53. Chapter 53

As previously stated, Maya starts her first day in Madison with an early morning run. It’s then that she realizes that Madison isn’t just some small town in Wisconsin. It’s not as big as Seattle but it’s no small town either. That thought alone has her running a little lighter and feeling a little easier about their stay here. After that, she heads back to the hotel to have a shower and start the day.

Maya is glad that they don’t have to spend the day driving, that they are now going to be spending a few days in Madison and Wisconsin. She leaves all the planning for Madison up to Carina. She knows there will be places that Carina wants to go to and see. Maya has a few guesses as to where they might be but keeps her mouth shut about them.

She notices the quiet and somewhat somber mood that Carina is in. After Maya gets out of the shower, Carina is sitting at the small table and is looking out the window quietly. When she returned from her run Carina was still in the bed. She runs her hand across Carina’s shoulders as she passes behind her. “You good?”

Carina holds out her hand. Maya takes it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Carina nods and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. She’s trying to prepare herself for the day and all of the possible emotions that might come along.

Their first stop of the day in Madison is the high school that Andrew attended. It’s a big brick school. They stand outside for a moment just looking at the building from across the street. Maya stands there next to Carina. The sun is out. It’s a hot June day but what really gets to Maya is the heat. She understands what humidity is. They have plenty of it in Seattle in the winter and spring, in the rainiest months of the year. But most of the time, in the summer when it’s hottest, the air is relatively dry. But this, in Wisconsin, with the sun beating down on them and the humidity in the air, feels like they are in a sauna.

Carina starts walking and Maya follows after her. She shoves her hands in her pockets, but they soon get all sweaty and she removes them again. There’s almost no wind and Maya knows that is adding to the uncomfortability. She’s a runner so she knows hot and uncomfortable fairly well, but she’s not even running right now. They walk around the entire school. It takes up a whole city block. Carina wanders over to the track and football field after looking at the large building. There is a fence around the perimeter but it’s chain link so they can see through it.

“Nice.” Maya mumbles at the set up. She imagines it’s a division one school for its state, being in a populated area, so they’ve got the funds for a nice modern track and football field and facilities.

Carina doesn’t say anything. And Maya understands that she’s probably working through many things in her head. She won’t disturb that and let Carina do what she needs to do and process what she needs to process; but she does wonder if Andrew was at all athletic. Did he play football or run track? Is that why Carina is staring so intently at the football field? Maya makes a mental note to ask about it later. She doesn’t remember seeing any pictures in his yearbook though when they were looking through it at Christmas time of Andrew being on the football team or in any sports.

Eventually, they head back to the car. Maya gets in the driver’s side, starts it up, and cranks the air conditioning to full blast.

Carina punches the address into the navigation system but otherwise doesn’t say anything. Maya does her duty and drives.

They get out of the car once Maya pulls up next to the curb to the address and Maya comes around to the passenger’s side and leans up against the car next to Carina. They both look over at the house. The house that Andrew and Lucia lived in for many years. Maya knows this without even asking.

 “I’ve never been here when it was warm out.” Carina mumbles.

Maya pulls her t-shirt away from her skin, fanning herself with it. “Warm? Carina, the car said it was 94 degrees and it feels like we are in a sauna. I think I would prefer cold over this.”

Carina chuckles a little and looks over at her wife. She reaches over at puts her hand on Maya’s cheek. “Your face is all red.” Maya’s fair complexion always gives her away.

“Yeah cuz it’s like 100 degrees and we were out in the sun over at the school for like an hour.” She’s a bit exasperated about it. It’s obvious.

Carina pouts. “You could’ve said something.”

Maya shakes her head. No, she couldn’t. Carina was having a moment and she wasn’t going to interrupt or disrupt that. She kind of wishes that Carina would talk about whatever she is thinking about and going through today, but Maya knows it could be too much to talk about right now. She knows that her part is to be there and stand tall and be solid for Carina if she needs someone to be strong and solid.

Carina looks back at the house. She knows Maya wouldn’t have said anything too. “I was only ever here for a few weeks at a time in the winter. I think it was three or four times. It looks so different now. Everything is green and lush and not white with snow or brown and dingey without snow.”

