Dented Ch. 03

"Now I'm yours," she said, smiling. "Now I'm home."

I looked at my two girls and smiled. I knew that we'd be together forever, and there was nowhere else I'd rather be.

*****

EPILOGUE

My wife pushed one stroller through Millennial Park while Jess pushed the other. Of course, Maggie and I eventually had twins. Our two one-year-old girls, Katie and Kristen, giggled as their drivers made the strollers bob and weave around the walkway.

A chill had entered the air, promising fall would soon be here. I walked behind the two girls as David, our three-year-old son, pulled at my hand to catch up.

"Com'on Daddy!" he pleaded, pulling me ahead until I was between Jess and Maggie.

"I think little-man is hungry," Jess said.

"Uh huh, Mama." David nodded while looking up at Jess.

"Where do you want to eat?" Maggie asked

"Over there, Mommy." David pointed to Park&Grill across the way. We'd eaten there before and he loved their chicken fingers.

Jess looked down and beamed at David. She loved being a sister to Maggie and the second mother to our kids. We figured there'd be some interesting explanations eventually, but for now, all they knew is that Mama and Mommy and Daddy all loved each other and, more importantly, loved them very much.

As we approached the restaurant, Maggie stopped short.

"Oh shit." she breathed, making David's eyes go wide since Mommy had said a bad word.

I looked where she was staring and saw a couple exiting the restaurant. They were nicely dressed, but you could tell the clothes were old and worn. He was yelling at someone I assumed was the manager, who was trying desperately to calm him and defuse the volatile situation. The woman, who was looking at the manger with utter contempt, glanced over at us. Her eyes narrowed, then she gasped as recognition took.

She grabbed the man's arm, who looked at her then over at us. The same looks passed through him, and he started walking over towards us, pulling the woman with him. The manager, apparently now forgotten and seeing her opportunity to escape, quickly went back inside.

"Margaret." the man said sneering when he approached us.

"Mother. Father." she answered coldly, bristling at the name she hated.

'Oh shit' was right! Her parents! Jess and I exchanged a brief glance of concern. I reached down and took Maggie's hand. Seeing this, her father turned to glare at me.

"I know you, don't I?" his breath was pungent of garlic and wine. "Who the hell are you?"

"Yeah, you do know me," I replied coolly, trying to keep my composure. "I'm Jason and this is my sister Jessica."

His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped. His wife's mouth likewise hung open. He looked down and saw the kids, one of whom was hiding behind my legs. He pieced it together.

"Yeah. My family." Maggie said proudly, taking my arm in hers. Jess stood on the other side of Maggie, putting her arm around her. "Our family."

"How-" her mother began, but Maggie cut her off.

"You wanted soooo badly for us to be like them," Maggie said. I could hear a tremble in her voice as she restrained herself from screaming at them. "You thought they were perfect. And you know what? You were right! They are perfect. They are the best people I have ever, ever met. And the best people I could ever love. They helped me through the worst part my life and gave me a second chance."

"You married him." her father stated, stunned. Her mother looked down at Maggie's rings, and I could all but see the calculations run in her mind as she figured their value. I watched as her eyes flickered to Maggie's necklace and earrings as well, even down to her shoes. Anything of potential value was itemized and appraised. Everything except her own daughter. Then she looked over at our children.

"We have grandchildren?" her mother asked, her eyes starting to light up. It was starting to creep me out the way she was staring at our kids, almost as if they held the key to whatever it was they'd failed to do with their own kids years ago.

"No!" Maggie said, silencing them immediately. "You abandoned me. Told me that you no longer had any kids. So you don't get to call them your grandkids. You don't get to have anything to do with them. That's reserved for my real Mom and Dad: Jace and Jess' parents. Who have accepted me despite everything and shown me the love you two never could!"

Maggie took a deep breath, reigning in her emotions.

"You? You get to remember this moment as when you finally realized everything you could've had."

Maggie looked over at me. I squeezed her hand reassuringly. She turned back to her parents.

"And everything you lost."

