The Way We Were

The Way We Plan

Marcy opened the door. "Hey."

Jackie and Dexter waved. "Hey."

"Come in." She stood to the side.

They walked in and took off their coats.

Marcy pointed to the coatrack. "Hang them up here."

They did so.

"Follow me to the dining room." Marcy made sure the door was shut firmly and locked before going to the dining room.

Mal was playing Hide and Seek with the twins. One was hiding under the table while a twin was behind a curtain.

"Hey, Mal." Dexter held out his hand for Mal to slap.

Mal came over and the two slapped hands before hugging briefly. "Hey man."

"Hi, Mal." Jackie waved.

"Hello, Jackie." Mal bowed over her hand and kissed it. "You're glowing."

Jackie blushed. "Thank you."

"Want an appetizer?" Marcy brought a plate over.

"What is this?" Jackie picked up a half shell.

"Clams casino. You can also have a mini pizza (with gorgonzola, tomato and basil) or a Parmesan chicken bite."

Dexter picked up a toothpick with a chicken bite on it. "Wow. This is good. I didn't know you could cook."

"Yeah." Marcy shrugged.

"I've never had clams before." Jackie gestured to her now empty shell. "Is this cooked?"

"Yeah, I grilled them."

"You know how to grill?" Dexter grinned. "You're just full of surprises."

"I know how to grill in the kitchen. Mal knows how to grill outside."

"My dad taught me how to grill when I was young."

"Our dads taught the boys. Said every man should know how to put meat to a flame."

"My dad is going through all these things that he thinks I should know before the baby gets here."

"There's not enough time in the world." Marcy set the tray down. "Want a glass of wine?"

"I still can't believe you get to drink wine. My parents barely let me drink soda." Jackie rolled her eyes. "Although since I've shared my news, I'm not allowed to do much of anything anymore."

"We can't drink soda." Marcy shrugged. "And your parents let you come here."

"Only because we played up how much you go through with the twins." Dexter said. "They think it's great that you can tell us how hard it's going to be."

"It's not impossible."

"They don't think we can do it."

"That sucks." Mal empathized. "I think you can. You just have to work at it."

"It's you. If you can do it at 30, you can do it at 15." Marcy added. "Your personality and skills are going to keep this child alive and happy. It's not something you magically get at a certain age."

"But we're woefully unprepared." Dexter pointed out.

"You're never fully prepared for a child. You study and hope for the best."

"Study?" Jackie was confused. "Like for a test?"

Marcy giggled. "In a way. You have nine months to bone up on your childcare skills and the test takes a lifetime."