“Is it how you imagined?” Maya whispers, unsure if she’s supposed to say something or not.

Carina shakes her head. “Not really. I had never seen it like this, so it was hard to imagine.” Looking up at the house that her mother and brother lived in gives Carina a weird sense of calm. She was nervous as they drove over here. She was worried that it would look different in some way or be gone somehow. Like the house could get demolished and then there wouldn’t be anything left. It’s a little tiny piece of mamma and Andrea that Carina can look at and see them inside, smiling.

It's usually a winter scene in Carina’s imagination. Andrea is young but not too young. He has hot chocolate between his cold hands. His hands are cold from being out in the snow. Carina had refused to go out and play in the snowstorm, but she sat inside, in the front window to the right of the front door, mamma closely behind her, as she watched Andrea play and build a snowman.

Or the image is of them signing Christmas carols together. Or opening presents. Or watching a Christmas parade. Or Andrea is telling Carina something very American that he has learned, and Carina is wrinkling up her face in disgust at him.

“They had a good life here.” Carina is wistful.

“Do you-“ Maya doesn’t dare to finish the sentence. Do you wish that you had a good life here too?

Carina shakes her head though. And Maya wonders if she is possibly thinking the same thing that she is. She doesn’t think it’s possible and that Carina was just shaking her head at something else.

But Carina does wonder what would’ve happened if things had been different. Had she come to live in Wisconsin with Andrea and mamma; what would her life have turned out to be? Would she even leave Italy? Would she abandon her papa? There have been, and continue to be, so many what if’s, questions, wondering if one thing had been different how everything else could have been different. But Carina knows she couldn’t just abandon her father like her mother did.

“She had to move to a different continent to get away from him.” She mumbles, feeling a little agitated now that the memory resurfaces.

Maya barely hears the words. If she weren’t standing so close to Carina right now, she knows she wouldn’t have heard them. She knows the words aren’t meant for her, that Carina is just speaking them out loud.

The Italian looks over though. She knows Maya heard. “It’s pretty fucked up, isn’t it?”

Maya raises surprised eyebrows. Carina rarely swears in English, especially if it isn’t about sexy stuff. Her curse words mostly come out in Italian. The blonde licks her lips in preparation to say something, but Carina beats her to it.

“I don’t blame anyone anymore. But for a long time, I blamed my mother. Or I felt like she could have done things differently. I knew she was going, and I told her to go. You would think things could have been done differently. But then I have to remind myself that in a way she was stuck. I have to remind myself that things were different back then from what they are now. Services and help for mental issues and illness weren’t as available. Even if she knew what was going on with papa. And I’m sure she was scared. I was scared. And she thought I could handle myself and she wanted to take Andrea and keep him safe. I understand all that, but it’s kind of fucked up that my mamma just up and left.”

Maya nods, simple, in agreement. “We don’t always make the best or right decisions in a time of panic.” She references her own past transgressions.

Carina nods, too reminded of Maya’s, their, past experience with a wrong decision in a moment of fear and panic. She reaches over and takes Maya’s hand giving it a reassuring squeeze. She not sure if she’s trying to reassure herself or Maya though.

They’ve discussed Carina’s mother before and her hasty exit from her marriage and Italy. Carina’s feelings of resentment and anger or understanding and sympathy also. Maya knows it’s not an easy subject, that it never will be, so she gives the hand in hers a squeeze for reassurance in return. A silent language and conversation between them with a few hand holds and squeezes.

They stand there for a few minutes silently staring over at the house and Maya starts to worry that they might be bothering the homeowner or people in the neighborhood. The firefighter starts to look around the area. It’s a seemingly quiet neighborhood. Nice, nothing fancy, likely blue collar Americans who diligently go about their daily duties. And almost as if Maya’s spidey senses where tingling telling her something is off, a car pulls in the driveway of the house they are parked out in front of.

A woman gets out of the car and glances over at them. Maya puts her hand on Carina’s wrist with her free hand. “We should go.” She whispers. She doesn’t want to cause any trouble.

Carina looks over at the woman.

