Second Chances

Shocking News

Dylan and Becky sat at the kitchen table, eating their second favorite breakfast, Cheerios with milk and bananas. Their first-favorite breakfast was English muffins with peanut butter and M&M's arranged into happy faces. Unfortunately, that was not Conner's idea of a "nutritious breakfast".

Speaking of Conner, the kids had gotten to the table before him, which was a rarity in their house. Usually, their father up with the sun. From what Dylan could tell, however, from seeing him passed out on his bed, his shirt gone and scribbles all over his face in marker, it had been quite the bachelor party last night.

At last, Conner came staggering down the stairs, wearing a clean shirt and the scribbles washed off his face, with his iPad in his hand for reading at the table.  "Boy, what a night.", he moaned.  "I need a coffee."  He had barely crossed the room to prepare the coffee maker when Dylan stood up and said, "Dad, I need to have my room redecorated."

Conner looked back at his son with one eyebrow raised as he turned on the coffee maker.  "What's wrong with your room the way it is?", he asked suspiciously.  This seemed to be coming out of nowhere.  "Its just so babyish.", Dylan whined a little bit.  "And besides, you had your room redecorated after Mom left.  Now its my turn."

Conner thought.  He had had his bedroom redone after Summer moved out, but that was because it had been her room as well.  After she left, Conner knew he couldn't keep it as it was.  If he did, it would always remind him of her.  He got a smaller bed, painted the walls a different color, and gotten rid of everything in there that used to belong to her.  Now it was no longer their room.  It was his and only his. Conner sighed. "Dylan..."

Not letting his father finish, said boy pulled out a bunch of lists and charts that he'd spent all night making. "Before you say no, I listed a whole bunch of good reasons to have my room redone. When you see them, I just know you'll say yes." Getting himself a cup of coffee, Conner sighed and finished pouring some in his mug before sitting at the head of the table and taking the papers, scanning his eyes over them with a unreadable expression.

After a few minutes, he put the lists and charts down on the table and looked Dylan straight in the eye. "While you do have some good reasons here, I'm afraid I still have to say no." "Aw, c'mon.", Dylan said. "Please? Pretty pretty please with whipped cream and sugar on top?" Conner chuckled, loosening up for just a moment. "Dylan Louis Kent, I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

"I know.", Dylan said, grinning mischievously. "You're gonna say, 'Yes, my wonderful son, I will help you redecorate your bedroom. I understand that you're growing up and you need the change.'" "Hey!", Becky called out. "If Dylan gets to redo his room, can I redo mine?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa!", Conner said, holding up his hands to slow them down. "No one is getting their room redone. End of story."

"Why not?", Dylan asked, his patience wearing thin.  "Is it about the money?  If it is, I'll give you my allowance for six months."  "Its not just the money, Dylan.", Conner said, rubbing his temples.  "There's another reason why."  He looked up, and Dylan and Becky could see the tinge of sadness in his eyes.  "I don't know how much longer we'll be living here."

Dylan felt as if someone had punched him in the chest.  "W-What?  What do you mean?  Why?"  "Well, for starters, we might not be able to afford to live here much longer.", Conner tried to explain.  "Now that our family income's been cut in half, we may have to move to a less expensive place."

"No, we won't!", Dylan cried.  His childhood memories were made in this house, and he was desperate to save it.  "I'll get a job, and you can use the money to pay the mortgage."  Conner quirked a brow.  "Dylan, you're nine years old.  What kind of job could you get?"  Dylan's mind drew a blank.  "Uh..."

Conner cut him off.  "Its not just that.  The thing is..."  He trailed off.  He wasn't sure how to say this to the kids.  He wasn't sure if how they would react to such news, and a part of him was afraid.  But it was a decision that was important to him, and would affect them as well.  He had to tell them and get it over with, just like when he had to tell them he had started dating again.  He took a deep breath.  "I'm thinking about asking Megan to marry me."

Dylan felt as if the world around him shattered.  "You are?"  Conner sucked in his lips and nodded.  Dylan couldn't speak for a minute.  When he finally regained his voice, the words all came tumbling out of his mouth.  "What about Mom?  I always thought that when she came back, you two would try again."  Conner frowned and shook his head.  "Dylan, I told you a thousand times.  Even if your mother did come back, we wouldn't get back together.  I don't love her anymore.  But I do love Megan."

Dylan's brown eyes widened.  "You love her?"  Conner slowly nodded.  "And she loves me.  And she loves you guys, too."  He looked over at Becky, who had observed everything spoken between her dad and her brother in silence.  "You alright, Honeybee?  You've been awfully quiet."  Becky shook her head to bring herself back to reality.  "Yeah, I'm fine.  Its just a lot to take in all at once."

"What does Megan have to do with the house, though?", she asked. Conner sighed before explaining. "If Megan and I get married, we'll want to buy a different house for us to live in." "What's wrong with the one we live in now?", Dylan asked, his voice taking on some attitude. "Its a great house. We've made so many memories here."

"Exactly.", Conner said. "This is your mom's and my house. Megan and I will want a house to call our own, one that will give us a fresh start, one where the memory of your mom won't taint our marriage. We want a house that will belong to us, where we can make new memories of only us. You understand, right?" Dylan lowered his eyes to the ground. "I guess."

Conner sighed as he took Dylan's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Look, buddy, I wish I could say yes, but I can't. I have some serious thinking to do about our current living situation, and I just don't think its a good idea to make any new long-term plans involving the house.. So I'm sorry, but right now, redecorating your bedroom is out of the question."

My room...I was so rocked by Dad's announcement, I forgot all about it., Dylan thought. One minute, he wanted just one thing in his life to change, and the next, he found out that his entire life might change. I am never complaining about that stupid Superman wallpaper again., he thought. Right now, I just want things to stay exactly the same.