dispute over custody or access. Could he really be as watchful as she was, though? Did he fully understand just how fast they could get into trouble? She glanced toward the window again, and already it looked much darker out there, although it was only just after four. The rain hissed and spat against the glass. Not rain anymore. Sleet. How were those roads? She needed to get back to work--but she reminded herself that with the twins away she could work late tonight in order to catch up if she was away from her desk for too long now. She could spend a little more time with her children, and coax some hugs from busy Ella, who'd only just seen her and called out, "Hi, Mommy!" Her heart kicked again. And then, just when it was the last thing in the world she was thinking about, she heard the voice and saw the face she'd lately been remembering so vividly. Remembering, and trying so hard to prepare for, since she'd dealt with certain employment formalities in the Portland General administrative offices severalDarcy, Lilian is the author of 'Couple Most Likely to ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373248018 and ISBN 0373248016.