“Have you seen the roster yet?” Erin Rossini asked.<br/><br/>Lost in thought at her desk, Mary Beth Sinclair jumped slightly at the intrusive question.  “What roster?” she eventually answered.<br/><br/>“The roster for after-school care,” she said, while casually floating a single sheet of paper toward Mary Beth.  She plucked the paper from her desk and started scanning.<br/><br/>“What am I looking for?” Mary Beth impatiently enquired.<br/><br/>Erin shook her head with a visible, emphatic eye roll.  “Are you telling me that the name Rosalie Primeau doesn’t jump out and bite you on the ass?”  Her question was backed up with a wicked smirk.<br/><br/>Mary Beth raised her eyes from the roster and locked on with her friend’s.  “Before you get all hot and bothered,” Erin helpfully interjected, “there’s also one Toby Whitmore on that list.”<br/><br/>Expression immediately shifting to a scowl that would make any Klingon proud, Mary Beth was surprisingly at a loss for words.<br/><br/>Her friend picked up on her hesitation.  “That shouldn’t matter,” she said.  “All that matters is now you know Elijah will be coming for her, probably around the same time every day.  That’s perfect when it’s your turn to be on after-school duty.  And the days that you’re not, you just make sure you’re nearby to see him when he picks her up.  You’ll have ample opportunity to ask him out.”<br/><br/>Mary Beth stared at her friend and colleague in silence, which earned her another eye roll.  “Y’know, M.B., if you keep dragging your tush about him,<i>I’m </i>gonna ask him out.”  That got her attention.<br/><br/>“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed.<br/><br/>“Is that a challenge?” Erin asked.<br/><br/>Backing down, Mary Beth was well aware of Erin’s capability at following through on her veiled threat.  “No, it’s not,” she relented.<br/><br/>“Because when you think about it,” Erin began, clearly enjoying the further twist of the dagger, “he’d have quite the choice to make.  There’s you, a blonde with short hair.  Me, a brunette with medium-length hair.  And Gwen, a red head with long hair.  Kinda like The Three Bears.  I really do wonder which way Eli leans.”  Giggling at The Three Bears comparison and not even coming up for air, she gleefully continued.  “See, I’m thinking it’s gotta be brunette.  Why?  Well, I’m glad you asked.”  Mary Beth hadn’t asked, as she sat there seething in silence.  “He and his daughter have brown hair, so I’m thinking her mother must also have dark hair.  Simple arithmetic.  Besides, I’d happily let him do whatever he wanted to me,” she finished, obviously pleased with herself.<br/><br/>“I said it’s not a challenge,” Mary Beth stated evenly with traces of annoyance.<br/><br/>“Okay then,” Erin replied, satisfied for now.  She grinned and wiggled her fingers in a wave as she left her friend’s classroom.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">&gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt;&lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt;​</div><br/>To coin an overused term: Priceless.  That was the only word fit to describe Gwen’s expression as they all entered<i>Gonzo Time Pizza.  </i>Rosalie and Elijah had been there numerous times before, of course, but it was obviously Gwen’s and Toby’s maiden voyage.  She recovered from her initial shock and proceeded to enquire about the roller-skates and clowns.  Laughing, their reaction was to be expected, as he vividly recalled reacting the exact same way at his first time.<br/><br/>Liz approached them on her roller-skates and nodded knowingly at him, before introducing herself to Gwen and Toby.  Clearly, offering just his name to Liz’s simple question wasn’t enough for the 1st grader.  Once again, Elijah felt uncomfortable and bad, though mostly the latter, for her.  By his estimation, Toby cut his mother at the ankles on his reveal about money and his father.  Him not being her boyfriend and her never dating again took her out at the knees.  Gwen was now about the same height as her son, he imagined.<br/><br/>Was that true?  She was never dating again?  Frankly, that was none of his concern, nor was it any of his business.  It did spur him on to thinking, however, would<i>he</i>ever date again?  Elijah hadn’t been with a woman ever since his ex-wife left them both behind.  And that was about four years ago.  Friends did not count.<br/><br/>With both their children off with Liz, Gwen needlessly apologized for her son, followed by explanations of why Toby volunteered such private information.  He understood all too well a child who believed he was helping by contributing key intel, whether asked for or not.  Rosalie had her moments, too.<br/><br/>Elijah attempted to dismiss it all with a gentle and comforting (he hoped) chuckle.  “Don’t worry about it Gwen.  I would think kids that age have yet to develop any kinda filter.  Rose does it sometimes, too,” he said.  “Though I must admit, and no offense, but Toby would make one lousy spy.  You wouldn’t even have to torture him for information,” he stated with a laugh.<br/><br/>Gwen stumbled and stammered over many words in trying to defend her son, which she really needn’t have troubled herself with.  Still, always a firm believer of fair is fair, he decided to volunteer some personal facts about himself, anything that might assist in putting her at ease.  It also seemed to go hand-in-hand with her request that they talk about him, though she probably didn’t mean personal stuff.<br/><br/>“Well, um, Rosie has never known her mother,” he said flatly, emotionless.  “She has no memory of her.  I get up one weekend morning and there’s Madelyn standing by the front door with suitcases nearby.”  He truly wished he could erase the vivid pictures of that shitty day from his mind.  “She hands me some signed papers about a divorce and child custody, tells me she can’t do this anymore, kisses me on the cheek, and walks out the door,” he said.  Elijah blinked at the recollection as if it happened only yesterday, before continuing.  “That was a day after Rose’s first birthday.  Maddy didn’t even say goodbye to her own daughter, not that I’m aware of anyway.”  Whew!  Man, that was some heavy-duty shit, he thought.<br/><br/>While he watched Gwen digest his words, he thought it best to lighten the atmosphere.  “Yeah, I do come here often,” he said with an easy laugh.  “More often than I care to, actually.  See, Rosie’s made friends with a bunch of kids at our condo.  And every time one of them has something to celebrate, guess where we always seem to end up?”  Elijah laughed again, though he’d come here every day if that’s what it took for his daughter’s happiness.