She is eyeing them curiously now to see if they are a threat or if they need help or what they might be doing on her property. Technically, they are on the property between the sidewalk and roadway that is owned by the city. “Do you ladies need something?” The woman calls out.

Carina pushes off the side of her car, taking a step forward, but Maya’s hands in her hand and around her wrist prevent her from going any further. “Hi, my name is Carina.” She says with a smile. “This house-“ Her eyes turn to the house. “My mother and brother used to live here.”

The woman in the driveway looks into the back seat of her car. She turns her attention back to Carina.

“We-“ Carina looks over the shoulder at Maya. Maya shakes her head, such a small amount that only Carina sees it. She doesn’t heed Maya’s head shake warning though. Maya wants her to stop; for them to leave. Carina continues though. She looks back to the woman. A petite young lady no more than 30. “We just stopped by to take a look.”

The woman looks back to her car. She raises a finger in the air. “Ope, sorry. Just a minute.” She turns to the car and opens the back door. A little boy stumbles out. “Colton, what do I say about getting out of your car seat?”

Without missing a beat. “That I have to wait for you.”

Carina shift on her feet and it brings the little boy’s, Colton’s, attention to her and Maya.

“Who are you?” He blurts.

“Colton.” His mother scolds. “Where are your manners?”

“I’m sorry, who are you, ma’am?” She scrunches his little face up. There were two of them. He’s not sure how that changes the word. “Ma‘ams?” He looks to his mother for help. The woman scrunches up her face too. She doesn’t know if he is correct in his plural of ma’am. She takes the boy by the hand, and they walk across the grass towards Maya and Carina. “You said you used to live here?”

Carina smiles kindly. “Not exactly. My mother and brother used to live here. I just visited sometimes.”

“What’s his name? Maybe I know him.” Colton asks innocently.

The mother knows her son doesn’t know the man. She assumes this stranger’s brother is of her own age and not her son’s age. “I don’t think you know him, Colt.”

The little boy huffs at his mother dismissing the possibility. How does she know if he knows or not? He pulls his hand from his mother’s in protest and crosses his arms over his chest with another huff.

Carina watches all this before getting down to his level. His eyes go wide for a moment as soon as Carina’s face is level with his. “My name is Carina.” The boy is unimpressed with that. He asked for her brother’s name. Carina chances a look up at Maya. “This here with me is Maya. Do you like firefighters?” She asks the boy.

Now it’s Maya’s turn to huff.

“Yeah.” He tries not to smile, to still be mad and annoyed, but his lips are betraying him.

Carina points up at Maya. “Maya is a firefighter.”

Colton’s eyes get big and wide with excitement. “Really?” He looks up at Maya with a full grin now.

She answers the question. “Yes, I’m a firefighter.”

“That’s so cool.” He stares at her in amazement.

“Yes, it is.” Maya says.

“Where’s your fire truck?” He asks.

The mother looks between Maya and Carina. She’s still not sure what is going on here, but the pair don’t seem to be any threat. And if the blonde really is a firefighter, than she’s someone who can be trusted.

Maya pulls her phone out of her pocket. “It’s back at home, where I live. In the city I live in. But I do have some pictures. Do you want to see?”

“Yeah.” Colton leans forward trying to look at Maya’s phone.

Carina watches as Maya gets down on one knee. She looks to the mother for approval first before showing the boy photos of the engine from Station 19.

Carina extends her hand to the mother now that Maya is busy distracting the boy. “I’m Dr. Carina DeLuca. And like I was saying I used to visit my mother and brother here.”

“I’m Tonya. From where-” The woman shakes Carina’s hand. “From where did you visit?” She notices the accent.

“Ah, si. Italia.” Carina grins. “We-“ She looks to her wife again. “We’re just in town and thought we would drive by the house to look at it. I made Maya stop though. I hope that’s alright.”

“No problem. I just picked Colton up from his grandmother’s and we stopped by the store real quick. That reminds me. I’ve got to get my groceries in the house before they melt.” Tonya moves back towards the car.

Maya begins to panic as Tonya moves farther away from her son.

Carina watches the way the woman walks, the way she carries herself, the way she moves towards the car. “Do you need help?” She offers.

