Wide Open Spaces

No Rain

Modern Day;

Lindsey is finally finished for the day, a little earlier than he expected and is ready to play after working so hard. He walks past the kids' rooms, peeking through the open door. Dylan's friends are over now, and they seem to be talking about something enthusiastically but they're all talking at once. He shakes his head, a smile on his face. Next, he peeks in on Callie and Sara.

"Hi daddy" he hears from inside the room.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked, knowing he was out of sight.

"I could feel you there" she explains.

"Jeez, you're just like your mother" Lindsey tells her.

"You say that like it's a bad thing" Callie raises her eyebrows, wondering how he's going to work his way out of this one.

"Okay, you can stop doing that now" he says. He feels like he's dealing with his ex instead of his daughter and it freaks him out. She even gives him the same crooked smirk Stevie does.

"So what's up?" she asks.

"Do you know where your mama is? She said she wanted to hang out"

"Um...I think she's in the garden."

"Painting?"

She shakes her head. "No, watering the plants."

"Oh okay"

"Is that it?"

"Why? Are you trying to rush me off?" Lindsey asks. Then he spots the pizza box on her study desk. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Her father gives her a look "Fine, its pizza" Callie says with a sigh.

"Did mama buy it?"

"No, it was free" The girls start giggling and he knows instantly what happened.

"Ted's kid David?" Lindsey asks, and Sara nods.

"It was so funny, Mr. Buckingham"

"Lindsey" he corrects. "I bet it was..."

"Don't worry, no one is moving in on your territory" Sara says, noticing him standing a little straighter and more proud. He shakes his head. Where do they come up with this stuff?

"Are we in trouble?" Callie asks.

"Is there an extra slice?"

"Yeah, its all yours" Callie presents him the box and he gladly accepts the last slice, taking a bite.

"Nah, you're off the hook"

"Thanks dad"

"But your mom's not. I'm going to go bug her. Don't say a word"

"I won't" She demonstrates zipping her lips and throwing away the key and he nods.

"Be good, girls" he says as he leaves.

"We will" they call after him and he smiles, finishing his pizza.

He grabs a paper towel from the kitchen as he's passing through to wipe his hands clean of grease then goes to Stevie's side to poke around. As Callie said, Stevie was watering her copious amounts of plants. Going to her side of the house was like entering a different world. It smelled of sandalwood and nag champa, abandoned vintage piano shawls and pieces of jewelry strewn about, or hung on statues. She's just as she always was and it brought a certain warmth to his heart. He remembered coming to her room often very late at night to reconnect. Her fluffy white bedding and lace curtains felt like home to him. He smelled her perfume as the breeze blew through an open window, and he inhaled deeply. On her desk were notebooks and journals, unable to tell them apart because she took such special care with her writing. Her projects were important, all of them. Painting, drawing, jewelry making, writing...the kids.  They were all top priority. His wife the artist, he thought but she was no longer his wife. Sometimes that thought made him especially sad and today was one of those days. He could feel tears coming but he managed to stop them thankfully, as Stevie came skipping up the walk.