She was bone tired, but the shower took care of that and she felt refreshed. The sound of the wheels of the bus crunching against the gravel on the side of the road alerted her to the kids’ homecoming. Eager to hear how the day went, Raina hurried out to meet them at the front door.
Their smiling faces and excited chatter warmed her heart and reassured her that all had gone well.
“Aunty Raina, you should have seen Uncle Chris, he was great. All the teachers loved him.” Crystal said. “My friends thought he was the handsomest uncle they had ever met.” She covered her mouth and giggled
“He dressed up too, in a real serious suit and shoes. He looked like a movie star.” Chantal sighed, and Raina suspected that her niece had developed as much of a crush on Christopher as she had.
She was so relieved and glad the day had gone well.
“What about you, Jeremiah?” Raina probed.
“Is … is Uncle Chris going to be our Uncle forever?” He looked down at his feet and shuffled.
Raina was momenta
rily dumbstruck as she realized how foolish she’d been. She’d seen a quick solution to her problem, by inviting Christopher to attend the kids’ event—and in doing so she had inadvertently made him an important figure in their lives.
“Ummmm …” Raina bit her lip, realizing suddenly that in bringing Christopher to the house she had done just what she hadn’t wanted to do; introduce a stranger into their lives who might just cause them all more disappointment.
She quickly changed the topic, unsure as to how to answer her nephew. “Who wants cookies?”
“Me!” “Me!” “Me!” The excited shouts came in unison. She did not often allow sweets, but she would have done anything to change the topic.
She ushered them in to the dining room and listened to their chit chat about their day.
Today, even Chantal was more forthcoming which made Raina wonder if the absence of a man in their lives had affected them more than she had imagined.
An hour later, Christopher walked in and the kids were all over him. He had his own front door key now, and though Raina knew it was a risk, her instincts told her that she could trust him.
The kids rushed to greet him and they wrapped their arms around his legs. He laughed, “Whoa! Whoa! You’ll knock me over!”
“Yea!” They screamed and proceeded to try to tackle him.
Raina only watched the domestic scene unfold, her heart both full of joy and heavy with trepidation.
“No it’s alright. Come on guys; let ‘Uncle’ Chris have a rest. He’s had a long day.”
“I’m fine, and I had a great time. Your kids are doing really well at school. Their teachers said so.” Christopher announced.
Raina started at that—that possessive “your,” he had used. But yes, she realized more and more every day that the kids were indeed “hers.”
She smiled as she readied dinner and listened to the chatter coming from the dining room. This, she thought to herself, was what a home should sound like.
Later, after the kids had gone off to bed, Raina and Christopher sat together on the couch having their customary cup of coffee.
“I probably should have bought you a bottle of wine or something as a thank you gift.” Raina commented. She bit her lip and smiled, looking down, a lock of hair falling over her face. “You really made their day.”
“Nah, this is perfect. The best part of my day.” Christopher said, stretching out his legs in front.
“I do thank you. A lot.”
Their eyes met across the couch and Christopher’s eyes locked onto hers. She felt her breath quicken and a shiver run through her body.
The scene appeared so intimate, Raina thought. They could easily have passed for husband and wife winding down their day. She broke the tension by looking away quickly as she stood up.
“More coffee?” Her calm and cheerful voice belied her inner turmoil.
Those were the kind of thoughts that could lead to heartbreak. But, God, he was attractive, even with his ugly cap and old shirt. He could probably clean up really well, she thought with an inward smile. She poured each of them another cup of the hot liquid and turned the conversation toward the topic she had long been curious about.