Maya is horrified by the offer and what it implies. She stands, glancing between Colton and his mother, trying to decide what to do. They can’t really just leave Colton with her, can they? Carina can’t be planning to go into the house, can she?

“Oh, that would be great, thanks.” Tonya calls over her shoulder. She pulls out a paper bag of groceries, bending a little gingerly, careful not to move too fast or extend too far. Carina moves across the lawn in a quick little jog and takes the bag in her arms. Tonya pulls another bag from the trunk along with a gallon of milk before slamming the trunk shut.

“This way.” Tonya says and Carina follows her to the front door.

“Come on, bambina.” Carina calls out to Maya. The blonde is horrified. She gets to her feet though. Bambina is a word usually reserved for private. This situation seems anything but private to Maya.

It slips by Maya that Carina feels comfortable on this property, safe. She knows it and has stayed here. Carina has a far away familiarity with the house and the yard and the layout. She’s helped her mamma bring in groceries from the same driveway.

The blonde stares down at the small boy. He shrugs at her before running to the house. Maya follows after him at a slower pace, putting her phone back in the pocket.

Tonya is unlocking the door. Colton runs up to her and wraps his arms around her leg. “Mom what’s bam-bambina mean?” He looks to Carina to see if he has the pronunciation correct.

Carina nods and smiles. The little boy beams back at her. “Bambina means baby or baby girl.”

He scrunches up his little forehead. He looks to Maya. “She called you a baby.”

“Thanks, kid. I know.” It’s almost painful to prevent from rolling her eyes at the child.

“Colton?” Carina gets his attention, pulling it away from Maya. “I always call Maya that.”

“Why? She’s not a baby.”

“In the house.” Tonya calls out, clued into the conversation now and what it means. Colton runs inside. Carina follows in immediately after him. Tonya offers Maya to go next. Maya shares a sheepishly grin and shrugs at Tonya.

“We don’t-“ She looks to Carina but she’s already so far in the house she can’t see her. “If we are bothering you just tell us to leave.” Maya doesn’t want to put this poor women out by them showing up like this.

“Don’t be silly. Come in.” She nods for Maya to go inside.

Maya is hesitant but enters the house. She’s not sure where she’s going but follows the sounds of noise until she reaches the kitchen where Carina is standing at an island counter unloading the grocery bag onto it and Colton is kneeling on a stool watching her. The central air conditioning is a nice reprieve though, so Maya isn’t going to complain about being inside.

“Sit down or get down.” Tonya scolds her son when she sees them kneeling on top of the stool with his little hands on the counter. She knows he knows he’s not allowed to kneel on the stool.

He gets onto his butt and sits on the stool.

Tonya comes over to the island setting her bag on the counter too. “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”

“Can I have juice, mom?” The boy says when he hears his mom is offering drinks.

“You can have water or milk. You already had juice today.”

“Fine.” He sighs like it’s the biggest inconvenience in the entire world. “Milk.”

Carina grins at the boy as she gets done unloading her bag and starts unloading the other. “My brother’s name is Andrew.” Carina remembers his question.

“I like your voice.” Colton blurts.

“Grazie. Thank you.”

“You mean accent, Colton.” Tonya reminds her son.

He nods. “Right. Accent. Like Victor’s grandpa. He’s from Mexico.”

“Cool.” Carina nods.

“Not Victor, his grandpa.” He clarifies to the two new people he just met.

Tonya comes over with Colton’s milk.

“Thanks, mom.” She ruffles his hair with her hand.

“So, a firefighter and a doctor. What kind of doctor?”

Carina smiles proud. “OB/GYN.”

Tonya pauses for a moment before collecting herself again. “That sounds like the start of some sort of joke. A firefighter and a doctor walk into a bar…”

Carina looks over at Maya. “Well.” She wraps her arms around Maya’s shoulders. “No joke but a relationship.”

Tonya scoffs. “That’s crazy.”

“A little.” Carina admits. “Our initial meeting was at a bar. Si.”

The woman is a little unbelieving of the story but doesn’t want to pry into it too much. She changes the subject to something else she is interested in. “So did you want to look around the house, er no?” Tonya asks.

