cartoons, just as they did every other Saturday morning. The Wilders were gone, all four of them.
"Hi, Mom." Kristin glanced away from the television as Maggie entered the room. "Are you feeling better?"
Maggie gave her a blank stare. "What?"
"Dr. Wilder said that when he called last night to tell you what time he would pick up the kids, you told him you weren't feeling well," Kristin explained. "He said that you needed to sleep and we weren't to wake you up."
Maggie again had the queer sensation of having walked into the middle of a play and being expected to follow the action without knowing the plot. "When did you talk to Dr. Wilder, Kristin?" she asked carefully.
"He came by real early this morning, before seven o'clock. None of us were awake, but he kept ringing the doorbell until I woke up and let him in. I was kind of scared when you didn't wake up, Mommy," she confessed. "Dr. Wilder said he would look in on you and make sure you were all right."
Maggie was aware that she was blushing fiercely. She visualized Greg walking into her bedroom and looking at her as she slept naked beneath the covers. But then, she'd been sleeping naked with him all night! She touched her burning cheeks with hands that were icy cold. Thankfully, Kristin's attention had been claimed by a soft drink commercial that she found far more interesting than her mother.
Maggie struggled to regain her composure. The Wilders were gone and Greg had managed to dress, leave the house, locking the door behind him, in order to pretend he was just arriving to pick up his children. Obviously none of the kids knew that he'd spent the night there and Maggie was deeply relieved that they didn't. She didn't know how to explain, what to say. She didn't even know when she would see Greg again. Her thoughts raced as madly as her pulses. Song titles to the contrary, it wasn't easy fall-
ing in love. Not at age thirty-two, when you had three children and he had four. Nor was love particularly comfortable the second time around. This was more confusing and passionate and intensely encompassing than the first time had ever been.
The cartoon show ended and Kevin looked up, acknowledging his mother's presence for the first time. "The soccer game was called off because of the rain," he said morosely. "I don't have anything to do."
"Why don't you invite Josh over to play?" Maggie suggested. She was embarrassed by her overtly obvious conniving. If Kevin called Josh, she would have to talk to Greg to make arrangements for the boys to play. She thought of Taffy Smithton, who had engineered a similar ploy, and cringed. What was she turning into?
"The Wilders are going somewhere today," Kristin said. "I heard Dr. Wilder tell the kids."
"Where are they going?" Maggie asked, far too quickly.
Kristin shrugged. "To some friend's house. Lynn something. I can't remember the last name."
Lynn. It could be either masculine or feminine, Maggie told herself. Was the Lynn with whom Greg and his children planned to spend the day—and possibly the night—a man or a woman?
It was most surely a woman, she decided with certainty, and was sickened by her jealousy and uneasiness. Why had she been so foolish as to fall in love with Greg Wilder? Her life had been so placid, so predictable, so peacefully dull before she'd committed that folly. She didn't want or need the trauma of an emotional involvement.
The rest of the morning dragged. Maggie scrubbed the bathroom and the kitchen; she changed the sheets on all the beds; she did some laundry; she dusted and vacuumed. The physical activity kept her occupied, but her thoughts were focused obsessively on Greg. "You'll be sorry if you keep your date with Cassidy," he'd said. "That's both a promise and a
threat." Did he mean to punish her by spending the day (and night) with the woman named Lynn? What if he again subjected her to the silent treatment? Maggie's heart contracted with pain. She didn't think she could bear it, not after last night, not after what they'd shared. But the facts remained: She was going out with Rich Cassidy and Greg was with someone named Lynn. No doubt he had purposely dropped her name, knowing that Kristin would repeat it. He probably wanted her to be tortured by jealous suspicions all day!
The afternoon brought the Jamison children and an unexpected baby-sitting job. The three active preschoolers kept Maggie frantically busy, and Kevin, Kristin, and Kari all had friends over as well. The noise level in the house was deafening. Maggie was relieved when Mr. Jamison arrived to collect his brood at five o'clock and she sent the friends home shortly afterward.
The telephone rang just as she was sinking down onto the sofa. It was the first time she'd dared to sit since the Jamisons had arrived at one. "Will one of you kids answer the phone?'' She said to her children.
