Travis stood still with a hand in his pocket, watching her car until he couldn’t see it anymore. He walked to where he parked his car in front of the pharmacy.
When he got to his dad’s house about twenty-something minutes later, his older brother, Tony, was already there, having finished his shift at Sandville General.
Tony was at the kitchen table eating. He and his wife, Rosie, were medical doctors. He was going to stay over at their father’s until Rosie finishes her own duty at night and they would leave for their house with their kids.
The brothers greeted each other briefly and Travis went to give their father the drugs he bought for him. Travis went outside to sit on the porch after that. His kids and Travis’s kids, who had been with their grandpa since morning, were running around happily in the garden. He wondered for the umpteenth time since Tasha drove away what his life would have been if he started that relationship with her years ago and they eventually got married.
“You seem quiet,” Tony’s voice brought him out of his deep thoughts and he watched him walk towards him with two beers in hand.
“Here,” he handed him one and sat on the rafter chair beside his younger brother. “You wanna talk about it?” He removed the cork from the beer with his teeth. He waited for the sizzling to stop and took a long swing from his drink.
Travis wanted to say no, but knowing his brother would sniff it out of him whether or not he liked it, he said, “I saw Tasha Harrison, we just had coffee together.”
Travis took a long gulp of his beer.
“You mean your almost-girlfriend,” Tony chuckled and slapped Travis playfully on the thigh.
“Yeah,” he looked briefly into Tony’s eyes. “That very one, and she looks as beautiful as ever.”
“Wow, wow!” Tony responded with a glint in his eyes. “So what is stopping you from having a go at her this time around? Or is she married now?”
“I didn’t ask.” He took a long gulp of his beer. “But I don’t think she’s still single. She’s not wearing any wedding band, though.”
“You sound confused,” he looked deeply into Travis’s eyes. “Is she in town for long?”
“No, she’s returning to her base after the wedding on Friday.” His face brightened up a bit. “I could talk her into allowing me to take her to tomorrow’s event.”
“Great, that’s a good start,” Tony shook his brother’s hand. “I wish you good luck tomorrow.”
“Thanks, man,” he tilted his can towards his brother.
*****
“Daddy! Daddy!” Travis’s five-year-old daughter, Genny, ran into the room. “There’s smoke in the kitchen!”
The smoke alarm went off even before the little girl finished her words.
“What the fuck!” He dropped the brush he was using on Judy, his four-year-old’s hair on the table beside him, and ran downstairs to the kitchen. He had forgotten that he was parboiling some macaroni for the kids. Both of them had insisted that was what they wanted for breakfast.
His mind had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Tasha since they departed the day before.
“Stay up there, girls,” he shouted for his daughters from the kitchen. This was the first time he would be alone with the kids ever. He had enjoyed his time with them since they arrived in Sandville for the summer, but cooking was not his forte at all. Now he needed a chef badly. At least for the summer because of the girls.
There was smoke everywhere. He quickly pressed the hush button on the alarm and turned off the stove.
“What the fuck, this place is a mess,” he muttered furiously and opened the back door and the windows. Travis set his hands on the kitchen counter and muttered to himself, “I need help… I need help.”
Travis opened the pot cover. “Gross!” He muttered and walked out of the kitchen. Travis couldn’t just face the place as it was. He had to leave it for Amelia, his cleaner, who would arrive in about an hour.
“Girls, you can come downstairs now,” he called out when he walked into the living room. “Daddy has ruined breakfast again. Let’s order something. Do you still want Mac and cheese?”
“Yes, Daddy,” the girls chorused, jumping up and down around him.
He brought out his phone and ordered breakfast for them from the restaurant two streets away. The delivery came in not too long after and they had their breakfast.
The girls said they wanted to watch the cartoon channel. He gingerly agreed to their request. He needed to make a vital call. He walked to his study and searched for the card Frances, one of his niece’s friends, gave him the week before. It was the card of a recruitment agent she knew. Frances had advised that he should get a nanny who could cook for the kids as well.
Travis settled behind his desk, praying someone would pick his call, and give him an immediate solution. He sighed and leaned back against his chair when a woman answered his call at the first dial.
“Yes, Olive Agency, Belinda Adams speaking. How may I help you today?”
“Good morning Belinda, I am Travis. I understand your agency can help me get a nanny for my kids.”
“Oh yes,” she yawp. “We can certainly help you with that.”
Travis heard papers rustling in the background and then Belinda said, “I will have to ask you some questions to know what you want and how best to help you.”
“That’s okay,” he said.
“First, do you want the nanny for a short period or a long term?” Belinda started her questions.
“It’s for a short period,” Travis answered. “Just for the summer.”
“Okay. Is the nanny going to be live in or day?”
“Live-in,” Travis said into the phone. “I have a comfortable little apartment at the back of my house. I think accommodation won’t be a problem.”
“Okay,” Belinda said, and he heard her typing on the computer.
“What are the ages of your children?” She asked again.
“They are five and four.”
“Good.”
Belinda asked him more questions, and he answered all her questions. She promised to get back to him the following day.
“Thank you so much,” Travis said. He dropped the phone and went to check on the girls.”