Rogue

“We've been dating for almost seven months, and at our age we know when it's right.” She paraphrased Charles, and Daphne got up from the kitchen table and walked out of the kitchen without another word. They heard her bedroom door slam a minute later.

“Does Dad know?” Jack asked.

“Not yet,” his mother answered. “We wanted to tell you first. Then I'm going to tell Dad, and Grandma and Grampa. But I wanted you to be the first to know.”

“Oh,” Jack said, and then disappeared too. His door didn't slam, it just closed, as Maxine's heart sank. This was even harder than she thought.

“I think it will be good,” Sam said quietly, looking at them both. “You were very nice to me at the hospital, Charles. Thank you.” He was being polite, and he looked less upset than the others, but he wasn't thrilled either. He could easily figure out that he wouldn't be sleeping with his mother anymore. Charles was going to take his place. It was upsetting for them all, and as far as they were concerned, their life had been fine before Charles. “Can I watch TV in your room now?” Sam asked. None of them had asked details of the wedding, or even when it would be exactly. They didn't want to know. And a moment later, Sam had left on his crutches, which he was managing very well. Charles and Maxine were alone in the kitchen, and Zelda spoke up from the doorway.

“Congratulations,” she said softly. “They'll get used to it. It's kind of a shock. I was beginning to suspect that's what you two had in mind.” She smiled, but she looked a little sad too. It was a big change for them all, and they were used to the way things were, and liked them that way.

“It won't change anything for you, Zellie,” Maxine reassured her. “We'll need you just as much. Maybe more.” Maxine smiled.

“Thanks. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you didn't.” Charles looked at her and smiled. She seemed like a nice woman to him, although he didn't love the prospect of running into her in his pajamas late at night when he moved in. He was in for a whole new life, with a wife, three kids, and a live-in nanny. His privacy was a thing of the past. But he still thought this was right. “The kids will adjust,” Zelda reassured them again. “They just need some time.” Maxine nodded.

“It could have been worse,” Maxine said encouragingly. “Not much,” Charles said, looking discouraged. “I was kind of hoping some of them would be pleased. Maybe not Daphne, but at least the boys.”

“No one likes change,” Maxine reminded him. “And this is a big one for them. And for us.” She leaned over and kissed him, and he smiled at her ruefully as Zelda went back to her room, to leave them alone.

“I love you,” he said to her. “I'm sorry your kids are upset.”

“They'll get over it. One day we'll laugh about it, like our first date.”

“Maybe that was an omen,” he said, looking worried.

“No … it's going to be great. You'll see,” Maxine said, and kissed him again. And Charles silently hoped she was right as he took her in his arms. He was sad that her kids weren't happy for them.

Chapter 15

The children stayed in their rooms for the next several hours after the shock of their mother's announcement, and Charles decided to go home. He hadn't slept there in days, and he thought it was a good time to leave Maxine alone with her children. He left, still looking upset, and Maxine reassured him again that they'd adjust, but he wasn't as sure. He wasn't backing out, but he was scared. And so were the kids.

Maxine collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table after he left, with a cup of tea, and she was relieved to see Zelda wander into the kitchen from her room.

“At least someone around here is still talking to me,” she said to Zelda, as she poured herself a cup of tea too.

“It's mighty quiet around here,” Zelda commented as she sat down across from Maxine. “It's going to take some time for the dust to settle.”

“I know. I hate to upset them, but I think it's a good thing.” Charles had proven himself to her again with Sam's accident. He was everything she had hoped he would be, and the kind of man she had needed in her life for years.

“They'll get used to it,” Zelda reassured her. “It's not easy for him either,” she said, referring to Charles. “You can tell he's never been around kids.” Maxine nodded. You couldn't have everything. And if he had children of his own, they might not have liked that either. This was simpler.

Maxine cooked dinner for the children that night, and everyone pushed their food around their plates. None of them could eat, including Maxine. She hated the look on their faces. Daphne looked as though someone had died.

“How can you do that, Mom? He's a creep.” It was a mean thing to say about him, and Sam intervened.

“No, he's not. He's nice to me. And he'd be nice to you, if you weren't so mean to him.” What he said was true, and she didn't say it, but Maxine agreed. “He's just not used to kids.” They all knew that was true.