"I will, Mommy!" Kari raced into the kitchen. "Mommy?" she called moments later. "Are you still going on that date tonight?"
"Yes," Maggie sighed, wishing she weren't. She felt physically as well as emotionally drained. The thought of making polite small talk with Rich Cassidy was truly debilitating.
"Mommy, where is the date?" Kari called. And then she corrected herself. "Where is the concert?"
Kari didn't know words like concert. Someone—on the phone—was asking her questions. Maggie headed instantly to the kitchen. Kari was clutching the telephone receiver. "It's Dr. Wilder, Mommy."
"Greg?" Maggie's voice was more like a breathless squeak.
"So you're still going to go through with it?"
Greg's voice was smooth as silk. "I did tell you that you're going to regret it, didn't I?"
"Did you have a nice day with Lynn?" Maggie fired back. No one told her what she could or couldn't do, least of all Greg Wilder, who had a different date every week.
"I had a wonderful time. Where is this concert you and Cassidy plan to attend?"
The question caught her off-guard. She was still smarting over his enthusiastic reply to her question. "At the Woodland Civic Center. Its a woodwind and percussion group."
Greg gave a low whistle. "Woodwind and percussion? Now there's a dream come true."
"Greg—"
"If you insist on going, Maggie, there is nothing more to be said. Just remember I warned you." His silky tones unnerved her. "Good-bye, Maggie." He hung up before she could reply.
Rich Cassidy complimented Maggie on her cream-colored dress. Maggie complimented him on his tie. They discussed the weather (still raining), the traffic (moderate for this time Saturday night), and this year's elementary school band (promising) on the brief drive to the Civic Center. Rich was not exactly loquacious, and by the time they had settled into their seats at the plush Woodland public auditorium, they seemed to have exhausted their entire supply of conversation.
She could have been with Greg, Maggie reminded herself gloomily as the musicians tuned their instruments and she and Rich sat in uncomfortable silence. Rich dropped his program for the fifth time and when she reached down to retrieve it, he stepped on her hand. She jerked up so quickly that she didn't notice that he had bent over. Their heads collided. Rich's lip bled; Maggie could feel his toothmark in the back of her head. Many mutually embarrassed apologies fol-
lowed. Maggie lapsed back into gloom. Yes, she could have been with Greg, but she had stubbornly elected to follow the Official Rules of Teen Dating, at age thirty-two.
She decided it was not at all character building to suffer through a date with the wrong person. It was depressing and boring. And painful. Her hand and her head still hurt from the collision with Rich's foot and tooth. It was also unnecessary. She had removed her wedding ring when Greg had asked her to. Why hadn't she broken this date at his request as well? It was one of those questions without an answer. Greg had said she would regret this date and he was absolutely right.
The lights dimmed and the musicians placed their instruments in position. And just at that moment Greg Wilder and seven children trooped down the aisle to a group of seats five rows in front of where Maggie sat with Rich Cassidy. She gasped, wondering if she were hallucinating. She half-hoped that she was.
But it was the
flesh-and-blood Greg who was carrying Max and holding Kari by the hand. Wendy and Kristin followed, then Kevin and Joshua and a pretty teenage girl who could only be Paula Wilder. Kevin was lugging a big shopping bag.
"Okay, who wants some caramels? Who wants some M & M's?" Maggie heard her son say as they settled in their seats. "Marshmallows? Bubble gum? Jelly begins?"
Maggie sat as still as a stone. Rich cleared his throat. "Er, aren't they, uh, your children down there with Dr. Wilder?" he asked uneasily. He'd just met them at the duplex twenty minutes earlier.
Maggie gradually emerged from her paralysis. Her first emotion was that of maternal horror. Her children were still wearing their old sweatshirts and jeans, the ones they'd worn all day. Kari had gotten mustard on the front of her shirt at dinner; Kevin's hair was uncombed and askew. She was certain that
all three had on their oldest sneakers with holes in the toes.
