Ghosts of the Past

Ghosts of The Past: Chapter 11; Stick to the plan

"Daddy!"

Hailie comes running into the kitchen where Marshall sits with his coffee,

"Hey baby girl how was your night?"

Alaina comes strolling in after her, not nearly as excited as her little sister too wrapped up in her book in her hand. Kim puts down the backpacks next to the bench.

"It was good, we watched movies and mummy made us popcorn"

Hailie has swung herself onto his lap and gabbing away with the enthusiasm only a five year old can have.

"Wow you're very lucky."

Kim smiles at her girls

"How are you Marshall?"

He wasn't here yesterday when she picked them up and he hadn't seen in a week.

"Im good Kim, you?"

He puts his arms around his little girl as she buries into him,

"Im doing... Good"

He smiles encouragingly at her, he knows from the pause she was trying to figure out how she was, she had had a rough go lately and they had fought more than usual because of that. It was a different sort of relationship him and Kim, he would always love her and had been in and out of love with her on several different occasions but she also drove him crazy and made him hate her, yeah it was a complicated relationship.

"That's good Kim, real good"

She kisses Alaina on the head and moves over to Hailie dropping one on her too,

"Right well I have to go, Laney's homework has been done, Hailie got a new book so you will be reading that again....and again"

Marshall grins again, its rare moments like this that they almost seem like a normal family albeit a separated one, Kim was back in her good zone but who knew how long that would last.

Marshall is interrupted by his phone ringing, his grin widens when he sees Chloe's name flash on the screen but he can't take it now. Despite the fact that Kim and Chloe had been somewhat friends in high school Kim had a chip on her shoulder about Marshall's feelings for Chloe and was always jealous about being number two. The smile on his face doesn't go unnoticed by her and trying to appear casual she leans in

"Seeing someone new?"

Marshall pockets his phone,

"Not exactly"

He stands up, putting Hailie down, Kim tilts her head and stares curiously at him,

"Anyway girls don't you have to get ready for school? Come on lunch is in the fridge, in the car in ten and we are going"

He brushes past Kim towards the kitchen door, a spring in his step as he thinks about seeing Chloe again.

******

Chloe resumes her path to the lecture hall, putting her phone back into her pocket, he must be busy surely he would have answered otherwise. Last night she had gone back and forth in her mind, torn between a barrage of guilt and wanting to spend every second with Marshall she had given in and decided she could see him again, but there had to be some lines that had to be drawn. Walking into the lecture hall she takes off her coat and places her laptop on the desk, she was feeling more comfortable in her position here and was really enjoying, she clicks onto the first slide.

"Alright everyone, quiet down, today we start on how masculinity is presented in Adrienne Rich's work."

The lecture goes well, the interaction is increasing in her class and she for the first time in her career she is content, this is exactly where she wanted to be in lets be honest she was killing it. As she is packing up her laptop her mind goes back to Marshall and she reaches for her phone, sure enough a missed call and a message.