Mysterious

Untitled Part 52

They sat on the couch with Bruno's laptop in the middle of them. Arissa started typing "foster California" and was directed to the California Department of Child Welfare.

"Click on the one on the top...it says become a foster parent..." Bruno pointed on the top. They stopped to read the requirements.

"Click on the travel thing, Riss..."

"Foster parents are required to keep foster children in thecounty of residence. If a foster family would like to travel outside of the county approval must be give a month in advance. Travel outside of the United States is strictly prohibited..."

"Well...that sucks." Arissa said.

"It does...and look at all the requirements. 40 hours of training, provided on a monthly basis at the licensed child placing facility, appearances in court, biyearly doctors' appointments, counseling and home visits at least twice a month..."

"Brunz...would you be able to do that? That just sounds like a lot...and I do travel in September and February..."

"I don't know, baby doll. It could be too much."

"Hmm..." Arissa thought out loud. "I think it might be too much..."

**

Bruno sat at a desk next to his sisters putting bracelets in boxes and licking envelopes.

"You know...if those girls knew who licked those envelopes they'd probably die a little on the inside..." Jaime told her brother.

"Should I put a little note on it that says 'sealed by bruno'? That would..."

Jaime started laughing at him. "How is Rissy?" she asked him.

"She's fine. She said her legs still really hurt, though. But, taking care of her isn't that bad."

"Did you give her one of those little bells that she can ring when she needs something?" she asked him.

"No! Oh my god. Do you remember when Pres had the bell when she got all sun burnt and couldn't move?"

"Yes! I was the one that heard it...every single time. God. What a brat." Jaime remembered.

"I know. She was a brat then..but she still is." Bruno said throwing some papers off to the side of the table.

"Bruno...." her sister started to ask. "When are you going to have kids? Or are you going to be that couple that never has kids? I mean...I don't care...but I know Arissa would be an amazing mother...."

"We haven't really talked about it." Bruno shrugged deciding whether he should tell his sister about what they were thinking.

"Don't lie. She told me at the hospital she wanted babies."

"She did? When did that happen?" he was confused. She had, of course, mentioned wanting to have children but most of it was directed towards her PCOS.

"You were gone for some reason. I think TLC was on and she started oohing and ahhing over A Baby's Story. She said she couldn't wait to have pretty Bruno babies."

"That sounds like something she would say." He smiled at her wife's humor. "She's afraid of actually trying though. She told me. She even asked if we could adopt kids."

"Adopt? Bruno! That would be so amazing! e that idea. Like from where?"Jaime's eyes lit up.

"On Friday we talked to a foster mother who is going to come to the Gibson show...I could just feel Arissa's heart melt when she saw all the kids Helena had with her...but then we read all the requirements and it just sounds so hard to do..."

"You know kids are hard work, Bru. If it's something you feel a calling for then look into it. You would be so good at that."

"But I don't know....I looked at it and it just...I want my own children. Someone to say is mine. 100% mine. A little Bruno." he confessed. "We haven't even tried to have kids...it can't be that hard..."

Jaime went to her computer typing in "PCOS and pregnancy." "Come here..." she told him to sit down next to her. They read over a few articles stating that having children with PCOS was hard, but not impossible. "Did you tell her that, Brunz? That you want your own kids?"

"No...I just...she's just so happy thinking about it."

"Bruno...it's not like letting her choose the Vegan restaurant for dinner even though you're craving steak. You can't just let her win when children's lives are at stake. The caseworkers will be able to tell you aren't into it."

"But it's what she wants..." Bruno said.

"Come with me to Batasan Pambansa next month. Don't make any decisions yet. Maybe that will help you decide. " she told him.

"Is that when you're donating the money to them?" Bruno asked about the orphanage his sister had begun to sponsor.

"Yeah. I think Tahiti was going to come with too. We can all go."

"I guess..." Bruno thought out loud.

**

Arissa handed Bruno a plate with chicken and rice on it. "I think I can make it right now..." she told him.

"It was perfect last time, Rissy." he told her taking a bite of the rice.

"No...it wasn't! Don't try to flatter me." she laughed at him.

"It was edible...." he confessed.

"Well, thanks for finally being honest, Bru!" she answered him. "Oh...." she grabbed her phone.

"I called Helena today. I sent her the e-tickets for her and the kids."

"Riss..." he paused trying to wrap his head around what he was going to say. "I don't think we should..."

"Should do what Helena and James are doing?" she asked. "I knew you wouldn't want to." she shrugged her head. "I don't either. I asked Helena about it and it is...it is too much and we don't want to change the way we do things."

"Arissa...be the mother to my children..." Bruno stopped her rambling.

"Baby...I can't..." she told him.

"You can! My sister and I looked it up this afternoon. You can! We have all the money in the world to have babies. I don't care how much it costs...."

"Bruno! Stop! I know it's possible. I just don't want to be disappointed when it takes like a million years to have kids. It's emotional and it's hard and I don't know if I can handle that. I don't know if I can put myself through all of that. There are so many that are already..."

"But Ris!"

"You sound like a heartless asshole, Bruno Mars." she yelled at him picking up their plates hobbling to the sink. "A heartless asshole who only cares about himself." she turned around looking at him dead in the eye as she finished saying that. She could tell she got to him, which was exactly what she wanted to do. He didn't answer her walking back to their bedroom.