“No, that’s-“ Maya starts to say. She thinks they really need to get out of the woman’s hair now that the groceries are in the house and unloaded from their bags.

Carina cuts her off. “Could we?” She looks around the kitchen at the changes since the last time she was in the room. Nothing major, different paint and new cabinets.

“Sure.” Tonya shrugs. “Just don’t go in mine and my husband’s bedroom. Upstairs, last door on the right.”

“Got it. Thanks.” Carina tugs Maya along. Maya tries to protest but Carina pouts. “Pleeeeease?” The firefighter rolls her eyes. “Grazie bambina, ti amo.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Tonya puts away the groceries while Carina takes Maya on a tour.

The house isn’t all that different from the last time Carina was in it. Some of the rooms are painted different colors than they used to be. The structure is still the same. They go upstairs and open the door to what is clearly Colton’s room. “This was Andrea’s room.” They don’t go in, just stand in the doorway for a few minutes. Maya with her hand on the small of Carina’s back. Carina leaning into Maya’s side.

They come back down after Carina has a minute. Maya is focused on leaving and getting Carina out of the house. She isn’t uncomfortable and she doesn’t feel like they should be intruding on this unsuspecting woman and her child.

“So?” Tonya asks as they round the corner back into the kitchen.

“Thank you.” Carina says solemnly.

“Is your brother- is he-“ Tonya tries to ask the question. She has a hunch and when Carina nods it is confirmed.

“He passed away last year.” Carina reveals the sad truth.

“Andrew died?” Colton asks, clearly catching onto the conversation.

“Yes, he did.” Carina gets a little teary eyed. And Maya wraps an arm around Carina’s waist.

Tonya ushers them into the living room to sit down. “I’ll get some water.” She goes back into the kitchen and tells Colton to not say anything else about Andrew.

The boy pouts, sad. “Is Carina sad now?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.” He hangs this head before thinking of something. He gets down from the stool and runs up to his room the get a teddy bear. He runs downstairs to Carina. “Here.” He holds the teddy bear in his hands towards Carina. “I like to hold him when I’m sad.”

Carina coos. “Thank you, Colton.”

Tonya comes in with the waters. She holds a glass towards Carina first, then offers one to Maya. “Here’s some water but I can make something stronger if you’d like. An old fashioned, maybe.”

Maya is thankful for something familiar. “Sure. Yes. Thank you.”

Tonya makes a brandy old fashioned for Maya. Carina sticks to water.

Maya takes a sip of her old fashioned. “Woah. What is this?”

“An Old Fashioned.” Tonya says confused. She had thought that Maya knew what an old fashioned was when she accepted the drink.

“Nooooo. I’ve had old fashioneds before. It’s whiskey. Bitters, a sugar cube, and water. Sometimes a garnish. And ice.”

Tonya chuckles. “It’s a brandy old fashioned. A Wisconsin staple.”

Maya hums and takes another sip. “I think I like this better.”

“An orange slice, maraschino cherries with a bit of the grenadine, bitters, sugar cube, brandy and ice. Which is much the same. But then to make it sweet we add a lemon-lime soda or sour with grapefruit soda.” Tonya explains the difference. “Yours is sweet.”

Maya takes another drink. “I like this better. I’m ordering this from now on.”

Carina pats at Maya’s thigh, a pleased smile on her face as Maya assimilates with the locals.

The adults sit in the living room talking. They tell Tonya they are on a road trip from Seattle. That they got married in the middle of the pandemic. And about Andrew and Lucia and how they lived in this house and how Carina would come visit in winter.

“How long are you in town for?”

“Just today, tomorrow, and then we are starting our trip back west on Sunday morning.” Maya lays out the itinerary.

Carina grins, squeezing her wife’s knee. “Maya has it all planned out. We are on a strict schedule.” She smiles affectionately over at her wife, teasing her.

Tonya waves a dismissive hand at them. “Chad is the same way. Every time we go somewhere he wants to plan everything to the minute. I keep telling him you can’t do that with kids. They don’t plan things to the minute. And every time, something will happen with Colton and the schedule is all off.”

