CHAPTER 77

     Anyone passing by or snooping around the Lewis's house could hear the joyous harmony inside those walls from the loud laughter of the several individuals who were inside but none of that could compare with the real smiles pasted on their faces. It was supposed to be just Dylan, Carly and Teddy that day but Carl and his ten year old daughter had added to that number which had only made things even better. An aspiring family of three had turned into a superfam weekend. With lunch already passed and everyone completely full,there was nothing else to do but sit around, play some indoor games to make sure everyone was included and just get to pass time together. For Dylan,this was like a dream come true. She had always longed for a family at least this big and now the doors to have exactly that were slowly opened after being shut down for so long. She looked around. Carly, the woman of her dreams. One who had been bruised but had come back stronger than ever before. Teddy,the sweet adorable kid who out of love had been named after her own father. The boy who held new surprises everyday. One thing about him and that really stood out was his big heart and will to fight. Not many kids his age managed to be half what he was like. Having undergone through surgery as the champion he was and continued to be. Even if he wasn't her son,she couldn't be more prouder of him and neither could she be grateful enough for being granted the opportunity to be in his life. Her eyes moved on to Carl. The guy who most of the time appeared to be more afraid than all of them combined but when need be,he transformed into full superhero mode especially where his family was involved. She could have declined being friends with him long ago when Carly left just like most people did,cutting of their exes families but she hadn't. Carl was the only other person beside Carly who she knew for sure she could count on. She had believed in him long before Ravenna came along and when she did,she only got the opportunity to prove everything she had believed. Then there was the newest member of the family, Ravenna. She was sweet,kind and now through the therapy sessions she was undergoing every week,she was opening up to all of them slowly by slowly. There was no doubt she would fit into the family within no time and even though she had taken after her mother with looks,she most definitely had the heart of her father. She had strayed deep inside her head without realizing it until the  moment she felt the sudden silence in the room. She blinked and looked up to find four pairs of eyes looking at her curiously.

              "Did I miss something?'

            "Those were some nice thoughts. Do you mind sharing?" Carly asked.

              "Some things are nicer kept for oneself. You know, for the growth of the soul," she replied smiling. 

             "Were you by any chance recreating the session you just had when we came by this morning?" Carl asked, cheekiness written all over his face. They looked at each other before Carly asked.

           "What session are you talking about? Didn't you meet us at the door?"

              "Oh please, I didn't have to be here to know what you had been up to,it was written all over your faces."

  Teddy leaned closer to Ravenna and whispered in her ear. They looked at each other and giggled. 

                "And what are you two whispering and giggling  about?" Carly asked but figuring Ravenna would be more forthcoming than Teddy,she focused on her. They stood a chance of knowing from her,at least right now before she was corrupted by other kids her age,or even Teddy who was almost three years younger than her.

              "He said that you two were kissing," she replied after a long while of hesitation. Clearly she was embarrassed saying that and most likely was scared of being scolded. She might have been hidden from the world but she had a clue on things she was and was not supposed to say. Teddy on the other hand was grinning as if he had just earned the greatest achievement. The adults looked at each other, all of them wondering what they were supposed to say. A kid knowing about that wasn't really a bad thing but that depended on how much he knew. And looking at Teddy,he knew much more than he was supposed to.

              "Okay,I think I have let him in the adult life more than he should," Carly admitted guiltily. Being supportive of her relationship with Dylan was sweet and very okay but now,they had to set some limits. Try to salvage him before he got that adult life much into his head even before he was a teenager. 

              "And I thought I was bad at parenting," Carl stated clearly throwing daggers at Carly who was easily baited.

              "You become a parent for just two seconds and think you have got it all figured out? Bro,you have got a long way to go," she looked at Ravenna. "Pre-teens,you know what that means? Curiosity, hormones, then comes the red berries and I'm not talking about berries here."

                 "Then it's a good thing I grew up with a sister," Carl replied after appearing shaken but just for a few seconds.

               "And you handled that quite well,right?" At this point Dylan was confused about what was going on, were they still bantering about parenting or was it a serious word war? None of them was smiling but neither seemed pissed. "When I got to that stage you weren't even talking to me."

     Oh well,this was no longer a word exchange game. She realized that from the edge Carly's words had. This was a good time as any to create a distraction.

              "Okay,how do you all feel about doing a scavenger hunt?" she asked mostly focusing on the kids who seemed lost between their parents arguments but took Carly's hand underneath the table and squeezed. Luckily she and her brother got the hint and stopped.

                "Are we gonna go outside?" Teddy asked excitedly.

