“Hey, Mom’s here!!” Dani and Alex jumped up from their seats around the campfire, to run over and greet Tina. Paul, who had just been walking up from the lake, proudly carrying his morning catch, wasn’t far behind in running to greet his Mom.

“Hey guys!” Tina jumped out of her car, giving each child a big bear hug. “Boy, did I ever miss you. Are you having fun?”

“Yea Mom, it’s been…” “You should see the fish I caught…” “I helped put up the tents…” All three children started talking at the same time.

“Whoa…slow down, I can’t understand a thing your saying when you talk all at once.” They slowly walked back to the campfire, filling Tina in on all their activities over the last two and a half weeks. Tina had casually slung her arms around the shoulders of Paul and Alex while they were walking, taking in the feeling of being with her children again. She thought about how close Bette and Milaine were, and understood completely Bette’s nervousness around Milaine going away to Italy for a year. She wasn’t even close to wanting to think about her children leaving the house, and what her life will be like as they go off to start their own lives. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, reminding herself that she still had years to go before that happened.

As they approached the fire, Dani looked over at Tina and smiled. “Wow Mom, you look great! You look all tan and happy. What have you been doing while we’ve been up here?”

Tina smiled back at Dani. She will fill them in on what she had been up to, but not now…it wasn’t the time. “Oh, I don’t know…sleeping in, laying in the sun…sleeping in, laying in the sun!” She winked at Dani. “You know, stuff like that. Now…where is your Dad and Kathy?”

“We’re right here…hey Tina, glad you’re here.” Dan and Kathy were coming up from the lake, carrying all the fishing gear Paul had left down there in his haste to show off his fish to his sisters.

“Hi you two.” Tina walked over, giving both Dan and Kathy a hug. “I see you have been surviving the wild woods of Index, Washington!”

They all laughed at the joke. “We’ve been having a great time. Actually, Paul has been keeping our stomachs full everyday. He has become quite the fisherman.” At that comment, Paul puffed out his chest, grinning like…well, grinning like an eleven year old boy who had just been complimented by his dad.

“I caught one too Dad!”

Dan smiled down at Alex. “Yes, you did honey, and it was one of the tastiest fish ever, right?”

“Right!” Came the resounding answer in stereo from Paul, Dani and Kathy. This just caused Alex to sway back and forth, beaming up at her father. Because, even though Alex loved her mother very much, and loved just hanging out with her, she was most definitely a “Daddy’s Girl.” She had the hardest time of them all, when Dan and Tina divorced. She was only five at the time, and didn’t understand why her father couldn’t still live with them. Even after Dan had met, and then married Kathy, she still would ask every once in a while when he was going to move back home. After almost three years, she was much better…but still, when her father was around, her adoration for him was very apparent.

Dan had overheard Dani’s statement about how good Tina looked, and when she turned to face him, and she looked into his eyes…he knew only one thing could be responsible for that glow. Dan had known Tina for almost 15 years, and at different times, had been fortunate enough to see glimpses of that look. He had always felt so honored when Tina reflected her happiness back to him with that incredible smile, her eyes shining. However, in the end, it was his need to bring more than just glimpses of that kind of happiness to his wife, that caused him to finally leave their marriage. He knew that Tina had been hurt when he left. He had been hurt as well. But, he had needed and had wanted more for himself, and for Tina.

“Wow Tina, Dani was right. You really do look tan and happy. I think maybe you have some news to share?”

Tina smiled at her ex-husband, secretly enjoying the fact that they could all see how happy she was just by looking at her, but also wanting to stick to her plan of talking with Dan privately. “Actually, I do want to talk with you about something. Dan, do you mind if we go for a walk?”

“Sure Tina. Guys, we’ll be back. Paul, why don’t you clean that monster fish you just caught while we’re gone.”

“Aw Dad. Shouldn’t Dani be the one to clean it, since I caught it?”

Dan laughed. “Paul, do you not remember eating the fish that Dani tried to clean last week?” They all let out a little shutter at the memory of eating a fish that still had big patches of scales all over it.

“Ok, ok…I’ll clean the fish.”

Dani just shook her head and walked toward the campfire, mumbling…”It’s not my fault my forte isn’t cleaning smelly fish. I’m an artist, what do you expect?!”

Tina and Dan smiled at each other, loving this kind of interaction with their children. They walked into the woods, following a trail that would eventually lead them down to the lake.

“So Tina…it’s happened hasn’t it…you’re in love?”

Tina couldn’t wipe the smile off her face if she had tried, because he was right. She was hopelessly, passionately in love…with Bette Porter. Now, how to share that part with Dan?

Dan laughed at the look on Tina’s face. “Don’t tell me…you couldn’t resist anymore and have fallen madly in love with Mr. Bob!”

Tina reached over and whacked Dan on the arm, laughing. “Don’t even go there, Dan!” She let out an involuntary shutter. Mr. Bob was an 86 year old man, who lived down the street from them. His wife had died five years earlier, and he was notorious for hitting on all the women in the neighborhood…whether they were married, lesbians, or whatever, he didn’t care. In truth, his behavior was kind of a nuisance, but it was tolerated because everyone knew that he was only joking, and knew how much he truly missed his wife.

Tina looked down at the trail, not wanting to look at Dan. “Do you remember when you and I first met, that I had just gotten out of a seven year relationship?”

Dan looked at Tina and furrowed his brow. “You mean with the guy who had cheated on you…the one that you were still in love with when we met?”

Tina took a deep breath. “Well…most of that is true, except…well…except…the guy part.” She whispered the last three words.

Dan stopped walking, looking very confused. “What Tina? What do you mean except the guy part?”

Well…I guess I should have told you before, but I didn’t want it to affect our relationship, and at that time, I didn’t feel it was important to us and where we were headed, so I just didn’t…”

“Tina, slow down. What are you saying?”

Tina took another deep breath and stood up a little straighter. “What I am trying to tell you, is that the person I was with before you…was a woman.”

“WHAT!!!!!!!” Dan’s yell echoed through the trees, and as Tina closed her eyes, she was sure the children had heard that.

“A woman?!” He spat the words out like they were poison. “How could you have not told me this Tina?! How could you have married me, lived with me for all those years, bore three children with me, and not told me you were a *****?! Huh Tina, how could you??!!” Dan was pacing back and forth now, running his hands through his hair. “I mean, was our whole ***** marriage just one big lie?!” He turned to Tina with pain and anger. “A woman?!! ***** Tina!” He started back down the trail towards the camp. “I’m going for a walk, alone!”

Tina’s eyes filled with tears. She didn’t know what she had expected from Dan, but the incredible amount of anger pouring from him had not been it. She hung her head, not knowing how she was going to make this better. She knew though that she needed to leave Dad alone so he could calm down on his own. She wiped her tears, and slowly followed him back to camp.

Dan stormed back to the campfire, stopping to grab his baseball hat off the stump where he had thrown it earlier, and kept walking in the opposite direction from where Tina was just emerging from the woods. Alex jumped up when she saw the look on her father’s face, knowing something was terribly wrong. They had all heard his earlier yell, and had been nervously waiting for their parents to return. As Dan continued walking Alex started to follow him.

“Dad…Daddy? What’s the matter? Are you Ok? Dad?”

And, as Tina walked toward the campfire, Alex turned and glared at her. “Mom, why is Dad so upset? What did you do to him!?”