The Silver Lining Two-The Silver Sequel

Chapter Three

   The phone rang and I ran lightly on my toes to answer it. My hair flew and settled on my shoulder as I lifted the cordless phone to my ear. "Hello?" I breathed. "Uh...hi. Is this Becca Floare?" The voice asked, sounding nervous.  "It's, uh, Lily, Lily Caulfield. You may better remember me as Lily Hall, your high school BFF." She said. Realization struck me like a yellow, school bus. "Lily!" I exclaimed and then I was furious. "You're the reason Silver doesn't know her father! I can't believe you took that opportunity away from her!" I said angrily. I heard Lily sigh. "I'm sorry your dumb mistake got in the way of my husband and I's true love." She said. "It was your husband's idea too." I reminded her. "He wanted to use a condom but he said you didn't have any." She said defensively. "It was at his house!" I practically yelled. "Ok, ok. Calm down. Let's agree to forget about it." Lily suggested. "I'll never forget! But I'll stop.....for now." I allowed. I heard her exhaled. "How did you get my number anyway?" I wonder. There was silence on the other end of the line. "So, how's life?" She asked, attempting to veer our conversation away from the awkward stuff. "Um, fine. Is that why you called?" I responded. "I just wanted to catch up. We haven't spoken since the wedding. I missed you at mine. Did you get the invitation?" She replied. "I got it. I just thought it would be awkward." I admitted. "Yeah. I just didn't want to exclude you. I mean-ah, whatever." She said. "So, you married Mike." I began. "Um....yeah, yeah I did. It only seemed appropriate since he left his fiancée and baby daughter at the alter for me." She said. I could practically sense her smiling. "We have two kids. Our five-year-old Kristen. And we just had a baby boy about a month ago we named Charles." She went on. "A new baby. Congratulations." I said, tears threatening at the corners of my eyes. "So, what about you, Becca? What have you been up to?" She wondered. "Um....I'm married. His name's Dylan. We have four girls. Silver, Melanie, Stella and Ella. I opened my own salon." I told her. "Oh." She replied. "So things with Mike or good? And you?" I said, ending with that certain voice pitch that comes when you're wrapping things up over the phone. "Oh yeah, things are amazing! We are just perfect together! When I was in labour with Charles...." She went on, launching into some sappy, dramatic 'birth story.' "Oh!", she exclaimed, "if I'm married to Mike and he's Silver's father does that make me her step-mother?" I frowned. "I don't know. I don't think either of you are anything to her, Mike's never even made an attempt to contact her!" I said. "Because he didn't think you would want her to!" She retorted. "Mike hasn't even made an attempt to live near her! You guys live so far away! Where is it that you guys are anyway?" I demanded. "Alaska. Not that it's important to you." She hissed. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. "Look, Lily, I better go. It was nice catching up with you. 'Bye." I exhaled. "'Bye." She mumbled and hung up abruptly. I brought the phone down from my ear and stared at it for a moment. I sighed and placed it carefully on the kitchen counter. I wandered off into the other room where my husband was sitting in his favourite chair reading his book. "Dylan!" I moaned. He looked up at me and mouthed something at me. I frowned and slapped him. "No! Not now! I have to talk to you!" I said. He shut his book, using his finger as a bookmark. "If it's that baby thing again....." He said warningly. "Dylan, I don't just want another baby. I need another baby!" I insisted. "Becca, I'm getting real tired of this real fast. I'm sure the common observer would be too." He said flatly. I stamped my foot. "Dammit!" I said. He leaned forward. "Might I remind you that there's a reason Melanie is adopted." He stated. I frowned. I remember a little while after Dylan and I were married, we wanted a baby of our own. We tried for many months to no avail. So we went to see a doctor. Coincidentally, the same doctor who helped me with Silver so you could just imagine the reaction when he remembered me and my story. He was at my wedding to Mike and watched my world fall apart. He didn't see Dylan catch me so naturally he had a great number of questions. Anyway, he told us that it was very unlikely that we could conceive a child together but named other options for us like adoption.  So we registered with an adoption agency and we were liked by many people very much that we got our daughter Melanie as a newborn just over a month later! Years passed and there were some drinks and whatever and it was discovered that I was actually pregnant! With our own twins, Stella and Ella! "Might I remind you that Stella and Ella are naturally ours?" I countered. "Which the doctor said was a miracle." He put in. I growled. "Know what? I'm starting to think you don't even want another baby." I sniffed. "I never said I did!" He defended himself. I turned heel and stormed off.