dove-gray Victorian mansion, he steeled himself for a rush of unwanted memories, but he didnât feel anything. Not even satisfaction or revenge, nothing. He was numb. Until Hayley met him atthe door with a baby in her arms. Then the shock waves rolled through him. His pulse rate rose. He took a step backward and stared at her as if heâd never seen her before. He hadnât. Not like that.
Four
I t wasnât Hayleyâs baby. It couldnât be. She wasnât married. She believed in the traditional family. Mother, father and kids. And yet, the way she was standing there in her doorway, holding it as if it were hers, as if she was Mrs. America waiting for her husband to come home from work⦠Then it hit him like a Douglas fir four-by-twelve. Though heâd never had any family life to speak of, he suddenly knew this was what it was like. To come home from work and find your wife waiting for you with your baby in her arms. It wasnât something heâd ever wanted.
Growing up in an unhappy home, deserted by the parents who should have cared for him, he was far from a traditionalist and had no illusions about marriage. All he knew was that it wasnât for him and he wanted no part of it. As much as heâd envied the Bancrofts their house and their money, he knew marriage and family were out of the picture. As it happened, his demanding career gave himthe perfect excuse for not even contemplating such a scenario.
But for one moment he was seized by an irrational feeling of longing so strong and so painful he could only stand there and gape. He felt a sharp sense of regret for what might have been if Hayley wasnât who she was and he wasnât who he was. He was having a hard enough time getting used to the idea of Hayley as a grown woman, let alone as a wife or a mother. He didnât know what to say.
âWhereâ¦howâ¦who?â he asked.
âTheyâre here,â she said. âThe family I told you about.â She stepped back and shifted the baby higher on her shoulder, blithely unaware of the impression sheâd created. âI forgot that Iâd advertised baby-sitting services. The parents checked in, drank a glass of sherry then took off.â
âAnd left you with their baby?â
âThatâs not all,â she said glancing over her shoulder at two small boys dressed like Power Rangers, sitting on the floor watching TV. âI canât complain. I asked for it. I wanted guests. I offered baby-sitting. I just didnât expect them to be soâ¦so noisy and have so much energy. I thought Iâd tuck them in bed and read them a story, but they donât want to go to bed. They donât want to hear any âbaby stories,â either.â
âLook out, itâs Godzilla,â one shrieked, catching a glimpse of Sam out of the corner of his eye.
His brother jumped up and placed a rocket in a miniature launcher which he aimed straight at Sam. Sam ducked and the rocket hit the bay window with a loud bang. The window cracked but didnât break. Hayley gasped and there was a moment of shocked silence.
The boys then dropped their power launcher and ran out of the room, screaming excitedly at the top of their lungs.The baby burst into tears. Hayley patted her back. She cried louder.
âOh, Lord, what have I done?â Hayley asked, looking at the window with dismay. âI should never have offered to take care of those monsters. I donât know anything about babies. I donât know anything about kids. And I canât afford to replace that window.â
âIt was my fault. They took me by surprise. Never thought I looked like Godzilla. But itâs the kind of thing I used to do, firing rockets at the enemy. Catch them off guard. I should have taken the hit instead of the window. I shouldnât have ducked,â Sam said, examining the crack in the glass.
âYou have good reflexes,â she said.
Four
I t wasnât Hayleyâs baby. It couldnât be. She wasnât married. She believed in the traditional family. Mother, father and kids. And yet, the way she was standing there in her doorway, holding it as if it were hers, as if she was Mrs. America waiting for her husband to come home from work⦠Then it hit him like a Douglas fir four-by-twelve. Though heâd never had any family life to speak of, he suddenly knew this was what it was like. To come home from work and find your wife waiting for you with your baby in her arms. It wasnât something heâd ever wanted.
Growing up in an unhappy home, deserted by the parents who should have cared for him, he was far from a traditionalist and had no illusions about marriage. All he knew was that it wasnât for him and he wanted no part of it. As much as heâd envied the Bancrofts their house and their money, he knew marriage and family were out of the picture. As it happened, his demanding career gave himthe perfect excuse for not even contemplating such a scenario.
But for one moment he was seized by an irrational feeling of longing so strong and so painful he could only stand there and gape. He felt a sharp sense of regret for what might have been if Hayley wasnât who she was and he wasnât who he was. He was having a hard enough time getting used to the idea of Hayley as a grown woman, let alone as a wife or a mother. He didnât know what to say.
âWhereâ¦howâ¦who?â he asked.
âTheyâre here,â she said. âThe family I told you about.â She stepped back and shifted the baby higher on her shoulder, blithely unaware of the impression sheâd created. âI forgot that Iâd advertised baby-sitting services. The parents checked in, drank a glass of sherry then took off.â
âAnd left you with their baby?â
âThatâs not all,â she said glancing over her shoulder at two small boys dressed like Power Rangers, sitting on the floor watching TV. âI canât complain. I asked for it. I wanted guests. I offered baby-sitting. I just didnât expect them to be soâ¦so noisy and have so much energy. I thought Iâd tuck them in bed and read them a story, but they donât want to go to bed. They donât want to hear any âbaby stories,â either.â
âLook out, itâs Godzilla,â one shrieked, catching a glimpse of Sam out of the corner of his eye.
His brother jumped up and placed a rocket in a miniature launcher which he aimed straight at Sam. Sam ducked and the rocket hit the bay window with a loud bang. The window cracked but didnât break. Hayley gasped and there was a moment of shocked silence.
The boys then dropped their power launcher and ran out of the room, screaming excitedly at the top of their lungs.The baby burst into tears. Hayley patted her back. She cried louder.
âOh, Lord, what have I done?â Hayley asked, looking at the window with dismay. âI should never have offered to take care of those monsters. I donât know anything about babies. I donât know anything about kids. And I canât afford to replace that window.â
âIt was my fault. They took me by surprise. Never thought I looked like Godzilla. But itâs the kind of thing I used to do, firing rockets at the enemy. Catch them off guard. I should have taken the hit instead of the window. I shouldnât have ducked,â Sam said, examining the crack in the glass.
âYou have good reflexes,â she said.
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