Growing Old With You (Part of Those Three Little Words threequel)

Part 4

3rd January 1998
Roger's POV
I had the weekly clothes wash to do so I was going around the whole house finding the kids' clothes to wash and throwing them in the machine. Felix was nice enough to help me and checked through pockets before I put the clothes in and found a note in Jim's jacket pocket, "what's this?" He mumbled and I looked over to see he was reading off the bit of paper and looking between it and me.

"Pap, you need to read this" he handed it over and pulled out a chair then patted it, telling me to sit on it. I scooted up onto it and put the paper down on the table since my hands were shaking from nerves and saw Brian's handwriting in neat little lines over the page. "Did you want me here?" Felix asked and I nodded as I started reading.

Roger
I've been talking to Jim, he's told me how you've been and that you've been very upset over my absence. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am that I've upset you, it wasn't my intention at all and I hope that I can make things right with you so we can move forwards from this. I'd like to meet with you sometime so that we can talk about it and figure out something that we can both be satisfied with.
Another thing. I thought you'd like to know that I'm very happy with Anita, she's good to me and she treats me well, she's kept me very busy before this tour of mine. She's given me everything I could've wanted in these past two years and I want to marry her.
I'm sure you know that means we will have to divorce. I'm sorry it has to come to this but it might be best, I can move on with Anita and you can get out of your funk, maybe. I'll call you sometime and we can arrange a time to get it sorted.
Best wishes and talk to you soon,
Brian

I put my head in my hands and just read those words over and over again, "divorce?" I squeaked and Felix rubbed my back as I saw tears drop onto the table, "Pap... uh, are-are you alright?" He asked quietly and I nodded, wiping my eyes, then stared at him for a few seconds. "Come here" I squeaked and wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight.

"Do you want me to stay home today? I can call up work and say I can't come" he asked and I shook my head, "no, don't do that. Get out of here" I gave him a shove and he stumbled away then left me to it. Another set of footsteps approached me and a small hand rested on my back, "You alright, Pap?" Emily asked and I looked up to see her worried face, "I'm okay, yeah... just, uh, divorce and stuff"

"Oh... oh okay, um, I was just wondering if you wanted to do something with me?" She asked and I nodded with a small smile, "course I do, what do you want to do?" I asked and she pulled out a magazine with pictures of heart-shaped biscuits in them. "I wanted to try making these" she pointed at them and I nodded a little, "alright then, little chef, go get your apron, I'll get the ingredients"

She put the book down next to me and I read through what we needed and grabbed it from the cabinets, laying it out with weighing scales and bowls so we could get right into it. Emily came back and a little smile spread across her face as she saw it all, "thanks Pap... right, what's first?" She was talking to herself as she read through the instructions then got what she needed in front of her.

I had an absolute pro with me in the kitchen, Emily knew exactly what she was doing and it was like she'd been cooking her whole life. "You've put me to shame with all this" I chuckled and she smiled as she mixed everything together with her hands, "you should try it, it's not really that hard" she took her hands out of the bowl and laughed when I scrunched my face up.

She grabbed my hand and put it in the bowl for me, making me squirm, "no! No, that feels disgusting!" I squealed and both of us were laughing as I tried mixing up the dough, cringing when it got under my nails. I did as much as I could since it was making my skin crawl and let Em finish it off until we got to actually making them into the little love hearts.