Call Your Girlfriend

Part 39: In Which The Years Fly By And People Questions Things

***5 Years Later***

Have you ever just blinked and time passed by quicker than you think it should. Like the turning of the page leads you to the end of the adventure? I feel like that. I feel like what started as me getting ready to leave to fundraise and meeting Max- turned to our children being five and six years old in a single blink. There's no rhyme nor or reason. Time just passes us like the seconds hand on a clock. Every tick is just another decade passing. For instance, I swear it was yesterday that I turned 36 and now I'm 41- three wonderful, beautiful children, a great job I love, a well furnished house, and a boyfriend who means the world to me and so much more. How did it happen? How did we get here?

It's odd isn't it?

Walking through the atrium this morning, the three musketeers trail behind me, laughing and playing a short and slow game of tag. Preschool is already done for the year and Luna's Kindergarten orientation for next year has already been dealt with.

"Mummy! Can we go see Papa Kapoor?" Sylas asks as he skips up to me. My sweet little boy is finally speaking up- but out of the three he is the most...relaxed and mature. He too has adopted the English accent, which everyone thinks is just so adorable.

"Bash, you seen him yesterday morning. We must let him work, dear."

"But Mummy, he's my favorite!" All of a sudden Lauren comes and scoops him up and takes off running just a few feet ahead.

"I thought I was your favorite!!!!" She growls playfully.

"Haha haha!!!Auntie Lauren!! You are!" She stops and plops him down.

"But you just said Papa was your favorite?" Bash looks up at her and toes the ground shyly.

"Everyone's my favorite. You're my favorite Aunt Lauren, my favorite Uncle Iggy and Casey, and my favorite Papa Kapoor!"

"Well, that sounds logical to me." She bends down and kisses his cheek. "And how about my spice girls? Posh Spice?"

"Aunt Lauren!" Elowyn runs up and gives her a big hug.

"And where's Baby Spice?" Luna comes up and hugs her too. Lauren smiles and looks at me. "And then there's Scary Spice."

"You better not be talking about me." I say to her and she laughs.

"Obviously. Haha, so- who wants to go torture Uncle Casey today?"

"Me! Me!" The girls jump and raise their hands. We look at Sylas.

"I wouldn't mind a chat." He says politely and Lauren just swoons.

"You, sir, are going to get all the ladies when you are older."

"He only needs one lady in his life and that's me." I say and take his hand. "Let's go see Daddy before you go terrorize the village people."

We head to Max's office and Lauren just looks at me. She's been on my case lately about why Max and I aren't married yet. We've been together for five years, have three kids and still are only dating. While she and Casey only started dating two years ago and are already married with a mastiff they call Bruiser. This conversation we have only ever leads to me telling her that Max and I have kind of evolved away from marriage. What's the point really? We already live together and have kids and share everything. Why put a title into it? I mean, yes, Max once promised me marriage, but I think after so long that promise just kind of dried up and became dust in the wind. Not that I care- as long as I'm with him that's all that matters.

"So, have you and Max talked..."

"Lauren- stop pushing this. Really."

"Helen- you deserve better than just an domestic partnership. One- your income tax return would be so much more if you actually were to be M-A-R-R-I-E-D..."