After wiping Reggie down, Michael went into the formal living room and turned on several lights. He closed the curtains in front of the large picture window as a soft glow bathed the walls--casting an illuminated yellow blanket over the room. Somehow this made everything seem better.

On the other side of the entry, was the formal dining room. He decided to leave it undisturbed and took the hall straight back to the kitchen. Reggie followed as his nails clicked along the tile floor. As the storm raged outside, Michael felt an uneasiness stir within him as currents of increasing apprehension made his stomach tighten. He washed up at the sink and attempted to lighten the mood by making small talk. "I bet I planted over one hundred iris bulbs this afternoon! They'll make quite a splash come this spring."

Reaching into his backpack he pulled out a fold-up dish and some food for Reggie. "Here you go boy," he said as he patted him on the head.

~~~~~

Michael at twenty nine had never been married; although he had been engaged once to a fellow law student named Caroline. They had met while attending the University of San Francisco. After dating for several months they moved in together for the next two years.

At the beginning of his senior year, he decided to quit pre-law and start his own landscaping business. This decision drove a wedge between them. Caroline wanted a husband with clean fingernails and Michael wanted to be able to sleep at night.

After she left, Michael rescued two-year-old Reggie from an animal shelter. They had become best friends and although he would never admit it, Reggie had saved him as much as he had saved Reggie.

Michael was the second of Rosa's three children from her first marriage. His older brother, John, lived in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children. His younger sister Angelina lived and taught fourth grade in San Francisco. She too was married and expecting her first child in December.

~~~~~

Grabbing some bowls from the cupboard, Michael set the large baker's table and called the girls away from the television. Alex had made some torn-up peanut butter and jam sandwiches to go with the soup.

"This looks real good," he complimented.

"What kind of jam is it?" Charlie asked as she tried to pry her sandwich apart.

"Strawberry," Alex replied.

She quit pulling on her sandwich, obviously happy with the answer.

Michael got up and poured milk into four glasses. Setting them on the table he noticed that Alex showed no interest in eating.

"Alex, you better eat your soup before it gets cold."

"You're supposed to dip your sandwich in your soup," Charlie informed him. "See like this."

He watched, then mimicked what she had done. Much to his surprise it tasted quite good.

The girls adjusted their positions in order to better see the TV.

~~~~~

Michael looked over at the three little girls. 'Stair steps' his mother called them. He wondered what he was going to do if Dr. and Mrs. Graham didn't get home soon. He knew his mother would have a hard time coming back to the house tonight. Her husband, Alfredo was somewhat demanding of Rosa's time and expected her to be home in the evenings to take care of him and their two sons.

He could see that his mom was stretched thin. She always tried to make time for her children and grandchildren as well as taking care of the Graham's three little girls. He also knew that he was in uncharted territory when it came to babysitting these girls, even if they did have boys' nicknames.

Reggie raised his head with a jerk. Michael listened to what sounded like a car engine. The muffled sounds of car doors slamming, one after the other filled him with a sense of relief. That feeling was quickly replaced with dread as the front doorbell rang.