"You, er, didn't mention that your kids were coming tonight," said Rich, and Maggie wanted to hit him. Did he actually think that she would allow her children to appear at a posh place like the Civic Center looking like a ragtag tribe from Poverty Row? She was fiercely proud of her children. Whenever they went anywhere she took great care to see that they were properly groomed and well-dressed. Their teachers often complimented her on their neat appearance. And Rich Cassidy thought she would send them to the Civic Center on a Saturday night dressed for yard work? "I didn't know the children were coming," she replied tightly.
Kevin was still passing out candy. There was more junk in that bag than Maggie allowed them to have for Halloween and Christmas combined. Pounds and pounds of candy. They were going to be flying on a sugar high all night—and the dental bills! Maggie shuddered. Kristin and Kari were already cavity-prone.
"Do you know Dr. Wilder well?" Rich asked, then gave a nervous little laugh. "What a stupid question! Of course you do, your children wouldn't be here with him if you didn't."
Maggie made no reply. Her eyes were fixed on the kids, who were tearing open candy wrappers, whispering too loudly, and traipsing from one seat to another. Not one of them appeared to be listening to the clarinet duo on stage. The woman sitting behind them shushed them twice and Greg turned around to give her a dark glare. Then his gaze shifted and rested lingeringly on Maggie.
It was dark and they were six rows apart, but Maggie was completely aware of the message in his mocking eyes. "You'll be sorry ... I warned you ..." He'd kept his promise and carried out his threat. The beast!
Rich shifted in his seat and Maggie cast a covert
glance at him. He was watching Greg and the children too. When he caught her eye he leaned over and whispered, "I feel I should explain why I told Paula that she could no longer be in the band." He was folding and unfolding his program in nervous agitation. "You see, she missed thirteen band practices in a month without any excuse except that she had other things to do. She was quite good on the flute, but I couldn't let one student constantly flout the rules or— H
"You don't have to justify it to me, Rich," Maggie interjected quickly. The poor man was a nervous wreck! She was infuriated with Greg for putting them through this.
"It was an unpleasant incident," Rich mumbled. "Dr. Wilder was furious with me."
"Yes, I know how unpleasant Dr. Wilder can be," Maggie said. They sat glumly as the drums began to roll.
Ten minutes later Max appeared at their feet. "Hi, Maggie!" He grinned at her, his face smeared with chocolate. He had crawled under the rows of seats to reach her and his hands and corduroy pants were filthy from the floor. Max dug deep into his pocket and pulled out an unwrapped piece of candy with teethmarks in it. "Want a Starburst Fruit Chew, Maggie?"
"Oh, Max," she sighed.
"I have to go to the bathroom," he announced," climbing into her lap. "Will you take me, Maggie?"
What choice did she have? Maggie asked herself as she walked Max to the bathroom. At four, he still consented to go into the ladies' room with her. She was furious with Greg, but it wouldn't be fair to take out her anger on an innocent child.
Max insisted upon sitting on her lap for the remainder of the concert. It was late, the child was tired, and his blood was probably running pure sugar after all that junk he'd eaten, Maggie reasoned, allowing him to stay with her. The last thing she
wanted to risk was a volatile four-year-old's full-blown tantrum in the middle of the concert. Greg would undoubtedly remain in his seat and pretend he didn't know them, leaving her to cope alone. So Max sat in her lap in contented silence, popping candy into his mouth from the seemingly never-ending supply in his pockets.
Was it really only ten-thirty when the concert ended and the lights went on? Maggie felt as if she'd been sitting in the Civic Center for a full week with little Max in her lap and Rich Cassidy agitatedly twitching beside her. She'd spent the entire time watching and listening to the antics of the children five rows in front of her. She'd cringed every time someone in the audience hushed them with a disapproving glare. It didn't seem to bother Greg at all. He didn't even get upset when Kari stood on her seat and jumped off! Maggie's head was pounding as loudly as the drums by the time the audience rose and filed out.
"Mommy!" Kari called to her from the aisle. Maggie winced at the sight of her youngest child, who was a tangle-haired, grimy, candy-coated mess. "Mommy, Uncle Greg is taking us to the Ice Cream Emporium!"
Uncle Greg? Maggie was still reeling from that one when Max tore away from her to snake his way through the crowd. Maggie watched him land in the middle of the Wilder-May party. Greg caught her eye and gave her a brief mock salute. She didn't dare look at Rich Cassidy; she couldn't even begin to speculate on what he must be thinking.
