Francis and Frederick and Compiling Reports

            Selfishly, I was less enthralled to have my second set of twins age than I was for the first. I feared that Kyle would catch on, since there was little doubt in my mind that they would appear quite different.

            Francis aged into a toddler with cherubic cheeks and a devilish smirk.

            The traits he shared with his father were abundant. He did have Mother’s eyes though. “Not my real eyes, darling.”

            Frederick was the only one of my children to resemble me the most. I felt sorry for him at first.

            But then it became evident that he was his father’s favorite.

            I had a hard time ever getting to my son; he was usually tucked into Kyle’s arms.

            He stayed with his father even during bad weather.

            I had to become the prominent parent to my other three children for a time. It was fortunate that I found their giggles and babbles to be fun.

            Sometimes, although it was rare at first, Kyle would give Frederick a rest and visit the other toddlers.

            The longer my maternity leave stretched, the more my longing for work built-up inside me. I could not get away from my family long enough to find strangers that would agree to be questioned. I did, however, discover another route of getting facts with which to compile a report.

            Disgusting perhaps, but it provided fruitful information.

            A childish excitement bubbled in me every time I raced home to create another report. I began to hit multiple houses an outing, requiring more time in front of my laptop.

            I continued to rummage through trashcans until the night I accidentally discovered a terrible secret. I had not known that the house I planned to hit was the current residence of Odie.

            The numerous movie ticket stubs and receipts from the bistro first lead me to believe that the person living there was involved in a somewhat new romantic relationship. I opened crumpled piece of paper to find a love note. I hadn’t expected to see Odessa’s name at the top. And I had really been shocked to see Dedrick’s familiar signature. Yes, I had chosen Kyle over Dedrick, but it did not make me any less outraged to find the positive pregnancy test.