“Kids are unpredictable.” Carina says astutely. She’s dealt with many cases where babies come early or with little to no warning in her job.

Colton runs into the room. “I found it.” He has a toy fire truck in his hand. “It was under my bed, mom.” He goes over to Maya and puts the truck on the couch cushion next to her.

She picks the toy up. It has buttons on the top. She presses one but it doesn’t make a sound.

“The battery is dead. He used it so much. Which I’m not too sad about.” Tonya grins.

“Daddy says he’s going to fix it, but I don’t know when.” Colton adds.

Maya runs the fire truck along the couch cushion making a vrooming noise. Carina looks wistfully at the little boy as Maya plays with him.

“Do you get to drive the fire truck?” He asks innocently.

Maya sighs. She didn’t used to while she was captain. “I do.” But she has had to again now as lieutenant. She missed driving. There is a certain power in that. Honking at cars to get out of the way. Owning the whole road, if need be.

“Colton, can you go play in the other room.”

He sighs, knowing that tone in his mother’s voice means that she wants to talk to the adults without him around.

Carina wants to argue that the boy is fine, he isn’t hurting anything, but doesn’t go against his mother.

Maya hands over the fire truck and Colton takes it and leaves.

“We bought this house when I was pregnant with Colton. He’s only ever lived here, and I want to continue to grow my family in this house.” She looks between the pair. She’s not sure if this information is helpful to Carina in regards to her own family or her dead brother. “Actually, no one knows this yet but my husband; but Colton is going to be a big brother in about six months.”

Carina gets up immediately and gives the woman a hug. She thought she spotted some signs of early pregnancy. “It’s going well so far?” Her doctor brain kicks in. “No complications? Have you had a 12 week appointment yet?”

Tonya grins shyly. “Some back pain.” She knew when she heard Carina say she was an OB/GYN that she was comfortable with the woman, that Carina was someone who could be trusted. “It’s next week.”

“Wonderful.” Carina returns to her seat next to Maya, taking her hand, feeling a little more clingy than usual. “Not the back pain. But the new little one and the 12 week appointment. Exciting.” Something to do with Andrew and this woman and her talk of a new baby for this house makes her want to hold Maya a little closer.

“My husband should be home any minute.” Tonya says as she glances over at the clock on the wall.

“Should we go? We should go.” Maya starts to stand up.

Tonya waves at Maya to stay seated. “I’d offer for you to stay for dinner but it’s Friday.”

Maya and Carina share a look. “You don’t eat dinner on Friday?” Maya deadpans.

Tonya laughs. “Oh dear. Right, you’re not from around here. Friday nights we go out for fish fry.”

“Fish fry?”

“Yeah.” Tonya nods. “Ya know, breaded fish cooked in a deep fryer. Served with a side of cole slaw and tartar sauce. A piece of rye bread. And French fries.”

Maya is intrigued by what seems like a tradition. “And this happens every Friday night?”

Tonya laughs. “Yes.”

Carina is trying to think back and remember if she recalls hearing of this fish fry idea from when she visited her brother and mother. Either her mother and Andrew didn’t partake, didn’t know about it, or it was just unspoken to her.

“Maybe we should try Friday fish fry, bambina?”

Maya hums.

“You totally should.” Tonya says.

And the decision is made. Carina nods.

“You have to get there early, or it’s packed. As soon as Chad gets home, we are leaving. You could come with us.” Tonya offers. She sees the reserved, hesitant look on Maya’s face. “Dexter’s down on North Street has the best. I think. That’s where we go. You don’t have to sit with us or anything.” Tonya chuckles a little as she realizes that these people might not want to go along with their evening plans. “But that’s the place. If you decide to go.”

Carina turns to Maya. “Should we?”

The look in Carina eyes says she wants to. It’s not begging or pleading but Maya can tell this is something that Carina feels she has to do while they are here. She knows it’s because of Andrew and she can’t say no.

Maya looks over to Tonya. “Can we follow you guys there? I’m not familiar with the area.”

Carina hums with happiness and excitement next to her. She feels like a Friday night fish fry would be something Andrew would’ve done with his college buddies here in Madison.

