Visiting Ari

 

The stars were out in force the other night when I took my daughter for a stroll down the street. 

We arrived at Ari Morris’ house at a quarter to nine.

“Wow.  Didn’t expect to see you here.  Thought you’d forgotten about the ‘little people.’”

“Well, when I heard you’d moved to Pinochle Point I decided to pay you a visit.  My house is right up the road.”

When I walked inside, I had to admit the place was exquisite.  Obviously Ari’s husband was fairly well off. 

“Been teaching Athena to walk.  Sometimes I wonder.”

“So, what you been up to.”

“Babies, babies, and more babies.  My oldest two – the ones I adopted from Egypt – are soon to become young adults, and my oldest son is a teenager now too.”

“Oh wow.  Well you know I married Rick Morris… and I had a daughter, and I got on at the Times.”

“You did?  You told me you were going to get on there.”

She offered me a meal and I whispered in her ear that I had something I wanted to tell her.

“My husband died of old age a couple of simdays ago,” she said over stu surprise, some of the best stu surprise I’d had in quite awhile. 

“Wow, I’m really sorry to hear that.”

A part of me wondered why the heck she married that old guy in the first place, but I bit my tongue, thinking better of it.  She’s known enough sorrow in her life as it is.  Her parents died in a house fire before she turned teen and she went to live with a family friend, after which she’d moved to Sunset Valley.

“How are you holding up?” I asked. 

“It’s been hard, raising Athena alone.  But I’m glad you’re still around.  At least some things are the same.”

I let out a deep breath.  If she only knew. 

Then I asked about the house.

“I saw it in this magazine of celebrity homes, belonged to my favorite romance novelist Annabelle Smith –“

Trash books, I thought. 

“And I contacted an architect in town who built me a replica.  Figured it was perfect for Athena and me, plus an extra bedroom for sleepovers and room to grow.”

“You mean you want more children?”  I asked.  “You can have some of mine.”

That managed to get a chuckle out of Ari.  “I can’t believe you’ve got five kids now.  And with the guy you couldn’t stand in high school.  I still remember you sneaking off to the park on that one fishing trip with him.”

“Hey.  I didn’t go to the park.  Especially not with him.”

“Yes you did!  I saw you there.  You tried to lie to me and say you didn’t like him.  I knew you did, all along.  Girl it was love at first blush. You’re married to him now.  You cannot lie to me, Savannah.”