An Encounter

The only bad part about her children growing up, Jane had decided, was that their energy now knew no bounds. Whereas before they were able to be contained by baby gates and childproof locks, they were now able to run free- which, for the Pesce children, was a terrifying thought.

The nice thing was that left to their own devices, the children were far easier to manage. When she wasn't hyper- which was rare, but not unheard of- Sophie seemed to enjoy reading and writing. Ethan, on the other hand, had recently begun painting, and while his art usually made little sense to Jane, she could definitely see the potential for talent.

Which was why, when Moe had to leave for an emergency at the hospital late that Sunday, Jane decided to take the children to the Curios Memorial Museum for the afternoon. Anything was better than sitting around the house while the children wreaked havoc, she reasoned- and with her ever-expanding belly and worsening hormones, she was hardly in any shape to try to chase after them all day.

"Why do we have to go to this stupid museum?" Sophie grumbled, obviously not happy with the day's plans. "This is lame."

"Sophie, art isn't lame, it's important," Jane replied reproachfully. "Besides, Ethan's been wanting to go for a while, so I thought it would be something interesting for us to do." Ethan nodded in agreement, but Sophie simply shrugged and headed over to a nearby couch.

Ethan, on the other hand, was in heaven as he wandered around the labyrinthine hallways, which surprised Jane. She'd known he'd been getting rather fond of art, but as she watched his enthusiasm she couldn't help but wonder what kind of path his love for art would take. With his untapped talent and natural appreciation for the subject, she could only barely guess what he would accomplish.

Her own love of art ran deep, but stemmed from an aesthetic love rather than any kind of talent. As she gazed at the paintings, she couldn't analyze their form or any particular style; rather, she saw the beauty of it all, plain and simple. 

Her eyes shone bright with unshed tears as she contemplated the thousands of futures that awaited her son. He could be the next Michelangelo, or the next Picasso, or someone even greater than any artist that had come before. "Isn't it wonderful, Ethan?" she gushed, clasping her hands tightly as she gazed at the artworks before them. "Think of how brilliant your art will be compared to all of this! You're going to make me so proud. Someday, all of these walls will be filled with your art! I love you so much, sweetie." 

Ethan stared at her in disbelief, but wisely said nothing. He was beginning to become used to his mother's odd mood swings, and his father had assured him that they'd only get worse before the baby came. 

"We should sign you up for classes!" Jane continued, oblivious to his reaction. "And then perhaps private school... a good scholarship...." She rambled on, outlining various plans for his future. 

The slightly ungraceful sounds of Sophie snoring behind them interrupted her words, and eventually Jane fell silent as she stared up at the paintings, contemplating the lives that awaited her children. 

Her reverie was interrupted by the blaring sounds of museum alarms as Ethan reached out and decided to touch a priceless Van Sim. Talented though they may be, her children were still a handful. Plumbob knows what the next one will be like, Jane mused. With any luck, he or she would not grow up to follow their siblings' examples. 

---

Later that day, as Jane slid several quarters into a washing machine, she was surprised to feel a pair of familiar eyes on her. 

"What do you want, Chase? Did you follow me here?" 

"To the laundromat, or to Twinbrook?" Chase asked, attempting to lighten the mood. As usual, his sense of humor fell flat. 

"Either," Jane responded with a sigh.

"Hey, I just had laundry to do," Chase protested. "As for Twinbrook... Okay, I knew you were moving here," he admitted. "But that's not why I came. I kind of... had to." 

"Lucy," Jane guessed. He nodded, trying to find the right words to say to his very angry, very pregnant ex-girlfriend. 

None of them had talked since the night Chase had come over to pick up his daughter, and Jane would have to be lying if she said she wasn't curious about the precise circumstances that had led to him suddenly having a daughter. 

"I found out about her earlier this year," Chase explained. "Her mother and I... we didn't part on good terms. I didn't know anything about the pregnancy or Lucy until she died." 

"She... died?" Jane was surprised. She'd heard something about someone being mugged and killed shortly before they'd moved to town, but she hadn't realized that the poor woman had been Lucy's mother. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Chase."

"Thanks..." Chase smiled at her again, and for a moment Jane could remember how things used to be, before. Before the fighting, before the slap, before the fallout... But as much as she had used to love him, it had been a long time ago. Things had changed. She had certainly changed, hopefully for the better. And she had Moe now.

But clearly, Chase needed reminding. 

"What the hell are you doing, Chase?" she yelled as he attempted to embrace her. She shrugged him off angrily, and he was quick to back up several inches, but the damage had been done. 

"I'm sorry, I just thought..." 

"That I was so in love with you that I wanted you to kiss me? What tipped you off, Chase? Was it my happy marriage, or my two children, or perhaps my very pregnant stomach?" 

"What? No, I just... thought you were sending me signs... Let's just not talk about this ever again," Chase muttered. The chances of that, however, were slim to none. 

Probably closer to none. 

"Let's just not talk about anything, ever again!" Jane suggested sarcastically. "Seriously, Chase, I don't want you or your daughter hanging around my family if you're going to pull this kind of bullshit. And to think I actually felt sorry for you!" 

She stormed out of the laundromat in a huff, completely forgetting about the load of laundry inside. She was hormonal, she was pissed, and she was not looking forward to having this conversation with Moe.

---

"Listen, Moe, we have to talk..." Jane began. She wasn't even sure if she should be doing this, but lying to Moe was a bad idea. Not only did she feel incredibly guilty, but he always seemed to know. 

"When I was at the laundromat, I ran in to Chase... and hekindofsortoftriedtokissme." The sentence came out in one breath, and for a moment she was afraid that he hadn't understood and she'd have to spit it out again. But as his face changed from confused to angry, it was evident that he'd understood completely. 

"He WHAT?" Moe's eyebrows hit the roof. "I'll kill him!" 

"Before you get upset, please listen to me," Jane plead. "I shoved him away and nothing happened, I swear. He said he wouldn't try anything again... not in so many words, actually, but I don't think he will. It's not his fault."

"What, so you tripped and he tried to catch you with his mouth?" Moe shook his head angrily. "This has Chase written all over it. I knew he was up to no good!" 

"Moe, just listen, okay? I don't want you getting upset over this. It was nothing," she insisted. "And it won't happen again, if I have any say in the matter. So can we just let it go and avoid him? I just really don't want this to turn into a big stressful thing, especially with the kids..." 

She didn't finish her sentence, but Moe knew. With Sophie and Ethan being such good friends with Lucy, the situation was far more complicated than it perhaps would have been. He couldn't just tell them not to play with her- not without explaining why, which he definitely didn't want to do. 

"Okay," he conceded finally. "But if he tries that again... I really will kill him. You'll have to raise the baby on your own, because its daddy will be in prison."

Jane laughed, but Moe's face was still serious. "Don't do anything to him, Moe. Promise me?"

"I promise."

Posted in: chapter 1, story