Rich drove her straight home without saying a single word. Maggie tried to placate him with a heartfelt "I'm so sorry about this evening," but it didn't work. He merely grunted and did not walk her to her door.
Greg and the children didn't return for another hour. The irony of the situation was not lost on Maggie. She was home from her date and her children
were out on the town with Greg Wilder. She heard them arrive a few minutes after midnight. Probably all of Woodland Courts did too. The Wilder children called noisy good-byes from the car as Kevin raced to the front door whooping. Greg carried a singing Kari on his shoulder and Kristin cartwheeled up the front walk. Maggie grimaced. All that sugar! She flung open the door and watched them, her hands on her hips.
"Hey, great concert, Maggie," Greg said as he set Kari on her feet with a flourish. "Loved those woodwinds and percussions."
"It isn't the least bit funny, Greg," she said icily.
Kari began to jump up and down. "We had so much fun, Mommy! We went to the Ice Cream Emporium and I had a banana split and an orange soda and—"
"Yes, I can see. You're wearing all of it," Maggie interrupted, glaring at Greg. "And it's a darn good thing I have a new bottle of Pepto-Bismol because all three of you are probably going to need it tonight."
"The kids are fine. Slap me five, Kevin." Greg held out his hand, palm up, and Kevin slapped it gleefully.
Maggie decided it was time to end the gaiety before she slapped Greg Wilder herself. And it wouldn't be on his palm. "Say good night to Dr. Wilder, kids," she said briskly. "Kristin, will you run bath water for Kari? Ill be up in a few minutes."
"Sure. 'Night, Uncle Greg," called Kristin. "And thanks!"
"Thank you, Uncle Greg," chorused Kevin and Kari.
"It was my pleasure," Greg replied cheerfully. "Good night, kids." The children went inside and Greg turned to Maggie with a cocky grin. "They're great kids, Maggie. Thanks for letting me borrow them tonight."
Maggie's temper, suppressed during the long evening, erupted with volcanic force. Her face turned
purple and her body trembled with fury. "Get out of here," she managed to say.
"It's too bad you didn't invite me inside," Greg said. "It would be so much more satisfying for you to throw me out of your house in
stead of merely off your doorstep."
"I don't want you in my house or on my doorstep," she said. "What you did tonight was unspeakable, Greg Wilder, and I—"
"Hi, Maggie!" Wendy, Josh, and Max called from the car. All three were hanging out the windows waving to her.
She felt compelled to respond with a wave and a cheery hello. She wasn't angry with the children; it wasn't their fault. But the brief interlude robbed her tirade of the necessary momentum. She tried to remember what she had been about to say.
"You were telling me how unspeakable I was tonight," Greg prompted. "And as much as I'd like to stay and listen, I'd better get the kids home to bed. It's getting late."
Maggie wasn't about to let him walk away without assuaging her rage. "Tonight was a complete fiasco," she hissed as he turned to walk to his car. "And it's—"
"So you didn't enjoy your first date as a single parent?"
"Enjoy it? It was a catastrophe! And—"
"A catastrophe?" he repeated. "That just about sums up most of my dates as well. We seem to have a lot in common, Mary Magdalene."
"Don't call me that! You deliberately set out to wreck my date tonight. I've never been so mortified in my entire life!"
"Are you sorry you went out with Cassidy tonight, Maggie?" he asked softly. "I told you that you would be. Maybe next time you'll listen to Uncle Greg."
"Ohh!" Maggie couldn't remember ever being so angry. The man had the power to infuriate her like no
one and nothing else. "Why were you free on a Saturday night anyway? Wasn't your friend Lynn available tonight? After the wonderful time you had with her this afternoon, I'd have thought— M She broke off, horrified by her revealing transparence. Her temper had given her tongue free rein and she'd blurted out her jealous insecurities.
"Lynn?" For a moment Greg looked puzzled. Then he laughed. "I think you're referring to Chien and Ching Lin. The kids and I spent the afternoon with them. He's a radiologist at Hopkins and he and his wife threw a big birthday party for their little daughter Shirley today. It's an annual event, with both parents and children invited."
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