“Sure thing.” Tonya says.

They have dinner together at Dexter’s Pub. The fish fry is a hit and Maya has a few more of those brandy old fashioneds with dinner while they are there. Which means that Carina will have to drive them back to the hotel.

“Do we have to fish fry on Friday?” Maya asks Chad.

“Yes.”

“Perché?”

“What?” Chad says back.

“Sorry.” Maya looks at the drink in her hand. Wondering if it’s the reason she just spoke to this stranger in Italian.

“Why? I asked why?”

“Isn’t your-“ He looks over at Carina. “Italian.” He catches on to the foreign language and Carina’s accent.

Maya grins, toothy. “My wife.” She looks over at Carina too. She’s playing some game with little Colton. “You can say it. We are married.” Maya flashes her wedding ring. She loves being able to tell people that Carina is her wife. She loves getting to show her off and say hey this perfect specimen chose to marry little old me. “And yes, she’s Italian.”

Chad hums. “Places only serve fish on Friday. So Friday.” He gets back to the original question.

“I couldn’t go to a restaurant tomorrow and order fish?” Maya needs to clarify.

“You could probably get one of those fish burgers, fish patties, but no. They only serve fish fry on Friday night. And that’s mostly the only thing people order. Kids will get burgers or fries. But 99% of adults on Friday night at any bar, pub, or restaurant are having fish. Perch, cod, walleye, blue gills.”

Maya takes a sip of her drink. “This is great.”

Chad chuckles at the awe that Maya has for her brandy old fashioned.

“Congrats, by the way. Hear you’re gonna be a papa again.” Maya grins at the man.

He looks at Maya with wide eyes. Tonya and he agreed not to tell anyone until after 12 week appointment.

Maya shrugs. “My wife can like smell when a woman is pregnant.”

“Wh-what?” The horror on his face is apparent.

Maya takes it in stride. “Oh, she’s an OB/GYN. It’s not some weird fetish thing or something. Also, your wife told us but I’m sure Carina had her suspicions before that.”

When they arrived, it was starting to get busy, but Carina realizes that Tonya was right as they are leaving because the small building is now packed. Every table is filled and there are people waiting and mingling in the bar area to be seated.

“Come here real quick.” Tonya says to Colton as they are filling out of the pub to get in their cars.

“Thank you for inviting us to dinner.” Carina offers.

“You betcha.” Tonya winks. “It was a pleasant surprise. Today. I hope you got what you were looking for when you stopped by the house.”

Carina hums. “I did.” She holds out her hand thinking that Maya will slip her hand into hers. When she doesn’t, Carina looks over. Maya is clearly distracted as she is busy discreetly sticking her tongue out at Colton as he hides behind his dad’s leg, popping his head out only to stick his tongue out at Maya and then hide again.

“Colton.” Tonya scolds.

All goofing around stops.

“We’ll, we gotta get this little troublemaker home and in bed.”

Colton whines. “But it’s Friday night.”

“And we have to be up early tomorrow to go to grandma’s to set up for your cousin’s birthday.”

Colton’s face lights up at the reminder. “Yay!” He jumps in the air.

All of them chuckle at him.

“If there’s anything else you all need while you’re in town just let me know.” Tonya offers. She and Carina exchanged numbers during dinner. She moves towards Carina and gives her a quick hug. Then she moves to hug Maya.

Maya hesitates before deciding to give in to the new person. “What the heck?” She gives Tonya a hug. Maya doesn’t make a habit of hugging strangers and maybe the booze this evening has helped but she does hold a little bit of kindness towards these people that they just met this afternoon. Or maybe it’s the atmosphere. “Okay we gotta get back to the hotel before I sweat through my clothes again. I don’t know how you guys do it. It’s so humid here.”

Tonya and Chad chuckle at Maya. “You get used to it.”

“Come on, bambina.” Carina holds out her hand again. This time Maya takes it.

Colton looks up at his father, wrapping his small hand around his father’s pinky. “That means baby, dad.” He is proud of the new word he learned today.

Everyone, except Maya, chuckles at the boy as they go their separate ways.