                "No,this one will be a little different. We will do it indoors. I will write down a list of things to find which will be all over the house. We will be in two teams and the team with the most items will be the winner,there are treats for the winning team."

                "But we are five,which team will have the most people?" That was from Ravenna.

                "How about we do,kids versus adults. That will be fun,right?"

                  "No,it will be unfair since you know where the items are."

             "I will not be on any team. I will be the judge and make sure no one cheats. Is that cool?" Teddy and Ravenna looked at each other then nodded quickly. The thing was that she wasn't doing this for the fun of the game, she had done in to break the tension between Carly and her brother and hopefully get them to talk away from the kids. That's why she had put them on the same team. They seemed to realize her intentions so they didn't question.

             "Okay,I'm going to blindfold all of  you and then place all the pieces all over the house. When I'm done you are allowed to search for them and I will be sitting here checking them off the list."

               "What are we looking for?" Carly asked when she had done everything and allowed them to start looking."

             "So,we are gonna play chess after this and we need the whole chess set,all sixteen pieces for each side. No team is limited to look for a particular color. Whether black or white,whichever team gathers more wins."

             "What's the treat?" Carl asked.

             "Well,that's my secret to keep. Now go."

   Teddy and Ravenna stood up and started looking while Carl and Carly looked at each other and sighed. She looked at them.

            "Don't mess this up. What you just pulled in front of them back there was not good at all. Both of them have enough scars already, don't add to them by arguing in front of them. They will be lost," she warned them sternly. "Go ahead now. And don't forget to look for the pieces too."

    When she was left alone,she headed outside the house and stood on the porch looking around the neighborhood to release some of her tension. True that argument  back there hadn't been about her but it was something that could happen to her. What if she never became a good parent,she had never been one,there were lot of things she didn't know what to do. She then remembered Carly's comment about Ravenna and red berries and smiled. She had been referring to her starting her period. That had freaked Carl out even though he had tried to act as normal as he could. He was a single dad,probably wouldn't know how to handle that. Of course they would chip in and help him but she would definitely tease him about his reaction.

                       ★★★

    Carly walked along the shelves in the sitting room searching but looking at Carl once in a while. It hadn't been her intention to go that far with the banter but had found herself doing it which surprised her because she didn't think she still held a grudge against him for all that time he hadn't bothered to know how she was doing. She headed to the kitchen where Carl followed her and stopped beside her at the counter. She placed a black knight and four pawns on the counter.

            "How did you even find those?" he asked in surprise,he hadn't gotten anything.

  She chuckled, "I spent quite a lot of time in this house so I know most of Dylan's hiding spots." She lifted her weight up and sat on the counter. "You do realize that she didn't throw us together to collect pawns,right?"

               "Yeah, I know that. So,what was all that about? Are you still mad at me for what happened all those years ago?"

               "God no,I'm not! We talked about it remember?"

              "Why did you do that then? I know I haven't really got this parenting thing. Like you said,I have only been in it for two seconds."

              "And you are doing an amazing job. Ravenna is happy around you so I'd say you've definitely got it."

             "But there are still things to figure out,work on and get used to."

             "We all learn everyday Carl. Look at me,Teddy already is becoming too much to handle," she faced him. "We are going to bring them up in the best way possible."

Carl nodded then,"For the record,I don't think it's your fault Teddy knows too much. That guy is very different from any other kids. I don't think you should worry about him too much. His intelligence is much needed in the world we live in today. It's gonna come in handy some time. "

    She smiled, "Thanks." They stayed there several minutes longer then heard the kids cheering wildly in the other room. "I love you big bro."

              "And I love you little sis."

She smiled even more at the endearing way Carl addressed her. Playful since they were born  only seconds apart but really sweet.

               "You never really told me what happened to grandpa."

 He sighed,"Grandpa had been under medication. The doctors had noticed his heart was too weak and had recommended he use the meds,that day he forgot or maybe refused to take them. We had too much fun that day and I later realized he wasn't supposed to become too excited. That attack at the diner was the effects of the activities we did that day."

               "And I got too shocked to even call an ambulance," she finished for him. "And that's where the blame came in?"

               "I am pretty sure I would have froze like that too had I been there. It was never your fault and that's why I'm gonna spend the rest of my life striving to make up for the time we lost each other." 

                "You are the best brother I could ever ask for. And the best father,I didn't know you had it in you."

                "Well,be ready to get surprised as time goes by," he grinned. She laughed then stood up. Carl offered his hand,"Shall we get back to the party?"

                "We have only collected five pieces."

                "Pretty sure we already lost the game. Anyway it's their time, let them have this."

                "You are right."

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