Jodi:

I looked at Tom who looked pensive and a bit sad. I had brought him to my house after the incident with Cal, but he hadn’t said a word to me. Chrissy, my beautiful wife, was in the bedroom putting our new son Adrian to sleep.

I decided to strike up the conversation with Tom. I signed to him, "you alright?"

"I don’t know," he signed back.

"Tom, you didn’t have to do things this way," I signed, "why couldn’t you just befriend them and ask them for permission to be with Cal?"

"Max would never forgive me," he responded.

"Max has changed a great deal Tom," I explained, "he did the surgery, he’s settled down and married to Nikki Stevens, and he mentioned to me that they were thinking of having a baby together."

Tom looked surprised.

"You could have tried Tom, it’s been over 15 years, they are very forgiving people," I signed, "they accepted me into their group with open arms. And Bette was going to throw a barbecue for Chrissy and I to welcome Adrian."

"Didn’t you save Bette’s life?" Tom asked.

"Yeah she got in a really bad accident and went into some sort of cardiac arrest," I said, "I gave her CPR."

"I guess that’s a good reason to forgive and forget everything huh?"

"You can find your own reasons."

Chrissy joined us at that moment. She handed both of us a scotch then went back to the bar to retrieve hers.

"Thank you," Tom signed to her. She was an interpreter. After Tom left, I hired Chrissy to replace him and we fell so deeply in love, I can’t explain it.

Chrissy smiled and sat down on the couch beside me. "Look Tom," she said and signed, "Adrian is 2 years old. His parents left him in a dumpster behind a church and a nun found him. The church was so poor they could barely afford to care for Adrian, but the nuns tried their best. Would you say that Adrian is better off with Jodi and I?"

Tom nodded.

"Now think of Cal," Chrissy continued, "Jodi and I have been to every single one of his birthday parties since he was 3 years old. That boy is so happy and so loved. He gets love everywhere! Bette and Tina, Max and Nikki, his sisters, his aunts, his cousins, his friends. He is so happy. Are you telling me that Cal is better off with you?"