Forcibly, Maggie pushed past them, one stroller in front of her, and headed into the restaurant. Her Father looked at me as if at a loss for words for the first time in his life.

I reached down and picked up David, who eagerly jumped into my arms. He'd never seen Mommy that angry, and this entire situation had him upset. Jess took my arm, steadying herself and using me for support. If anything was going to bring on an attack it would be this. As if sensing that Mama needed him, David reached for her. She took him from me, and I saw the storm in her eyes fade. I smiled when I saw that. My son also could help her. She held him close and I took the stroller from her.

Not used to be ignored like that, Maggie's father loudly cleared his throat. I turned my attention back to Maggie's parents. I met her father's stare.

"Now you listen-" he started.

At one point, years ago, I had envisioned what I would say to them if I ever ran into them. I had a whole speech prepared, one that would have been Oscar worthy. It was big and dramatic, filled with a litany of insults and slights against him, his parenting abilities, and his worthiness of being called a man. At that moment, standing there face to face with him, I couldn't remember a single thing I had planned. So instead I just winged it.

"No!" I interrupted. "You listen. Maggie told us everything. Everything you did to them. Every sick, deranged, twisted thing. We know about the note your son left that you never told the police about. I'm pretty sure that could be called withholding evidence. While it may not mean much in a criminal court, I'm pretty sure my team of lawyers would have a field day with it in a civil court."

Her father's face went pale as he took a small step away from me.

"I would strongly suggest that the next time you see us, you stay away," I said through gritted teeth. "If you see us on the same sidewalk, you cross the street." I leaned closer to him. "I will never give you a chance to hurt my family ever again."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

"I'm done with you," I said to them. "If I haven't already made it abundantly clear, I would recommend you not try to contact us." I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm not kidding about that team of lawyers on retainer."s

With that, Jess and I pushed the stroller and walked past them to get some lunch. We never looked back to see what they did.

*****

That night, Mom and Dad said they came over for dinner, but it was mainly so they could spoil their grandkids. David loved climbing over Dad, who made exaggerated noises and flailed around with him. It reminded me of how he used to play with us when we were little.

Later, Dad and I sat outside by the pool enjoying a cold beer together. I recounted the episode today with Maggie's parents. As I did he shook his head in pity and disbelief.

"Hard to imagine how two people could be so wrong when it comes to kids nowadays," he said

"Yeah, but Maggie turned out okay in the end."

"Thanks to you and Jess," Dad said, raising his bottle in salute. "I gotta admit, I was wrong."

"About?"

"I remember telling you that you couldn't fix some people who were broken, and I was convinced you couldn't fix her. You proved me wrong."

I looked back at the house, seeing Mom, Jess, and Maggie in the kitchen. I could hear the peals of their laughter echoing outside. Maggie caught my gaze and flashed the "I Love You" sign with her hand, then turned her attention back to their conversation. Jess, seeing mine and Maggie's little exchange, also looked at me. She flashed the "Peace" sign, but we knew what it really meant. "Me too."

Being by the pool, with a slight chill in the air, I was reminded of a similar conversation Jess and I shared years ago. I smiled at the memory, taking a long pull from my bottle.

"Well, yes and no Dad. What you were actually wrong about was Maggie being broken. She was never really broken. Because if she was broken, then the same could easily be said about me and Jess. The three of us were all shaped by Maggie's parents in some way. Her directly; us indirectly. In the end, Maggie's like me, and she's like Jess. And none of us are broken."

I paused for a moment, remembering what I said to Jess years ago. Dad was looking at me expectantly.

"We're all just a little...dented."

The End.

******

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I want to thank everyone for reading the Dented series. This was a story I've had in my head for several years in some shape, form, or fashion. It's taken a while for me to figure out the best way to get it written, and I hope that it's been enjoyed. I know there was some initial resistance to the idea of Maggie joining the twins, so I hope that the resolution has helped allay any concerns.

As for what's next, to be honest I'm not sure. One thing I do know is that with the time gaps in Dented, there are plenty of opportunities for "Dented Tales".

Thank you again for reading!