Marcus chuckled. “Everything’s fine. We’re just a little concerned about you. We haven’t heard from you since the day after Thanksgiving. Lisa’s starting to get worried.”
“Ah, you know how it is, Marcus. I always lose touch a little bit as finals draw near.”
“That’s what I told Lisa, but she worries, anyway. Especially now. Was Barbara emotional when she was pregnant?”
“I’ll say she was,” Oliver said. “I came home one day when she was pregnant with Lisa and found her crying because I’d bought a green teddy bear for the nursery, instead of the yellow one she’d wanted. I tried to convince her that one was just as nice as the other, but she wouldn’t hear it. Said it didn’t match the wallpaper.”
“So what’d you do?” Marcus asked, thinking of Lisa’s disappointment when he’d accidentally brought home chocolate-chip ice cream, instead of the fudge ripple she’d asked for the previous night.
“I returned the green teddy, of course.”
Marcus settled further into his chair and smiled. He’d gone back for fudge ripple, too.
“Seriously, son, things okay with you two now?”
“They’re better. We’ve reached an understanding that I’m confident will work.”
“An understanding?”
Oliver was family. He was going to have to know. “We’re staying together, but not pretending I’m the child’s father.”
“So what are you?”
“Lisa’s husband.”
“And the child?” Oliver sounded doubtful.
“Her child.”
“And you’re sure you’ll be able to handle this? Sharing her with the baby but not sharing the baby with her?”
Marcus wasn’t sure yet, but he was working on it. “I love her, Dad. I want her to be happy.”
“I know, son. But it isn’t wrong to want a little happiness for yourself, too, is it?”
Marcus didn’t know what happiness was anymore. “I’m happy,” he said.
“You want to tell me how you do that?”
“Do what?” Marcus picked up the gold pen Lisa had bought him when he’d graduated. They’d had so many dreams back then.
“Convince yourself to be happy with what you have when you want more. I’m thinking I could use the lesson.”
Marcus sat up, concerned. “Why? What’s up?”
Oliver chuckled, but there was no joy in the sound. “I’ve just been thinking about the next twenty years of my life and wondering which part I’m looking forward to.”
“Meaning?”
“I’ve had the love of my life, Marcus. I’ve reached the pinnacle in my career.” He paused. “I’ve been starting to question where I go from here.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I’m not certain yet. Let me ask you this. Do you consider fifty-three too old to begin thinking about starting over?”
Marcus couldn’t think of a career that suited Oliver better than the one he had, but he knew it wasn’t for him to make that determination. “Not if that’s what you really want to do.”
“You wouldn’t think I was just being an old fool?”