room the television stays off. Eddie sits on the floor and roughhouses as the kids shriek with laughter and hang off his neck.
“Daddy?” Walker says after a while. “Are you home now forever? Are you staying?”
Eddie takes a deep breath. “I don’t know, Walk. My work is still in Chicago but we’ll have to see what happens.”
Maggie starts to tear up. “Please don’t go, Daddy,” she says, and Eddie scoops both of them up and hangs them upside down.
“Who wants to go to the diner for supper?” he says, as they giggle hysterically, not used to their father playing with them like this.
“Yay! Me!” the kids shout.
“And who’s going to leave milk and cookies out for Santa tonight?” Eddie shouts, as he places them gently on the floor.
“We are!” They dance around him again.
“Dad?” Walker says eagerly. “You know what Santa’s bringing me this year?”
“Hmmm.” Eddie pretends to think hard. “A Barbie jeep?”
“No! That’s for me!” Maggie shouts.
“Oh, okay. A pair of socks?”
“Ew! No! He’s bringing me a light saber and an army jeep and a cool robot thing from the movie.”
“I don’t think Santa will be able to carry all those things, Walk, but I’m sure he’ll manage one of them. Maybe even two.”
“Oh. Okay,” Walker says. “I hope it’s the army jeep and the light saber.”
Eddie thinks about the enormous robot sitting in his suitcase. “Are you crazy? The robots are the coolest thing in the world. If I were you I’d want the robot.”
“Oh, yeah, Dad. I do. I want the robot.”
“We just have to remember to leave the milk and cookies.”
Twenty minutes later Sarah comes downstairs, feeling beautiful and confident in her black cocktail dress and heels. She debated putting her hair up but remembered how much Eddie always loved it down, so she left it softly curling on her shoulders.
“Mommy, you look beautiful!” Walker says, as Sarah enters the family room, and Eddie’s heart skips a beat as he lets out a soft wolf whistle. Damn. He didn’t want to be so obvious but she looks more beautiful than he’s seen her look in years.
“Obviously I’m not the only one who’s changed.” He smiles. “You look beautiful, Sarah.”
“Thank you,” she says. “I made meatloaf for dinner, which is in the fridge. You just have to heat it up for about a minute in the microwave, and then the kids can have I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M….”
“Ice cream!” Walker leaps up and down. “I want ice cream for dinner.”
“Actually,” Eddie says, “I thought I’d take the kids to the diner for dinner. If that’s okay with you.”
“Oh,” Sarah says. “Sure.” Of course it’s okay, but Eddie has never offered to do anything with the kids before. In fact, she doesn’t remember him ever having taken them anywhere by himself just for the sheer fun of it.
“So have fun at your party,” Eddie says, forcing himself to turn away from Sarah. “See you later.”
“Great. Sure. Have a good time.”
“But he looks ten years younger!” Sarah sits at Caroline’s kitchen table while Caroline pours her a glass of white wine. “God. He looks like the old Eddie.”
Caroline raises an eyebrow. “Are you trying to say you fancy him again?”
“No!” Sarah says, a little too quickly. “Don’t be ridiculous. Just because he’s changed on the outside doesn’t mean he’s changed on the inside.”
“And what if he has?”
“I’m sure he hasn’t.”
“But if he has?”
Sarah shrugs, thinking about the young, energetic Eddie she said good-bye to half an hour ago, and she leans her head on the table and groans. “Oh, God. Now I’m all confused again. This morning I was ready to sit down and tell him I wanted a divorce. Now I don’t know.” And suddenly she stands up. “I’m going to go to the diner. Damn it. The only way I’m going to know is to be around him, see if he really has changed. Do you mind?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I was going
“Daddy?” Walker says after a while. “Are you home now forever? Are you staying?”
Eddie takes a deep breath. “I don’t know, Walk. My work is still in Chicago but we’ll have to see what happens.”
Maggie starts to tear up. “Please don’t go, Daddy,” she says, and Eddie scoops both of them up and hangs them upside down.
“Who wants to go to the diner for supper?” he says, as they giggle hysterically, not used to their father playing with them like this.
“Yay! Me!” the kids shout.
“And who’s going to leave milk and cookies out for Santa tonight?” Eddie shouts, as he places them gently on the floor.
“We are!” They dance around him again.
“Dad?” Walker says eagerly. “You know what Santa’s bringing me this year?”
“Hmmm.” Eddie pretends to think hard. “A Barbie jeep?”
“No! That’s for me!” Maggie shouts.
“Oh, okay. A pair of socks?”
“Ew! No! He’s bringing me a light saber and an army jeep and a cool robot thing from the movie.”
“I don’t think Santa will be able to carry all those things, Walk, but I’m sure he’ll manage one of them. Maybe even two.”
“Oh. Okay,” Walker says. “I hope it’s the army jeep and the light saber.”
Eddie thinks about the enormous robot sitting in his suitcase. “Are you crazy? The robots are the coolest thing in the world. If I were you I’d want the robot.”
“Oh, yeah, Dad. I do. I want the robot.”
“We just have to remember to leave the milk and cookies.”
Twenty minutes later Sarah comes downstairs, feeling beautiful and confident in her black cocktail dress and heels. She debated putting her hair up but remembered how much Eddie always loved it down, so she left it softly curling on her shoulders.
“Mommy, you look beautiful!” Walker says, as Sarah enters the family room, and Eddie’s heart skips a beat as he lets out a soft wolf whistle. Damn. He didn’t want to be so obvious but she looks more beautiful than he’s seen her look in years.
“Obviously I’m not the only one who’s changed.” He smiles. “You look beautiful, Sarah.”
“Thank you,” she says. “I made meatloaf for dinner, which is in the fridge. You just have to heat it up for about a minute in the microwave, and then the kids can have I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M….”
“Ice cream!” Walker leaps up and down. “I want ice cream for dinner.”
“Actually,” Eddie says, “I thought I’d take the kids to the diner for dinner. If that’s okay with you.”
“Oh,” Sarah says. “Sure.” Of course it’s okay, but Eddie has never offered to do anything with the kids before. In fact, she doesn’t remember him ever having taken them anywhere by himself just for the sheer fun of it.
“So have fun at your party,” Eddie says, forcing himself to turn away from Sarah. “See you later.”
“Great. Sure. Have a good time.”
“But he looks ten years younger!” Sarah sits at Caroline’s kitchen table while Caroline pours her a glass of white wine. “God. He looks like the old Eddie.”
Caroline raises an eyebrow. “Are you trying to say you fancy him again?”
“No!” Sarah says, a little too quickly. “Don’t be ridiculous. Just because he’s changed on the outside doesn’t mean he’s changed on the inside.”
“And what if he has?”
“I’m sure he hasn’t.”
“But if he has?”
Sarah shrugs, thinking about the young, energetic Eddie she said good-bye to half an hour ago, and she leans her head on the table and groans. “Oh, God. Now I’m all confused again. This morning I was ready to sit down and tell him I wanted a divorce. Now I don’t know.” And suddenly she stands up. “I’m going to go to the diner. Damn it. The only way I’m going to know is to be around him, see if he really has changed. Do you mind?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I was going
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